Chennai l thursday l may 29, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Industrial output slips to 2.7% in April; mining, power laggards IIP slowed to 2.7 % in April 2025 due to poor performance of manufacturing, mining, power sectors, data released on Wednesday showed industrial production growth revised The factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), rose by 5.2% in April 2024, govt data showed. The National Statistics Office (NSO) also revised upwards industrial production growth for March to 3.9% from the earlier estimate of 3% released last month. The IIP growth was 2.7% in February also ■ 4% capital goods segment a saving grace ■ The capital goods segment growth accelerated to 20.3% in April 2025, an increase from 2.8% in the year-ago period Mining production contracted by 0.2% as against a growth of 6.8% a year ago, while power output growth also slowed to 1% in April 2025 against 10.2% in the year-ago period, official data analysis indicated growth recorded by Infrastructure sector 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 Court papers Trump tariffs forced India, Pak to declare ceasefire: US J AYANTH J ACOB @ New Delhi Trump administration officials have told a US court that President Donald Trump’s emergency tariff powers were instrumental in securing a ceasefire between India and Pakistan earlier this month. “This ceasefire was only achieved after President Trump interceded and offered both nations trading access with the United States to avert a fullscale war,” read the legal documents submitted to the US Court of International Trade on May 23. The revelation is in stark contrast to India’s official position that there was no thirdparty role in the ceasefire worked out between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. The US assertion was part of the Trump adminDonald Trump, istration’s reUS President sponse to a lawsuit filed by small American businesses challenging Trump’s broad use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The plaintiffs claim the law does not authorise the president to impose tariffs and argue Trump’s trade policies have inflicted economic harm. Senior US officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, defended the use of IEEPA. Lutnick said Trump’s offer of enhanced trade access helped de-escalate a military standoff between ‘nucleararmed’ India and Pakistan. The US submission also claimed that Trump’s tariff pressure helped bring Beijing to the negotiating table. Manipur MLAs ‘stake’ claim to form govt P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r , RA J ESH K UMAR THA K UR & MU K ESH RAN J AN @ Guwahati/New Delhi FORTY-FOUR MLAs are ready to form a new government in Manipur, BJP legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh claimed on Wednesday after meeting Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. But there was no word on who would head the new government. Singh, along with nine other MLAs — seven from the BJP two , from the National People’s Party and an independent — met Bhalla. The state has 60 Assembly seats, one of which became vacant after the death of an MLA. Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla meets the MLAs on Wednesday | PTI Asked if they would stake a claim to form government, he said, “We conveyed to the governor that 44 MLAs are ready. This is akin to staking a claim,” Singh said. He claimed that all MLAs, except the 10 from the Kuki-Zo community and five from Congress, favoured forming a government. Singh said the Centre could reimpose President’s rule if a popular government failed. Manipur has been under Central rule since February after BJP leader N Biren Singh resigned as CM, amid criticisms about his government’s handling of the clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos. Foreigners who ‘censor’ Americans face visa ban Latest policy could target officials regulating US-based tech firms J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi The United States will begin imposing visa bans on foreign nationals accused of censoring Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday, signalling a sharp escalation in the country’s pushback against perceived over reach by foreign governments. Rubio did not cite specific incidents or countries, but suggested the policy could target officials regulating US-based tech companies. The move follows increasing friction between the US and some of its allies over content moderation on American social media platforms. In a statement, Rubio said the new visa restriction policy will apply to foreign nationals “responsible for censorship of protected expression in the US.” He condemned foreign governments for pressuring American platforms to adopt global content rules that could infringe on US rights. “Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Free speech is a birthright: Rubio “Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life—a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority,” said US Secretary of State Rubio will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life—a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority he said. ,” “It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on US soil,” Rubio said. “It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States.” In a social media post, Rubio added: “Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over.” Though Rubio did not identify any specific individuals or nations, the announcement comes amid ongoing disputes. Brazil, for example, has clashed with platform X—owned by Trump ally Elon Musk—over court orders to remove accounts accused of spreading misinformation. The Trump administration has also sharply criticised various European countries for what it describes as censorship of online speech. Anna University rape case: Gnanasekaran held guilty, court sentencing on June 2 E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai A Mahila court in Chennai on Wednesday convicted the sole accused, A Gnanasekaran, in the case of rape of an Anna University student inside the institute’s campus on December 23, 2024. The court had framed charges against Gnanasekaran under Sections 329, 126 (2), 87, 127 (2), 75 (2) r/w 75 (i), (ii), (iii), 76, 64 (1), 351 (3), 238 (b) of BNS and BNSS, Section 66 of the IT Act, and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act. The charges pertain to rape, sexual harassment, wrongful confinement, abduction of a woman, and criminal trespass. He was convicted on all 11 counts. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on June 2. Gnanasekaran, a biryani vendor who is an accused in multiple cases of theft and other offences, pleaded not guilty. After judge Rajalakshmi convicted him, he pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying he had to take care of his mother and young daughter. The case came to light on Christmas day (December 25) last year after the survivor filed a complaint at the Kotturpuram All-Women Police Station (AWPS) the day before.  