Coimbatore l tuesday l june 02, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Ten days before FIFA WC begins, ‘Z’ secure India broadcast rights After weeks of anticipation over whether the marquee event would be aired/streamed in the country, ‘Z’ group bags the rights on Monday The Mexico City Stadium in Mexico City will host the opening game on June 11 | AFP Zee to telecast major FIFA events till 2034 deal to be estimated around $30-35 mil The World Cup, to be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, will be broadcast live on television by Zee Entertainment through their newly launched Unite8 Sports network, while live streaming will be available on Zee 5 app. The deal covers 39 major FIFA tournaments across men, women and youth events to audiences in India until 2034. ■ ■ While the announcement did not mention the valuation of the deal, it is expected to be anywhere between $30-35 million It is significantly lesser than what FIFA had initially asked for. While 2026 WC has timezone issues, the next edition will happen in Morocco and Spain after the first few games in Argentina and Uruguay | P13 39 Zee will telecast 39 major fifa events till 2034 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 Bihar’s Shubham Kumar bags top rank in JEE, two from TN among top 100 E x pr e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Students celebrate in Kota after the results were announced; (inset) topper Shubham Kumar | Express Six of top 10 from same institute Kota-based Allen Career Institute on Monday claimed that six of the top 10 rank holders in the JEE (Advanced) 2026 results were its students. The institute said 24 of its students featured in the top 50 rank Shubham Kumar of Bihar from the IIT Delhi zone has topped the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2026 by scoring 330 out of 360 marks. While 56,880 candidates have qualified nationally in the IIT entrance exam results declared on Monday a total , of 14,294 candidates have made the cut from the IIT Madras zone. Two students from Tamil Nadu have also made it to the top 100. Tamil Nadu’s performance has improved compared to last year, when only one student figured in Oman FTA kicks in, opens new doors to GCC, Africa Much of its coastline outside Strait of Hormuz, along the Arabian Sea Piyush Goyal: Most parts of India-US pact finalised Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said India and the US have finalised most elements of the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement. The talks will take place in New Delhi from June 2-4. “...mostly everything is finalised. As you know, US ambassador said 99% of things have been finalised. Discussions are on about small issues, commas and full stops.” Factory output expands at slower pace in April India’s industrial production or IIP expanded at a slower pace of 4.9% in April due to tepid growth in the energy sector amid the West Asia crisis, according to official data released on Monday. The IIP’s growth rate was 3.2% in March 2026. This is the first data released after the revision of the base year to 2022-23 from 201112, rejigging index elements | P12 Gross GST collections grew 3.2% in May Gross GST collections rose 3.2% to over `1.94 lakh crore in May on higher supplies of goods and services, as well as collection from imports, government data showed on Monday. Net GST revenues went up 3.3% to `1.67 lakh crore. Gross GST collection was `1.88 lakh crore in May 2025. The govt has budgeted to mop up `10.19 lakh crore from GST in the current fiscal | P12 P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi THE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Oman came into force on Monday, providing tariff-free access for a majority of Indian exports and creating a strategic trade corridor to Gulf and African markets through Oman’s ports. Under the accord, Indian exporters will receive immediate zero-duty access on nearly 99% of exports by value, covering 98.08% of Oman’s tariff lines. “This balanced FTA opens doors to our exports to Oman while protecting livelihoods at home. The doors it opens are wide because Oman is a gateway to the wider GCC, East Africa and the Indian Ocean economy through its various ports,” Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said. Oman’s logistics hubs at Sohar, Duqm and Salalah would provide Indian exporters easier access to the broader Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and East African markets. The pact assumes added significance amid rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia. Unlike most Gulf nations that depend heavily on shipping routes through the Strait of Hor muz, much of Oman’s coastline lies outside the Strait, along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Trade experts note that ma- jor ports such as Salalah and Duqm remain accessible even if traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. “This allows Oman to continue functioning as a reliable trade and energy gateway during periods of regional conflict or instability said Ajay Srivas,” tava, founder, the Global Trade Research Initiative. Pankaj Khimji, advisor for Foreign Trade and International Cooperation at Oman’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, said the country is willing to align its petrochemical and fertiliser exports with India’s needs. “India remains a major importer of the petrochemicals that