coimbatore l Thursday l January 22, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Sunita Williams retires from NASA, capping 27-year career Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who inspired generations to dream big and push boundaries, has retired from the space agency finished 3 missions during 608 days in space A perspective shaped by space travel During her time with the US space agency, she completed three missions aboard the International Space Station. Williams logged 608 days in space. She ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflights by an American, tied with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, with both logging 286 days during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions ■ ■ Williams was born to Gujarati father Deepak Pandya and Slovenian mother Ursuline Bonnie Pandya in the US state of Ohio in 1965 Reflecting on space travel, the 60-year-old, who is currently visiting India, said the idea of humans arguing endlessly over issues seems so “silly” when you look at Earth as “one planet” from outer space Dec 27 When williams officially retired from NASA 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 The ripple effects ‘INt’l order upended’ Don goes back-foot on Greenland pitch Rules out using force, but demands immediate negotiations to take control of the Danish territory AGENCIE S @ Davos US President Donald Trump on Wednesday doubled down on his plan to wrest control of Greenland from NATO ally Denmark, but ruled out using force for the time being. “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” he said at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. “I’m seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States, just as we have acquired many other territories throughout our history, as many of the European nations have,” he said. Trump claimed his country is in the best position to control Greenland and derided most of Europe for opposing his “small ask”. In his 70-minute-long speech, he also lashed out at Denmark for being “ungrateful” for the US protection of the Arctic island during World War-2. “All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland where we already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it to Denmark after we defeated the Teen treated for dog bite by quack dies of rabies R a j a l a ks h m i S a m pat h @ Chennai A 13-year-old teen, who was treated by a traditional healer after being bitten by a stray dog four months ago, died of rabies in Kancheepuram last Thursday. The boy had not received even a single dose of the anti-rabies vaccine, health officials said, attributing the death to lack of awareness. The deceased, B Sabarivasan, a resident of Chinnivakkam village in Kundrathur taluk, was a student of a local government school. He was living with his grandmother and sister following the death of their mother a year ago. According to health department sources, the incident happened on September 13 last year when a rabiesinfected stray dog bit him on his left hand and right leg while he was playing outside his house with friends. As his father was away at work at the time, the boy’s grandmother allegedly took him to a traditional healer instead of a health facility Lo. cal sources said the healer cleaned the wounds and applied an onion poultice, but no medical treatment or vaccination was administered. Nearly three months later, on Tuesday last week, the boy developed a high fever and found it difficult to swallow food and water. He also complained of severe body stiffness.  P7 Germans, the Japanese, the Italians and others in World War II. We gave it back. We were a powerful force then, but we are a much more powerful force now,” Trump said, staking claims over the region. Training his guns on EU, Trump said the US is booming but Europe is “not heading in the right direction.” On Tuesday European Com, mission President Ursula von der Leyen had called Trump’s tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland a “mistake” and questioned his trustworthiness. Trump said the US needs Greenland for strategic reasons and not for rare earth minerals. “We were a powerful force when we saved Greenland and gave it to Denmark after World War II, but we are much more powerful now,” he said. Responding to Trump’s speech at Davos, Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said: “In isolation it’s positive that the president says what he does regarding the military but that does not make , the problem go away It’s clear from ... this speech that the president’s ambition is intact.” UN chief Antonio Guterres warned world leaders against upending international order. “When a handful of individuals can bend global narratives or dictate the terms of public debate, we are facing inequality and the corruption of institutions & our shared values.” ‘don speech not helping’ Trump’s assurance that he would not use force to take Greenland is a positive statement but it won’t resolve the issue, said Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen EU-U.S. trade pact on hold The European Parliament on Wednesday decided to suspend its work on the European Union’s trade deal with the United States in protest at Trump’s demands and threats over Greenland TTV joins NDA, buries hatchet with bloc’s CM candidate EPS