The United States on Wednesday ordered non-emergency staff at its consulates in Karachi and Lahore to leave Pakistan, citing security concerns as tensions escalate across the Middle East following Iranian retaliation to US-Israeli strikes.The US embassy in Islamabad said the State Department directed non-emergency US government employees and their family members at the two consulates to depart due to “safety risks.”The embassy clarified that there was no change in the operational status of the US embassy in Islamabad.The decision comes after protests erupted in Pakistan over the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. At least 25 people were killed in demonstrations over the weekend, according to an AFP tally. Hundreds of protesters also attempted to storm the US consulate in Karachi, the country’s largest city.

Travel advisory expanded across region

The State Department also authorised non-emergency US government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, Oman and Cyprus as tensions spread across the region.In addition, Washington advised American citizens to reconsider travel to the three countries.The advisory related to Cyprus drew attention as the island nation is a member of the European Union.The move came after Iranian-made drones, believed to have been launched by Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, targeted a British military base in Cyprus.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Wednesday and “reaffirmed the strong partnership” between the two countries, according to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.

Drone damage and evacuation plans

In Saudi Arabia, a drone attack also damaged the US embassy in the capital Riyadh, further raising security concerns for American personnel in the region.The State Department said it is preparing charter flights to evacuate American citizens from affected areas as commercial flight operations across the region have been severely disrupted by the ongoing conflict.The regional crisis began after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on Saturday, killing Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The attacks came two days after US envoys had held talks with Iranian officials in Geneva on a potential nuclear agreement.Since then, Iran has expanded its retaliation, launching missile and drone attacks across several parts of the Middle East, raising fears of a broader regional escalation.

Mumbai: Transporters across Maharashtra announced an indefinite strike of trucks, tempos, tourist and school buses, taxis, private cabs and autorickshaws from Thursday midnight, escalating a protest centred on alleged misuse of the e-challan system and what they called arbitrary penalties. Talks with transport commissioner Rajesh Narvekar on Wednesday evening failed, and “we will go ahead with the indefinite protest”, said Malik Patel of the Maharashtra Transport Action Committee.The Western India Automobile Association, representing 80,000 private car owners, also supported the strike, as they too had complaints about e-challans, said WIAA chairman Nitin Dossa. School buses will be available on Thursday morning, but will go off the roads from Friday, warned Anil Garg from the School Bus Owners Association.Taxi union leader D A Salian said many cabbies will also join the protest, as they too were frustrated over the e-challan system, wherein the fines were unjustified and more than the day’s earnings. Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union leader Thampy Kurien said auto drivers will also join the strike in the suburbs.Patel said the movement of trucks, buses and taxis may be partially hit from Thursday morning. “At noon on Thursday, transporters will all gather at Azad Maidan to protest. Vehicles will also start coming to the maidan. Till Thursday evening, if no decision is taken by the government, we will observe an indefinite chakka jam across the state,” said Bal Malkit Singh from the transporters’ association.The issue was also raised in the state legislative assembly on Wednesday, when MLA Amin Patel urged the govt to intervene. He claimed that around Rs 3,500 crore in e-challans were pending for commercial vehicles, alleging multiple challans for single vehicles and “most of it unjustified”. He warned that a strike could have serious consequences.State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said he, in principle, agreed with the concerns of transporters and directed officials to examine legal aspects to resolve the issue. Senior transport officials requested transporters on Wednesday to give the govt more time in view of the state budget on Friday and also geopolitical tensions arising out of the ongoing Israel-Iran war. But Singh said: “We gave them enough time. A govt-appointed committee submitted recommendations on the e-challan issue in December, but none were implemented till date.” Transporters’ complaints included harassment by field officers, forcible stopping of vehicles for recovery, arbitrary and multiple challans in a day, and ‘no-parking’ penalties amid inadequate parking infrastructure.

