Nagapattinam l tuesday l January 27, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION PAK, Naqvi keep suspense alive over World Cup participation After Bangladesh was removed from the event, PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi said the government will take final call about them playing the T20 WC PCB keeping ‘all options’ on the table opt out of WC or boycott India match? After meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Naqvi took to social media to confirm that final decision will be taken on Friday or Monday. “I had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister and briefed him on the ICC matter. He directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table,” Naqvi posted on X. ■ ■ This issue came about after Pakistan wanted to show solidarity to Bangladesh who were replaced by Scotland after requesting to shift their matches out of India. It is understood PM Sharif was briefed on multiple scenarios, including the possibility of boycotting just the India match Feb 15 is when India and Pakistan are scheduled to play in Colombo 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 Free trade deal with EU done, signing today Pics: PTI, Shekhar Yadav, P Jawahar A successful India makes the world more stable, says EU chief Ursula von der Leyen gan in 2007. The talks were suspended in 2013 as both sides After several false starts, ne- opted for certain protectionist gotiations for the India-Europe- measures. The negotiations an Union Free Trade Agree- were relaunched in June 2022. ment (FTA) concluded on “The European Union reMonday. A formal announce- mains a vital economic & strament will be made on Tuesday . tegic partner for India, and we Confirming the development, value our shared commitment Commerce Secretary Rajesh to a mutually beneficial, ambiAgrawal said: “Negotiations tious India-EU FTA for the have been successfully con- prosperity of our businesses cluded. The deal has been and people,” Goyal stated in his finalised.” social media post. Commerce ministry sources Both sides will keep certain said while the pact will be an- sensitive sectors out of the nounced on Tuesday processes deal. India does not want to , like legal scrubbing open up the dairy and and ratification by EU agricultural sectors. member states could “A successful India take another year. makes the world more The India-EU deal Negotiations have stable, prosperous and was closed in the pres- been successfully secure. And we all benconcluded. The ence of European efit,” Von der Leyen deal has been Council President said. She even said that finalised António Costa and Euthe engagement beRajesh Agrawal, ropean Commission tween India and the EU President Ursula von Commerce Secretary “will culminate tomorder Leyen, who were row in the signature of in India as special guests for our Security and Defence the Republic Day “Their pres- Partnership”. . ence underscores the growing India has a trade surplus strength of the India-EU part- with the EU, which stood at $15 nership and our commitment billion in FY2025, with exports to shared values. The visit will of $75.9 billion against imports add momentum to the deepen- of $60.7 billion. The EU acing engagement and coopera- counts for 17% of India’s total tion between India and Europe goods exports and one-third of across diverse sectors,” Prime its IT services exports. Analysts Minister Narendra Modi said say the FTA could boost India’s in a social media post. exports to the region by over Described as the ‘mother of 50% in the next five years. all deals’ by the Commerce This is the fourth FTA India Minister Piyush Goyal, the In- will be signing since 2025. Last dia-EU FTA will be signed after year, it concluded FTAs with the two decades of talks, which be- UK, New Zealand and Oman. From L: President Droupadi Murmu, President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and PM Narendra Modi after attending the Republic Day parade in Delhi; IAF flypast in Operation Sindoor format comprising 2 MiG-29, 2 Rafale, 2 Su-30MKI and 1 Jaguar; TN Governor R N Ravi with CM M K Stalin after hoisting the Tricolour in Chennai P U S HPITA D E Y @ New Delhi Kuki village torched in fresh Manipur violence p r a s a n ta m a z um d a r @ Guwahati Fresh violence erupted in Manipur on Monday with a Naga rebel group bur ning down several houses belonging to members of the Kuki community in Kangpokpi district. Claiming responsibility for the arson attack at K Songlung (II) village, the Zeliangrong A building burns after it was set on fire United Front (ZUF) said it was in Manipur’s K Songlung village | X targeting illegal poppy cultivation, narcotics trafficking and encroachment of the territory of the Zeliangrong Inpui Naga people by illegal immigrants. Reacting to the incident, the Kuki-Zo organisation Committee on Tribal Unity threatened to shut down two national highways from midnight on January 27 if the authorities failed to apprehend the perpetrators within 24 hours. New-age arsenal on display at R-day parade J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi India-China relations have continued to improve and develop, aligning with interests of both countries and their people, and are of great significance for promoting world peace I extend my heartfelt congratulations to people of India on your 77th Republic Day. US-India share a historic bond as the world’s oldest and largest democracies Xi Jinping, China President Donald Trump, US President THE 77th Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path on Monday brought Operation Sindoor and India’s military might to the forefront with patriotic commemoration under the ‘Vande Mataram’ theme. