nagapattinam l tuesday l september 15, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Houthis seize more Red Sea islands, attack Saudi’s King Khalid Air Base Houthi rebels said on Monday they have captured more strategic islands in the southern Red Sea and hit a major Saudi Arabian airbase in Khamis Mushait Arab states call off Iran meeting Saudi Radar systems hit, claim rebels The capture of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish is the latest in the Yemen-based, Iran-backed rebels’ swift advance around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz and a key passage for Saudi oil shipments. In response to the fresh attack by the Tehran-backed outfit, Arab states in the Gulf called off a meeting with Iran planned for Monday ■ ■ Houthis said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at the Saudi military airbase, hitting aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots. They described the attack as retaliation for hundreds of Saudi airstrikes on Yemen in recent days | P9 There was no immediate response from Riyadh about Houthis’ claims Mocha Saudi-backed forces are trying to retake this port city from houthis 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 Vijay’s UK trip gives TN `12,300-crore Wholesale, investment boost; 10K new jobs likely retail inflation Oppn flays CM’s UK visit over deal with Indian firm e x p r ess n e w s se r v i c e @ Chennai During Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s official visit to the United Kingdom, a Tamil Nadu state delegation signed multiple agreements in London on Monday, securing investment commitments worth `12,300 crore. The projects span key sectors, including advanced manufacturing, electrical equipment production, and Global Capability Centres (GCCs), and are expected to create approximately 10,000 highvalue jobs across the state. A major part of the investment comes from Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd, which, alongside its European and UK joint venture partners, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to invest `11,000 crore. The mega-project is expected to create nearly 7,000 employment opportunities for the TN workforce. probe begins CBI registers FIR in Disha death case after HC prod e x p r ess n e w s se r v i c e @ Mumbai/New Delhi The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR into the death of Disha Salian, former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and begun recording statements as part of its probe, officials said. The FIR, registered on September 13, does not name any individual as an accused or prime suspect, in compliance with directions issued by the Bombay High Court. The agency has invoked provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, gangrape, murder, causing disappearance of evidence and public servants disobeying the law or preparing incorrect records to shield offenders. The case follows a HC order directing the transfer of relevant records from the Mumbai Police to the CBI. The orDisha Salian der came on a petition filed by Salian’s father, Satish Salian, who has disputed the police version that his daughter took her own life. According to officials, Satish Salian’s statement was recorded by the CBI on September 11. Disha, 28, died after falling from a residential building in Malad on the intervening night of June 8 and 9, 2020. The Mumbai Police had treated the death as a suicide. In his statement to the CBI, her father alleged that he began doubting the suicide theory after seeing photographs of his daughter’s body . He also alleged that police persuaded the family to accept that she had accidentally fallen while intoxicated and obtained signatures on documents without explaining their contents. Satish Salian had sought an investigation into allegations involving several individuals, including Aaditya Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT). Thackeray has denied the allegations and described the petition as false. The HC refrained from making observations against any individual, leaving the matter to the CBI’s investigation. CM C Joseph Vijay during the signing of an MoU in London on Monday | Express The MoU was signed by Barrie Painter, Global Head, Marketing and Communications, Samvardhana Motherson International Group, and Deepak Jacob, Managing Director, Guidance, Tamil Nadu government. The proposed investment will cover design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly and logistics facilities and is expected to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s position as a hub for advanced manufacturing, engineering and automotive-related activities. The Motherson commitment is the first major investment announcement from London since the CM arrived in the UK capital as part of his visit to at- Govt mulls special Parl session before festive season, nudges Oppn cial session intensified last week after Rijiju said ParliaWITH Parliament yet to be pro- ment could convene a session rogued, the Centre has reached to discuss delimitation-related out to the Opposition parties proposals. over a proposal to convene a Following this, Kharge wrote special session of Parliament to Rijiju, reiterating the debefore the festive season to mand that the government conpush through the delimitation- vene an all-party meeting and linked