Thane: Police on Wednesday arrested Dr Amol Patil, director of Malti IVF Centre in Nashik, in connection with the illegal extraction and sale of human eggs from economically vulnerable women in Badlapur even as Maharashtra legislative council ordered a multi-pronged crackdown with a district-level committee, comprising the superintendent of police and civil surgeon, set to inspect IVF centres across the state.Dr Patil was produced before Kalyan sessions court and remanded to five days of police custody. He has been accused of allegedly acting as a surrogate mother agent. DCP Sachin Gore said, “Preliminary investigation has revealed that the three main arrested accused — all women — were in direct contact with Dr Patil’s IVF centre.” Police suspect that he could be part of a larger inter-state or even international trafficking network with links to multiple cities.In the legislative council, minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam termed the racket “extremely serious” and promised stringent action, while deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe directed that the registrations of the accused doctors be cancelled. The issue was raised by BJP MLC Chitra Wagh, who alleged that poor women were lured with money and subjected to repeated hormonal injections and illegal egg extraction under the guise of IVF and surrogacy. She claimed some women donated eggs eight to 10 times, far beyond the legal one-time limit, and were sent back without medical follow-up care. Wagh also alleged an interstate network involving centres in Telangana and Karnataka.Investigations revealed that the racket was allegedly operated through a doctor linked to a registered IVF centre in Nashik, but functioning out of Thane. Around 10 women have been identified so far, though Wagh claimed over 20 may be involved. The accused doctor has been arrested under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, and five persons — all women — have been taken into custody.Kadam informed the House that fake Aadhaar cards were used to repeatedly register the same woman under different identities. Aadhaar authentication will now be made mandatory, and all IVF centres will be linked to a centralised system. The state has around 860 IVF centres.Joint inspections by the home and health departments will be carried out through the SP–civil surgeon panel. Action has also been initiated against unauthorised sonography centres, and the government may invoke stringent provisions such as the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) if required.Gorhe directed that the Indian Medical Council be formally informed to begin proceedings to cancel the registrations of the accused doctors, stressing that strict oversight is essential to prevent the commercial exploitation of vulnerable women. Kadam assured the House that appropriate action would follow.Police said the racket was being operated by three women from a residential premises in Badlapur and Ulhasnagar. The prime accused, Sulakshana Gadekar, had allegedly stocked injections used to stimulate the production of ova at her house. The trio allegedly lured women with monetary incentives and illegally administered them ovum-stimulating injections at their homes. Once the ova developed, the women were allegedly sent to Malti IVF Centre, which has branches in Nashik and Thane, where doctors would extract the eggs through medical procedures and sell them unlawfully, police said.Sources added that Malti IVF Centre was licensed to operate only in Nashik, but was allegedly functioning in Thane without authorisation. Following his arrest, Nashik Municipal Corporation has issued a notice to Dr Patil, and documents related to the centre are being scrutinised.

Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts has elected Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as his successor under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported Iran International, citing informed sources.However, according to the New York Times, senior clerics responsible for choosing the next supreme leader were still deliberating on Tuesday, with Mojtaba emerging as the clear front-runner but no formal announcement made yet.

Assembly of experts meets amid crisis

The New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials familiar with the discussions, that the 88-member Assembly of Experts held two virtual meetings on Tuesday, one in the morning and one in the evening, to deliberate on the succession.The clerics were considering announcing Mojtaba Khamenei as early as Wednesday morning, but some members expressed reservations, fearing such a move could make him a target for the United States and Israel, the officials said on condition of anonymity.Israel struck a building in Qum, one of Shiite Islam’s main religious centres, where the assembly had been scheduled to meet. However, the building was empty at the time, according to Iran’s Fars News agency.The Assembly of Experts is constitutionally mandated to appoint, supervise and, if necessary, dismiss the supreme leader. This marks only the second time in the Islamic Republic’s 47-year history that the body will select a leader. In 1989, it chose Ali Khamenei following the death of Ruhollah Khomeini.

IRGC backing and hard-line signals

According to the New York Times, the IRGC pushed for Mojtaba’s appointment, arguing that he possesses the qualifications needed to guide Iran through the current crisis following the US-Israeli strikes that killed his father.“Mojtaba is the wisest pick right now because he is intimately familiar with running and coordinating security and military apparatuses,” Tehran-based analyst Mehdi Rahmati told the newspaper. “He was in charge of this already.”Also read | Flames, black smoke rise near US Consulate in Dubai after drone strike, no injuries reportedVali Nasr, an Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University, described Mojtaba as a surprising yet telling choice.“He was slated to become the successor for a long time,” Nasr said. “But for the past two years, it seemed to have dropped off from the radar. If he is elected, it suggests it is a much more hard-line Revolutionary Guard side of the regime that is now in charge.”Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is known for his close ties to the IRGC and has long operated behind the scenes within the Office of the Supreme Leader.

