For India to be ready and able to handle any eventuality in the midst of the changing West Asian crisis, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that it needs round-the-clock monitoring and a calibrated response.

Rajnath Singh presided over the second meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM), which was established to keep an eye on the changing situation in West Asia and make recommendations for preventative actions to lessen its effects on India.

The meeting discussed the most recent events in great detail, as well as the measures the government should take to lessen any negative effects brought about by the current conflict.

Given the “uncertain situation,” the Defense Minister emphasized the necessity of continuous monitoring and the need to react with discretion in order to handle any potential scenario.

To make sure that the conflict has the least possible impact on the populace, he emphasized the necessity of exploring every avenue.

The actions being taken to address the situation were discussed with the IGoM by the seven Empowered Groups of Secretaries.

The Ministry of Finance informed it of steps taken to allay worries brought about by disruptions to world trade, assist and support the industry—particularly manufacturing—and boost investor confidence.

These include a complete exemption from customs duties on 40 essential petrochemical products until June 30, 2026; the declaration of a unique, one-time relief measure for qualifying units in SEZs to sell manufactured items in the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at reduced customs duty rates from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027; and the prohibition of using the provisions of GAAR in relation to investments made before April 1, 2017.

According to an official statement, these measures will lower cost pressures on downstream industries like textiles, packaging, and pharmaceuticals, promote supply stability in the nation, and give investors considering investments in India the necessary clarity.

With effect from April 1, Rajnath Singh applauded the Government’s move to limit the monthly rise in Aviation Turbine Fuel prices for domestic activities to 25%. This measure will shield the public from unanticipated fare hikes.

With increased refinery output to meet all consumption needs, the government has placed the greatest emphasis on the supply of household LPG. The IGoM was informed that there have been no reports of dry-out at LPG distributorships, and the delivery of LPG cylinders for household use is still proceeding according to plan.

Due to incidents of hoarding and black marketing, there was a momentary worry over the supply, which caused some locations to experience panic purchasing.

Since March 23, 2026, the Government has sold more than 4. 3 lakh 5 kg Free Trade LPG cylinders as part of its efforts to help low-consumption families and migrant labor. Particular attention is being paid to States where demand is greater.

The IGoM was informed that industrial needs reliant on commercial LPG are being met, with more than 80% of pre-crisis supply levels being maintained to ensure operational continuity.

In order to comprehend and satisfy the demands of various businesses, special meetings have been conducted with stakeholders and ministries. Auto LPG supply throughout the nation is being guaranteed by oil PSUs.

To meet the increase in demand brought on by panic buying and guarantee that consumers do not experience a shortage, the Ministers were told that the daily number of LPG deliveries has significantly increased.

Wherever feasible, Piped Natural Gas (PNG) is being aggressively promoted as a dependable alternative for industrial applications. In sectors where PNG is already in use for industrial applications, the supply is being guaranteed, ensuring operational continuity.

Sunrisers Hyderabad had a dominant bowling effort, led by left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat’s outstanding figures of 3-21, to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs and win their first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at Eden Gardens on Thursday.

Unadkat’s spell was the high point of the innings, as it followed SRH’s competition-best total of 226/8. As KKR were bowled out for 161 in 16 overs, he was ably supported by Eshan Malinga, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harsh Dubey, who kept constant pressure on them throughout.

The win was notable because it gave SRH their first two points of the season, and it was the first time that a total had been successfully defended in the competition this year.

Aside from Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 52, KKR struggled to counter the disciplined SRH attack, with the pacers making effective use of slower balls. Consequently, they didn’t pose a genuine threat of pursuing the uphill target.

Finn Allen’s 28 runs off only seven balls, which included four boundaries and two sixes in the 25-run opening over bowled by David Payne, marked the start of KKR’s pursuit with a bang. Dubey, however, dealt a decisive blow by dismissing Allen via a well-taken caught and bowled opportunity.

Raghuvanshi’s stroke play was outstanding, and Ajinkya Rahane maintained the pace with a 37-run partnership for the second wicket.

