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 ■ ■ chennai l monday l February 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Some of the agreements reached between India and Malaysia during PM’s visit Key pacts signed Semiconductor cooperation UPI-based digital payments Audio-visual co-production Cooperation in defence, healthcare & medicine, and tourism sectors Disaster management cooperation Dedicated Thiruvalluvar Centre at Universiti Malaya Social security for Indian workers in Malaysia Thiruvalluvar Scholarships for Malaysian nationals No compromise, and no double standards on terrorism: Modi India, Malaysia stress strategic trust, sign deals in key sectors to strengthen ties Counter terrorism J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi India’s stance on terrorism is firm and uncompromising, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday after holding wide-ranging talks with Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim. “On terrorism, our message is clear: no double standards, no compromise. In the field of security we will strengthen co, operation in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, and maritime security. We will expand defence cooperation,” Modi said at a joint press briefing with Ibrahim. The joint statement issued after the bilateral talks explicitly condemned cross-border terrorism, signalling both leaders’ shared commitment to tackling threats that cross national boundaries. “The two Prime Ministers unequivocally and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They called for zero tolerance of terrorism and for concerted Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur | PTI international efforts to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner,” said the joint statement. For India, cross-border terrorism refers to terrorism coming from Pakistan. During Modi’s two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, a series of agreements were signed to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors including defence and security, technology and trade. , During the press briefing, Caste no barrier for successor: Bhagwat e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v ic e @ Mumbai AT RSS’ centenary programme in Mumbai, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the organisation follows merit-based advancement without caste quotas, clarifying that while the next Sarsanghchalak must be a Hindu, caste is irrelevant. Belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes is no disqualification, nor is being a Brahmin any qualification for leading the RSS, he said. Speaking at the two-day lecture series “100 Years of Sangh Journey - New Horizons,” Bhagwat said visitors from different countries are studying RSS activities to re plicate the E x p r e s s Re a d Release central funds for TN rly projects: CM to PM Chennai: After Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw repeatedly alleged that TN railway projects were being delayed due to state government’s lack of cooperation in land acquisition, CM M K Stalin on Sunday wrote to PM Narendra Modi, urging the centre to release the required funds in full | P4 Dowry death: Kin receive body of 22-year-old Dalit Villupuram: A week after her death, family members on Sunday received the body of A Deva Jessipriya (22), who died allegedly due to dowry harassment and caste discrimination, following the arrest of her husband and mother-in-law | P2 model for their youth. He emphasised that RSS is apolitical and not opposed to anyone, describing “Hindu” as an adjective encompassing all Indians rather than a noun. The Mumbai lecture saw a posse of Bollywood bigwigs in attendance, including Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Vicky Kaushal, BJP MP Hema Malini and others. Speaking about the Sangh’s journey, Bhagwat said: “The Sangh has not emerged in competition with any other organisation.The Sangh neither seeks popularity nor power.” He said the Sangh had asked him to continue working, and that he would step down whenever it asks him to. Modi also highlighted New Delhi’s strategic trust with Kuala Lumpur. “Along with AI and digital technologies, we will further our collaboration in semiconductors, health, and food security he said. ,” Modi also interacted with leading business leaders in Malaysia. “The CEO Forum has opened up new opportunities for trade and investment. We will chart the way to economic transformation through strategic trust,” Modi added. The joint statement spelled out a detailed agenda to counter radicalisation and violent extremism, combat financing of terrorism, and prevent misuse of emerging technologies for terror purposes India’s rise on the global trade and economic front has provided new momentum for Malaysia-India cooperation Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Prime Minister Navy’s marine engine programme likely to get govt nod this week J a v a r ia Rana @ New Delhi The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is likely to approve an indigenous marine engine development programme for the Indian Navy when it meets later this week, this newspaper has learnt. The proposal is expected to be taken up under the Make-I category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, which provides government funding support for indigenous design and development of critical defence technologies. Sources said four prototype engines are planned, with a minimum order quantity of 40 engines envisaged initially The Navy is looking at develop. ing a marine gas turbine in the 24-28 MW power class for main propulsion systems used on large surface combatants such as destroyers and frigates. At present, the Navy’s frontline warships rely on foreign-origin gas turbine-based propulsion systems from Ukraine’s Zorya-Mashproekt and US firm General Electric. Sources said the overall programme would need `4,000-5,000 crore investment, with the government expected to cover up to 70% of prototype development cost. TNPSC forced to cancel exams after aspirants protest hall snafu B A N B U SE LV A N @ Chennai In a first, the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) on Sunday was forced to abruptly cancel Group II and Group IIA main examinations even as candidates in parts of the state were midway through the papers after hundreds of job aspirants took to the streets in Chennai protesting erroneous allocation of exam centres. TNPSC Controller of Examinations A Shanmuga Sundaram, who had rushed to the spot to pacify protesters, blamed the issue on a ‘technical glitch’ and said the exams would be reconducted soon with adequate notice. Opposition parties flayed the mismanagement, with AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami terming it “unprecedented”. Hours later, Shanmuga Sundaram was transferred out of the post. As many as 9,457 candidates were scheduled to appear for the Group IIA Tamil Eligibility Test (descriptive) and the General Studies (objective) examination on Sunday  . P7 Cancellation chaos I P2 Official transferred Late on Sunday, sources said the TNPSC Controller of Examinations Shanmuga Sundaram was transferred and State Election Commission Secretary R Venkata Priya was posted as his replacement. No official press note was issued A heartbroken Nepal team acknowledges the Mumbai crowd after their match against England on Sunday. They lost the match by four runs | AFP | P13