chennai l tuesday l January 27, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION PAK, Naqvi keep suspense alive over World Cup participation PCB keeping ‘all options’ on the table After Bangladesh was removed from the event, PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi said the government will take final call about them playing the T20 WC 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 Blending the best of tradition and modernity Presents Welcome Back, Devis of chennai Mallika Srinivasan, Presenting Partner Celebration Partner January 30, 2026 6 pm Chairman and Managing Director, taFE limited,will be presenting the awards luxury Mobility Partner Jewellery Partner Devi AwArDs Exchange Partner ITC Grand Chola, Chennai associate Partners Knowledge Partners B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science & Technology Deemed to be University u/s 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 Chennai - Adyar | T Nagar M.O.P. VAISHNAV COLLEGE FOR WOMEN (Autonomous) (Affiliated to University of Madras & Re-accredited at ‘A++’ Grade by NAAC) Mumbai - Vile Parle Chennai www.sundarisilks.com Free trade deal with EU done, signing today operation between India and Europe across diverse sectors,” After several false starts, ne- Prime Minister Narendra Modi gotiations for the India-Europe- said in a social media post. an Union Free Trade AgreeDescribed as the ‘mother of ment (FTA) concluded on all deals’ by the Commerce Monday. A formal announce- Minister Piyush Goyal, the Inment will be made on Tuesday . dia-EU FTA will be signed after Confirming the development, two decades of talks, which beCommerce Secretary Rajesh gan in 2007. The talks were susAgrawal said: “Negotiations pended in 2013 as both sides have been successfully con- opted for certain protectionist cluded. The deal has measures. The negotiabeen finalised.” tions were relaunched Commerce ministry in June 2022. sources said while the Both sides will keep pact will be announced Negotiations have certain sensitive secon Tuesday, processes been successfully tors out of the deal. Inconcluded. The like legal scrubbing dia does not want to deal has been and ratification by EU open up the dairy and finalised member states could agricultural sectors. Rajesh Agrawal, take another year. “A successful India The India-EU deal Commerce Secretary makes the world more was closed in the presstable, prosperous and ence of European Council Pres- secure. And we all benefit,” ident António Costa and Euro- Von der Leyen said. She even pean Commission President said that the engagement beUrsula von der Leyen, who tween India and the EU “will were in India as special guests culminate tomorrow in the sigfor the Republic Day. “Their nature of our Security and Depresence underscores the grow- fence Partnership”. ing strength of the India-EU India has a trade surplus partnership and our commit- with the EU, which stood at $15 ment to shared values. The vis- billion in FY2025, with exports it will add momentum to the of $75.9 billion against imports deepening engagement and co- of $60.7 billion. Content Partner R by invitation only Pics: PTI, Shekhar Yadav, P Jawahar PUSHPITA DEY @ New Delhi 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 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 Kuki village torched in India, Canada work on March visit fresh Manipur violence of PM Carney to push trade talks p r a s a n ta m a z u m 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. 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. tn braces for summer 3drown in sea at tn boys Water level in reservoirs 20% lower than last year thoothukudi S G URUVANMIKANATHAN @ 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 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 feet (tmcft), accounting for 65.24% of total capacity of 224.343 tmcft, it was 176.560 tm- cft (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.  P5 Three teenage boys drowned in the sea at Mottagopuram beach in Thoothukudi on Monday, after being caught in strong waves. Sources said the boys had entered the sea to bathe and were swept away. Onlookers’ attempt to save them failed and the bodies were later retrieved by CSG personnel | P2 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. NCTPS Can bridge power gap 800 MW thermal plant, biggest in TN, begins commercial production S G URUVANMIKANATHAN @ 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, the state’s biggest, is expected to help Tamil Nadu 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 rates, 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 in nearly 12 years. The last major power generation project commissioned by the state was The 800 MW North Chennai Super Critical Thermal Station in Tiruvallur | Express the North Chennai stage-II thermal power plant on 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. “We achieved this milestone starting 4.30 am on January 21, marking the official Commercial Declaration Date (COD) on Saturday (January 24),” he said. The plant has generated 3,002.004 million units of electricity till January 25.  P5