The largest supplier of domestic LPG in Bengal has asked distributors to accept manual refill bookings to mitigate the crisis. But the 25-day gap between two bookings must be adhered to.”Industry sources said manual bookings had stopped around a decade ago. Manual bookings will be accepted from Friday, Ramkrishna Chakraborty, secretary of the Indane LPG Distributors’ Association, said, confirming having received the Indian Oil communication. Starting Friday, our counter staff will accept manual bookings. But unless the servers are up and running, even manual bookings won’t ensure the delivery of cylinders, distributors said.

In a stark warning, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that it will set the region’s oil and gas “on fire” if Iran's energy infrastructure and ports are attacked as the tension escalates in the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war. Further, Tehran said it will not close the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, purportedly said the waterway will remain closed as a “tool of pressure”. In a stark warning, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that it will set the region’s oil and gas “on fire” if Iran's energy infrastructure and ports are attacked as the tension escalates in the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war. Further, Tehran said it will not close the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, purportedly said the waterway will remain closed as a “tool of pressure”. “The current situation in the region, including in the Strait of Hormuz, is not the result of Iran’s lawful exercise of its right of self-defence.

Amid the ongoing war between the U.S.-Israel and Iran, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday (March 12, 2026) said that tensions in the Gulf countries have led to rumours spreading rapidly across India about a possible liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortage, creating unnecessary concern among the public. “Rumours are being spread about a shortage of LPG cylinders due to the war in Gulf countries. Mr. Mann added that he has raised the matter with the Union government to ensure that adequate supply of LPG cylinders is maintained so that common people do not face inconvenience in the coming days. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that gas supply crisis has hit both commercial and domestic consumers, with households also going without supplies for the last few days. He said there has been a temporary disruption in the supply of commercial cylinders, which will also be resolved soon.

Mumbai News. राज्य के वन मंत्री गणेश नाइक ने गुरुवार को कहा कि राज्य मंत्रिमंडल ने तेंदुओं को वन्यजीव संरक्षण अधिनियम की अनुसूची दो में स्थानांतरित करने के प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दे दी है, जिससे मानव बस्तियों में प्रवेश करने वाले इस जानवर को मारने वाले लोगों को कानूनी कार्रवाई से बचाया जा सकेगा। विधायक सत्यजीत देशमुख द्वारा लाए गए ध्यानाकर्षण प्रस्ताव का जवाब देते हुए नाइक ने विधानसभा में कहा कि राज्य सरकार इस कदम के लिए केंद्र से मंजूरी मांगेगी। मंत्री ने कहा कि तेंदुओं द्वारा मानव बस्तियों में प्रवेश करने की बढ़ती घटनाओं को देखते हुए यह कदम उठाया गया है। उन्होंने कहा कि एक बार जब तेंदुओं को वन्यजीव संरक्षण ढांचे की अनुसूची एक से अनुसूची दो में स्थानांतरित कर दिया जाएगा तो यदि मानव बस्तियों में प्रवेश करने वाले और खतरा पैदा करने वाले किसी तेंदुए को कोई व्यक्ति मारता है तो उसे कानूनी कार्रवाई का सामना नहीं करना पड़ेगा।150 तेंदुओं के नसबंदी का प्रस्तावमंत्री ने यह भी कहा कि मानव बस्तियों में प्रवेश करने और लोगों की मौत का कारण बनने वाले तेंदुओं को "आदमखोर" घोषित करने के निर्देश दिए गए हैं। नाइक ने बताया कि इससे पहले सरकार ने केंद्र को 150 तेंदुओं के नसबंदी का प्रस्ताव भेजा था। केंद्र सरकार ने प्रायोगिक आधार पर पांच मादा तेंदुओं को पकड़ने और बंध्याकरण करने की अनुमति दे दी है और इस संबंध में कार्रवाई की जा रही है।

A U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident U.S. Central Command said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire. ADVERTISEMENTIn a statement, U.S. Central Command said it was carrying out rescue efforts after the U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down. "The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury," the statement said, using the military name of the U.S. operation against Iran. ‌The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, ​an ​umbrella group of ⁠Iran-backed ​armed factions, claimed responsibility for downing the U.S. military refueling aircraft. The group said in a statement it had shot down the KC-135 aircraft "in defense of our country's sovereignty and airspace".

Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani warned US President Donald Trump over the escalating Iran war, saying Tehran will continue attacks until Washington regrets its actions. Amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, Iran’s senior security figure Ali Larijani has delivered a sharp warning to US President Donald Trump. In a message posted on the social media platform X on Thursday, Larijani accused Trump of making a “serious strategic mistake” by initiating a war with Iran. Larijani issues strong warning to US PresidentLarijani stated that Tehran would continue its military actions until the US leadership acknowledges the consequences of its decision. Concluding his message with the hashtag #TrumpMustPay, the Iranian official signalled that Iran intends to sustain pressure on the United States during the ongoing confrontation.