women’s reservation disclose the proposed agenda Bill, it was learnt. before taking a decision. Sources said Parliamentary During the Budget session on Affairs Minister Kiren RijApril 17, the government iju’s office has reached faced a setback as the out to Congress chief Constitution amendand Rajya Sabha Leadment bill, involving deer of Opposition Mallimitation, for the imlikarjun Kharge to explementation of the p l o r e wh e t h e r t h e women’s reservation in session can be held the Lok Sabha and before October 11, Congress taps state assemblies was INDIA allies when the Navratri defeated in the LS. season begins. The gover nment Sources said Kharge’s office is has now proposed a Congress has yet to respond to the reached out to its 50% rise in the total latest outreach, number of Lok Sabha INDIA bloc allies, sources said. seats, from the curincluding SP and The move comes rent 543 to up to 850 the TMC, to amid Opposition with each state’s repformulate a questions over the common position if resentation increasgovernment’s unu- govt proceeds with ing proportionately . sual delay in proroguAccording to sourcthe session ing Parliament more es, the government is than a month after both Houses pursuing DMK, which has 22 were adjourned sine die. The Lok Sabha MPs, to vote for the delay has kept speculation Bill. While there is still no clarabout a special session alive, ity on if government has the though the government has two-thirds majority required made no formal announcement for the passage of the bill, a reabout its timing or agenda. cent meeting between DMK MP Congress communications Kanimozhi and Shiv Sena chief Jairam Ramesh on Fri- (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray , day said the government had NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar broken its previous record for fuelled speculation over oppothe longest delay in proroguing sition consultations on the deboth Houses. The buzz of a spe- limitation issue. PR E E T HA NA I R @ New Delhi Opposition parties, including the AIADMK and DMK, questioned the CM’s UK trip to sign an MoU with Samvardhana Motherson International Limited, an Indianheadquartered company, for an investment of `11,000 crore in TN. DMK mouthpiece Murasoli also questioned the TVK government’s claim that the state had attracted investment commitments of more than `1 lakh crore within about 100 days of assuming office | P4 tract investments to TN. Tamil Nadu also signed an MoU with Ernst & Young (EY) for establishing and operating a GCC on behalf of a UK-headquartered global telecommunications company. The centre involves an investment of around `1,000 crore and is expected to create more than 2,000 high-value jobs.  P5 TOURISM SUMMIT 2026 Where India meets Bharat Tourism suMmit to be held in Chennai today The second edition of The New Indian Express’ Tourism Summit, to be held in Chennai on Tuesday, will focus on the challenges and opportunities in domestic travel sector, while showcasing the best of Indian states. It will also highlight the spirit of competitive federalism among states | P5 up in August Food prices push up CPI inflation to eight-month high of 4.82%; WPI at 9.9% PU S HP I TA D E Y @ New Delhi Inflationary pressure in the economy is slowly building up, with both retail and wholesale inflation inching up. Retail inflation rose to an eight-month high of 4.82% in August from 4.45% in July driven by higher , food prices. Wholesale inflation rose to 9.9% in August from 9.8% in July . With retail inflation breaching the Reserve Bank of India’s estimate of 4.7%, the prospects of a rate hike in the October monetary policy review have brightened. According to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday higher prices of cere, als, sugar, milk and other essential food items contributed to the increase in household expenses. Elevated global crude oil prices have also pushed up fuel and transportation costs. Food inflation emerged as a key driver of the rise in headline inflation, increasing to 5.95% in August from 5.52% in July, due to erratic weather conditions and supply-side disruptions affecting prices of several agricultural commodities. The prices of onion, ginger and garlic rose by more than 40%. Higher inflation was not restricted to food, with the hospitality sector also witnessing a significant rise. Inflation in restaurants and accommodation services rose by 8.38% in August, while transport inflation stood at 4.60%. Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services recorded the highest inflation at 15.17%. According to economists, although 4.82% remains within the RBI’s statutory 2-6% tolerance band, the combination of accelerating food prices and evidence of firming core inflation leaves less room for monetary easing. “Inflation is still below 5%; it is unlikely that the credit policy will see any change in the repo rate. However, the inflation threat remains... 