1st Layer Counter-drone & Man-Portable Air Defence Systems MULTI-LAYERED COUNTER DRONE AND AIR DEFENCE GRID 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 2nd Layer Point Air Defence & Short Range Surface to Air Missiles ■ ■ 3rd Layer Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles 4th Layer Long Range Surface to Air Missiles DHARMAPURI l tuesday l may 13, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l CITY EDITION The ocean, unmoved by polite requests, remained obstinate for three days. Then Lord Rama, in anger, said - without fear, love does not arise - Air Marshal A K Bharti quoting a verse from Ramcharitmanas When the courage is high, even the destination touches your feet 4 3 2 - Rajiv Ghai, DG Military Operations 200 KM Ak a s h ai rd e fe nc es ys t em 1 It’s Only a pause: Modi Says Operation Sindoor new norm; future talks only on terror, returning PoK; nuclear blackmail won’t work asserting that “nuclear blackmail” will not work against India, and stressed that New Delhi in a televised address to the na- is no longer restrained by outtion on Monday Prime Minister dated strategic hesitations. Modi , Narendra Modi delivered a clear went on to reinforce the new and uncompromising message paradigm: “This is a new norto Pakistan: the halt in India’s mal. India will strike at the military operations is a pause, heart of terror decisively if our not an end—and going forward, citizens are attacked.” any engagement with Islama“Terror and talk cannot go tobad will be limited to Pakistan- gether; terror and trade cannot occupied Kashmir (PoK) and go together. And water and blood terrorism. also cannot flow to“Operation Singether,” Modi said. door has not ended; “The terrorist it will be a continuwho dared to wipe DAY 6 ing and decisive acthe sindoor from tion against statethe foreheads of sponsored terror our sisters — that’s attacks on Indian w hy I n d i a d e citizens,” Modi asstroyed the very serted in his first headquarters of remarks since the terror in Pakistan,” military strikes on he added. terror infrastrucHe detailed the ture in Pakistan impact of India’s and PoK. military strikes on Modi made clear terror infrastrucThis is not the era of war, that the decision to ture to respond to but it is not the era of pause retaliatory the Pahalgam, sayterrorism either o p e r at i o n s fo l ing that the strikes Narendra Modi, Prime Minister lowed Pakistan’s sent shockwaves assurances to cease through Pakistan’s further terrorist and military leadership. activity “In the coming days, we . While condemning Pakistan’s will measure every step taken retaliation—targeting religious by Pakistan on the basis of the sites, schools, and military and attitude it adopts on terrorism,” civilian installations—Modi he warned. said India struck “strategically ,” Framing the operation as far hitting the core of Pakistan’s more than a military offensive, terror infrastructure. Issuing a the PM described it as a doctri- stark warning to Islamabad, nal shift in India’s national se- Modi said: “The way Pakistan curity posture. “Operation Sin- army and Pakistan government door was not just an operation are encouraging terrorism, it but a doctrinal change and a will one day destroy Pakistan policy against terror,” he said. itself. If Pakistan wants to surHe dismissed Pakistan’s long- vive, it will have to destroy its used tactic of nuclear posturing, terror infrastructure.” Suspected drone activity in Punjab, Jammu Drones were reportedly sighted over Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur in Punjab shortly after PM’s address to the nation. There was blackout in Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and parts of Jalandhar. The Amritsar International Airport was also briefly shut for civil operations. Reports said Security forces engaged suspected drones in Samba district of Jammu region TARGETS ENGAGED BY IAF in pakistan ta n R A J E S H K U M A R THA K U R PMLA case Shell firms used to bribe ex-min, ED tells DVAC S i d d h a r t h Pr a b h a k a r @ Chennai The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a recent letter written to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), has shared details regarding an alleged money laundering operation facilitated by Shriram Properties and its managing director through shell companies in connivance with former AIADMK housing minister R Vaithilingam and his sons for getting approval for a housing project in 2015-16. The ED’s probe into the `27.9 crore bribe allegedly paid by Shriram Properties to Vaithiligam has found that the amount was generated by a group comR Vaithilingam pany through dubious cash transactions disguised as payments received from 36 scrap vendors, sources said. The ED’s communication to the DVAC has been sent under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) which deals with sharing of information between investigation agencies. ED has sent detailed evidence with the letter, including the order confirming attachment of properties worth `100 crore in the case, sources said, adding that it may be to preempt the DVAC from filing a closure report in the case. However, DVAC officials declined to comment on the development.  P7 Lahore Pakistan India Karachi From left: Possible debris of a Chinese PL -15 LR air-to-air missile; long range rockets; loiter munitions and unmanned aerial systems downed by Indian air defence systems Did biz-ceasefire tradeoff: Don J aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that his administration averted a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan by brokering a “full and immediate ceasefire” and offering increased trade as an incentive for de-escalation between the neigbours. “On Saturday my administra, tion helped broker a full and immediate ceasefire, I think, a permanent one, between India and Pakistan, ending a dangerous conflict of two nations with lots of nuclear weapons. And they were going at it hot and heavy and it was seemingly , not going to stop,” Trump said in remarks from the White House, calling the halting of military action between Coconut price may zoom in TN as 28 lakh diseased trees face axe M S a r a v a n a n @ Coimbatore Coconut farmers in Coimbatore