However, SRH responded quickly, with Unadkat dismissing Rahane with a slower delivery that he struck to mid-wicket, and Cameron Green was run out on the final ball of the sixth over, leaving KKR at 74/3.

Raghuvanshi kept on attacking and scored his second fifty in a row off 27 balls before being run out for 52 in the 11th over. Nitish, who had the correct words, quickly dismissed Anukul Roy and Rinku Singh, thus ruining KKR’s chase.

Malinga brought down Ramandeep Singh and Sunil Narine in back-to-back overs, despite a brief counterattack from Narine, who hit two sixes during his 12-run cameo.

Unadkat then went back to get their first victory of the tournament by taking out Kartik Tyagi and Varun Chakaravarthy, bringing his total to 3-21.

Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 226/8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 52, Abhishek Sharma 48; Blessing Muzarabani 4-41, Vaibhav Arora 2-47)
Kolkata Knight Riders 161 in 16 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 52, Rinku Singh 35; Jaydev Unadkat 3-21, Eshan Malinga 2-14)

After a month of continuous assaults, President Donald Trump declared Iran’s military “decimated” and warned that US troops could “bring them back to the Stone Ages” within weeks if no agreement was reached.

In a televised speech on Wednesday (local time), Trump asserted that the United States military had been targeting Iran, the world’s top state sponsor of terror, in Operation Epic Fury for just one month and that it had made significant battlefield gains.

“Iran’s navy is no longer tonight. Their Air Force is in shambles. Their leaders have now perished, and Iran’s missile and drone capabilities have been “dramatically curtailed” and its weapons facilities “blown to pieces,” he said.

He presented the campaign as essential for preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Trump referred to the Iranian government as “the most violent and thuggish regime on Earth” and stated, “I have vowed that I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. ”

“We completely destroyed those nuclear sites,” he stated, mentioning “Operation Midnight Hammer” and alluding to earlier American attacks. He also said that Iran had tried to restart its program elsewhere.

Trump stated that the goals of the US were to destroy Iran’s military capability and its capacity to exert influence outside of its borders. “These core strategic goals are almost complete,” he stated.

If talks fail, he warned of more escalation.

He stated that “over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages,” and that the US might attack Iran’s electric infrastructure if no deal is achieved.

Trump said that regime change was not the expressed objective, but he hinted that there had already been a change in leadership. “Our aim was not regime change… However, he continued, “all of their original leaders’ deaths have resulted in regime change. ”

Recent rise in world oil prices was blamed on Iran by the President, who said it was the result of “deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers. ” He advised nations that are reliant on Middle Eastern oil to diversify their energy sources and protect their transportation lines.

He lauded regional allies, such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain, as “great” partners in the effort.

Trump also emphasized the strength of the US economy, stating that the nation is the world’s largest oil and gas producer and is able to withstand any disruptions caused by the war.

He said that the families of the 13 American service members killed had pleaded with him to “finish the job. ”

Trump claimed that the campaign had already eliminated a significant threat in little more than a month by portraying the operation as historically rapid. “We are on the verge of putting an end to Iran’s nefarious threat to America and the world,” he stated.

With an undefeated 70 and a 119-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi helped the Delhi Capitals start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign with a crushing six-wicket victory over the Lucknow Super Giants at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.

From the beginning, the LSG’s plan centered on a pace bowling assault; as a result, the four-pronged seam attack made it simple for them to put the Delhi Capitals under pressure early in their chase of 142 runs.

From the very first ball, the seamers generated plenty of opportunity for movement, which turned out to be too much for KL Rahul (0), who sliced a full outswinger delivery from Mohammad Shami to deep backward point.

Nitish Rana had a difficult time as well, getting a few boundaries off of bad pitches but mostly failing to get into his rhythm before edging a ball from Mohsin Khan to the keeper after a hesitant stay.

