COIMBATORE l saturday l october 24, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION record play: BEst-ever show for India at Para Asian Games Double medallist shooter Mona Agarwal (C) will be one of flag-bearers | pci More reward with lesser strength Despite 168 para-athletes for this edition, which was nearly half of the contingent size that went to the Hangzhou Games in 2023, India returned with 114 medals, including 30 gold. In the previous edition, India had sent 309 para-athletes and they finished fifth on the medal tally with 101 medals, including 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze As the continental event comes to a close on Saturday, the country registers historic haul to occupy fourth place as of Friday. A look... ■ 114 Highest single-day haul on Friday ■ On the last day of their competition on Friday, India collected nine gold medals, their highest single-day haul in the ongoing edition, with top finishes registered in archery, shooting, badminton and athletics Athletics, as always, ended up being the driving force snaring 65 medals in all, 12 more than 2023 | P13 medals won by india including 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze 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 PLA patrol deviation tied to Festive cheer Net FDI inflows LAC disturbances, says govt state of the economy eludes Street as went up 44% equities bleed during Apr-Aug Daughter quizzed in Veeramani case Chennai: V Archana, daughter of serial Pocso accused Gem Granites chairman R Veeramani, was deboarded from a flight at the Chennai airport on Friday and was questioned by the SIT | P4 Patashala teacher held under Pocso Tirunelveli: A 24-year-old Bihar native, a teacher at a Veda patashala at Nanguneri, was arrested on Thursday under Pocso Act on charges of sexually assaulting several minor students | P2 ‘Give TN 3K cusecs of water per day’ Chennai: The CWRC, during its 145th meeting held in New Delhi on Friday, directed Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days from October 24 | P5 jetbe slashed fuel vat to in TN from nov 1 ATF tax will be cut from 29% to 16% for flights fuelling at Chennai airport, and from 29% to 1% at other TN airports | P2 A R S HA D K HAN @ New Delhi D I PA K M ON D A L @ New Delhi INDIAN equities continue to bleed through the festive season when buying sentiment is typically strong. The benchmark indices—BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50—settled in the red in all four trading sessions of this week, with the broader indices facing a much steeper decline. On Friday, the 30-share BSE Sensex opened higher but later plunged 797.02 points, or 1.08%, to hit an intraday low of 72,452.37. It later recouped some losses to settle at 73,123.83, down 125.56 points, or 0.17%. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 87.65 points, or 0.39%, to close at 22,600 after tumbling 315.65 points, or 1.39%, to a low of 22,372 on Friday The . Nifty Midcap 100 declined 2.21% and the Nifty Smallcap 100 fell 2.94%. Investors lost over `20 lakh crore this week as the market capitalisation of all BSE-listed firms came down from `473.46 lakh crore to `452.40 lakh crore. Friday’s The decline is 74,000 73,249.39 close primarily attribPrevious 73,123.83 uted to elevated close crude oil prices 73,000 amid g rowing tensions in West Asia. At about $116 per barrel, 72,000 am 9 11 am 1 pm 3 pm 4 pm Brent crude oil Change is trading near a -125.56 (-0.17%) six-month high. For India, persistently high crude prices pose risks to imported inflation, corporate margins, and currency stability If oil prices remain . high, it could also lead to foreign fund outflows, further hurting domestic equities. “Indian markets are currently seeing selling pressure primarily due to global factors with elevated geopolitical tensions, rising bond yields and the sharp rise in crude oil prices, which increased concerns around inflation, margins and the current account. At the same time, tighter global liquidity and higher interest rates have reduced risk off sentiment,” said Shweta Rajani, associate director, Anand Rathi Wealth Ltd. Rajani explained that historically, the festive season that starts from the Navratri days till the end of Diwali has been favourable for equities. The Nifty50 and Sensex have fallen by around 14% since the beginning of this year. If the bearish trend continues till December, it would be the first time in the past 10 years that Indian equities give negative returns in a calendar year. According to Sudeep Shah, head of technical and derivatives research at SBI Securities, the sharp correction in AI- and data centre-related stocks across global exchanges has deepened market volatility . amid the exodus of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) from Indian equity markets, net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have provided a silver lining, rising 44% year-on-year to $13.8 billion during April-August 2026, up from $9.6 billion in the first five months of last fiscal. According to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) October bulletin released on Friday, net FDI stood at $3.3 billion in August, supported by sustained gross FDI inflows and a