T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai Five months after walking out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), AMMK (Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam) general secretary TTV Dhinakaran — a bitter critic of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami — returned to the bloc on Wednesday The . reunion happened in the presence of BJP’s state election incharge Piyush Goyal and president of the BJP state unit, Nainar Nagenthran. Dhinakaran, after chairing a meeting with the AMMK officebearers, called on Goyal at a five-star hotel in Chennai and announced his decision. “With the broader objective of welfare of Tamil Nadu and AMMK, the party has decided to re-join the NDA,” Dhinakaran said. Former CM O Panneerselvam, who is leading the ADMK Cadres Rights Retrieval Committee, snapped ties with the NDA on July 31 last year. Dhinakaran followed suit a month later. Along with OPS and KA Sengottaiyan, who later joined Vijay’s TVK, Dhinakaran was fighting for rebuilding a unified AIADMK and had so far blamed EPS for blocking that effort. S UCHI T RA K ALYAN M OHAN T Y @ New Delhi AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran with BJP’s TN election in-charge Piyush Goyal on Wednesday after announcing his decision to join the NDA | p jawahar Palaniswami was conspicuous by his absence at the reunion on Wednesday and other AIADMK leaders, too, were missing. Palaniswami, however, later welcomed Dhinakaran through an X post. “In our mission to dismantle the tyrannical DMK govern- Vaithilingam, OPS loyalist, joins DMK Ex-AIADMK minister and staunch supporter of OPS, R Vaithilingam, joined the DMK on Wednesday. After meeting CM Stalin, the Orathanad MLA said, “ Since OPS’s stance (on alliance) got delayed, I joined the DMK” | P4 ment, put an end to dynastic politics, and to revive the glorious governance of our leader Amma (J Jayalalithaa) in Tamil Nadu, I wholeheartedly welcome respected AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran to the NDA and extend my sincere greetings,” Palaniswami said in his message. Thanking EPS for his message, Dhinakaran said, “Let us all come together and work in unison to re-establish Amma’s rule in Tamil Nadu.” Dhinakaran said the opportunity to establish Amma Rule in Tamil Nadu could not be realised in 2021, but this time, we will do that, he added.  P7 Markets recover Markets mostly steadied on Wednesday after Trump toned down his rhetoric in his threats to acquire Greenland, clarifying he wouldn’t use force Govt weighs dual budget allocation on G Ram G P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi As the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, which replaces the two-decadeold Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), is yet to be formally notified and brought into force, the Centre is considering a dual budgetary allocation in the upcoming Union Budget to ensure uninterrupted support to the scheme. Officials said since the rules under the new legislation are still being framed, the government may provide funding simultaneously for both MGNREGA and the VB-G RAM G scheme during a transitional phase. The new law will be operationalised only after the rules are notified. Framing The move comes as the government the rules plans to gradually phase out MGNREGA over the next six months while roll“After it is ing out the new legislation. With the notified, states VB-G RAM G bill yet to come into force, have to frame the Centre is keen to avoid any disruprules. It will take tion in wage employment for rural time. Even the households, officials added. According BJP-ruled states to sources, during a recent meeting of are not going to a parliamentary panel, the government come on board informed members that it is consideras the Act puts a ing additional budgetary support and huge financial dual allocation to ensure a smooth burden,” said a transition to the VB-G RAM G. oppn leader. Signalling a sharp jump in budgetary support, the government had earlier announced that `1,51,282 crore would be allocated for VB-G RAM G. Sources said that the Centre may further increase the outlay in its budget announcement. MGNREGA was allotted an unchanged `86,000 crore in both FY25 and FY26. Under the new Act, the estimated Central share of funding is `95,692.31 crore, with the states bearing the rest. The new Act mandates a 60:40 cost-sharing ratio between the Centre and the states. Opposition members have, however, raised concerns, saying that states remain in the dark over the proposed norms for allocation of funds under the new Act. T20 Wc tussle ICC denies Bangladesh’s request to shift their matches out of india As reported by this daily, if Bangladesh choose not to come to India for upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup on Thursday, ICC are likely to replace them with Scotland in Group C | P13 iaf aircraft crashes The wreckage of a crashed IAF microlite training aircraft being removed from a pond in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Wednesday. Two persons onboard, including the pilot, were rescued safely | PTI Four women held for sale of one-month-old baby for `3.8L errors in SIr data may be due to untrained staff Lack of training and little or no familiarity with smartphones may have led BLOs, who are mostly lowlevel civic body workers, to face difficulty in collecting and recording SIR draft poll roll data without errors. This has affected data quality | P2 SC on SIR of poll rolls: No power can be untrammelled E x p r e ss N e ws S e r v i c e @ Chennai Mother of a newborn and three other women were detained by the Kasimedu police on Tuesday in connection with the alleged sale of a one-monthold male baby to a woman in Erode for `3.8 lakh. The infant is yet to be traced. Sources said the action followed a tip-off received by the Kasimedu police, based on which the four women were summoned for questioning. