CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ BHUBANESWAR l monday l february 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late CITY EDITION Some of the agreements reached between India and Malaysia during PM’s visit Key pacts signed Semiconductor cooperation UPI-based digital payments Audio-visual co-production Cooperation in defence, healthcare & medicine, and tourism sectors Disaster management cooperation Dedicated Thiruvalluvar Centre at Universiti Malaya Social security for Indian workers in Malaysia Thiruvalluvar Scholarships for Malaysian nationals No compromise, and no double standards on terrorism: Modi India, Malaysia stress strategic trust, sign deals in key sectors to strengthen ties Counter terrorism J AYAN T H J ACO B @ New Delhi India’s stance on terrorism is firm and uncompromising, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday after holding wide-ranging talks with Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim. “On terrorism, our message is clear: no double standards, no compromise. In the field of security we will strengthen co, operation in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, and maritime security. We will expand defence cooperation,” Modi said at a joint press briefing with Ibrahim. The joint statement issued after the bilateral talks explicitly condemned cross-border terrorism, signalling both leaders’ shared commitment to tackling threats that cross national boundaries. “The two Prime Ministers unequivocally and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They called for zero tolerance of terrorism and for concerted Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur | PTI international efforts to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner,” said the joint statement. For India, cross-border terrorism refers to terrorism coming from Pakistan. During Modi’s two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, a series of agreements were signed to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors including defence and security, technology and trade. , During the press briefing, Caste no barrier for successor: Bhagwat e x p r e ss n e w s s e r v i c e @ Mumbai AT RSS’ centenary programme in Mumbai, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the organisation follows merit-based advancement without caste quotas, clarifying that while the next Sarsanghchalak must be a Hindu, caste is irrelevant. Belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes is no disqualification, nor is being a Brahmin any qualification for leading the RSS, he said. Speaking at the two-day lecture series “100 Years of Sangh Journey - New Horizons,” Bhagwat said visitors from different countries are studying RSS activities to re plicate the model for their youth. He emphasised that RSS is apolitical and not opposed to anyone, describing “Hindu” as an adjective encompassing all Indians rather than a noun. The Mumbai lecture saw a posse of Bollywood bigwigs in attendance, including Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Vicky Kaushal, BJP MP Hema Malini and others. Speaking about the Sangh’s journey, Bhagwat said: “The Sangh has not emerged in competition with any other organisation.The Sangh neither seeks popularity nor power.” He said the Sangh had asked him to continue working, and that he would step down whenever it asks him to. Modi also highlighted New Delhi’s strategic trust with Kuala Lumpur. “Along with AI and digital technologies, we will further our collaboration in semiconductors, health, and food security he said. ,” Modi also interacted with leading business leaders in Malaysia. “The CEO Forum has opened up new opportunities for trade and investment. We will chart the way to economic transformation through strategic trust,” Modi added. The joint statement spelled out a detailed agenda to counter radicalisation and violent extremism, combat financing of terrorism, and prevent misuse of emerging technologies for terror purposes India’s rise on the global trade and economic front has provided new momentum for Malaysia-India cooperation Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Prime Minister Navy’s marine engine programme likely to get govt nod this week J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is likely to approve an indigenous marine engine development programme for the Indian Navy when it meets later this week, this newspaper has learnt. The proposal is expected to be taken up under the Make-I category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, which provides government funding support for indigenous design and development of critical defence technologies. Sources said four prototype engines are planned, with a minimum order quantity of 40 engines envisaged initially The Navy is looking at develop. ing a marine gas turbine in the 24-28 MW power class for main propulsion systems used on large surface combatants such as destroyers and frigates. At present, the Navy’s frontline warships rely on foreign-origin gas turbine-based propulsion systems from Ukraine’s Zorya-Mashproekt and US firm General Electric. Sources said the overall programme would need `4,000-5,000 crore investment, with the government expected to cover up to 70% of prototype development cost. making a splash Dolphin population in Odisha rises to 765 Sudarsan Maharana @ Bhubaneswar In a major boost to Odisha’s marine conservation efforts, dolphin population in the state has jumped to 765, registering an impressive growth of nearly eight per cent in a year. Wildlife authorities said the figure is also the highest recorded for the majestic marine species in last five years, highlighting the positive outcomes of the state’s ongoing protection measures. PCCF wildlife and chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha informed that the annual popu- lation estimation of dolphins and cetaceans 2025-26 carried out last month has pegged the total number of dolphins at 765, around 7.75 per cent more than the 2024-25 count of 710. The overall dolphin population in the state was 743 in 2023-24, 733 in 2022-23 and 726 in 2021-22 estimation. The latest estimation documented six species of dolphins and cetaceans such as Irrawaddy, Bottlenose, Humpback of both Indo-Pacific and Indian ocean, Spinner and Finless porpoise across the Odisha coast. “ I r r aw a d d y d o l p h i n s ’ number is estimated at 208, underscoring Odisha’s global significance for the conservation of this vulnerable species, while Humpback dolphins accounted for the largest share with 495, reflecting the state’s ecological richness of nearshore and estuarine waters,” Continued on P5 Jha said.  Positive count Total dolphins: 765  Annual growth: 7.75% (from 710 in 2024-25) Species recorded  Irrawaddy:  208  Humpback: 495  Bottlenose:  55  Spinner:  3  Finless:  2 A heartbroken Nepal team acknowledges the Mumbai crowd after their match against England on Sunday. They lost the match by four runs | AFP | P11