district have been caught in an existential crisis as 28 lakh coconut trees spread across 40,000 acres in the district may have to be felled in the next two years due to Kerala root wilt disease infestation. While the price of coconut has increased from `18-`19/kg in 2023 to `55/kg now, a record three-fold jump in two years, due to the fall in cultivation area because of felling of trees, the cutting exercise too has cast a huge financial burden on farmers. Currently the government provides , a compensation of `32,000/ hectare for cutting and replanting trees but the actual cost of the exercise is `12.5 lakh per hectare (almost 40 times more), say farmers. It will also take at least three to five years for the crops to start producing yield. “Spread across 12 lakh acres in 29 districts, Tamil Nadu has the second largest area under coconut cultivation in India after Karnataka. The total crop area in Coimbatore alone is 2.10 lakh acres. Coconut is the second largest oil crop after groundnut in TN,” said Esan Murugasamy founder , of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Pathukappu Sangam.  P7 No reference to trade issues, says India Sources in Delhi denied that the US broached trade issues after Operation Sindoor. “There was no reference to trade in those discussions.” two countries one of the “historic events that took place over the last few days.” Trump claimed that US economic leverage played a key role in persuading the two sides to step back from the brink. “We helped a lot, and we helped also with trade. I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade,’” he said. In a bid to highlight his unique approach, Trump added: “People have never really used trade the way I used it, that I can tell you, and all of a sudden they said, ‘I think we’re going to stop,’ and they have,” he said. Trump then said: “I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that. I also want to thank Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio for their work and efforts — they worked very hard on that.” Indian sources in New Delhi have maintained that the de-escalation agreement was a bilateral initiative between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan sans third-party involvement. express read US, China agree to pause tariff regime for 90 days Geneva: The US and China said on Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and call a 90-day truce in the trade war to allow for more talks on resolving disputes. Futures for the S&P 500 jumped 2.6% | P13 45 injured as APSRTC bus from Tiruvannamalai crashes in Tirupati Tirupati: At least 45 passengers sustained injuries after a Tirumala APSRTC bus en route to Tirupati from Tiruvannamalai district crashed into a culvert near Ithapalle in Chandragiri, Tirupati, on Monday | P5 IPL to re-start from May 17 CHENNAI: The Indian cricket board announced that a total of 17 matches will be played across six venues starting from May 17. The final will be played on June 3. The revised schedule includes two double-headers, which will be played on two Sundays | P11 walks into sunset Kohli leaves behind a Virat void E x p ress Ne w s S er v i c e @ Chennai AND so, just like that, the king bids adieu. For over a decade, Virat Kohli was synonymous with Test cricket because of the way he lived, breathed and cared for it. He put his heart and soul into the game’s oldest format and it became richer because of it at a time when there were questions aplenty about the primacy of the five-day game. So, it was no coincidence that Kohli engineered India’s rise up the rankings thanks to the way he believed in approaching — 20 wickets first, batters next Islamabad af gh an is @ New Delhi — Tests. If Kohli the white-ball captain had an asterisk next to it, Kohli’s red-ball leadership was embellished every time he walked out for the toss. There was the time when he instructed his bowlers to give England ‘hell’ at Lord’s in 2021 (India won that game). There was the time when he whipped up the crowd, his bowlers and the fielders in a rabble-rousing display of us v. them in an electric Test against Australia at Bengaluru in 2017 (India won). There were memorable 100s in winning causes, losing causes as well as leading a team to a first series win in Australia. Above all, there was an indescribable light around the 36-year-old whenever he strode out to the centre with his whites. It’s no exaggeration to say that that light has now left the building and India will struggle to replace him for multiple reasons. One is Kohli the batter. The next is to find somebody who can transmit that same energy. When he announced his retirement on Insta, the accompanying choice was Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’. “I have lived it My Way, I travelled each and every highway, And more, much more than this, I did it my way”. As I step away from this format, it’s not easy ‘ but it feels right Virat Kohli, ex-captain DGMOs smoke peace pipe in first talks after ‘truce’ M AYAN K S I N G H @ New Delhi THE Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India on Monday agreed not to initiate aggressive and inimical actions. According an Indian Army readout, in the talks between Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai and Major General Kashif Chaudhry held at 5 pm, “Issues related to continuing the commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive and inimical action against each other were discussed.” During the talks over the hotline, the two military officials also agreed that both sides consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas, the Army statement added. The talks were initially scheduled for 12 noon on Monday but were deferred to the evening, though the reason for the delay was not conveyed by the Indian armed forces. It was on Saturday that both sides had announced an agreement to cease all firings and military actions on land, air, and sea, effective immediately . Hours later, Pakistan breached the pact. The talks followed the relentless military operations carried out between the armed forces of the two countries. Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7 to destroy nine terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.