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa attended as chief guests, marking the first collective participation of the European Union leadership at India’s national celebrations. Cultural and historical elements linked to the Independ- ence struggle were reflected in tableaux from different states along the Kartavya Path, as the official theme was ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram’. The parade featured a European Union defence contingent as well, with four flag bearers on three vehicles carrying flags of the European Union, the EU Military Staff and EU naval missions Operation Atalanta a n d O p e r a t i o n A s p i d e s, respectively . The tri-services tableau, “Operation Sindoor: Victory Through Jointness,” was a standout which recreated the strike at Muridke terror camp India, Canada work on March visit of PM Carney to push trade talks j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi INDIA and Canada are working to finalise a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to New Delhi in March, as both sides seek to accelerate negotiations on a bilateral trade deal. The visit would mark the next phase in warming ties between the two countries, which have moved to restart talks on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) after a diplomatic impasse. New Delhi and Ottawa are in talks to finalise the terms of reference for the CEPA negotiations, which aim to double bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030, sources said. The push for a CEPA has gained urgency amid rising trade tensions with the United States. India is currently subject to 50% US tariffs on certain goods, while Canada faces 35% levy under measures imposed by the Trump administration. Against this backdrop, New Delhi has sought to diversify export markets and expand trade agreements beyond US. The two sides are also looking to deepen cooperation in the civilian nuclear sector, and India is exploring increased investment from Canadian pension funds. Car ney’s remarks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos are widely seen as Canada’s shifting strategic posture. He said Canada was pursuing new trade and security partnerships with countries including India, Qatar, Thailand, as well as Mercosur and ASEAN. Ties with Canada have substantially improved since Carney became PM last year. Express Read Deepam: Appeal filed in SC against HC order New Delhi: The original petitioner in the Thirupparankundram case, Rama Ravikumar, has filed an appeal in SC against a January 6 judgment of the Madras HC which held that lighting deepam at Thirupparankundram hilltop can be carried out only with the approval of ASI and police | P5 3 teenagers drown in sea in Thoothukudi Thoothukudi: Three teenagers drowned in the sea at Mottagopuram beach near Thalamuthunagar on Monday, after being caught in strong waves. Sources said they entered the sea to bathe and were swept away. The bodies were retrieved by CSG personnel | P2 Bareilly magistrate quits over UGC norms Bareilly: Bareilly City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri resigned from service on Monday citing deep disagreement with government policies, especially the new UGC regulations introduced to stop caste discrimination. Agnihotri said the new rules could foment caste-based discontent | P7 in Pakistan destroyed by the Indian Armed Forces on May 7 last year. It also showcased the S-400 anti-missile system used in Operation Sindoor, HAROP loitering munitions, Rafale jets with SCALP missiles, and a Su30 MKI launching BrahMos at hardened shelters. In a first, the military columns were presented in a phased “battle array”, with ground and aerial combat elements displayed in a sequence intended to reflect contemporary battlefield deployment. The IAF staged a 29-aircraft flypast, led by the new ‘Sindoor’ formation, comprising Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29 and Jaguar that were deployed during the four-day clash with Pakistan. The Defence Research and Development Organisation showcased its Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, dubbed the “carrier killer”, for the first time. The system incorporates the novel hypersonic glide vehicle technology . The display also featured major strike and air defence systems, including