COIMBATORE l Sunday l April 12, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 28 l LATE CITY EDITION India, US step up energy tie-up with focus on coal gasification Both sides agreed to expand collaboration in emerging areas of energy sector, including coal gasification and liquefied petroleum gas exports amid energy crisis, India’s strategic lever identifying new avenues remains key The focus emerged during talks between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Coal gasification is being positioned as a transformative pathway that converts coal into syngas, which can then be used to produce cleaner fuels, fertilizers, chemicals, and hydrogen. Officials see this as a strategic lever | P11 ■ ■ Misri’s discussion with Wright focused on advancing energy security, deepening bilateral energy trade, and identifying new avenues to strengthen the India-US Energy Partnership India currently imports 83 per cent of its crude, 50 per cent of its natural gas, and over 90 per cent of methanol and fertilizers `64K cr in investment has been earmarked for coal gasification by india 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 World waits and watches as direct US-Iran talks get underway in Pak Iran’s Araghchi says Iran will retaliate if attacked again, US side focusses on getting Strait freed a g en c i e s @ Islamabad U-turn on same stipend for all med undergrads K a v i ta B a j e l i - D at t @ New Delhi The Centre appears to be backtracking on bringing pay parity for all undergraduate medical interns — in gover nment and private medical colleges. Earlier, the Union health ministry had twice written to the National Medical Commission (NMC) on “examining” the issue of pay parity . And NMC had accepted that there is no stipend parity . The next step was for the NMC to amend provision of the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) Regulations, 2021, which states that “all interns shall be paid stipend as fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution/ University or State.” As for the Post-Graduate Medical Education (PGME) Regulation-2023, there is no distinction between interns working in government or private medical colleges. The Supreme Court had on October 28, 2025 slammed the NMC for “dragging its feet” on non-payment of stipend to interns. However, a recent RTI reply by the Medical Education Policy Section (MEP) under the health ministry said, “All matters relating to framing, amendment, and implementation of medical education regulations fall within the domain of NMC....Therefore, in view of the above, no further action is required to be taken by the MEP Section in the matter, as the subject falls within the domain of the National Medical Commission (NMC).” The MEP had on April 2 responded to a query on pay parity by RTI activist, Dr KV Babu. Speaking with this paper, Dr Babu said, “Though the government initially took a proactive decision to amend CRMI regulations in line with PGME regulations, the nominated, almost vacant, Undergraduate Medical Education Board is not inclined to amend the norms for stipend.” WITH THIS ISSUE Ballads and Bullets PLUS 12 P AGES AMERICAN and Iranian officials were holding face-to-face talks in Pakistan on Saturday, the most significant since the 1979 Islamic revolution as the foes try to end a war that plunged West Asia into violence and rocked the world economy . The trilateral direct negotiations were taking place with host Pakistan in capital Islamabad, a senior White House official said, a departure from recent practice where both sides held talks via a mediator while seated in separate rooms. Al-Jazeera reported that the talks had resumed after a dinner break. The US delegation was being led by Vice President J D Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s sonin-law Jared Kushner, the official said, making it the highest level of American contact since the Islamic republic was established. The Iranian delegation, composed of more than 70 members, was being led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, joined by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. They had earlier decided to begin talks Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif prior to their meeting in Islamabad on Saturday | PTI with their US counterparts after meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to Iranian media reports. Iran and the United States outlined competing proposals ahead of the talks. Iran’s 10-point proposal called for a guaranteed end to the war and sought control over the Strait of Hormuz. It included ending fighting against Iran’s “regional allies,” explicitly day 43 calling for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah apart from, quite importantly, unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian assets. The United States’ 15-point proposal includes restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. In a related development, Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s first vice president, said the peace talks could produce a deal if the American side worked in the in- terest of the US in sync with President Donald Trump’s America First approach. “However, if we face representatives of ‘Israel First’, there will be no deal,” he said in a social media post. Iran doubled down on parts of its earlier proposal, telling Iranian state television it had presented some ideas as “red lines” in meetings with Sharif. Those included reparation for US-Israeli strikes and releasing Iran’s frozen assets. Aref cautioned that the world will face “greater costs” if there was no peace deal. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the American side has agreed to release Iran’s frozen assets. However, there is no confirmation yet. On Saturday Trump said on so, cial media that the US had begun “clearing out” the strait, but it was unclear whether he was referring to the reported use of mines there or Iran’s broader ability to control the area. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was entering negotiations with “deep distrust”, and said Iran was totally prepared to retaliate if attacked again. AP& AFP e x p r ess r e a d CBFC denies role in ‘Jana Nayagan’ leak Chennai: Refuting allegations of its role in the Jana Nayagan content leak, CBFC officials termed the claims “baseless” and “misleading”. The board said the film’s Digital Cinema Package (DCP) was handed over to the applicant in Mumbai on March 17 with due acknowledgement and has since remained in the custody of the production house. The CBFC said that all films submitted for certification are secured through a Key Delivery Message (KDM) system, which is password-protected | P2 Asha hospitalised with chest infection Mumbai: Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle was admitted to a private hospital here on Saturday evening due to chest infection and exhaustion, her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle said. The 92-year-old singer was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in South Mumbai. “My grandmother, Asha Bhosle due to extreme exhaustion and suffering a chest infection has been admitted to hospital and we request you to value our privacy. Treatment is ongoing.” ‘AIADMK will form Dheeraj out, is govt on its own’ Manivasansecy new home E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, J P Nadda and Speaker Om Birla in Delhi Saturday | PTI Rare bonhomie as PM Modi asks Rahul about his mother’s health rajesh kumar thakur @ New Delhi Political civility between netas of opposite camps in the Parliament complex isn’t as visible as it was in the past. But on Saturday on the sidelines of , a function at Prerna Sthal within the Parliament premises to mark Mahatma Jyotiba Phule’s 200th birth anniversary, there was a rare and interesting exchange. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come to pay his respects at the event. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister J P Nadda, and several others were already present. So was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. When the prime minister arrived and spotted Rahul in the gathering, he did not simply nod and move on. He walked over, greeted him, and asked about the health of his mother. “How is Sonia ji?” the prime minister was heard asking. Those standing nearby caught the exchange. Rahul apparently hadn’t expected the query There was a brief mo. ment of surprise. But he responded quickly apprising the , PM about his mother’s health, her recent hospitalisation in Delhi, and how she was subsequent convalescence. Sonia was recently admitted at a Delhi hospital and recently discharged. Even though Modi and Rahul spoke for a few minutes, the conversation was unhurried, the kind you might exchange with someone you have known for years under different circumstances. Ministers and officials, including Nadda and Birla, looked on with interest, and perhaps surprise, at such an unusual moment between the country’s two major leaders. For a brief while, they seemed removed from the sharp edges of political rivalry and one-upmanship, especially during poll time. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday said there is palpable public anger against the five-year DMK rule under Chief Minister M K Stalin and the DMK itself is fully aware that it won’t be voted back to power. In an interview with TNIE, the former CM claimed that voters now regret choosing the DMK over the AIADMK in the 2021 elections. He expressed absolute confidence that the ‘two-leaves’ symbol will emerge victorious when the election results are announced on May 4. Palaniswami also reiterated that the NDA, led by the AIADMK, will register a resounding victory and the AIADMK will form the government with a clear single-party majority . Regarding his lowbrow criticism of DMK leaders in recent times, P a l a n i sw a m i said that since 2019, MK Stalin, his son Udhayanidhi Stalin, and other DMK leaders have been heaping press clusive slander on him. “Therefore, left with no alternative, I am compelled to respond in a language they understand. My remarks are nothing more than a reaction to their actions,” he added. The AIADMK leader also reiterated his oft-repeated charge that during the past five years, due to the breakdown of law and order and corruption, many companies have relocated to other states. He also said that if the AIADMK comes to power, it will boost revenue resources by prioritising economic stability. He also promised targeted employm+ent measures for all youth groups. However, he declined to reveal specific economic targets in advance, saying it would not be prudent to do so. The AIADMK leader spoke extensively to TNIE on his party’s promises on freebies, the state’s debt burden, his recent remarks on DMK leaders, prohibition, and unemployment issue. FULL Q&A ON P5 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday ordered the transfer of Tamil Nadu Home Secretary Dheeraj Kumar, appointing senior IAS officer K Manivasan in his place ahead of the polls. Manivasan subsequently assumed charge as Home Secretary on Saturday following the , issuance of the necessary orders by the state government. The move follows a series of bureaucratic reshuffles by the ECI earlier this week, including the transfer of Chief Secretary N Muruganandam, DGP (HoPF) in-charge G Venkataraman, ADGP (Armed Police, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption) S Davidson Devasirvatham, and Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A Arun. In a related development, the ECI modified its earlier order appointing Sandeep Mittal as head of both the Armed Police and the DVAC. In its revised order issued on Saturday, the Commission stated that Mittal would head only the Armed Police. However, senior sources in the state government indicated that the modification does not necessarily mean that Devasirvatham would continue to head the DVAC, a key wing of the Tamil Nadu police.  P9 a si a n c h a m p i o nshi p s Parents don’t watch him live as Ayush creates history An m o l G u r u n g @ Chennai As Ayush Shetty was making history in China on Saturday, his parents were staying away from live action. It was a conscious choice. Call it superstition or belief this ritual has become a norm for the family ever since he started playing international events. Instead, they were just doing their prayers and hoping for the best. His mother Shalmili has been part of every victory and loss during his early days. She has been his constant company while travelling across the Young Ayush Shetty with parents and sister Aadhya | special arrangement country trying to make a mark. Yet, when Ayush graduated to international arena, his parents are yet to watch him live. “We don’t watch his live matches. Whatever matches are on, we just pray to God and sit. We never watch live matches. We watch the highlights later. This mostly started after he started playing international matches. We didn’t watch his world junior win too, only highlights,” Shalmili told this daily . “The academy (Centre of Excellence, where Ayush trains) also always asks us ‘you want to watch, you want to travel with him’,” she said. Shalmili’s prayers were answered on Saturday Ayush dis. covered water in the desert at the ongoing Asian Championships in Ningbo. Most of his smashes were on points. By the time the semifinal contest reached the business end, the usually-assured World No 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn could be seen scrambling to stay alive. After a captivating 75-minute contest, Ayush won 10-21, 21-19, 21-17. He is now the first from the country to reach the final (men’s singles) since 1965.  She recaleld all those days when she had to shift to Bengaluru and raise Ayush and sister alone. “We had to adjust and it was not easy she said.  P15 ,” Historic moment Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch pose after splashdown and recovery operations in the Pacific Ocean after their moon orbit, the first by humans in more than 50 years, in San Diego, California, USA | NASA/PTI | P13