chennai l wednesday l april 01, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Amidst fierce opposition, FCRA amend bill to come up in lS today Amit Shah Baselios Cleemis Catholicos clergy leaders seek Shah’s intervention The amendment allows the Centre to appoint a designated authority, which would control funds and assets if the FCRA certificate of an NGO is cancelled, surrendered or ceased. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India wrote to home minister Amit Shah seeking wider consultation and safeguards against ‘excessive state control over civil society’ Despite widespread objections, Lok Sabha is set to take up the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) for passage on Wednesday | P9 ■ 80% Bill on Amaravati too to be tabled ■ Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, expressed concern over the proposed amendments The Centre will also introduce the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, which seeks to announce Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh of christian NGOs in kerala have FCRA licence: Union minister Kurian 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 TN likely to face heatwave during peak poll season S V K R I S H N A C H A ITA N YA @ Chennai With Tamil Nadu’s election campaign entering its most intense phase, an equally fierce heatwave may also be on its way especially in north coastal , Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, and a few interior districts. Met officials have indicated that while the first 10 days of April may see relatively mild conditions aided by scattered rain, a sharp rise in temperature is expected thereafter, coinciding with peak political activity ahead of the April 23 polls. According to the latest weather outlook issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Tamil Nadu is likely to witness above-normal heatwave days, particularly across northern and coastal districts, including Chennai. Even as parts of the state may receive normal to above-normal rain, officials warn that rising temperatures will dominate weather conditions through most of the month. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has indicated that both day and night temperatures are expected to remain above normal, reducing the chances of relief even after sunset.  P7 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 First oil cargo from Iran headed to Guj day 32 ag 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 R ak e sh K u mar @ 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 directorgeneral of International Air Transport Association (IATA) and was formerly CEO of British Airways and International Airlines Group, a holding company which owns Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level and Vueling. His tenure at IATA comes to a close on July 31, 2026 and he is expected to join IndiGo not later than the 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 Bhatia has taken interim charge of the company’s management. The changes in top-level management came three months after operational disruptions at the airline that crippled India’s aviation sector. Last week, IndiGo had apWilliam Walsh pointed Air In- Vir Vikram Yadav is the new DGCA chief The Centre on Tuesday appointed Vir Vikram Yadav as the Director General of Civil Aviation, replacing Faiz Ahmed Kidwai who has moved to the Department of Personnel & Training as additional secretary. Yadav, an IAS officer of 1996 Odisha cadre, is currently an additional secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change dia Express MD and CEO Aloke Singh as chief strategy officer. In his new role, Walsh will be responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the airline with a focus on transformational initiatives to strengthen the operational performance, advance the company’s network and commercial strategy while enhancing customer experience. “The aviation landscape is evolving rapidly, and IndiGo is well-positioned to be at the forefront of this change,” Walsh said. BJP TN in-charge Piyush Goyal, along with Nainar Nagenthran (L) and K Annamalai (R), during a press meet in Chennai | P Jawahar BJP, Cong struggle to name candidates Ex p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Internal strife and leadership pressure are stalling candidate lists of both the BJP and Congress ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. Congress, despite pushing the DMK for a quick seatAssembly sharing deal, is now caught in elections factional feuds over selection of candidates. While 16 of the 28 seats allotted to it by the DMK may go to incumbents, the remaining 12 have sparked squad checks intense competition among cm’s car in various factions. thanjai I P4 Meanwhile, BJP functionaries are frustrated with the NDA spreading 27 seats received from the AI- lies to disturb ADMK, viewing many as elec- TN: Stalin I P4 torally difficult. Interestingly former Tamil Nadu BJP president , K Annamalai, who was reportedly not keen on contesting in the election, flew back to Chennai from his campaign in Puducherry on Tuesday on a chopper for a high-level meeting with the party’s state election in-charge Piyush Goyal, sparking speculations. More reports on: P4 At least nine dead in Bihar temple stampede ‘Poor crowd management led to deaths’ 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 Scene at the Maa Sheetla Mandir after the stampede on Tuesday morning | pti 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 . 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 Official sources said 25,000 30,000 people assembled at the temple on the last Tuesday of the month, considered an auspicious day. Locals said there was not enough police force to manage the crowd and alleged the authorities were busy with the President’s visit INDIA is set to receive the first Iranian cargo since 2019 as the vessel Ping Shun carrying 600,000 barrels of Iranian crude is headed towards a port in Gujarat. According to commodity market analytics firm Kpler, the vessel is expected to reach Vadinar on April 4. “As per @Kpler tracking, the vessel Ping Shun carrying ~600 kb of Iranian crude is currently signalled for discharge at India. Given the past pattern of frequent destination changes, the final discharge location remains uncertain,” Sumit Ritolia, lead research analyst, refining & modeling at Kpler, posted on X. Iran was once a major oil supplier to India, but imports from Tehran were halted after US sanctions were imposed. At present, nearly 90% of Iranian oil exports are directed towards China. So far, six cargoes have reached India from the Strait of Hormuz. E x p r e s s Re a d CEO seeks report on violations at Vijay meet Chennai: A day after the alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) regulations during TVK president Vijay’s roadshow in Chennai, Tamil Nadu CEO Archana Patnaik on Tuesday sought a report from Chennai’s District Election Officer J Kumaragurubaran on the violations. Meanwhile, the Greater Chennai Police rejected reports of a case being registered against Vijay for the violations | P4 Oracle sacks 30,000 employees globally New Delhi: Following weeks of speculation, reports said that Oracle has begun a fresh round of layoffs targetting 30,000 employees globally, including in India. Oracle employees on several social media sites on Tuesday said many of their coworkers woke up to 6 am mails informing them that they had been fired with immediate effect. The layoffs are in Oracle’s computing cloud businesses.