MANGALURU  WEDNESDAY  APRIL 01, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 14  CITY EDITION MORE HEATWAVE DAYS THAN USUAL THIS APRIL-JUNE, CAUTIONS IMD Above-normal heatwave days are likely over east, central, northwest and the southeast between April and June, the IMD said Tuesday PREDICTS ABOVE-NORMAL RAINFALL IN APRIL MARCH RAIN DUE TO WESTERN DISTURBANCES The IMD said normal to above-normal rainfall is likely over most parts of the country except Northeast India in April. Currently, neutral El NinoSouthern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are prevailing over equatorial Pacific. ENSO-neutral conditions are most likely to continue between April and June. Thereafter, El Nino conditions could develop gradually, it said ■ ■ Reviewing weather conditions that prevailed during March, the IMD said that rainfall over India during the month was the 10th highest since 2001. Rain in March was due to western disturbances IMD said the long period average of rainfall over India during April based on data from 1971 to 2020 is about 39.2 mm 32 PEOPLE DIED IN MARCH FROM LIGHTNING ACCIDENTS, IMD SAID 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 Losing job to AI, man hangs self, partner jumps to death in B’luru Go get your own oil: Trump Won’t help you, a livid Trump tells allies who are not supporting the US in its war with Iran EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru A 31-year woman software engineer died by suicide by jumping from an upscale apartment complex on Thanisandra Main Road in Kothanur police limits on Monday morning, moments after seeing her live-in partner hanging dead in their flat. The man, R Bhanu Chander Reddy Kunta, 32, was working in the US in the software industry and is suspected to have lost his job to Artificial Intelligence (AI). He had returned to India in June last year. He and his live-in partner, M Bibi Shaziya, 31, were living in Nikoo Homes Bhartiya City since August. Both were from Telangana – Kunta from Siddipet district and Shaziya from Medchal. Kunta, who was severely depressed over not finding a job, is suspected to have hanged himself on Sunday. Shaziya, who had gone to see her mother, returned on Monday When . he did not open the door, she got it opened with the help of security guards and saw Kunta hanging from the ceiling. Immediately after, she went to the 11th floor and jumped to her death, the police said. CONTINUED ON P7 First oil cargo from Iran headed to Guj DAY 32 A G E N C I E S @ Dubai EGGED by a massive wave of disapproval for US-Israel’s unilateral decision to invade Iran, President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed frustration with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the US war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil” as the conflict with Iran and its closure of the Strait of Hormuz roiled global markets. The president’s social media tirade came after US strikes hit a city home to one of Iran’s main nuclear sites, sending a massive fireball into the sky. Iran rubbished this claim and soon attacked a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. Trump, who has vacillated between insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks with Iran and threatening to expand the war, directed blame at US allies like the UK and France that have refused to enter a war with no clear endgame that they were not consulted on. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the A G E N C I E S @ New Delhi A screengrab from a video shared by US President Donald Trump, which shows a US military strike in Isfahan, Iran, on Tuesday | X US IT firms on Iran’s radar Iran said Tuesday it would target leading US technology firms like Apple, Google and Meta in the Gulf if more Iranian leaders were killed. It listed the names of 18 firms and asked their staff to leave the region Airfares hit roof on all routes Airfares across key metro routes and popular tourist destinations are registering a sharp spike in the backdrop of West Asia conflict. On metro routes, airfares have risen by 15–20%, and over 35-40% for last minute bookings | P12 USA. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” Trump wrote. He singled out France for not letting planes fly over French territory saying Paris has been , “VERY UNHELPFUL,” and that “The USA is going to REMEMBER THIS forever!!!” IndiGo taps IATA chief Walsh as CEO A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi INTERGLOBE Aviation, the parent company of India’s largest airline IndiGo, on Tuesday appointed seasoned William Walsh as CEO. Walsh, popularly known as Willie, is currently the director-general of International Air Transport Associa- Scene at the Maa Sheetla Mandir after the stampede on Tuesday morning | PTI At least 9 dead in Bihar temple stampede R A M A S H A N K A R @ Patna AT least nine devotees, eight of them women, were killed and 10 others injured in a stampede at a temple in Bihar’s Nalanda district on Tuesday. The incident took place around 8.30 am when a large number of devotees gathered at the Maa Sheetla Mandir located at Maghra village to offer morning prayers. Nalanda district magistrate Kundan Kumar said eight women died on the spot, while a man succumbed to his injuries later. The condition of four persons is critical. “When devotees were entering the temple, several women collapsed due to dehydration and suffocation,” he said. The district administration has suspended four policemen, including the SHO of Deepnagar police station, under whose jurisdiction the temple comes. Sources said 2,500 police personnel were deployed for security of President Draupadi Murmu, who was attending an event at Nalanda University . tion (IATA) and was formerly CEO of British Airways and International Airlines Group. His tenure at IATA ends on July 31, 2026, and he is expected to join IndiGo by August 3. IndiGo’s appointment of a new CEO comes weeks after the sudden departure of Pieter Elbers. The airline’s promoter and MD Rahul Iran approves Hormuz toll Iran’s Parliament approved the Strait of Hormuz Management Plan, which includes measures to impose a rial-based toll system on the waterway, security arrangements, ship safety and financial arrangements Bhatia has taken interim charge of the company The changes in top-level . management came three months after operational disruptions at the airline that crippled India’s aviation sector. “The aviation landscape is evolving rapidly, and IndiGo is wellpositioned to be at the forefront of this change,” Walsh said. INDIA’S first Iranian crude oil cargo since 2019 may be headed towards a port in Gujarat, according to ship tracking data. Indian refiners have been looking to purchase a few cargoes of Iranian oil on water following the recent sanctions waiver by Washington. “Following the US administration’s decision to grant a 30-day window for Iranian oil “on the water” due to regional conflict, the vessel Ping Shun is now en route to Vadinar (in Gujarat) with 600,000 barrels of crude. This is the first such delivery since May 2019 and comes at a critical time for Indian refiners facing tightening inventories,” said Sumit Ritolia, Lead Research Analyst, Refining and Modelling at commodity market analytic firm Kpler. While the identity of the buyer is unknown, Vadinar is home to the production of oil for Rosneft-backed Naraya Energy . EXPRESS READ Man, 4 minors held for phone theft at IPL tie Bengaluru: The Cubbon Park police arrested a 26-year-old man from Jharkhand and his four juvenile accomplices for stealing several mobile phones during the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28. The police recovered 21 mobile phones estimated to cost around Rs 18 lakh from them. Ex-top official gets 3yr RI, fined Rs 4.5 crore Bengaluru: The special court for Lokayukta cases on Tuesday sentenced 72-year-old V Muniyappa, the former managing director of the Karnataka Council for Technological Upgradation (KCTU), to three years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 4.50 crore in a disproportionate assets (DA) case. He was found guilty of possessing DA of Rs 4.13 crore during the check period 1982 to 2014 | P6