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) is also involved in the inquiry. According to police, the infant was born on Decem- ber 4, 2025, at a government hospital in Kasimedu. The mother, a 25-year-old resident of the locality, already has three children — two sons and a daughter — aged 10, seven and two. Police said she allegedly decided to sell the newborn citing the family’s poor financial condition and conveyed this decision to others. Three women from Kasimedu, Tondiarpet and Washermenpet allegedly assisted in the crime. Police sources said around four months ago, during a temple visit, the women came into contact with an unidentified woman from Erode district.  P7 The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) whether its powers to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls can be considered untrammelled and beyond judicial review. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said revision of poll rolls could lead to civil consequences. “Revision of voter list can lead to some civil consequences for a person who is on the list, so if something which will affect civil rights of people, then why should not the process followed be in accordance with sub-section 2 (of the Representation of the People (RP) Act which provides for roll revision in a prescribed manner)?” the CJI asked. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, cited clause (3) of Section 21 of the RP Act, which reads: “Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2), the Election Commission may at any time, for reasons to be recorded, direct a special revision of the electoral roll for any constituency or part of a constituency in such manner as it may think fit.” The CJI, however, asked if Section 21(2) enables the ECI to go beyond the rules, can the poll body then exempt itself from its own notified procedures when it undertakes an SIR under Section 21(3). “So, why should we not expect you (ECI) to have a transparent procedure,” he questioned. Justice Bagchi observed, “No power or jurisdiction can be untrammelled, no matter how high one is. The manner of conduct of the revision of electoral rolls must conform with the principles of natural justice. It should be just and fair.” Dwivedi agreed that the ECI must satisfy the court that the process was just, fair and transparent. express read Keezhadi report can’t be altered, says Amarnath Madurai: Speaking at a seminar in Madurai on Wednesday, Archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna asserted that the Keezhadi excavation report could not be altered. Some people are scared at the very mention of the word Keezhadi, he said | P2 TN child missing case: SC hints at SOP soon New Delhi: The SC has expressed its intention to frame an SOP for the recovery of missing kids, saying that such cases are not receiving priority from officials. The bench made observations while hearing a case relating to a child who went missing in TN in 2011 | P7 Row after K’taka guv refuses to address assembly D e v a r a j B H i r e h a l l i @ Bengaluru A day after governors of Tamil Nadu and Kerala were at the centre of controversies over their respective addresses to assemblies, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Wednesday followed suit by refusing to address the joint session of state legislature scheduled for Thursday . Parts of the governor’s address to the joint session on Thursday are said to contain certain references to the Centre which has repealed the UPA government’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replaced it with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VBG RAM G) Act, due to which Governor Gehlot has refused to deliver his address. Gehlot raised reservations on 11 paragraphs in the speech drafted by the Karnataka cabinet with regard to the NDA repealing MGNREGA. According to sources, since the governor is mandated to address the session as per Article 176(1) of the Constitution, he insists on skipping parts of the speech, using his discretion. They said as parts of the address were against VB-G RAM G, which has become an Act after the Bill was passed in Parliament, it would be unconstitutional to speak against it and he preferred to skip those parts. A high-level delegation led by Karnataka Law and Parliamen- tary Affairs Minister HK Patil, rushed to Raj Bhavan and held talks with the governor on Wednesday evening. Speaking to reporters after meeting the governor, Patil said, “The governor has said that 11 paragraphs should be dropped from the speech. We will consult the Chief Minister and communicate to the governor. The Constitution is the same for everyone, whether the President, Governor or government. We have not been told so far that the Governor will not come to address the session.”