hyderabad l tuesday l march 24, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION A damaged Air Canada jet seen on the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Monday after colliding with a firefighting vehicle. Both pilots were killed | AP | P9 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 2 indian lpg tankers cross Strait Panic buying of petrol in Guj Two more Indian-flagged tankers, Jag Vasant and Pine Gas, carrying 92,612.59 MT of LPG transited through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, said the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. The vessels have 33 and 27 Indian seafarers onboard, respectively, and are set to reach Indian ports between March 26-28, said Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Several petrol pumps in Gujarat on Monday witnessed long queues of motorists after rumours about fuel shortage spread through WhatsApp and other messaging platforms, forcing the state government to step in to clarify that there is no shortage. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said sufficient quantity of fuel is available in the state and appealed to citizens not to panic | P8 Situation worrisome, says PM W Asia crisis to have long-term impact on global economy; India prepared to face challenges US turnaround as Trump says talks on with Iran to end war J AYAN T H J AC O B @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described the escalating crisis in West Asia as “worrisome”, warning of long-term global repercussions while assuring Parliament that India is prepared to safeguard critical sectors such as energy , fertilisers, and power supply . Addressing the Lok Sabha, Modi said the conflict has already begun to weigh heavily on the global economy and hit people’s livelihoods. “The current situation in West Asia is worrisome. This crisis has been going on for more than three weeks, having a very adverse impact on the global economy and on people’s lives.” The PM highlighted the strategic imday portance of the region for India and said it meets a significant share of the country’s crude oil and gas requirements and is home to one crore Indians. He added that he is in constant touch with regional leaders. “I have spoken with most of the heads of state in West Asia, and they have all assured the safety of Indians.” On the ongoing disruption in key maritime routes, Modi said the “closure of Hormuz is un- 24 A g e n c i e s @ Dubai acceptable”. Despite challenges in cargo movement, he said the government is working to ensure minimal disruption to fuel and gas availability . “In the last decade, India has prioritised storage of crude oil for times of crisis. Today India , has a strategic petroleum reserve of more than 53 lakh metric tonnes, and work is underway to create reserves of 65 lakh metric tonnes,” he said, noting that long-term policy decisions are paying dividends now. “In the last 10-11 years, unprecedented work has been done on ethanol production and blending... Today, we are close to achieving 20% ethanol blending in petrol,” he said, adding this has helped India cut crude imports by 4.5 crore barrels annually . Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks in the Lok Sabha on Monday | Sansad TV via PTI UK sends defence systems Britain is sending short-range air defence systems to the Gulf to counter Iranian missile attacks, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday. “We’re deploying short-range air defence systems to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.” US President Donald Trump on Monday said the US was in talks with a “respected” Iranian leader and claimed the Islamic Republic was eager for a deal to end the war, while extending the 48-hour deadline to five days for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants. To justify his climbdown, Trump said there were “major points of agreement” in the USIran talks which he said must result in Tehran giving up its nuclear ambitions. However, Iran flatly denied holding any such negotiations with the US. Iran’s foreign ministry said Trump had backed down “following Iran’s firm warning”. Trump’s turnaround, which held out the possibility of resolving the war now in its fourth week, served to cool oil prices. The price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 9.7% to $101.26 on Monday down from nearly $120 at one point last , week, following the news of US-Iran talks. Amid the disruptions in the Strait, Saudi Aramco, a major oil exporter, has reportedly cut crude oil supplies to Asian buyers for a second consecutive month in April. Meanwhile, Israel on Monday said it had “begun a wide-scale wave of strikes” on infrastructure targets in Tehran.  | P9 Need of the hour n  flag for Green parental support bill Telangana Hate Speech and Hate Crime Prevention Bill, 2026, cleared n  Formation of a Cabinet sub-committee to frame guidelines for the proposed Rohith Vemula Act approved n  for Telangana Platform-Based Nod Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2026 n  Telangana Advocate Protection Bill too okayed n  Takeover of Hyderabad Metro Phase 1 (69 km) from L&T to be expedited n  Expert committee report on the caste census approved, referred to a sub-committee Cabinet okays pay cuts for neglecting parents M a n da Rav i n d e r R e d dy @ Hyderabad Taking note of an increasing number of complaints of parental neglect, the state Cabinet, which met here on Monday, approved a Parents Support Bill mandating financial responsibility towards elderly parents. The Cabinet also cleared a set of legislative measures on hate speech, gig workers’ welfare and advocate protection. Under the proposed law, if public representatives, gover nment employees or private employees fail to take care of their elderly parents, 15% of their salaries or `10,000 (whichever is lower) will be deducted and given to the parents as financial support. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier indicated that the government was considering deductions from employee salaries. However, the inclusion of private employees in the Bill comes as a surprise. The government has also decided to bring in an Act to curb hate speech in the state. The Cabinet approved the “Telangana Hate Speech and Hate Crime Prevention Bill, 2026”, on the lines of a law enacted by the Karnataka government. The Bill seeks to curb hate speech and hate crimes, and aims to prevent social media posts, speeches and actions that disturb communal harmony or incite violence, riots and conflicts in the state. The government is likely to introduce this Bill in the ongoing Budget session. The Cabinet approved the formation of a subcommittee to frame guidelines for the proposed Rohith Vemula Act, aimed at preventing caste discrimination in educational institutions. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will head the panel with N Uttam Kumar Reddy, D Sridhar Babu, Damodar Rajanarasimha and Ponnam Prabhakar as members. CONTINUED ON P4 ACB names KTR A1 in Formula E chargesheet Express News Service @ Hyderabad The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday filed a chargesheet in the Formula E race case, naming former Municipal Administration minister KT Rama Rao as A1. Former special chief secretary Arvind Kumar has been named A2, HMDA’s then chief engineer BLN Reddy A3, former sports consultant Kiran Malleshwar A4, and UK-based Formula E Operations Limited (FEO) A5. The chargesheet, running to over 250 pages, was filed after the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in February granted sanction to prosecute IAS officer Arvind Kumar. The ACB has invoked provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and IPC sections relating to criminal breach of trust and conspiracy . The ACB alleges that about `55 crore was diverted to a foreign entity in violation of norms. Officials said all accused were examined multiple times during the investigation, with Rama Rao questioned on three occasions.  Continued on P5 4 dead in Prayagraj cold storage collapse The incident, in which 12 were injured, triggered panic as ammonia gas began leaking from the facility