Yadav made a significant contribution with the ball. After forcing Pathum Nissanka to hit a top edge shot, which Rishabh Pant caught after running in at an angle and diving, causing him to collide with the fence, he then produced the standout delivery of the Power-play with one that swung late and hit Axar Patel’s stumps after he attempted to flick the ball away on a fuller delivery that had previously swung away from him.

LSG maintained speed throughout the innings, even forcing Mohammed Shami to deliver his whole quota in the first nine overs in search of further breakthroughs as the ball continued to seam and swing late in the innings.

In spite of the fall, Sameer Rizvi attempted to turn the tables. At first, he had trouble finding openings, but then he hit a clever six off a short pitch.

After this, he hit three boundaries on a rare off day for Shahbaz Ahmed. The game’s balance was maintained, however, despite the momentary change in momentum.

Earlier, when asked to bat first, LSG unveiled a new opening batting partnership as captain Rishabh Pant promoted himself to the top order but was dismissed early in the innings due to a terrible runout.

Mitchell Marsh was run out after a bizarre moment in what may have been a caught-and-bowled opportunity. Pant was seven runs short of his crease when the ball touched Mukesh Kumar slightly and struck the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

With an outstanding new-ball stint, Mukesh Kumar established the tone, giving up less than a run every ball in the powerplay while getting swing and seam and keeping Mitchell Marsh quiet outside off.

Soon after being hit for six, Axar Patel then bowled in his signature style, fooling Aiden Markram with a skiddy, angled delivery, as DC held LSG to 48/2.

After Ayush Badoni defeated T. Natarajan in a tight contest, the downfall continued with Nicholas Pooran being outwitted by a beautiful, slower delivery from Lungi Ngidi.

As Marsh tried to face Kuldeep Yadav, Delhi increased its hold when he was out for 35, and rookie Mukul Choudhary briefly impressed with a quick 14 before being caught out by a googly.

Natarajan ultimately fired Abdul Samad, who put up a fight with 36, which set off a late collapse where the remaining players only scored three runs.

Kuldeep contributed two wickets to a strong bowling performance for DC, led by Natarajan and Ngidi, who each grabbed three wickets.

Rizvi showed great poise under pressure, demonstrating that the Delhi Capitals made the right decision by choosing him as the Impact Player over candidates such as Karun Nair and Ashutosh Sharma.

Rizvi recovered from a difficult beginning where he had trouble scoring, going 0 of 9 and then 5 of 13 against LSG’s formidable seam bowlers, to form a 119-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs off 76 balls.

In their overs, he made the most of the limited spin he had, smashing four fours and a six while being very aggressive against Shahbaz Ahmed and Aiden Markram.

Rizvi’s innings, in which he scored a well-deserved fifty off 37 balls, was crucial in turning the tide and giving DC a commanding position in a difficult chase.

Rizvi remained undefeated at 70, while Stubbs scored 39 not out, leading Delhi Capitals to start their season in style with a six-wicket victory against the home team LSG.

Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 141 all out in 18.4 overs (Mitchell Marsh 35, Abdul Samad 36; T Natarajan 3-29, Lungi Ngidi 3-31 Kuldeep Yadav 2-31)
Delhi Capitals 145/4 in 17.1 overs (Sameer Rizavi 70 not out, Tistan Stunns 39 not out; Prince Yadav 2-20, Mohsin Khan 1-19)

Amid the West Asia catastrophe that has disrupted global supply networks, the government announced that it has sufficient seed stock on hand for the next Kharif season.

Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, the Additional Secretary for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, stated at the inter-ministerial briefing that the nation has a self-sufficient seed system supported by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the public sector, in addition to the private sector.

In addition, there is a strong pipeline with enough seed and breeding material at every stage (certified, foundation, hybrid seeds) to handle any potential disruptions.

Dwivedi said that the wholesale prices of all agricultural commodities are also being watched, and that the prices of the three main crops—tomato, onion, and potato—are in the range and trending favorably, with an increasing trend at the wholesale level.