Oman manufactures, and we can more than happily serve that requirement,” he said. The FTA is expected to benefit labour-intensive sectors including gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, footwear, marine products, engineering goods, processed food and pharmaceuticals. India has offered tariff liberalisation on 77.79% of tariff lines, covering 94.81% of imports from Oman by value, while retaining safeguards for sensitive sectors. “We have agreed with the Omani side that for investments made by Indian companies, Indian workers will be given preferential ability to serve, subject to local requirements,” Goyal said. the top 100. In 2024, three from the state had made it to the top-100 ranks. The IIT Madras zone recorded the highest number of qualified candidates among all IIT zones. The figure is also significantly higher than last year’s 12,946 qualifiers from the zone. The zonal status for the southern region alternates between IIT Madras and IIT Hyderabad. This year, the IIT Madras zone comprised Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and parts of Andhra Pradesh. In terms of top ranks, however, candidates from the IIT Delhi zones outperformed Major Political churn E x p r e s s Re a d Annamalai Roach party may quit BJP, plans Sat launch party spectacle TVK misleading farmers on crop loan waiver: DMK S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r @ Chennai U D AYA N K ISH O R E @ New Delhi Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, who left for New Delhi on Monday , is likely to resign from the party according to , sources. He is expected to meet BJP national president Nitin Nabin and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit. Speaking briefly to reporters at the Chennai airport on Monday, Annamalai said he would speak “freely” in two days. Sources indicated that he is considering launching a new political outfit and might even contest upcoming Assembly by-elections, which is expected to be held within six months. Tensions between Annamalai and the BJP leadership came to the fore after the party re- Annamalai sees an opportunity to build vived its alliance with the an independent AIADMK ahead of the political platform 2026 Assembly election. at a time when a Annamalai was also resection of voters appears to be placed by Nainar Nagendisillusioned with thran as the state BJP Dravidian majors president, a move many within the party saw as Sources necessary to preserve the alliance and maintain cordial ties with the AIADMK. While the BJP’s decision-making process remains largely centralised, Annamalai is believed to have sought greater autonomy to shape the party’s growth strategy in the state. However, despite these differences, he eventually campaigned for the BJP-led alliance during the election, though he chose not to contest.  P7 Delhi’s political climate heated up a tad on Monday after Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke announced his return to India from Boston on June 6, issuing an ‘Delhi airport chalo’ call to his followers to lead a protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam related lapses. In a video message on X and Instagram, he urged people to meet him at the airport, from where, “together we will go to the Parliament Police Station and seek permission to protest peacefully at the Jantar Mantar”. He added that over eight lakh people had signed a petition demanding Pradhan’s exit. I still have hope Dipke’s movement built that our country is around cockroaches, mea democracy... The mes and satire sprung up time has come for after Chief Justice of Inall of us to come dia Surya Kant on May 15 together, follow the Constitution, likened roaches to a secand peacefully tion of the unemployed raise our voices youth. Though the CJI later clarified that his reAbhijeet Dipke, CJP marks were directed at those with fake law degrees, the social media buzz refused to die down. Within days, the CPJ’s Instagram account had over 22 million followers, surpassing both the Congress and the BJP’s accounts on the platform by a huge margin. On May 29, the Delhi High Court denied interim relief on Dipke’s plea to unblock the CPJ’s X account, saying the matter had “farreaching consequences”. Graft-free admin not possible in a night, but we will achieve it: Vijay V i v a n e s h Pa r t h i b a n @ Tiruchy In his first public speech after leading the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to victory in the Assembly elections, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday launched a sharp attack on the DMK and AIADMK, accusing both parties of attempting to come together to prevent the TVK from forming the government. Vijay also reiterated his commitment to clean governance. “A corruption-free administration cannot be created overnight. It is not magic. But one day we will achieve it,” he said. Addressing a thanksgiving meeting for voters at St Joseph’s Higher Secondary School Grounds in Tiruchy Vijay said, , “Today they accuse us of horsetrading. But who was actually trying to join hands secretly?” “Those who claimed to oppose each other for years were CM C Joseph Vijay addressing thanksgiving meet for voters in Tiruchy | MK Ashok Kumar willing to unite only because they did not want a TVK government. They feared that if this government assumes power, bribery and loot would come to an end,” he said. Without directly naming the parties, Vijay