chennai l wednesday l november 11, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l late city EDITION ‘The End of Everything’ by John Harrison wins Booker first sci-fi to grab the prestigious prize It’s the first work of science fiction to take the prestigious 50,000 pound ($67,000) literary award, but 81-year-old Harrison said he doesn’t want to be hemmed in by the sci-fi label. Harrison beat five other finalists including previous winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James, the oddsmakers’ favourites, and Pulitzer Prize laureate Elizabeth Strout A satirical, dystopian novel themed on catastrophe by British author M John Harrison won the Booker Prize for fiction, 2026 politics of now seen through the future ■ ■ The novel is set on England’s Channel coast in the future, after an unspecified calamity shatters society and brings an influx of enigmatic alien entities that can imitate humans Historian Mary Beard, who chaired the judging panel, said the book is “the politics of now seen through the lens of the future” | P13 1969 when booker, open to english novels in u.k., ireland, was founded 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 Rahul had premonition of Some relief as crude rate down to $89 Rajiv assassination: Sonia RAKESH KU M AR & ARSHAD KHAN @ New Delhi Memoir says his warning came 2 months before the murder in 1991 PREE T HA NAIR @ New Delhi TWO months before Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, Rahul Gandhi had warned Sonia Gandhi about the inadequate security of the for mer prime minister. This is one of the most poignant revelations in Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love, released on Tuesday . In the memoir, Sonia opens up about some of the most contentious chapters of her personal and political life including the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the 2002 Gujarat violence, her strained relationship with Maneka Gandhi, and the decision to turn down the prime minister’s post in 2004. Rahul’s eerie premonition about his father’s security came two months before Rajiv’s assassination on May 21, 1991. Sonia writes that as her world came crashing down when Rajiv was killed in an explosion in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, the warning by her son echoed in her mind. “If something isn’t done about Pa’s security, I know I’ll soon have to come back for his funeral,” Rahul had told his mother just two months earlier while on a tour with Rajiv. The final attempt on Rajiv’s life came a little over a year after his Special Protection Group (SPG) cover was withdrawn by the V P Singh government without conducting a fresh threat assessment. A committee had recommended that the SPG cover must continue “unless a change was warranted by some fresh threat assessment,” Sonia writes. She learnt about Rajiv’s assassination when Priyanka informed her about a phone call, a bomb explosion, people dying, and urged her to get ready `22.1 cr siphoned off from TN govt bank account | P7 Prehistoric rock paintings found in Villupuram | P4 `30L for kin of workers who died at Tata plant | P7 The fall in oil prices came after US President Donald Trump said he would hold off on fresh strikes against Iran. Hopes of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine also supported the fall in prices this year, despite gaining some ground in recent weeks. Analysts, however, aren’t willing to uncork the bubbly Comments on collector: CMO India, US held had warned MLA, says official talks on trade, customs in Delhi last week K r i t h i ka S r i n i vasa n @ Kallakurichi p u s h p i ta d e y @ New Delhi File picture of Rajiv Gandhi comforting son Rahul at the funeral of Indira Gandhi, after her assassination in New Delhi in 1984 to go to Tamil Nadu. Rahul was in the US. “A friend had called Rahul to say, ‘It’s bad news,’ and he’d replied immediately, ‘Papa is dead, isn’t he?’” Sonia recalls. The memoir revisits the tumultuous days following the anti-Sikh violence after Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the controversies that dogged Rajiv’s tenure. Sonia also reflects on one of her most challenging personal assignments of bringing the DMK into the alliance in 2004. “Though I spoke no Tamil and he (M Karunanidhi) J EGADEESWARI PANDIAN @ Madurai He has blue eyes, a pale coat and no health issues. What Tejas, the white tiger transferred from Gwalior zoo to Dehradun zoo to draw crowds, lacks is a date for his public debut. Tejas arrived on September 28 and has spent over 40 days in quarantine, though the usual period is 20-30 days. Zoo officials said the delay was ceremonial, as his enclosure awaits a formal inauguration. Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal was initially slated to open the enclosure, but the responsibility was later shifted to CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. This prompted the forest department to seek an appointment. Uniyal said the CMO had offered November 17. If confirmed, visitors will see Tejas nearly 50 days after his arrival. Senior veterinarian Dr Pradeep Mishra said Tejas was healthy and active. Price correction early They said the fall in pric. es may not last long as global oil supplies remain tight and countries will need to replenish their strategic reserves. “Global reserves, particularly in OECD countries and China, have come down considerably and have been drawn upon during the disruption,” said Prashant Vasisht, senior vice-President and co-group head, corporate sector, ICRA. Vasisht said countries would need to rebuild their strategic petroleum reserves. Pronab Sen, former chief statistician of India, said the fall in crude prices is positive, but the situation remains uncomfortable compared with the assumptions made in the Union Budget for FY27. Pr o p o s e d p a c t did not speak English, his response was cordial. We went on to meet and go through all the steps of joining forces.” Opening up about her decision to decline the prime ministership in 2004, Sonia recounts how Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee hinted at his “long-held desire” to become PM during a conversation with her in 2010. She also recalls that there were occasional embarrassing instances, such as Rajiv’s public sacking of the then foreign secretary A P Venkateswaran. White tiger Register FIR in book scam, awaits a date punish officials: HC to govt for public debut NARENDRA SE T HI @ Dehradun giving a shot in the arm to Indian markets, international oil benchmark Brent crude fell below $90 a barrel on Tuesday for the first time since August as US President Donald Trump signalled