the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the Akash Medium Range Surface to Air Missile. A total of 30 tableaux participated in the parade. Can help bridge power gap TN’s biggest thermal plant starts production S G U R U VAN M I K ANATHAN @ Chennai Two years after it was formally inaugurated, Tamil Nadu’s first 800 MW Super Critical Thermal Power Station located at Athipattu village in Tiruvallur district has started commercial production of power. The commercialisation of the North Chennai Super Critical Ther mal Power Station (NCTPS) Stage III is expected to help the state meet peak demand during summer and reduce its dependency on private power. The Southern Regional Power Committee (SRPC) has projected Tamil Nadu’s summer power demand to touch 22,000 MW. In past years, the discom had met peak demand by buying power from exchanges at exorbitant rate, going up to `18 per unit. This year, NCTPS Stage III can generate 15.36 MU per day at 80% PLF (plant load factor), thereby helping reduce costly purchases. This is the first commercial production of electricity at a plant owned by the Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation Limited anywhere in the state The 800 MW North Chennai Super Critical Thermal Station in Tiruvallur | Express in nearly 12 years. The last major power generation project commissioned by the state was the North Chennai stage-II t h e r m a l p owe r p l a n t o n May 8, 2014. Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) chairman and managing director J Radhakrishnan, along with senior officials, inspected the plant on Monday The foundation for the . plant was laid in 2010, and it has gone live after 16 years. Speaking to TNIE, TNPGCL managing director M Govinda Rao said that as per norms, the plant must be run continuously for 72 hours before it can be declared commercially operational.  P5 Govt relaxes SOPs for jallikattu, `5 lakh Water level in reservoirs 20% lower than last year insurance cover for bull tamers not must tn braces for summer S G U R U VAN M I K ANATHAN @ Chennai Following a marginal dip in rainfall during the northeast monsoon this year, the combined water level in 90 big reservoirs across the state, as on Sunday, was 20% lower than the total quantum of water available in these reservoirs last year. This has raised concerns over water availability in the coming months. While the combined storage level stood at 146.373 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft), accounting for 65.24% of total capacity of Water level in 90 reservoirs Percentage Number of of storage reservoirs Full 5 76%-99% 28 51%-75% 17 25%-50% 16 Below 25% 24 Total 90 Bhavanisagar reservoir in Erode | express 224.343 tmcft, it was 176.560 tmcft (78.72% of the total capacity) last year, show Water Resources Department data. Officials said the shortfall is mainly due to below-normal monsoon rainfall in the catchment areas. On January 2, 2026, the combined storage of the reservoirs was 168.418 tmcft — almost 75.07% of their capacity In just . 23 days, from January 2 to 25, the state has used up around 10% of its stored water. In major reservoirs such as Mettur and Bhavanisagar, water levels have been on a steady decline due to poor inflow and lack of rainfall. A senior WRD official told TNIE, “Water inflow in Mettur was only 70 cusecs on Sunday, compared to 4,794 cusecs as on December 1, 2025. Over the past two months, inflow has been steadily decreasing. Water use and evaporation loss are expected to increase in coming months due to dry conditions.”  P5 B ANB U S E LVAN @ Chennai The Tamil Nadu government has amended the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for conducting jallikattu by relaxing the mandatory insurance requirement for bull tamers, following demands from the event organisers. The government has also announced a few other relaxations in the SOPs for jallikattu and erudhu vidum vizha. According to a government order dated January 23, issued by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences following an announcement made by Chief Minister MK Stalin two weeks ago, bull tamers participate in the event voluntarily and organisers , are no longer required to provide insurance for them. The revenue department will also not insist on affidavits for providing bank guarantees. Additionally, online registration for bulls and tamers will no longer be mandatory for local participants, the G.O. stated. Earlier, organisers were re- quired to provide an insurance coverage of `5 lakh per person against death or permanent disability for bull tamers and spectators. Coverage had to be arranged for at least 20 persons, capped at `1 crore per event. If insurance could not be obtained due to high premium cost, organisers were required to submit a bank guarantee of `20 lakh along with an affidavit on stamp paper, providing coverage of `5 lakh per person for a minimum of four persons. However, a section of bull tamers had opposed this mandatory insurance provision. P5