Public backlash and reformist concerns

Rahmati warned that Mojtaba’s elevation could spark domestic backlash.“A portion of the public will react negatively and forcefully to this decision, and it will have a backlash,” he predicted.Supporters of the government may view him as a continuation of a leader they regard as martyred, while critics could see his succession as entrenching a system accused of violently suppressing protests in recent months.Other reported finalists include Ali Reza Arafi, a member of the three-person transition council, and Hassan Khomeini, grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Both are viewed as relatively moderate figures, with Hassan Khomeini seen as close to Iran’s sidelined reformist faction, according to the New York Times.Abdolreza Davari, a politician close to Mojtaba Khamenei, told the New York Times that if he succeeds his father, he could adopt a reformist posture similar to Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman.“He is extremely progressive and will move to sideline the hard-liners,” Davari said in a text message before the war. “See his appointment as a shedding of skin.”

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?

Mojtaba Khamenei was born in 1969 in Mashhad and came of age during the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He later studied in Tehran and Qom under conservative clerics, including Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah Yazdi.Follow live updates | Israel strikes building in east Lebanon, several killedThough a mid-ranking cleric and not an ayatollah, Mojtaba has been widely regarded as one of the most influential figures within Iran’s power structure. Analysts have compared his role to that played by Ahmad Khomeini, who acted as a gatekeeper to his father during the early years of the Islamic Republic.Mojtaba’s influence is closely tied to his longstanding relationships within the IRGC. He served in the Habib Battalion during the Iran-Iraq War and cultivated ties with security and intelligence officials who later rose to prominence.He was sanctioned by the United States in 2019 under an executive order targeting individuals linked to the Supreme Leader. The US Treasury at the time said Ali Khamenei had delegated aspects of his authority to his son, despite Mojtaba holding no elected office.

Constitutional hurdles and interim mechanism

Under Iran’s constitution, the supreme leader must be a senior cleric with recognised religious authority and political competence. Mojtaba does not currently hold the rank of ayatollah, and hereditary succession is sensitive in a system born out of opposition to monarchy.Following Ali Khamenei’s death, senior official Ali Larijani indicated that an interim leadership council — comprising the president, the judiciary chief and a jurist from the Guardian Council — would ensure continuity until a new leader is formally selected.Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, speaking in Washington, said many figures previously seen as potential Iranian leaders had been killed in recent strikes.“Pretty soon we’re not going to know anybody,” he said. Asked about a worst-case scenario, Trump added: “I guess the worst case would be we do this and somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person. Right, that could happen. We don’t want that to happen.”

MUMBAI: Airlines have stepped up evacuation efforts with more special flights as the crisis in the Middle East continued to disrupt air travel for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday.Up to Tuesday, 1,221 international flights by Indian carriers and 388 by foreign carriers were cancelled, the civil aviation ministry said. It said Indian carriers had planned 58 flights to be operated on Wednesday, which included 30 by IndiGo and 23 by Air India and Air India Express. IndiGo has been among the worst-affected carriers, cancelling over 500 flights since Feb 28, according to a disclosure it made to the stock exchange on Wednesday. Amid surging passenger demand, Air India announced it is increasing capacity on key long-haul routes, including services to Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris.The airline said the extra flights are intended to offer flyers greater flexibility and smoother connections through Delhi to destinations across its domestic and SE Asian network.Air Canada has scheduled an additional frequency between Toronto and Delhi between March 7 and March 21. The Canadian carrier will also deploy a larger aircraft on its Toronto-London-Mumbai route to accommodate higher passenger loads.Indian airlines continue select services to West AsiaOther Indian airlines, including Akasa Air, SpiceJet and IndiGo, are continuing to operate select services to destinations across West Asia.Airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are currently managing only limited repatriation flights. Meanwhile, passenger services at Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait airports remain suspended.Emirates and Air Arabia confirmed on Wednesday that all regularly scheduled flights to and from Dubai will stay suspended until midnight Saturday. Emirates posted on X that passengers affected by recent cancellations could send them a direct message on X, phone the airline only if they are in need of urgent assistance and when they do so, expect a wait on hold for up to 2-3 hours. Passengers can request a refund for their booking if it is on or before March 12 without contacting the airline, it said.On February 28, day one of the disruption, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued an advisory to all Indian carriers asking them to avoid airspace in high-risk zones including Tehran, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Jeddah, Bahrain, Muscat, Baghdad, Amman, Kuwait and Doha.

