Monday, January 26, 2026 | Vol. 69 No. 96 | 31 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation l E-paper edition is not a replica of the print edition GAMES NATION Evil, corrupt forces won’t rule TN: TVK chief Vijay targets DMK, AIADMK HOLIDAY NOTICE The Free Press Journal offices will remain closed on January 26 on account of REPUBLIC DAY and there will be no edition on January 27. MARK TULLY, VETERAN SCRIBE, DIES India messenger of peace amid global strife: Prez FPJ News Service NATION HONOURS NEW DELHI Veteran journalist Mark Tully, a chronicler of India and an acclaimed author, breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi on Sunday. He was 90. He was ailing for some time and “passed away at Max Hospital Saket this afternoon”, Satish Jacob, veteran journalist and a close friend of Tully, said. Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on October 24, 1935, Tully was chief of BBC’s New Delhi bureau for 22 years. He also wrote several books on India, including No Full Stops in India, India in Slow Motion, and The Heart of India. He was also part of several documentaries on subjects ranging from India and the British Raj to the Indian Railways. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Agencies Edit Paradox of the modern nation system: Be brutal or succumb R-DAY ADDRESS | Murmu highlights success of Op Sindoor, underlines nari shakti, economic growth & good governance Amid escalating geopolitical tensions across multiple continents, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday said that India is spreading the message of peace, which she described as essential for securing the future of humanity. In her address to the nation on the eve of the 77th Republic Day, the President spoke on a wide range of themes, including India’s commitment to global peace, national security, women empowerment, economic growth, good governance, and cultural unity. Reiterating India’s civilisational ethos, Murmu described the country as a “messenger of peace,” rooted in the ancient belief of universal harmony. “In our tradition, we have always prayed for peace to prevail across the entire universe. The future of humanity can remain secure only if there is peace in the whole world. At a time when conflicts mark many parts of the globe, India is spreading the message of peace,” she said. NEW DELHI Cinema Republic Day Special: Nikkhil Advani on Freedom At Midnight India beat New Zealand by eight wickets in 3rd T20I to clinch series Padma Bhushan: Alka Yagnik, Mammootty, Uday Kotak, Piyush Pandey and Shibu Soren (posthumous) Padma Vibhushan Dharmendra (posthumous) Padma Shri: Satish Shah (posthumous) , Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, R Madhavan, Prosenjit Chatterjee Maha salute: Maharashtra leads in total awards, Ashoka Chakra Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla with 15 recipients across levels: one Padma Vibhushan, three Padma Bhushan and 11 Padma Shri awards. A total of 75 police personnel from the state, including 31 from Gadchiroli for fight against Naxalism, were chosen for President’s Medal. SEE CITY Dharmendra, Shibu Soren in Padma list FPJ News Service NEW DELHI Former Kerala CM and veteran Communist leader V S Achuthanandan, along with legendary actor Dharmendra, are among the recipients of the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, to be conferred posthumously in 2026, the government announced on Sunday. In a statement, the government said a total of 131 Padma awards will be conferred in 2026, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhu- shan and 113 Padma Shri awards. The list includes two duo cases, where a pair of awardees is counted as a single award. Of the total recipients, 90 are women. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation Dhaka ‘shocked’ at India over Hasina speech FPJ News Service DHAKA Bangladesh on Sunday expressed “surprise and shock” that deposed PM Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity, was allowed to make a statement at a public event in New Delhi on Friday. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | world Step to bridge gap? EAM, US leaders meet NM prof’s killer held Megha Kuchik, Kamal Mishra MUMBAI Agencies NEW DELHI External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held talks with a three-member US Congressional delegation on various aspects of bilateral relations against the backdrop of strained ties. US Ambassador Sergio Gor, who was also present at the meeting, said the talks were "productive" and that the focus was on strengthening the bilateral partnership in the domains of security, trade and critical technologies. 4Contd on | nation The Borivali Railway Police on Sunday arrested Omkar Eknath Shinde, a 27-year-old resident of Malad East, for allegedly stabbing fellow commuter Alok Kumar Singh (33), a junior college lecturer, to death with a sharp weapon on Saturday evening following an altercation inside a local train. Shinde, who works as a metal polisher in Khetwadi, has no prior criminal record. An additional metropolitan magistrate in Borivali remanded him to police custody until January 30. Rakesh Kalasagar, Commissioner of the Mumbai Railway Police, con- Omkar Eknath Shinde (27) stabbed Alok Singh (right) after a squabble in train. firmed the arrest. “We have arrested the suspect within 24 hours. The fight broke out after the two men alighted from a crowded local train. The accused was not intoxicated at the time of the incident,” said Datta Khuperkar, senior police inspector at the Borivali Railway Police. 4Contd on | nation