The Editorial Page: In West Asia pause, questions for India, especially about its place at the table 8 TUEsDAY, JUNE 16, 2026 Journalism of Courage AhmedAbAd, lAte cIty, 18 PAges ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com dA I ly f r o m : A h m e dA b A d , c h A N d I gA r h , d e l h I , j A I P u r , ko l k AtA , l u c k N o w , m u m b A I , N Ag P u r , PAt N A , P u N e , vA d o dA r A NCPI, new home for TMC rebels, in the dark: ‘Don’t know who party chief is’ Kolkata, June 15 forTUNe favoUrs the bold; sometimes it helps being just the opposite. Just ask the Nationalist Citizens Party of india (NCPi),whichisnowthelargest partyinWestBengalintermsof the number of MPs — if, that is, youcanfigureoutwhoisspeak- ing for it. With 20 breakaway rebel MPs of the TMC joining it sunday to possibly dodge disqualification, the NCPi sported overnight a buzzing facebook page. it proclaimed its status as “the largest parliamentary bloc from West Bengal”, and welcomed each of the new joinees »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NCERT to restore original image of ‘Dancing Girl’ After Express report on covered image in textbook Ritika Chopra Business as Usual By EP UNNY US and Iran reach deal to end war, reopen Hormuz Parisa Hafezi, Maya Gebeily & Steve Holland hoUrsafTerTheIndianExpress reported that the iconic “Dancing Girl” of Mohenjodarohadbeencoveredupinthe new arts education textbook »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Shubhajit Roy Dubai, Beirut, Evian (France), June 15 New Delhi, June 15 UsPresiDeNTDonaldTrump said on Monday a Memorandum of Understanding aiming toendthewarintheGulfhasalready been signed by the Unitedstatesandiran,drawing calls from his opponents to publish the text. his statement came after both the Us and iran announced overnight that they had agreed on terms to end their war and reopen the strait of hormuz, news that brought relief to markets although the pact may hinge on an end to hostilities in lebanon and deferstalksonTehran'snuclear programme. Therewasnoimmediateresponse from Tehran to the report that the agreement had already been signed. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mumbai, June 15 PMwelcomes move,says ensurefreedom ofnavigation, commerce Trump says ‘deal’s all signed’; Israel PM says won’t let Iran have nukes NCpI’s registered office in Howrah district’s Hatgacha. PArthA PAul Atri Mitra INDIAN LNG TANkER CROSSES HORMUz; OIL PRICES fALL, STOCkS ADvANCE economy Page 15 USTR headS To IndIa on JUne 23 foR ‘fInal ToUch’ To TRade deal A man flashes a victory sign as he rides past a banner that reads ‘Thank you Iran’, in Beirut, lebanon, Monday. reuters Energy worries far from over, India keeps its fingers crossed Sukalp Sharma New Delhi, June 15 oil PriCes tumbled Monday after the Us and iran announcedthattheyhadreached apeaceagreement,tobe signed in switzerland later this week, with Brent futures down about 5% at around $83 per barrel by evening. This is the closest the two countries have come to a deal since the West asia war began in late february, raising hopes of a pick-up in maritime traffic through the strait of hormuz. But energy and shipping experts, though optimistic, are approaching the development with considerable caution. india,whichdepends heavily on West asian imports to meet its oil, naturalgas,andliquefied petroleum gas (lPG) needs, is watching the developments E. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 UNDerliNiNG The “serious economicdisruptionacrossthe world” and “loss of life in many countries” caused by the war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday welcomed the “understanding” reached between iran and the United states. later in the day, an indian liquefied Natural Gas (lNG) carrier, operated and managed by the state-owned shipping Corporation of india, crossed the strait of hormuz. accordingtoshiptrackingdataandindustry watchers, lNG Carrier Disha was the first vessel to cross the strait since the announcement of the deal between the Us and iran. The vessel, carrying Qatari lNG, is expected to arrive at Dahej in Gujarat on June 18. in his post on X after the Usirandealwasannounced,Modi said: “i welcome the understanding reached between the United states and iran on ending the conflict in West asia, »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NTA admits ‘initial shortfalls’ after NEET portal breach, adds new security measures Express News Service Ahmedabad, June 15 The NaTioNal Testing agency (NTa) on Monday acknowledged security gaps in the NeeT UG–2026 portal, following a cyber breach in which an accused allegedly accessed hundreds of candidates’ accounts and attempted to divert refund amounts into his own bank account. at a press conference in ahmedabad, akash Jain, the newlyappointedNTaJointDirector, attempted to reassure students and parents that National Testing Agency Joint Director Akash Jain (left) in Ahmedabad on Monday. 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