South Africa was the favorite to win the first semi-final match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 over New Zealand. In reality, the New Zealand cricket team not only registered a win, but they also crushed the Proteas to storm into the Final.

After the match, Aiden Markram, for the first time in the tournament, joined the post-match presentation ceremony as a losing side captain. Behind the heartbreaking defeat, he did not blame any of his players, but talked mostly about the pitch.

The losing side’s skipper blamed the pitch

Aiden Markram claimed that the pitch at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, was not ideal for batting swiftly in the first innings of the match. The bounce was uneven, and the ball came slowly on some occasions as well, as experienced by the South Africa captain.

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South Africa went to bat first, after losing the toss, and scored 169 for 8 in 20 overs. Markram credited the New Zealand bowlers for their tremendous efforts throughout the innings. The skipper believes that with the bat, they did a decent job, and the target of 170 on the pitch like this was not bad enough.

So give credit to their bowling unit- Aiden Markram

“I think you look at conditions early and they bowled really well up front. Ball didn’t quite feel like coming on, some were just stopping on the wicket and some were hitting quite low on the bat and they made scoring really tough, and through that pressure builds and you lose wickets unfortunately”, the South Africa captain Aiden Markram described their moments with the bat.

“So give credit to their bowling unit and obviously with the bat, someone plays an innings like that, don’t think you will come out on the right side of the result many times as a fielding team. To get to 170 was a great effort to be fair”, he added.

Aiden Markram heaps praises for the New Zealand opener Finn Allen

New Zealand defeated the Proteas by 9 runs, a huge margin to register a win in the semifinals of a World Cup. Finn Allen was the brightest star of the night. The Kiwi opener remained unbeaten for 100 off 33, smashing ten 4s and eight 6s. The other opener, Tim Seifert, scored 58 off 33. Kagiso Rabada was the bowler who picked up the one wicket the Kiwis lost.

“And, I think, that opening partnership you get through a power play, no doubt, it puts you in a pretty good position. And then obviously, Finny (Allen) just carried on and, I mean, 33 balls for 100, it’s not bad. Not bad at all”, Aiden Markram acknowledged.

In the semifinals, New Zealand outplayed South Africa in all departments of the match. They came into the ground with good homework and executed it as well. In the summit clash, the Kiwis will be up against either Team India or England.

Read More: Record-Breaking Carnage! Finn Allen’s blistering ton powers New Zealand to a 9-wicket demolition of South Africa

NEW DELHI/PATNA: Less than four months after Nitish Kumar, along with PM Modi, led NDA to a landslide win in the Bihar assembly elections in Nov and took oath as chief minister for a record 10th time, ‘sushashan babu’, who turned 75 recently, is set to move to the Rajya Sabha – paving the way for BJP to have its own CM in the state for the first time, and extending its jurisdictional imprint across almost all of north and central India. His son Nishant is set to enter politics by joining the government; while speculation abounds that he might be named deputy CM, there is as yet little clarity on his position or portfolio.People in the know said Nitish will file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha in Patna Thursday in the presence of key NDA members, including Union home minister Amit Shah. Four other NDA nominees, including BJP president Nitin Nabin and Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party leader Upendr Kushwaha will also be filing their nominations.