The government claimed that there was a comfortable seed availability position for the 2026 Kharif season, with a surplus of about 19. 29 lakh quintals.

The nation has 185. 74 lakh quintals available, while the agriculture industry needs 166. 46 lakh quintals.

Additionally, there are seed inputs available for the Rabi season.

The government has already evaluated the effects on farmers and their need for fertilizer throughout the Kharif season. Timely availability and food security will be ensured by the actions taken in recent years to preserve sufficient fertilizer supplies.

To make the distribution system transparent, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently stressed the need to guarantee a fair and continuous supply of fertilizers and instructed authorities to expedite the development of ‘Farmer IDs. ‘ Additionally, he said that he would shortly meet with Chief Ministers and state Agriculture Ministers to discuss how to collaborate on the project.

The minister also stated that orders were given for strong action to be taken against black marketing and hoarding fertilizers and seeds in order to take advantage of the global crisis. State governments would also be urged to take stringent measures in this regard, Chouhan stated.

While the minister stressed sufficient packaging materials, particularly for milk and other agricultural products, in the midst of the worldwide crisis, the meeting with authorities examined the availability of agro-chemicals and the necessary gases for drying seeds.

He also gave instructions for coordinating with the Ministry of Petroleum and other pertinent authorities to guarantee supplies.

In light of the continuing West Asia war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday to assess steps taken by different ministries and departments and to explore additional steps to be taken.

The Prime Minister instructed all pertinent ministries to do everything they could to lessen the effects of the current global crisis on citizens and industries.

Prime Minister Modi evaluated the availability of essential needs for the average citizen.

He spoke about the availability of fertilizers in the nation and the procedures being taken to guarantee its availability during the Rabi and Kharif seasons.

Every effort should be made to protect the populace from the effects of this conflict, according to Prime Minister Modi. The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of a seamless flow of accurate information to the public in order to combat misinformation and rumors.

The Prime Minister evaluated whether essential commodities for the average citizen were accessible. He spoke about the availability of fertilizers in the nation and the actions being done to guarantee its availability during the Kharif and Rabi seasons. He stated that every effort must be made to protect the populace from the effects of this war.

The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of ensuring a smooth flow of real information to the public in order to combat rumors and disinformation.

The meeting covered topics pertaining to industries like energy, agriculture, fertilizers, aviation, shipping, and logistics.

The Cabinet Secretary received a briefing on the steps taken to guarantee the supply of petroleum products, notably LNG/LPG, as well as an adequate amount of electricity. The acquisition of LPG is becoming more diverse with new inflows from various nations.

Additionally, various nations are supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG). According to an official announcement, he continued, LPG prices for household users have remained constant, and Anti-diversion enforcement is routinely carried out to combat LPG hoarding and illegal marketing.

Additionally, efforts have been made to increase the number of Piped Natural Gas connections.

In order to assure power availability during the busiest summer months, measures have also been implemented, such as excluding gas-based power plants with a capacity of 7–8 GW from the gas pooling mechanism and increasing the rake for positioning more coal at thermal power stations.

Additionally, potential actions to address rising issues in other industries, including agriculture, civil aviation, shipping, and logistics, were also addressed.

Several measures are being taken to guarantee fertilizer supply, including maintaining urea production to meet demand and coordinating with foreign sources for DAP/NPKS providers.

The state governments are being urged to take aggressive measures by daily monitoring, conducting raids, and taking stringent actions to stop the black marketing, hoarding, and diversion of fertilizers.

Oracle, a major cloud provider, started firing staff globally on Tuesday, with many employees getting an email early in the morning informing them that they were losing their jobs.

In an email from the corporation “informing them that their employment had been terminated,” Oracle employees all over the world began reporting on social media, according to a piece in Fast Company.

The emails appeared to start appearing in workers’ email at around 6:00 a. m. local time in the United States.

The layoffs were not immediately addressed by an Oracle spokeswoman.

One version of the email seen by Business Insider reads, “After careful consideration of Oracle’s current business needs, we have decided to eliminate your role as part of a larger organizational change. As a result, today is your final day of employment.

