hyderabad l Sunday l April 12, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 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 | P7 ■ ■ 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 Drafts exchanged at the delegate level; Iranian delegation to stay overnight at the meeting venue U.S. says 2 destroyers transited Hormuz, Iran denies claim a gen c i e s @ Islamabad WITH THIS ISSUE Ballads and Bullets PLUS 12 P AGES U-turn on same stipend for med undergraduates AMERICAN and Iranian officials held first face-to-face talks in Pakistan on Saturday the most sig, nificant since the 1979 Islamic revolution as the foes try to end a war that plunged West Asia into violence and severely damaged the global economy . The trilateral direct negotiations took place with host Pakistan in capital Islamabad, a senior White House official said. The US delegation comprises Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-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. The talks went on late into the night, with the Iranian delegation deciding to stay overnight at the venue, Serena Hotel. Exchange of drafts at the delegate level indicated there was some progress on a basic framework, US Vice President JD Vance (C) arrives for a meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif prior to the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on Saturday | AFP but what those points of agreement were remained unclear, AlJazeera said. However, sources close to the Iranian delegation said the US demands on the Strait of Hormuz were “too ambitious”. Tehran wants control of the Strait of Hormuz and transit fees from vessels that use the waterway As for the US, it said it wants . free passage for global shipping through the strait. day 43 Iran’s 10-point proposal also called for a guaranteed end to the war. It included ending fighting against Iran’s “regional allies,” explicitly calling for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah apart from unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian assets. The US’ 15point proposal includes restricting Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran doubled down on parts of its earlier proposal, telling Irani- an state television it had presented some ideas as “red lines” in meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. They included reparation for US-Israeli strikes and releasing Iran’s frozen assets. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Saturday began his official visit to the UAE, with a focus on the conflict. ”Started my visit to the UAE interacting with the members of the Indian Community. Spoke about GOI’s efforts,” he posted on X. AP/AFP express read Asha Bhosle in hospital for 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. Sources had earlier said she suffered cardiac arrest and also had pulmonary problems. Zanai took to Instagram to share details about Bhosle’s health. Bhosle is the younger sister of late Lata Mangeshkar Bizman loses `4 cr to ‘master manipulator’ Hyderabad: The Central Crime Station (CCS) of Hyderabad police has registered a case against one Gagan Deep N and others for allegedly cheating Mohd Khaja Naseeruddin, a businessman from Telangana, of `4 crore. The complaint detailed quite a sophisticated crime in which the accused used the names of some ministers and top officials in the Karnataka government, even arranging meetings with them, to cheat the businessman | P3 HYDRAA secures Ameenpur property worth `15,000 crore K av 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 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. A RTI reply by the Medical Education Policy Section under the health ministry said, “All matters relating to framing, amendment, and implementation of medical education regulations fall within the domain of NMC....Therefore, no further action is required to be taken by the MEP Section in the matter. The MEP had on April 2 responded to a query on pay parity by RTI activist, Dr KV Babu. WASHINGTON: The US military said two destroyers transited the Irangripped Strait of Hormuz ahead of mine-clearing work, a first since the war began. Iran said it forced a US ship to turn around. “The claim by the CENTCOM commander regarding the approach and entry of American vessels into the Strait of Hormuz is strongly denied... The initiative for the movement of any vessel is in the hands of the Armed Forces of Iran,” said the spokesperson of the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad 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. In a coordinated enforcement drive, Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), Revenue, Municipal and Police departments on Saturday secured about 861 acres of government land in Ailapur village, Ameenpur mandal of Sangareddy district. The market value of this land is estimated to be over `15,000 crore. HYDRAA said that the total extent of government land in Ailapur village is about 1,263 acres and the current operation focused on protecting the 861-plus acres that were not yet encroached by fencing the area. HYDRAA said that it was part of efforts to safeguard public assets and prevent further illegal occupation. As part of the drive, HYDRAA carried out demolitions on land parcels within this extent, deploying heavy cranes under tight police security. Illegal structures were pulled down, including a guest house and farmhouse linked to MA Mokheem, and a six-storey structure comprising three towers, allegedly constructed by his brother MA Azeem over 2.20 acres.  continued on P4 A bulldozer deployed by HYDRAA razes a farmhouse linked to MA Mokheem, an advocate, in Ailapur of Ameenpur mandal, Sangareddy district, on Saturday b a d m int o n a s i a c ’ s hi p s Ayush creates history, parents miss historic moments An m o l G u r u ng @ Chennai 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 | P9 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, after 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 Asia Championships in Ningbo. Most of his smashes were on point. 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 recalled 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.  P11 ,” Bhagwat opens Hedgewar memorial in Kandakurthi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad/Nizamabad RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday inaugurated the Sri Keshav Spoorti Mandir at Kandakurthi village in Nizamabad district of Telangana. The temple, dedicated to RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, has been developed as a memorial and inspiration centre reflecting his life, vision and contributions. Located in Hedgewar’s ancestral village, the temple has been constructed at an estimated cost of `10 crore on three acres. The project was executed under the supervision of Seva Bharathi. The two-storey structure houses a statue of Hedgewar, an idol of Bharat Mata, and a curated gallery featuring rare photographs, personal memorabilia and archival material linked to the founding of the RSS and Hedgewar’s role in it. Speaking on the occasion, Bhagwat recalled that the idea of constructing a temple in memory of Hedgewar was first proposed by RSS members 32 years ago on April 11. He noted that the inauguration also took place on the same date, calling it a moment of fulfilment. Bhagwat said that just as Vishnu’s mount Garuda liberated his mother Vinata, Hedgewar dedicated his life to the service and freedom of the motherland, while working to strengthen the cultural and spiritual foundations of society through the ideology of Hindutva.  Continued on P4 RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat after inaugurating the Hedgewar memorial