that the West Asia war may be coming to a close. Brent, the price gauge for around 80% of global crude, hit a low of $89.03 per barrel in morning trade in London. Crude oil is a big burden on India’s imports bill, with the country sourcing 85% of its requirements from overseas. Falling prices could translate into lower transport costs and lower prices of goods and services, thus improving the pur- chasing power of households. The fall in crude prices will likely bring cheers to equities, bonds and the rupee, and if the price sustains it may prompt RBI to rethink its pace in the battle against inflation. “Pullback in crude oil prices definitely augurs well sentimentally for domestic equities,” said Sunny Agrawal, head – fundamental research at SBI Securities. On Monday the BSE Sensex , added 107.25 points, or 0.13%, to close at 81,106.65, while the Nifty50 closed 58.25 points, or 0.23%, higher at 25,044.65. On Tuesday the markets remained , closed on account of DiwaliBalipratipada. The rupee has weakened nearly 4% against the dollar The Madurai Bench of the Madras HC on Tuesday ordered the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register an FIR in connection with the alleged book procurement scam and freeze the bank accounts of the publishers. The bench also directed the state to initiate disciplinary action, including suspension, against officials involved in the fraud. A bench of Justices GR Swa- minathan and MD Sumathi issued the directions while hearing a contempt petition filed by advocate V Ramasubbu of Tirunelveli over non-compliance with the court’s June 19, 2024 order that laid down directions to ensure transparency in book procurement. The judges noted that the plea that led to the 2024 order was filed in 2019 during AIADMK regime, the order was passed during DMK regime, and the scam came to light during TVK regime.  P7 INDIA and the US held detailed discussions on the customs and trade facilitation chapter of the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in New Delhi last week, government sources said. A two-member US team visited on November 2-3. “Last week two members came to India to have a detailed discussion on the chapters related to customs and trade facilitation,” a source said. Commerce ministry officials said negotiations were on track, with talks under way to finalise the first tranche of the pact. The announcement came days after US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party lost control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections. Officials said technical talks would continue irrespective of the outcome and that bilateral ties were not likely to be affected. Indian exporters hope the result will give fresh life to India-US talks, as it checks Trump’s ability to push key agenda, including tariffs and anti-immigration measures. The two sides have been negotiating the BTA since February Differences over . tariff and access to India’s agri-dairy markets remain sticking points, along with the threat of US tariff under Section 301 apart from sanctions over oil purchase from Russia. India has agreed to address any challenges that could be a hurdle for the exporters, with the US suspending potential 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian energy . Bjp gameplan NCP merger bid amid family turf war S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai WHILE the proposed merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party factions has gathered momentum, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Sunetra Pawar remains reluctant to surrender control of the party founded by her late husband Ajit Pawar. At the centre of the political drama is Sharad Pawar, who is keen to reunite the party he founded in 1999. Sources said the BJP wants to secure the support of Sharad Pawar and his nine Lok Sabha MPs to strengthen its position in Parliament and weaken the Congress-led Opposition. A video of NCP work- Sunetra Pawar with Parth | File pic ing president Praful Patel’s interaction with him at hospital, indicating they would meet after Tuesday , fuelled speculation. However, Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth are against the merger. At a recent meeting of NCP leaders with Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, the BJP urged them to expedite the merger. Sunetra Pawar’s exclusion from the meet hinted BJP could explore its plan without her. NCP Maharashtra chief Sunil Tatkare has since acknowledged merger talks. However, Sunetra and Parth Pawar have questioned if Sharad Pawar, given his secular ideology, would be comfortable working with BJP Sources said Sharad Pawar is . keeping his options open. One of his priorities is to secure a key role for his daughter, Supriya Sule. An NCP (SP) leader quipped: “If BJP believes it can rely on the political calculations of an 86-year-old leader at such a crucial and uncertain juncture, good luck to them.” The collector had escalated the issue through proper channels. We got to know that the MLA had been severely warned by the CMO A senior police official Oppn’s ‘dirty politics’: MLA MLA C Arul Vignesh blamed the opposition for indulging in ‘dirty politics’. He said the rumors were aimed at tarnishing his name and the party’s image A day after reports emerged about the alleged harassment of Kallakurichi District Collector J E Padmaja by local MLA C Arul Vignesh, Villupuram range DIG A Arularasu on Tuesday told TNIE that the TVK MLA had indeed made some inappropriate comments about the collector in the past, but the allegations regarding obscene messages are unverified. “The collector has escalated the issue through appropriate channels, and the CM office was informed. We received information that the MLA had been severely warned by the CMO and other senior ministers,” a senior police official said. “The collector generally has a gunman and several personal security officers at her residence and office. So, no additional security has to be deployed. We haven’t received a formal complaint from the collector against the MLA, so police action hasn’t been initiated,” Arularasu said. He further stated that the incident happened nearly two months ago. The collector continues to take part in conferences, grievance redressal meetings and inspections after the incident. Speaking to reporters in Kallakurichi on Tuesday Vignesh , rejected the charges. He said the social media rumours were aimed at tarnishing his name and the party’s image. He blamed the opposition for indulging in ‘dirty politics’. Vignesh also said that he has filed a complaint regarding posts spreading such rumours.  P7