It further stated that “access to your computer, email, voicemail, and files will be deactivated soon, and you will be unable to log into your computer. As a reminder, you are prohibited from downloading, copying, or retaining (including emailing yourself) any Oracle confidential information. ”

The email was also shared by Reddit users, but with various wordings.

Former Oracle workers who were laid off were given severance pay and were required to submit their personal email addresses for further action. As of May 2025, the company employed approximately 162,000 individuals in full-time positions.

“You will be eligible to get a severance package in accordance with the terms and conditions of the severance plan once you have completed your termination documentation. The email sent to staff states that “you will get an email from DocuSign to your Oracle email address with information about your severance and termination date. ”

According to reports, Oracle is laying off between 20,000 and 30,000 people, which is about 18% of its workforce worldwide. Even though the firm had not yet issued a statement.

In the first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the PCA’s New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Tuesday, debutant Cooper Connolly scored his first half-century as the Punjab Kings overcame a formidable comeback by the Gujarat Titans to win by three wickets in 19. 1 overs, chasing a target of 163 runs.

In the second over, Kagiso Rabada dismissed Priyansh Arya, a key player for the Punjab Kings, for seven runs off eight balls, dealing the team an early blow in their pursuit of 163.

In the fourth over, opener Prabhsimran Singh responded with back-to-back sixes against Rabada. At the conclusion of the Power-play, when Punjab was at 55/1, Connolly joined the assault and hit two sixes. The pair kept making runs at will, bringing the team close to 100 with a 76-run partnership for the second wicket.

The partnership was ended in the 10th over when Rashid Khan took Prabhsimran’s wicket for a lightning-fast 37 off 24 balls. In the 13th over, Prasidh Krishna bowled out Captain Shreyas Iyer, who had maintained the pace with two sixes.

With Krishna and Washington Sundar among the wicket-takers, the Gujarat Titans responded forcefully by taking wickets quickly, dismissing Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Marcus Stoinis.

On his debut, Connolly kept his composure and reached his first IPL fifty in only 34 deliveries, despite the meltdown at the other end. With 5 balls to spare, he led Punjab home alongside Xavier Bartlett (11 not out), remaining undefeated with 72 runs off 44 balls, which included 5 fours and 5 sixes.

Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Rashid Khan, and Sundar all took one wicket for Gujarat, but Krishna was the best of the bunch, ending with 3-29.

The Gujarat Titans were held to 162/6 in 20 overs by the Punjab Kings, with fast bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak claiming three wickets and Yuzvendra Chahal taking two.

After being invited to bat first, the Gujarat Titans got off to a good start as Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan scored at will, bringing the score up to 35/0 in three overs. The Punjab Kings, though, got off to a strong start when Marco Jansen bowled out Sudharsan for thirteen.

Gill then joined Jos Buttler in providing stability, leading the side to 54/1 at the conclusion of the powerplay. In the 10th over, Yuzvendra Chahal took Gill’s wicket for 39 runs off 27 deliveries after he had initially played with an offensive mindset and then slowed down to anchor the innings.

Vijaykumar Vyshak brought Glenn Phillips’ attempt to pick up speed with a rapid 25 off 17 balls to an end. Chahal bowled Buttler in the 16th over for 38 runs off 33 balls, but he kept the innings together.

Washington Sundar had difficulty speaking and was eventually out at the end of the innings after scoring 18 runs on 16 deliveries.

Chahal’s two wickets were vital support as Vyshak stood out as the best bowler, ending with figures of 3-34 in four overs. Despite a strong start, the Gujarat Titans were kept in check by the Punjab Kings’ disciplined bowling performance.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 162/6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 39, Jos Buttler 38; Vijaykumar Vyshak 3-34, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-28)
Punjab Kings 165/7 in 19.1 overs (Cooper Connolly 72*, Prabhsimran Singh 37; Prasidh Krishna 3-29, Washington Sundar 1-27)