11 of the 36 regions had inflation above 5%,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, Bank of Baroda. In wholesale inflation, major groups such as primary articles, fuel and power, and manufactured products recorded 7.76%, 22.93% and 8.37%, respectively in August. , The sharper rise in food inflation is worrisome since food has a large weight in household consumption Manoranjan Sharma, chief economist at Infomerics Ratings Oil prices shoot up Oil prices rose more than 3% on Monday, after fresh Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and Iranian attacks on ships in the Gulf region compounded supply concerns following the closure of a key Saudi oil pipeline. Brent crude futures rose $3.21, or 3.1%, to $107.82 per barrel. WTI futures gained $3.17, or 3.2%, to $103.22 per barrel Fourfold hike in fee aid for SC/ST college students in TN N D h a m o t h a r a n @ Coimbatore After a gap of 15 years, the Social Justice department has revised the annual tuition fee assistance for SC/ST students studying in self-financing arts and science colleges in TN, raising it by nearly fourfold. The updated aid applies to students with an annual family income under `2.5 lakh. As per a communication from the Social Justice department, the tuition fee for BSc, BCom and BCom (Hons), which was fixed at `2,850 in 2011-12, has now been revised to `11,250 per year in such colleges. Similarly, the tuition fee for MA, which was `1,350, and MCom and MSc, which was `2,850, has been revised to `12,000 per annum. The tuition fee for BA, which was `1,350, and BBA, which was `4,750, has also been revised to `11,250 per year. The department has also fixed the tuition fee assistance for newly added undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses from this academic year. In a recent letter to the directors of the Social Justice department, its secretary N Subbaiyan stated that tuition fee assistance is being offered to SC/ST students studying in self-financing colleges under the central gover nment’s scholarship scheme. “As self-financing colleges have increased their tuition fee, it has come to light that SC/ST students are facing financial difficulties and are unable to continue their college education. The revised tuition fee assistance should be given to SC/ST students whose annual family income is below `2.5 lakh,” the letter, a copy of which is with TNIE, said.  P5 close shave for woman sports biker in gurugram 1 A woman, in a group, riding Aprilia RS 457 sports bike chased by a car on Golf Course Road, Gurugram, on Sunday 2 The woman biker said she asked the occupants to maintain distance, but they allegedly asked her to stop the bike 3 The car struck her bike while overtaking, causing her to fall. A camera mounted on her bike captured the collision 4 One of her friends confronted the driver at a red light. The accused admitted the collision but denied it was deliberate inspiring journey Express Read From living beside public restroom to Asiad: Ashish’s tale Tarun Tejpal surrenders before Goa court c h a n d r a p r a b h u @ Chennai Imagine living next to a restroom. The stench, the commotion, especially at night, the never ending sound of flowing water...it could be overbearing and at times, depressing. But when one doesn’t have a place to stay this can turn into heav, en. Ask Ashish, 24-year-old sepaktakraw player from New Delhi, he would narrate innumerable stories associated with the place where he was born and brought up. Now, sports has given him a new life. The young player from Majnu-ka-tilla in North of New Delhi will make his Asian Games debut in Japan for India. A striker with the Indian team, Ashish is one of the many athletes for whom sports have become a lifeline. Not just to make a living, but also uplift his family. Born to a mason and a housewife in Khargapur, Madhya Pradesh, Ashish re- called life in his home at Majnu-ka-tilla, north of New Delhi. “First, my parents shifted to Chandigarh in search of a job, but couldn’t find any, and then they moved to Delhi before the year 2000. He constructed that public toilet and hence we got that two-room house to live in. I My father constructed that public toilet at Majnuka-tilla, New Delhi and hence we got that tworoom house to live in. I was born there — Ashish, India sepaktakraw player was born there,” he told this daily from Sonepat, where the Indian sepaktakraw team is training. As his father Jugal did not have a permanent job, the family faced a lot of issues. Such was the financial stress on the family that Ashish had to clean buses in the city to help his father even though he wanted to pursue sports. “I wanted to take up sports from the beginning. I began cleaning Volvo buses from the age of 14, and I did it for three years,” Ashish added. That is when Kishore Bisht, physical education teacher from his school, changed his life. “When I cleaned buses and trains before and after school, my boss there encouraged me to take up sport, but I could not find a way out. One day Kishore , sir saw me with my dark circles and found out I didn’t sleep properly He deposited `10,000 . in my account and told me not to work,” he recalled. Panaji: Former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal surrendered before a Goa court on Monday to serve his 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in a 2013 sexual assault case. On August 25, the Supreme Court had directed Tejpal to surrender within three weeks Application filed to drill 5 oil wells off TN coast Mayiladuthurai: Hardy Exploration & Production (India) Inc has filed an application with the centre to drill five new offshore oil wells in the existing PY-3 oil field, covering 81 sq km in the Cauvery Basin off TN coast near Mayiladuthurai | P4