Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace | HI COIMBATORE l Thursday l august 20, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION India beat pakistan in world cup, advance to next phase of competition Goals flowed as a brace from Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek helped the men’s hockey team to a big 5-3 win over neighbours, confirm qualification to next pool phase High on intensity and drama teams exchange pre-match high fives India, needing a win to go through, started quickly and caused all sorts of problems with their pressing and intensity. They made it 3-0 in under 30 minutes before allowing the rivals a route back thanks to some errors. The Netherlands will be one of their next opponents in the next phase of the competition. They will also face either New Zealand or Argentina ■ ■ Unlike in cricket, the hockey teams have generally traded customary pre-match pleasantries. Before pushback, both teams exchanged high fives, as is the norm in the sport The women’s team will also seal qualification to the next phase as long as they avoid defeat against England on Thursday 20 india have won 18 and drawn two of the last 20 matches vs. pakistan 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 TN bins order to bar students from joining Left, CJP stirs E xpress N ews S erv i ce @ Chennai A day after issuing a circular directing government arts and science colleges to prevent students from participating in protests and agitations, the Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE) on Wednesday withdrew it, without citing any reason, following strong opposition from political parties and student organisations. The August 17 circular, addressed to college principals, had asked them to take appropriate action to prevent students from joining protests organised by Left parties and the Tamil Nadu Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). It also directed principals to submit details of the action taken to the DCE. The circular triggered a backlash after it was widely shared on social media. Higher education department officials said the directions were issued based on decisions taken at a law and order meeting chaired by Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar on July 28. “During the monthly law and order meeting, the chief secretary insisted on coordinated efforts by the school education, higher education, police and district administration to prevent students from participating in protests and agitations,” a senior official said. As per the minutes of the meeting, “protest by Left parties and Tamil Nadu Cockroach Janata Party” was the first issue listed on the agenda. The DGP , home secretary, school education secretary and higher education secretary were among those asked to take action.  P7  tahsildar suspended: P6 J&K important part of India: US envoy Ambassador Sergio Gor says security situation improved, US travel advisories to be reviewed F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar IN a major diplomatic boost for India, US ambassador Sergio Gor on Wednesday described Jammu and Kashmir “an important part of India” and said the US would revise its travel advisory in view of the improved security situation. Gor arrived in Srinagar on a one-day visit in the afternoon and met J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The meeting lasted an hour, during which the duo discussed the economic, developmental and other issues concerning the region. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Gor said Jammu and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in Srinagar | pti Kashmir is an important part of India and that he is visiting the region for the first time. “It is an incredibly beautiful place... I’m thrilled to be here, thrilled to see this place.” Gor’s statement is significant as it amplifies India’s stand that “J&K is an integral part of India”, dealing a blow to Pakistan’s narrative. On the possibility of Washington revisiting its travel advisory for J&K, Gor said: “I can’t make any big announcements here today, but it is something we’re going to look at.” Noting the steps taken by the Central and state governments to address security concerns, he said: “New Delhi, the chief minister here, the government here… have made some incredible steps to keeping this area safer. So we will be looking at if Indian stocks now least preferred in Asia: BofA A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi INDIA has earned the dubious distinction of becoming Asia’s least-preferred stock market among global fund managers, according to Bank of America’s (BofA) August 2026 survey . In BofA’s July poll, fund managers indicated Indonesia as the least favoured market. The absence of clear AI exposure and weak growth are the chief reasons why fund managers are ‘underweight’ (having lower expectations) on India, the survey notes. The pessimism about the Indian equity market comes as foreign institutional investors continue to dump locally listed shares amid a huge underperformance of BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty, compared to major global indices. Taiwan most fav market The Bofa survey said Taiwan is the most preferred market in Asia Pacific for investors in August, with 55% of the respondents being positive, followed by Japan at 50% and South Korea at 23% Among the survey respondents, 32% were ‘underweight’ on India. They also cited lack of reforms and elevated valuations for their bearish view on Asia’s fourth-largest market. In comparison, sentiment towards Indonesia improved, with 27% being underweight, down from 32% in July . Taiwan and Japan continued to be the most preferred markets among investors. In 2026 so far, Taiwan and Korean equity benchmarks are up more than 50% each while Japan has surged more than 26%. India’s Nifty meanwhile, is down nearly 8%. The last time BofA termed Indian stocks the least preferred was in May, when a sharp rise in crude oil prices due to the Iran war put pressure on the economic outlook. CWC for 25-year freeze Man kills disabled in Lok Sabha’s strength mother by pushing P reetha N a i r @ New Delhi The Congress on Wednesday called for a constitutional freeze on the current strength of the Lok Sabha for another 25 years while implementing the 33 per cent reservation for women from the 2029 elections, and decided to launch a nationwide campaign on issues facing students and the alleged corruption at the Ram Temple and the E20 issue. The party’s stand came at a four-hour-long Congress Working Comm i t t e e ( C WC ) m e e t i n g chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge. The party also decided to adhere to its historic 1937 position of singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party events. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Ramesh said that regarding delimitation, the Congress is in favour of keeping the current number of Lok Sabha seats—543—the same for the next 25 years. “At the same time, we demand the implementation of women’s reservation on this very number,” Ramesh said. The party will also hold nationwide protests on the alleged corruption involving the donation to Ram Temple. As for the education reforms, Kharge called for a comprehensive and time-bound “Educationto-Employment Roadmap”. The CWC asked Congress chief ministers to prepare state-specific reports within one month on the reforms required in the education sector. Concer ns were also raised about the rollout of E20 petrol, including questions over fuel contamination and the environmental impact of diverting sugarcane and maize for ethanol production. her in front of train R aja l akshm i S ampath @ Chennai Frustrated by his inability to care for his 71-year-old mother, a wheelchair user, a 44-yearold man pushed her onto the railway tracks in front of an approaching express train at Manavur railway station in the Tiruvallur district on Tuesday night, killing her on the spot. The victim, S Padmavathi, was run over by the Yelagiri Express, which doesn’t have a stoppage at the station, and her dism e m b e r e d b o dy a n d t h e wheelchair were later spotted on the tracks by passengers. The accused, S Parthasarathy, was arS Padmavathi rested for murder by the Arakkonam Government Railway Police on Wednesday and remanded in custody . Padmavathi had been suffering from neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes lumps to develop in the body Her husband, a former central . government employee, died in 2007. She was receiving a monthly family pension of `15,000. Parthasarathy, the youngest of her three sons, was taking care of her and his unmarried, disabled elder brother at their house in Manavur. P7 1 minister, 1 univ scheme Union ministers get social media scorecard RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi At the Union cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday the , social media performance of Cabinet ministers was a key point of discussion, with each of them presented with a detailed assessment of their traction as well as efforts to amplify the gover nment’s schemes through online platforms. All the ministers were presented with an assessment card outlining their performance from May 1 to August 15. As part of the Gen-Z outreach, it was also decided that one Union minister will visit one university each day to engage with the youth. During these day-long visits, the ministers must communicate to students a b o u t t h e g o ve r n m e n t ’s schemes, development policies and achievements across sectors as well as gather their perspectives on issues facing the country . Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will coordinate these visits. Modi tops ranking Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi topped the social media performance assessment rankings for the period from May 1 to Aug 15 the travel warning that is imposed and recommended by the United States is something that should be downgraded.” Terming the meeting with Gor “very good”, Omar said: “We had an opportunity to discuss the relations between our two countries but with specific focus on what the US can do with J&K. There are certain legacy issues that over time we will be working to resolve, but we look forward to taking this conversation further.” Ahead of his meeting with the US envoy, Omar had said the problems of J&K are to be solved by the Central government and not by Washington. express read Agasthyamalai: SC warns state govt New Delhi: The SC on Wednesday warned that it might be compelled to deploy paramilitary forces if encroachments within the protected areas of Agasthyamalai are not removed expeditiously. The court asked TN to file a report in two weeks | P6, P7 Nod for Gummidipundi-Gudur rly lines Chennai: The centre on Wednesday approved the construction of third and fourth railway lines between Gummidipundi and Gudur for 90km at a cost of `2,229 crore. The project is expected to save `382.15 crore annually in logistics costs | P4 Insurance cover hiked 5-fold to `25L, TN health infra gets `1.3K-cr boost E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday announced a `1,324-crore package to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and services across Tamil Nadu, including a five-fold increase in the annual medical insurance cover under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme from `5 lakh to `25 lakh. Making the announcements under Rule 110 in the Assembly, Vijay said every person should have access to quality healthcare irrespective of their income or place of residence. As part of the healthcare package, a 400-bed multi-speciality super-speciality hospital will be established in Perambur in North Chennai at an estimated cost of `300 crore. The facilC Joseph Vijay ity located in the CM’s constitu, ency, will provide advanced treatment to people in the northern parts of the city he said. , The Chief Minister’s Cancer Care Mission will be strengthened at a cost of `673.44 crore to address the rising incidence of cancer and ensure equitable access to treatment. An integrated cancer treatment centre will be established at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai at a cost of `471.80 crore. The facility will have a ground-plus-14floor structure. In the first phase, a regional cancer centre will be established at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai at a cost of `84 crore.  P7 `3 more for Aavin milk CM Vijay on Wednesday announced a hike in the procurement price of Aavin milk from `38 to `41 per litre. This would benefit 3.16L milk producers, and entail an additional annual spending of `360 crore |P6 `1L bonanza, car for MLAs MLAs will be provided a car and an assistant to facilitate constituencyrelated work, the CM said on Wednesday. MLAs would get `75K per month for car expense, fuel and driver and `25K per month for hiring an assistant |P6