moderation in the pace of outward FDI. The RBI data showed that gross FDI inflows rose 20% y-o-y to $11.1 billion during the AprilAugust period, while net outward FDI increased 26.5% to $17.7 billion, compared with a 41.9% rise a year ago. In August, outward FDI flows moderated, with more than half directed towards Singapore, the Netherlands and the US. India recorded negative net FDI Net foreign direct and flows from Auportfolio investment gust to Decem2024-25 ber 2025 before Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 recovering in the Net FDI 6.2 -2.8 -2.8 0.4 final quarter of the previous fiNet FPI 0.9 19.9 -11.4 -5.9 nancial year. In 2025-26 (Provisional) the current fiQ1 Q2 Q3 Q4 nancial year, net FDI again Net FDI 5.2 2.1 -5.1 4.5 slipped into negNet FPI 1.6 -5.7 -0.2 -13.5 ative territory in 2026-27 (Provisional) May and June as outward investQ1 Q2 ments exceeded Net FDI 3.1 10.7* inward inflows. Net FPI -9.6 -0.3 Financial serv(Figures in $ bn) *Data for July-August ices, communication services, computer services and manufacturing accounted for 73% of total FDI equity inflows during April-August 2026. Singapore, Japan, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates and the US were the major sources of inward FDI, together accounting for around 81% of total inflows. The rebound in FDI comes amid a sustained sell-off by FPIs to the tune of $9.8 billion during April-August, data showed. RBI also reported a sharp rise in its net dollar purchases in August, buying $43.26 billion on a net basis, more than double the $18.65 billion purchased in July The increase came amid sig. nificant inflows of NRI deposits into banks. India received around $136 billion under the RBI’s special dollar swap window, with Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank), or FCNR(B), deposits crossing $127 billion in August. Meanwhile, RBI flagged concerns over rising inflationary pressures stemming from the West Asia crisis and recurring trade tensions, alongside multi-decade-high sovereign bond yields and elevated public debt. However, it noted that sustained domestic demand and the services sector continued to support economic growth. BSE sensex Source: RBI bulletin express read j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi INDIA and China continue to use established diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday, amid a row over remarks by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief Shatrujeet Kapur about an ongoing faceoff in Arunachal Pradesh. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to questions about Kapur’s reported comments, said disturbances along the India-China border occur when Chinese troops deviate from “established patrolling patterns.” He, however, did not provide specific details about the reported face-off in Arunachal Pradesh and referred questions on operational matters to the Ministry of Defence. Arunachal standoff On ITBP chief Shatrujeet Kapur’s lowdown on the face-off in Arunachal, MEA didn’t elaborate on locations involved, nature of the confrontation or whether the situation was still on “We have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns,” Jaiswal said. “Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and mili- tary mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control,” he added. Jaiswal also said the two countries had agreed to discuss ways to improve their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas to strengthen border management. The MEA’s remarks came after Kapur reportedly referred to a continuing face-off at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh during an address to ITBP personnel at a felicitation ceremony in Alwar, Rajasthan, on Thursday . “In recent days, there was a situation in Arunachal Pradesh where there was a face-off at different locations, which is still continuing. There our Shaurya commando teams did really exceedingly well,” Kapur reportedly said, praising the performance of ITBP’s elite Shaurya platoon. Cyclone may bring heavy showers till Oct 26; 2 die in rain-related incidents Mom killed, 2 girls abducted by stalker after phone ban E X P R E S S NEW S S E R V I CE E X P R E S S NEW S S E R V I CE Tamil Nadu is likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall till October 26 as a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm and move towards the north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said on Friday . The pressure system, which formed over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal at 5.30 am on Friday , is likely to intensify into a depression on October 24. It is then expected to move westnorthwestwards and strengthen into a deep depression on October 25, before developing into a cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal by October 26 morning. The system is likely to intensify further and continue moving west-northwestwards towards the north AP and south Odisha coasts over the following two days. Enraged over the alleged snapping of contact by a 15-yearold minor on her dad’s order, a 26-year-old ‘parotta master’ entered the girl’s house in the dead of the night, attacked her parents with a machete, killed her mother, and kidnapped the victim