Saudi to buy $142 bn worth arms from U.S. “The united states and saudi arabia signed the largest defence sales agreement in history,” the white house said | P9 madurai l wednesday l may 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Pollachi sexual assault All nine men get lifer till death, survivors `85 L M S a r a v a n a n @ Coimbatore Ghastly crime & political fight... 1 to 5 life terms Different life terms from one to five were awarded to the convicts, with Thirunavukkarasu getting the highest of five life terms. The court also awarded varying prison terms ranging between 3 and 10 years, and imposed a fine of `1.50 lakh on the nine convicts | P4 CM-eps war of words Reacting to the verdict, CM M K Stalin said, “Those sirs who tried to protect the guilty in AIADMK should feel ashamed.” AIADMK chief EPS said it was his govt that transferred the case to CBI and now justice has been served | P4 One of the nine accused in the Pollachi sexual assault case being taken back to Salem jail after the verdict | express A Mahila Court in Coimbatore on Tuesday convicted and sentenced nine men to “life imprisonment till death” for criminal conspiracy sexual harassment, rape, gang , rape, extortion and blackmail of multiple women and girls in Pollachi between 2016 and 2018. Judge R Nandhini Devi delivered the verdict in the case in which the first FIR was filed in 2019. The court also awarded `85 lakh compensation to eight survivors in the case. The accused — N Sabarirajan, alias Rishwanth (32), K Thirunavukkarasu (34), M Sathish (33), T Vasantha Kumar (30), R Mani, alias Manivannan (32), P Babu (33), T Haronimuspaul, alias Haron (32), K Arulanandham (39), and M Arunkumar (33), all hailing from Pollachi —were brought to the court from Salem Central Prison earlier in the day amid tight security The judge . awarded varying terms of life imprisonment depending on the number of victims assaulted by each of the accused. In addition to the life terms, the court also awarded separate sentences of 10 years, seven years, and three years under other sections of the law. All sentences will run concurrently . All the accused were convicted under IPC Sections 34 read with 376D (gang rape), 376(2)(n) (repeated rape), 366 (kidnapping), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354B (use of criminal force to disrobe a woman), 370 (trafficking for sexual exploitation), and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), as well as Section 4 of the TNPHW Act (abetment of harassment of women), and Sections 66E and 67 of the IT Act (related to the illegal circulation of obscene and private content).  P4 Modi makes Adampur point to call out Pak propaganda Visits airbase Islamabad claimed it had destroyed along with S-400 battery Trade never discussed with the US during Op Sindoor: Foreign office RA J E S H K U M AR T H AK U R @ New Delhi Clearly exposing Pakistan’s lie that it destroyed Indian Air Force’s Adampur airbase in Punjab, which houses the S-400 air defence system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday visited the airbase and interacted with the soldiers. “What you have achieved is unprecedented, unimaginable and amazing,” Modi told the airmen in his first speech to the armed forces since Operation Sindoor, with an S-400 missile defence system in the backdrop. Pakistan had claimed it had inflicted significant damage on the Adampur airbase and destroyed the S-400 air defence system there. The PM’s presence at the airbase debunked Pakistan’s tall claims. Upon arriving at the airbase in the morning, Modi engaged with air warriors and soldiers in full public view. He walked near fighter jets ready for deployment, with the S-400 system on standby within , a fully operational and normallooking base. “He came, walked openly on airbase, interacted with the air warriors and conquered their hearts,” said a senior official. express read 98.48% TN students clear CBSE Class 12 Chennai: TN students recorded 98.48% pass in Class 12, marginally lower than last year’s 98.74%, in the CBSE results declared on Tuesday. Pass rate of 99.86% in Class 10 was higher than 99.84% recorded in 2024. Nationally, pass percentage stood at 93.66% for Class 10 and 88.39% for Class 12 | P2 Retail inflation eases to 6-year low in April New Delhi: Retail inflation eased to a nearly six-year low of 3.16% in April mainly due to subdued prices of vegetables, fruits, pulses, and other protein-rich items, creating enough room for the Reserve Bank to go for another round of rate cut in the June monetary policy review J aya n th J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi | pti Bharat Mata Ki Jai chant scares enemies Praising the bravery of India’s armed forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “When our forces foil the threat of nuclear blackmail, only one thing resonates from ‘Aakash’ to ‘paataal’ – Bharat Mata Ki Jai” The PM’s visit, a day after his address to the nation, delivered yet another powerful message to the international community—laying bare Pakistan’s falsehoods while cautioning it against any future misadventures. “Interacted with the air warriors and soldiers at AFS Adampur. Their courage and professionalism in protecting our nation are commendable,” Modi later wrote on X. The External Affairs Ministry asserted on Tuesday that trade was never discussed with the US during Operation Sindoor, where the might of Indian armed forces compelled Pakistan to seek a ceasefire, and that India will suspend the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “Now, as per the Cabinet Committee on Security There is now a (CCS) decision of 23 April, In- new normal. The sooner Pakistan dia will keep the Treaty in abey- gets used to it, ance until Pakistan credibly the better and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Randhir Jaiswal, Please also note that climate MEA spokesperson change, demographic shifts and technological changes have created new realities on the ground.” As for the issue of trade, it did not come up in any of the discussions with the US, Jaiswal said rebutting claims made by President Donald Trump of how he had used the issue of trade as a leverage to broker a ‘full and immediate ceasefire’ between India and Pakistan. He reiterated that it was Pakistan which had approached India for a ceasefire after it was rattled by the force of Indian strike at its air bases. Now, India plans to strike US with retaliatory tariffs D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi INDIA has notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) about its plans to impose retaliatory tariffs on select US metal imports in response to Washington’s protectionist tariffs on steel, aluminium and related products. India’s decision to end concessions for the US will effect an increase in import tariffs on selected products originating in the US. The countermeasures could come into effect as early as June 8, 2025, unless consultations are initiated or the US withdraws its safeguard tariffs. The notice was filed on May 12 under Article 12.5 of the WTO Ag reement on Safeguards, which allows retalia- tion when a member imposes safeguard measures without adequate notification. India has estimated the US tariffs have affected $7.6 billion in Indian exports, resulting in an additional $1.91 billion in duties. It, therefore, now plans to impose retaliatory tariffs. India’s move targets US duties that have been in place since 2018, and recently extended via presidential proclamations on February 10, 2025. Although imposed under the guise of national security, India argues these tariffs are de facto safeguard measures that violate WTO rules. It further contends the US failed to fulfill its obligations under Article 12.3, which mandates prior consultations. Goyal to visit US for trade talks Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead a team of officials to Washington starting May 17 for talks with US on the proposed bilateral trade agreement Trump and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also signed a host of bilateral pacts 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 ■ The deal was inked during US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi, the first foreign tour in his 2nd term Trump and Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman | ap/pti After interacting with the 39-year-old crown prince, Trump said: “I really believe we like each other a lot” ■