referred to the DMK as an “evil force” and the AIADMK as an “exhausted force.” Asserting that the election results had transformed Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, Vijay said politics in the state had for decades revolved around caste equations, religious divisions and money distribution during elections. “The people rejected all that by choosing TVK,” he said, adding that the party would continue to oppose caste and religious divisions while ensuring equal governance for all sections of society protecting the rights of , the state, and maintaining respect for alliance partners. Responding to criticism that TVK’s success was driven by social media influence, Vijay said, “They think people who posted reels on Instagram voted for us and brought us victory Even if that’s true, we have . at least made an entire generation closely follow politics.” P7 those from the southern zone. Snehal Roy Choudhury from Allen Coaching Centre emerged as the state topper, securing an AIR of 41, clearing the prestigious exam in his first attempt. Having completed Class 12 this year, Snehal aspires to pursue Computer Science at IIT Bombay , with a keen interest in building a career in the field of artificial intelligence. Speaking to TNIE, he attributed his success to consistency, proper planning, and right guidance. He emphasised the importance of staying disciplined throughout the preparation.  P7 Pink ball could be used in Tests if bad light affects play The International Cricket Council has decided to test usage of pink balls on trial basis if Test matches are affected by bad light. A look at some of the highlights from the two-day meeting in Ahmedabad A match can start with red ball but if there is bad light, pink ball could be used under floodlights for overs that could be lost or wasted. For example, if 60 overs are bowled in a 90-over a day match, then the rest 30 overs can be bowled under lights with pink balls India will play the 2028 Women's T20 WC at a neutral venue with Pakistan hosting the event Chennai: Former finance minister Thangam Thennarasu on Monday accused the CM Vijay-led TVK government of reneging on its promise to waive off farm loans completely and deliberately misleading farmers. He alleged that the ruling party was fully aware of RBI guidelines restricting cooperative bank loan waivers before making poll promises and is now referring to the same norms as an excuse to backtrack from its assurance | P4 Super-speciality seats: Docs urge TN to move SC Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association (TNMOA) has urged Health Minister K G Arunraj to explore all legal remedies, including approaching a larger bench of the Supreme Court to preserve the 50% superspeciality (SS) seats reserved for in-service doctors in the state. The top court had recently directed that the 151 unfilled super-speciality seats reserved for government doctors in Tamil Nadu be surrendered to the All India Quota | P2 3 get double life term for killing mining activist Karur: A Karur court on Monday awarded double life imprisonment and imposed a fine of `2 lakh each on a quarry owner and two of his employees for murdering an activist who campaigned against illegal stone mining. The victim, R Jeganathan of Karur, was killed in a staged truck accident in September 2022, just a day after his complaint led officials to shut down the prime accused Selvakumar’s illegal stone quarry in Kalipalayam village | P2 The ICC will also allow coaches to be on the field during drinks break like in T20 time outs. Even support staff can go onto the field to discuss strategies The ICC Board approved a change of the window for the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027, moving the tournament from June-July to 14-28 February 2027 ns to be All decisio implemented from October 1, 2026 SC refuses plea on online NEET-UG retest s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant urgent hearing to a plea filed by Rashtriya Janta Dal MP Sudhakar Singh and others demanding that the re-test of NEET-UG 2026, scheduled for June 21, be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode, after observing that the National Testing Agency (NTA) is already under significant pressure. A two-judge bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Aravind Kumar said NTA “is already faced with too many problems” due to the re-conduct of the exam. “They are reholding the exam. The kind of pressure they have. We will post (this matter) after vacation,” Justice Narasimha said while declining urgent listing and hearing of the plea. Petitioner Singh and others, had sought a direction to shift the NEET-UG re-test from the existing pen-and-paper format to CBT mode, citing concerns over transparency and integrity. The court refused to pass any interim order directing the change in mode and posted the matter for hearing on July 27, after the summer vacation. The NEET-UG 2026 exam was originally conducted on May 3. However, the NTA cancelled it on May 12 amid allega- tions of a paper leak and other irregularities. Meanwhile, top officials from NTA told a parliamentary standing committee on Monday that the agency’s focus for now was to hold the June 21 NEET-UG re-test properly in pen-paper format. Responding to concer ns about the potential for hacking in computer-based tests, the NTA responded that a special committee has been formed to examine this issue.