BJP has played second fiddle to Nitish since joining hands with him for the first time in 1996. It chose to allow him to claim the top post despite having more MLAs than JD(U) in 2020 and 2025 in view of his seniority.Amid concerns over his health, it was always a question of when and not if Nitish would step down, and while the transition has come earlier than generally expected, the timing was considered within NDA as appropriate as it will give the new team time to settle in. Nishant’s entry is aimed at enthusing JD(U)’s rank-and-file amid these uncertain times, and at retaining its base among critical sections of backwards and Dalits.Those clued into the recent developments said the JD(U) brass has acquiesced to its junior status in govt as acknowledgement about a likely change of guard had been growing in the party, indication of which was apparent when for the first time Nitish ceded the home portfolio to one of his two BJP deputies, Samrat Choudhary.However, they added that Nitish will not be replaced immediately as his RS tenure will kick in when he takes oath after April 9, the date of retirement of the outgoing members.Samrat, who hails from Kushwaha caste, the second largest OBC community after Yadavs, is seen as an obvious front-runner following his rapid ascent in BJP. He was its state unit president before being picked by the party brass as one of its two Dy CMs along with Vijay Kumar Sinha. He is considered a notch above his peer, which was evident in BJP’s decision to give him charge of home. His social profile coupled with political acumen are also helpful.Another contender is Nityanand Rai, one of Shah’s deputies in the Union home ministry, a seasoned organisational man unlike Chaudhary, who cycled through various parties before joining BJP.BJP to head governments in entire Hindi belt except Jharkhand, Himachal PradeshA Yadav, Rai’s elevation would give BJP an opportunity to make a fresh outreach to the influential caste which has been loyal to Lalu Yadav’s RJD. With Bihar set to join the states with its CM, BJP will now be heading govts in the entire Hindi-speaking belt except Himachal Pradesh.Nitish has been at the helm since 2005 except for a brief period after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when he passed the baton to Jitan Ram Manjhi after his party’s poor show.In the meantime, he switched alliances and embraced RJD twice only to go back to BJP but ensuring that he remained the swing factor in the state’s fractured politics despite his party’s decline in the recent years. As talk of Nitish going to RS started doing the rounds, is party said in a post, “Nitish Kumar Ji is the most accepted leader of Bihar. His popularity is clearly evident today in every sector. It is this affection and immense support from the people that is his true identity.”Sources said a section of party is strongly opposed to Nitish shifting to national politics. “If Nitish goes to Delhi, this will convey a message that he was removed as Bihar CM. And, if BJP appoints its own CM, message will only be confirmed,” a JD(U) member said.

A diplomatic row has emerged between the United States and Spain after the White House claimed Madrid had agreed to cooperate with American military operations against Iran, a statement swiftly rejected by Spain’s foreign minister.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Spain had agreed to assist the US military effort, without giving details about the nature of that cooperation.“It’s my understanding, over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the US military,” Leavitt told reporters.However, Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares strongly denied the claim, saying Madrid had not altered its position on the conflict or on the use of Spanish bases for US military operations.“I categorically deny any change… our position on the use of the bases, on the war in the Middle East, on the bombardment of Iran, has not changed at all,” Albares told Cadena SER radio.

Spain had earlier refused US base access

The conflicting statements come days after Spain publicly refused to allow the United States to use jointly operated military bases on its territory for strikes against Iran.The Spanish government declined permission for US forces to operate from the naval base at Rota and the air base at Morón, both of which are jointly run under long-standing defence agreements between Madrid and Washington.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticised the US-Israel campaign against Iran, describing it as “unilateral military action” and warning it risked creating “a more hostile and uncertain international order”.Foreign minister Albares had also stated earlier that Spain would not authorise any activities beyond existing bilateral agreements or outside international law.“The bases are not being used – nor will they be used – for anything that is not in the agreement, nor for anything that isn’t covered by the UN charter,” he said.

Trump criticises Spain’s stance

The disagreement has also drawn criticism from US President Donald Trump, who openly criticised Spain’s refusal to support the military campaign.“Some of the European nations have been helpful, and some haven’t–and I’m very surprised. Germany’s been great… Spain has been terrible. In fact, I told Scott to cut off all dealings with Spain,” Trump said.He added, “By the way, I’m not happy with the UK either.”Trump has defended the US strikes on Iran, arguing that Washington acted to prevent a potential Iranian attack and stop Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.“No, Based on the way the negotiation was going, I think [Iran] was going to attack first, and I didn’t want that to happen, so if anything, I might’ve forced Israel’s hand,” he said.

Iran thanks Spain for stance

Spain’s opposition to the campaign has drawn praise from Tehran, which thanked Madrid for what it described as responsible conduct.Iranian officials said Spain’s refusal to allow its bases to be used for attacks demonstrated a commitment to international law and restraint as the conflict widened across the Middle East.The diplomatic dispute comes as the US-Israel military campaign against Iran intensifies.Washington and Tel Aviv launched coordinated strikes on Iranian military facilities, missile sites and naval assets, while Tehran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting US allies and bases across the Gulf region.Oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and shipping routes near the Strait of Hormuz have also come under threat, pushing global energy prices higher and disrupting international travel.Trump has indicated the campaign could continue for several weeks, saying US forces aim to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities, cripple its navy and prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.