Paatal Lok 2 actor Prashant Tamang dies of cardiac arrest kochi l monday l January 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Prashant Tamang, winner of Indian Idol 3 and acclaimed for his role as an assassin in Paatal Lok 2, died of cardiac arrest on Sunday morning source: x Tamang, 43, passed away around 9 am at his Delhi residence, his close friend and singer Mahesh Sewa said. Tamang was born on January 4, 1983. Encouraged by friends, he auditioned for the reality show Indian Idol in 2007 and went on to win it. He then came out with his first album Dhanyavaad in 2010 and began performing at concerts worldwide 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 Big push to strategic ties as Modi, Rahul sent to jail; Merz set for talks in Ahmedabad a habitual offender, German chancellor’s visit to India first in Asia after taking office last year; to visit B’luru too J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi SIGNALLING New Delhi’s intent to deepen partnerships with key European powers amid shifting global geopolitics and growing economic uncertainty Prime Minister Narendra , Modi will hold comprehensive talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad on Monday . Merz’s January 12-13 visit, his first to Asia since taking office eight months ago, comes in a backdrop of global challenges including Washington’s 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, and a fractious global politico-economic order. The talks are expected to focus on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, critical technologies, defence, and skill development. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade reaching around $50 billion in 2024-25. Germany accounts for roughly one-fourth of India’s EU trade and is the ninth-largest foreign direct investor with cumulative investments exceeding $15 billion. Over 2,000 German companies operate in India. The two leaders will review the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year, and discuss ways to enhance cooperation in education, skilling and mobility science and innovation research. , Chancellor Merz’s Ahmedabad programme includes visiting Sabarmati Ashram, participating in the International Kite Festival, attending a skill development event, and talks with PM Modi at Mahatma Mandir. He will travel to Bengaluru on Tuesday to visit Bosch a n d C e n t re fo r N a n o S c i e n c e a n d Engineering. Days after Merz’s trip, EU leaders will visit New Delhi, where they may wrap up India-EU free trade agreement, to be followed by French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit. says remand report E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ P’thitta naval officer posting Germany has agreed to deploy a Naval Liaison Officer at the IFCIOR, a key informationsharing hub for maritime security in the region | P7 PM Narendra Modi speaks at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference | PTI PM: iNDIA on FAST track to be 3rd largest economy D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Rajkot PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared that India is rapidly advancing towards becoming the world’s third largest economy, citing controlled inflation, macro stability and global confidence as key drivers amid worldwide uncertainty . “Inflation is under control, macro stability is strong, and India today stands out with unprecedented certainty,” Modi said at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot, contrasting India’s political stability with turmoil in neighbouring countries. Highlighting India’s economic trajectory, he said, “India is the world’s fastest growing economy Global hopes . express read Actor assault case: Gaps in probe into memory card breach Will hit US troops and Israel if attacked, says Iran speaker Kochi: More than two years since the most crucial digital evidence in the sensational 2017 actor abduction and sexual assault case was found to have been illegally accessed while in court custody, no action has been initiated against those responsible. Instead, the investigation into the memory card breach has thrown up a series of unanswered questions. P4 Dubai: Iran’s parliament speaker warned that the US military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if the US strikes the Islamic Republic over the ongoing protests roiling the country, as threatened by President Donald Trump. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the threat after protests challenging Iran’s theocracy saw agitators continue to flood the streets. P9 are rising.” Modi listed milestones including India being the world’s largest milk producer, number one in generic medicines and vaccines, biggest mobile data consumer, top digital payment platform through UPI, second largest mobile manufacturer, and among top three in solar power and aviation markets. “This is why global institutions are bullish on India,” he said. “The IMF calls India the engine of global growth. S&P has upgraded India after 18 years. Fitch praises our macro stability and fiscal credibility .” Modi stressed that amid global uncertainty, India offers predictability, political stability and rising middleclass purchasing power. Shah: Assign Sabarimala gold theft probe to neutral agency E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram Alleging that virulent loopholes have been planted into the investigation to provide escape routes to the Sabarimala gold theft accused, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday remarked that the BJP will organise protests across the state until a neutral agency is assigned to conduct a probe into the matter. “The controversy is not just an issue of the state, but is closely being observed by people throughout the count r y. C a n people under whom the assets of Sabarimala are unsafe protect our faith?” Shah said while addressing the newly elected local body members of the party . Launching the ‘Mission 2026’ assembly poll campaign, he said that BJP is the only party that can develop Kerala, protect it from communal politics, and safeguard local beliefs and traditions. Launching a political broadside, the home minister said that with Communist parties perishing across the world and Congress across the country NDA of, fers the only path to Kerala’s development. “BJP’s vote share rose from 11% in 2014 to 16% in 2019, and 20% in 2024. The day is not far away when this will soar to 30% or 40%,” he said, adding the party’s win in 30 panchayats is a clear indicator of its g row t h b e yo n d u r b a n areas. Shah said that neither LDF nor UDF will alienate SDPI, PFI, or Jamaat-e-Islami -- who represent their key vote banks. “Only NDA can save Kerala from this divisive politics.”  ● More on P4 Following a dramatic midnight arrest in connection with a fresh rape complaint, Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody on Sunday He . was later sent to Mavelikkara sub-jail. The arrest was based on the complaint — the third against Rahul — a 31-year-old Malayali woman, currently residing in Canada, emailed to the police. In its remand report submitted before a Pathanamthitta district magistrate, the special investigation team (SIT) described the MLA as a “habitual offender” and argued that his continued liberty posed a serious risk to the investigation. According to the remand report, the accused deliberately befriended the survivor — a married woman — through social media and allegedly raped her. The alleged incident took place at a hotel in Tiruvalla on April 8, 2024. The complainant alleged that Rahul asked her to book a room at the hotel and rest there. Around 15 minutes later, he arrived in the room and used force to assault her sexually the woman alleged. , The complainant said he also slapped her, and the assault continued for nearly two hours. The woman alleged that she became pregnant following the incident. She also accused him of financial exploitation, claiming that he coerced her into financial transactions, including the purchase of a flat. In her complaint, the survivor said she was subjected to slutshaming and denial of paternity , which caused severe stress and ● More on P5 insomnia.  Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil being brought to the Pathanamthitta General Hospital for medical examination on Sunday | Shaji Vettipuram Centre asks TV manufacturers to pre-install WAVES app Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi Buoyed by the growing popularity of WAVES, Prasar Bharati’s over-the-top (OTT) application, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is set to write to television manufacturers, urging them to pre-install the app on smart TVs. Currently, most smart TVs come pre-loaded with major OTT apps such as Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video. It comes weeks after the Ministry of Communications mandated the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones, but withdrew the order after pushback from phone makers. WAVES — launched in November 2024 — combines live TV on-demand videos, radio, , games, and e-commerce in a single platform. It has already made strong inroads, recording over 2.3 million registered users.