Through 301, the US is trying to offset revenue loss after its Supreme Court struck down Trump’s global tariffs. In India, the probe triggered uncertainty among exporters in manufacturing sectors like steel, electrical goods, textile etc. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) initiated a probe into manufacturing practices in several economies, including India, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, citing concerns over structural excess capacity. “India is adopting a wait-and-watch stance on the Section 301 investigation by the USTR. New Delhi will evaluate the report once released before deciding on any next steps,” said the government official.

The Consumer Price Index data released on Thursday (March 12, 2026) by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is the second edition of the new series of the Index, and so category-wise historical data is not yet available. Ravi took oath as the 22nd Governor of West Bengal at a ceremony in Lok Bhavan, in Kolkata, on Thursday (March 12, 2026). Terror-funding case: Supreme Court grants bail to Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Ahmed ShahThe Supreme Court on Thursday (March 12, 2026) granted bail to Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Ahmed Shah in a terror-funding case. During the last hearing on February 25, 2026, the Bench heard the submissions made by the NIA and scheduled the matter for today (March 12, 2026) for senior advocate Colin Gonsalves — representing Mr. Shah — to present his rejoinder arguments. Bangladesh Parliament reconvenes after uprising, pollsBangladesh’s Parliament convened on Thursday (March 12, 2026) for the first time since a deadly 2024 uprising plunged the country into political turmoil and following elections last month.

India may be geographically distant from the embers emanating from the conflict taking place in West Asia. From kitchens to wallets, the deepening energy crisis in fuel and gas is expected to leave an imprint on India’s shores. The plight of another Indian cohort — sailors and ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz — must be added to this list of mounting concerns. In any case, the unpredictable nature of the conflict will heighten the risk for ships and naval personnel in this zone. New Delhi also has a rich experience when it comes to rescuing Indian émigrés from conflict zones around the world.

It is in the nature of such regimes that they engender deep fault lines and opposition to them is passionate and strong. Iran has been successful in constructing an architecture that may not be open or inclusive, but is certainly participatory. Therefore, other templates and precedents for likely outcomes, some hope others dread, also crowd the discourse: Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine and others. ADVERTISEMENTWhat kind of Iran will emerge from this conflict defines only one set of questions. Amidst this gloom and doom, news from other parts of South Asia is surprisingly positive.

In the ongoing Operation Epic Fury, an American KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while a second plane involved in the incident landed safely, the US military said Thursday. "This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement. US KC-135 crashes in Western Iraq confirms CENTCOMThe crash is the fourth publicly known aircraft loss in the US-Iran conflict, after three F-15s were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait. U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. pic.twitter.com/3z9UzXyLt9 March 12, 2026Meanwhile, the Central Command stated, "More information will be made available as the situation develops.

Asserting that the joint US-Israel campaign against Iran is "going better than expected" and Israel is "stronger than ever", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said there was "no life insurance" for Iran's newly chosen Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. ADVERTISEMENTMojtaba's father, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in joint US-Israel strikes on February 28. Addressing the Iranian people, the Israeli leader said, "The moment when you can embark on a new path of freedom – that moment is approaching. When asked by reporters again if Israel would push for a regime change, Netanyahu said, "You can lead someone to water, you cannot make him drink." Netanyahu hinted at possible new breakthroughs on the diplomatic front for Israel in the region.

College hostels have begun trimming their menus and exploring alternative cooking arrangements to cope with the LPG curbs. At the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, the authorities have advised a switch to cooking with firewood in an open space on the campus. IIT KharagpurAt IIT Kharagpur, a campus with around 16,000 residents, the general secretary of a hostel mess wrote to fellow residents: “You might have some information about the ongoing energy crisis. “Cooking will be done mainly using firewood, and it will take some time before things are streamlined again,” it added. ISI, CalcuttaAuthorities at ISI have allowed cooking with firewood in an open space after the mess operator apprised them of the crisis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday night, nearly two weeks after the war in West Asia began on February 28. ADVERTISEMENT“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure. Reiterated India’s commitment to peace and stability and urged for dialogue and diplomacy,” Modi said in a post on X. “(India’s) external affairs minister and (the) foreign minister of Iran have had three conversations in recent days,” he said at the weekly briefing.

Air India has submitted a request seeking variation from the prescribed Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) on certain sectors due to operational constraints . ADVERTISEMENTThe carrier has sought relaxation in two rules under crew roster norms. Under the applicable FDTL provisions, the maximum flying time for a two-pilotcrew is 10 hours and the maximum Flight Duty Period is 13 hours. For the flight duty period, an extension of 1 hour and 45 minutes has been sought. In December 2025, the government had temporarily relaxed certain provisions of crew roster norms.