P7 2024 Dec 23: A Gnanasekaran (37) rapes girl student on Anna univ’s Guindy campus Case timeline Convict A Gnanasekaran (37) | express INSIDE Dec 24: Survivor files complaint with Kotturpuram AWPS Dec 25: Incident gets reported in media outlets, Gnanasekaran arrested Dec 29: Madras HC constitutes a three-member SIT of woman IPS officers to probe the case February: Charge sheet filed by SIT in court May 28: Mahila court convicts Gnanasekaran on all 11 counts stalin lauds verdict, thanks cops | P4 probe, trial finished in 5 months | P4 Kamal Haasan, Salma, S R Sivalingam & P Wilson | express Kamal reserves Rajya Sabha seat with DMK support Rokkaiah Malik, alias Salma. The opposition AIADMK Honouring its promise may announce its candidates made during the 2024 Lok for the other two seats. Sabha elections, the ruling When the Election ComDMK on Wednesday, while mission announced the poll announcing its list of candi- on Monday TNIE had report, dates for the upcoming Ra- ed that DMK will give Kamal jya Sabha elections, a Rajya Sabha seat, confir med that instead of giving a Makkal Needhi second ter m to Maiam (MNM) Vaiko, leader of Hard-working founder and actor MDMK, another members in the Kamal Haasan will ally of the DMK, DMK are always enter Parliament whose RS tenure is duly recognised. later in July . ending. I see this as an Of the six Rajya acknowledgment Moreover, as reSabha seats in Tamil of four decades of ported by TNIE, inNadu for the June obedient hard work cumbent DMK Ra19 biennial election, jya Sabha members S R Sivalingam, DMK named candiM M Abdulla and M DMK Salem East dates for three seats Shanmugam were district secretary and gave one to not renominated. MNM. While the party reThough elections have nominated senior advocate P been announced for six vaWilson, the other two candi- cancies, considering the dates are DMK’s Salem east strength of DMK and its aldistrict secretary S R Sivalin- lies, the party will be able to gam, and writer and poet A send four MPs.  P7 K E z h i l a r a s a n @ Chennai As K’taka fumes, Haasan defends ‘Kannada remark’ E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai/Bengaluru plastic beach Tonnes of plastic nurdles from the Kerala shipwreck wash up on the shores of Kanniyakumari district in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday | express A speech by Kamal Haasan on Kannada during the audio launch of his upcoming film ‘Thug Life’ in Chennai on Saturday has triggered a linguistic row, with protests erupting in Karnataka and political leaders, including CM Siddaramaiah, slamming the actor. Haasan on Wednesday defended his remarks saying they were only an expression of affection. A few TN political parties have now rallied in his support. At the audio launch, Kamal, while addressing Kannada star Shivarajkumar who was present at the event, said, “Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil.” He added, “That’s why I began my speech with ‘Uyire Urave Tamizhe’ (my life, my relation, my Tamil) and I include you in that.”  P7 Not Dilli, not Pindi. B’desh First, says BNP Monideepa Banerjie Senior journalist Part 1 B angladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, on Wednesday gave his sea of supporters in Dhaka a slogan to remember and use in elections he insisted the interim government must hold in December. “Not Dilli, not Pindi, nor any other country. Bangladesh first,” Rahman thundered to a roar of approval from lakhs of people who turned the street outside the BNP’s head office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka into a carpet of yellow BNP pennants and green and red Bangladesh flags. The Delhi dig was directed at the Awami League, which BNP has consistently claimed is in India’s pocket. The reference to Pindi is a first and directed at the growing warmth between the Muhammed Yunus government in Dhaka and the Pakistan military HQ in Rawalpindi. Last week, Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman had reportedly made the same demand — polls by December — and though the comments were officially denied later, they triggered a near crisis. Yunus threatened to resign if pushed on the issue. Political parties rushed to placate him and he relented. But he did not budge from the six-month window — between December 2025 and June 2026 — he gave himself for holding polls. There is a rider. A panel has been set up to review and fix flaws in the electoral process. Yunus insists that the reforms must be completed and implemented before polls. The BNP, which is pressing for December polls, wants elections first and for the remaining reforms to be implemented by an elected government. This debate pushed Bangladesh on edge last week. It is still teetering there. life in norway Biryani to podi dosa, Kerala eatery serves Indian chess stars S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n 2025 Meanwhile, a section of the BJP’s central leadership dismissed the possibility of lifting President’s Rule in the short run. Some others, however, favoured government formation, citing Union home minister Amit Shah’s meeting with President Droupadi Murmu. However, the fact remains that normalcy is yet to be restored, suggesting Central rule was necessary for now. Sources in the Union home ministry said any decision on President’s Rule in Manipur would be made at the political level. As of now, they have not received any formal indication in the matter, they added. @ Stavanger (Norway) AFTER obliging the vast array of autograph hunters outside the playing hall at the venue, Arjun Erigaisi got into a car and made his way to an eatery that has become the rage among Indian chess players here. It’s a trip all four Indian players — R Vaishali, D Gukesh and Koneru Humpy the others — have already made at the ongoing edition of Norway Chess. Erigaisi, featuring in Stavanger for the first time, was told about the place by R Praggnanandhaa, who tasted their food last year. The players’ favourites include lamb masala, chicken biryani and, in Vaishali’s case, podi dosa. “A few of the players ordered south Indian style lamb masala,” says Nitish Kamath, one of the five owners of Spisoh. “Humpy doesn’t have a set template and we have noticed that Vaishali has picked up podi dosa on a few occasions.” Spisoh — an unlikely portmanteau between the Norwegian word spis (to eat) and the Arjun Erigaisi with co-owner Nitish Kamath (right) at the restaurant in Stavanger Hindi word khaao—was a product of the pandemic thanks to the imagination of several first generation immigrants origi- nally from Kerala. “We came up with the concept of a ghost kitchen,” says Kamath, who has been working in the energy sec- tor for more than a decade. Spisoh is ‘official food partner’ this time. The one-time ghost kitchen still has only one permanent employee — a chef from Tamil Nadu who was about to go back home after losing his job in an Oslo hotel after Covid. Gukesh was one of the first Indian players to try out Spisoh’s food in 2023. Less than 10 minutes after Erigaisi bested Gukesh, the former was seen exchanging a few friendly words with Kamath outside the playing hall. “I’m going there to pick up my food,” he said.  P13