and her younger sister at Mudalur near Thattarmadam in Thoothukudi district on Friday . The couple — Muthukrishnan (50), a daily-wage Gnanaprakash labourer, and M Mary Vijila (48) — have two daughters, aged 15 and 14 years, and a 12-year-old son. Recently , Muthukrishnan warned his elder daughter to stop chatting with Gnanaprakash, who works at a local restaurant, on phone. This angered the suspect who entered the girl’s house around 2 am on Friday and attacked her parents with a machete. P5 @ Thoothukudi @ Chennai Waterlogging on Race Course Road in Madurai city on Friday | k k sundar Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon remained active, with rainfall recorded at most places across TN. Two persons, from Ariyalur and Virudhunagar districts, were killed in rain-related incidents on Friday. S Muthuselvi, a Class 12 student at Chinnakamanpatti government school, died in a wall collapse at her house in Sattur. A Kamalam (55) of North Irumbulikurichi died in a suspected lightning strike near Sendurai. P5 In the eye of a storm Ruling TVK & oppn DMK walk out of Keralam’s vigilance bureau review finds no lapses poll roll meet, demand CEC’s ouster in ’07 suicide probe that gave Gyanesh a clean chit E X P R E S S NEW S S E R V I CE @ Chennai Nine political parties — including the ruling TVK, its ally Congress, and the principal opposition DMK — walked out of an all-party meeting chaired by Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik on Friday demand, ing the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The meeting was convened to discuss the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, scheduled to begin on November 12. Of the 13 national and state parties invited, nine — TVK, DMK, Congress, CPI, CPM, VCK, NTK, AAP and DMDK — staged the walkout. While the AIADMK, BJP and National People’s Party took part, the BSP was not represented. After the walkout, Energy Resources Minister CTR Nir- CEO Archana Patnaik at the all-party meeting held at the secretariat in Chennai on Friday | P Jawahar mal Kumar told reporters that the CEC should resign, taking responsibility for the errors committed during the SIR. “The ECI should embark on SSR only after rectifying the wrongs that took place during the SIR. Without doing that, going ahead with the SSR would not be appropriate,” he said. Rejecting the perception that the TVK had supported the CEC, Nirmal Kumar said the party had been the first to raise its voice against the SIR in Tamil Nadu and had consistently maintained that position. Denying the charge that the TVK won the Assembly elections because of the SIR, he argued that the names of young voters who would have supported the TVK had been deleted. I Paranthamen, representative of the DMK, said the party had asked the CEO when and how the errors committed during the SIR would be rectified. He said 74 lakh names had been deleted through the exercise and sought details of the steps taken to restore them to the electoral rolls. As long as Gyanesh Kumar remained CEC, no revision of electoral rolls could be proper and transparent, he said. P5 S h a n A S @ T’Puram Possible next steps In possible relief to embattled Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Keralam’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has found no lapses in its 2007 preliminary inquiry against him following the suicide of a Malaysian engineer involved in a road-widening project in the state. Kumar was given a clean chit in the probe at the time. Sources said the preliminary inquiry against Kumar, then secretary of public works department, was found to be in line with rules and vigilance protocols. Earlier this month, the UDF government ordered a relook into the 2007 inquiry after a Congress leader filed a complaint alleging that past probes were compromised or stopped due to pressure. The move came amid protests de- The Keralam government might ask the Crime Branch to form a special team to probe all angles, other than graft, in Lee’s death. Sources said the move could bring to the fore the suicide note naming Gyanesh Kumar. After Lee’s death, the state police attempted to get its copy from Malaysia but was unable to do so Protesters at a march against the CEC in New Delhi on Friday | Sayantan ghosh manding the CEC’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Lee See Been, who served as chief project manager for PATI-BEL, an Indo-Malaysian consortium involved in a road project, ended his life in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 allegedly after his bid to get bills cleared was stonewalled by officials. Kumar’s name was mentioned in one of his suicide notes, which alleged that systemic corruption was plaguing the project’s implementation. In the wake of the government’s order, the VACB scrutinised the preliminary inquiry . Sources said the assessment did not reveal any lacunae and “it appears there is no scope for any further vigilance action”. They said the complainant did not produce any fresh evidence against Kumar to compel the agency to revisit its clean chit. The VACB found that two other preliminary inquiries were conducted against Kumar in this period, but neither could make out a case against him, sources said.