Hamas to disarm, accepts Trump’s plan The Hamas militia on Friday threw up a surprise, saying it will disarm and accept a deal announced by US President Donald Trump to end its war with Israel. Israel is yet to officially comment but sources said there will be no withdrawal of Israeli forces from their current lines until the disarmament is genuine and total | AFP | P13 chennai l saturday l august 01, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l late city EDITION 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 `84k cr boost for offshore DKS puts off Vijay oil exploration, production meet amid tensions Cauvery water dispute Cabinet clears Samudra Manthan scheme to bolster energy security R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi IN a bid to increase domestic oil and gas production, the government on Friday approved the `84,000-crore Samudra Manthan scheme to accelerate deep-sea exploration. According to the petroleum ministry, the scheme will add 600 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) to India’s hydrocarbon reserves. It is projected to increase annual domestic oil and gas production by 10-15 MTOE, with the potential to reach 20 MTOE. The biggest share of the scheme—`43,200 crore—has been earmarked to support the drilling of 60 deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration wells. The government will provide financial support to state-run ONGC and Oil India as well as private exploration firms to encourage drilling in deepwater areas where explo- E x p r e s s Re a d SC grants anticipatory bail to Senthil Balaji New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to ex-minister V Senthil Balaji in `32.81 crore Tasmac corruption case. The court permitted the state to seek modification of the order should the accused breach bail conditions or if custodial interrogation proves necessary | P7 Floating solar projects To boost India’s solar power generation, the Centre approved the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana, a `5,070-crore scheme to set up 5GW of floating solar power projects over the next five years. India currently has 0.7 GW of installed floating solar capacity ration is expensive and risky . The support comes after the government opened 99% of the offshore areas earlier classified as ‘no-go’ zones due to defence and space-related curbs. Another `28,500 crore has been allocated for large-scale 2D and 3D offshore seismic sur- veys and advanced data processing using technologies such as artificial intelligence. The surveys will help create detailed maps of the seabed and identify locations for drilling. The scheme also provides `10,000 crore to build common offshore infrastructure for developing stranded discoveries in basins such as Mahanadi and Kutch, where high evacuation costs have made projects commercially unviable. In addition, `2,000 crore has been allocated for setting up an Oil and Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone to promote domestic manufacturing of oilfield equipment and services under the Make in India initiative. The government expects the move to reduce import dependence and strengthen the domestic supply chain. India currently imports more than 88% of its crude oil requirement. the situation returns to normal. Shivakumar, when he was depAmid tensions escalating in the uty chief minister and water restate over the Cauvery river wa- sources minister under Siddarater issue, Karnataka Chief Min- maiah, had proposed that then ister DK Shivakumar has post- Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin visit poned the bilateral talks with his the state, but the latter had deTamil Nadu counterclined the offer. part C Joseph Vijay, TN may move SC “After the elections after August 5 scheduled to be held in TN, the government at Vidhana Soudha on Tamil Nadu is likely to changed. Vijay said he August 3. move SC after August 5 would come with his The decision was team, but protests do over the delay by taken because of on- Karnataka in releasing not give us confidence. going protests in the Cauvery water despite We should resolve this Cauvery basin by CWRC & CWMA telling with goodwill. If the Kannada activists problem is solved, the upper riparian and farmer organisa- state to release 3,500 both sides benefit. The tions against the Causituation is not good cusecs of water for very Water Managenow. So, I request the 15 days to TN | P4 m e n t Au t h o r i t y TN CM to defer the (CWMA) order to release water meeting. When guests come from to Tamil Nadu. The activists had another state, we must show couralso warned Shivakumar against tesy and respect. I will ask him to holding talks with Vijay. Shiva- choose another date. If they (Vikumar on Friday requested Vi- jay and team) want to protect jay, who had proposed the talks their state’s interest, we want to first, to defer their meeting till protect ours,” he said.  P7 E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ Bengaluru Omar, Payal ‘embraced freedom’, will dissolve union: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi PUTTING a lid on a long legal chapter of matrimonial dispute spanning over 16 years, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to dissolve the marriage of J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah after noting their joint position that they have “embraced freedom”. “We will make it a part of our order and will dispose it of in terms of that ... will pass a formal order later,” said a bench of justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the National Conference leader, on Friday informed the bench that an application under Article 142 of the Constitution, seeking dissolution was filed as the matter was “settled between the par- ties.” “Both of them have embraced freedom. It’s all settled. (Article) 142 has been filed in the case. Your lordships may grant divorce,” he contended before the court. Sibal added that all other matters in the ongoing case will be withdrawn as it was set out in the application. Want to forgive Gen Z for expletives, says PM R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi IN another late night video message to Gen Z, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he wanted to forgive students who recently hurled expletives against him. After the Jantar Mantar showdown, “some naughty children hurled abuse at me and my late mother,” he said. Describing it as unpleasant and disturbing, he said that those who had resorted to such language required guidance rather than condemnation, as they were misguided. Modi said it was a “cultural shock” to witness such conduct from Gen Z. However, he added that he did not want them to become entangled in legal complications. Instead, he wanted to forgive them and help reform them so that they could change their mindset. “I want to forgive them,” the PM said, adding it is everyone’s duty to show the right path to the misguided. He urged the society to guide, rather than punish those who had gone astray “Let’s guide the misguided. Let’s work . together. Let’s work for Bharat...I live for your future,” he told the youth and the wider Gen Z population.