Ronaldo in action today Cristiano Ronaldo will be in action, his sixth World Cup, late on Wednesday when Portugal take on Democratic Republic of Congo. England will open their campaign against Croatia on Wednesday. Clubbed in Group L, they will play Ghana and Panama next. Today's matches (IST) CHENNAI l wednesday l june 17, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l LATE CITY EDITION France’s Theo Hernandez (L) & Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr fight for the ball | AP | P15 Group L: England vs Croatia (1:30AM); Ghana vs Panama (4:30AM). Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo (10:30 PM); Uzbekistan vs Colombia (7:30AM). 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 on the Rise CBC 22201/13/0015/2627 Aatmanirbhar Bharat ₹38,400 Crore Record Defence Exports enhancing India's pride 5,500+ Defence Items Delisted from Imports, Boosting indigenous defence industry Vishwas ke, Vikas ke, Jan-Kalyan ke PM plain speak on global TN’s ‘true’ debt `13.18L cr: White Paper Grim figures trust deficit at G7 meet T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told G7 leaders that global partnerships can succeed only when they are founded on trust, stressing that the world today suffers not from a shortage of resources but from a shortage of trust. Calling for renewed international solidarity in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, Modi said mutual trust is the most important strategic asset and warned that disregard for international law remains the biggest obstacle to building global cooperation. He highlighted that dialogue and diplomacy must be prioritised to ensure peace, stability and stronger international partnerships. The remarks came shortly after Modi was seen exchanging a handshake and a brief conversation with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit. The interaction, ahead of a scheduled bilateral meeting between the two leaders on Wednesday drew attention amid ongoing discussions , on trade, technology security and geopolitical challeng, es. Addressing the Outreach Session on “Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity ,” Modi, seated next to Trump, said that while global interdependence has increased, confidence among nations has eroded. Partnerships can succeed only when they are founded on trust,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with US President Donald Trump before the plenary session at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday | AP Call to Protect seafarers Modi said it’s important that sea lanes are kept safe and seafarers are able to perform their duties without any fear. “It is our responsibility to protect the seafarers,” he said while welcoming progress in the West Asia peace talks Indian civilian lives lost “Due to this conflict, our friendly countries in West Asia have suffered loss of life and property. The entire world economy was damaged due to the hinderance in the maritime trade in the Hormuz Strait. Many Indian civilians had to lose their lives,” the prime minister pointed out The White Paper on Tamil Nadu’s finances for the five-year period between 2021-22 and 202526 released by Finance Minister N Marie Wilson on Tuesday painted a grim picture. By factoring in contingent liabilities, guarantees, and obligations of public sector undertakings, the report pegged TN’s “true debt burden” at `13.18 lakh crore. The report, which described the financial deterioration as “structural rather than cyclical”, said the state has witnessed a near doubling of outstanding debt to about `10 lakh crore, a record revenue deficit of `78,324 crore, sharp decline in SOTRGSDP ratio, and rise in interest payments that exceeded capital expenditure during the fiveyear post-Covid period. The FM, however, exuded confidence that the present situation can be reversed through corruptionfree governance, stronger revenue mobilisation, expenditure efficiency, checking ‘leakages’ in revenue resources, and by reforming public sector undertakings.   FULL COVERAGE: P4, P7 60.4% This graphics summarises the state’s fiscal trajectory via 6 key indicators, comparing 2021-22 with 2025-26 (Pre-AC) 2.25% 2.22% 28.7% 28.3% 5.93% 5.45% Revenue Deficit SOTR / GSDP as % of GSDP (own-tax effort) Revenue Deficit (` in crore) THE Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has amended rules to prohibit sale of cough syrups without a doctor’s prescription. The decision comes months after contaminated cough syrups caused deaths in India and abroad. “The measure is expected to promote responsible distribu- Cough syrups will no longer be sold over the counter | p RAVIKUMAR tion and sale of cough syrups while ensuring greater compliance with regulatory stand- Window Start (2021-22) Closing (2025-26 Pre-AC) 1.79% 1.44% Outstanding Liabilities /GSDP 46,538 GSDP/Capital Expenditure TRR/ Committed Expenditure 78,324 Debt of state The white paper has pegged the debt of state PSUs at `3.18 lakh PSUs pegged at crore as of March 31, 2026. Debt of TNEB group rose from `1.67 `3.18 lakh crore lakh crore in March 2021 to `2.47 lakh crore in March 2026 | P4 Sale of cough syrups sans prescription banned K A V I TA BA J E L I - D ATT @ New Delhi 64.4% ards,” officials said. Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover, associate director, pulmonology and critical care at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, said: “A cough can be a symptom of other serious conditions, such as infections, asthma, and allergies. Prescription-based access encourages proper evaluation, accurate treatment, and safer medication use.” E x p r e s s Re a d TN crop loan waiver up to `75K, to cost `3K-cr more Chennai: CM Vijay announced a revised crop loan waiver scheme where farmers with crop loans of up to `75,000 will get a full waiver, while those with loans above `75,000 will receive a waiver of `35,000. The revised scheme will increase the burden on the state exchequer from `2,044 crore to `5,932 crore | P5