Mumbai: Domestic LPG dealer outlets are reporting a more than 100% surge in daily bookings as consumers fearing an impending shortage rush to secure supplies.Dealers said while commercial LPG supply has come to a complete halt, domestic LPG supply has not stopped. However, deliveries have slowed and what normally takes two days is now taking four to five days, and in some cases up to a week. But that may not explain the panic that appears to be setting in.Outlets which usually had bookings of around 1,000 a day now report more than 2,000. An agency in Vasai said daily bookings had jumped to nearly 4,000 from 1,000-1,200 last week. Many are customers who are trooping in before the mandatory 25-day gap required after a cylinder is delivered. Consumers queued up early on Thursday at dealer outlets in Mulund, Bhandup, Ghatkopar, Dadar, Girgaum, Vasai and Navi Mumbai, with many complaining that IVRS numbers, WhatsApp booking channels and other systems were either inaccessible or unresponsive. Dealers said nearly one in three customers are complaining that online or phone booking was not possible.Businessman Anwar Khan, who visited an LPG dealer from Bhandup, said, “People are unable to make bookings over the IVRS or any other number, WhatsApp, etc. I have been trying to book a cylinder since yesterday.” Dadar resident Sandeep Mhatre said he visited a dealer and was told delivery could take up to 7 days after booking due to the backlog. Homemaker Payal Mishra, who visited a dealer in Mulund West, said she had not received her cylinder despite booking it three days ago. A dealer, PrasanGas, who supplies BPCL cylinders in the eastern suburbs, said domestic users were being given priority and urged people not to believe rumours of a shutdown. “There is no stoppage in domestic supply, everyone will get a cylinder, the panic is needless,” he said. Several consumers were turned away because of the mandatory 25-day gap required for a fresh booking. Some dealers said booking would not be accepted during the interval. A woman who visited a Mulund dealer with her daughter said her family had no gas left to cook and feared they would have to turn to kerosene stoves or induction cooking until supplies arrived. (With inputs by Vishal Rajemahadik)

Anxiety over LPG shortage has spilled over to the domestic sector, fuelling panic bookings of cooking gas cylinders, while server glitches in the IVRS and other online booking systems are prompting people to queue up outside distribution agencies, compounding the chaos and fraying the nerves of consumers as well as suppliers across the country.Despite govt’s direction to prioritise domestic LPG, consumers said supplies on the ground remained uncertain. Dealers maintained that while commercial LPG supply has come to a complete halt, domestic LPG supply has not been stopped but deliveries have slowed sharply.Amid an unprecedented surge in bookings through digital platforms, including mobile apps and websites, servers crashed, making people across cities dash to dealer outlets to get their cylinders refilled.LPG booking system not built for heavy traffic: DistributorsConsumers across the country complained that IVRS numbers, WhatsApp channels and other LPG booking systems are either inaccessible or unresponsive, and repeated attempts ended with the same message — “server down”. Many, who had already placed orders, said they are receiving cancellation alerts.Women accompanied by young children, elderly residents clutching empty cylinders, and office-goers who had taken time off work were seen standing in long queues for hours outside LPG outlets in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chennai and many other cities.Shashi Kant Sharma, vice-president of Federation of LPG Distributors of India, said the system was not built to handle such heavy traffic. “Bookings have risen tenfold, so the system has slowed. We are working on it at the backend,” he said.The Nagpur bench of Bombay HC on Thursday sought responses from Centre, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, and Confidence Petroleum India on a petition filed by six LPG distributors, who contended that continued LPG export amid a shortage in country runs contrary to govt’s March 9 direction imposing restrictions on export of essential commodities and mandating prioritisation of household supply.The crisis has prompted employers, after Infosys, to sound an alert to employees. Cognizant has encouraged employees to adopt ‘Bring Your Own Food’, wherever feasible. Hotels, restaurants, caterers, canteens, street vendors and other services continued to slim down menus, shut outlets and explore switching to alternatives.

As fighting between Iran and the United States continues to intensify, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has indicated that Tehran may be willing to return to negotiations, but only under strict conditions.Pezeshkian spoke with leaders from Russia and Pakistan over the past two days, signalling that diplomatic channels could reopen despite the ongoing war. According to Iranian officials, Tehran would consider renewed talks with Washington only if three key demands are met: recognition of Iran’s sovereign rights, reparations for damage caused during the conflict, and firm guarantees that future military aggression will not occur.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they are waiting for a response from the other side but remain deeply sceptical about Washington’s intentions. Officials in Tehran say years of confrontation and the current war have eroded trust in negotiations with the United States.

The comments come as the conflict between Iran, Israel and their allies continues to expand across the region, raising fears of a prolonged war with significant economic and humanitarian consequences.Violence has spread across the Gulf and the eastern Mediterranean in recent days. A container ship near the United Arab Emirates was struck by a projectile, sparking a small fire, though the crew were reported safe. In the vital Strait of Hormuz, three crew members remained trapped aboard a Thai bulk carrier that was hit while transiting the waterway, highlighting growing risks to global shipping routes.Regional tensions escalated further after authorities in Bahrain reported attacks on fuel tanks in Muharraq Governorate and urged residents to remain indoors as emergency crews battled fires. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted multiple drones targeting strategic areas, including one heading towards the Shaybah oil field. Kuwait also reported intercepting several drones.Israel said a fresh wave of Iranian missiles was launched toward its territory, prompting the deployment of air defence systems. In response, Israeli forces carried out what they described as “wide-scale” strikes in Tehran and against Hezbollah positions in Beirut. Lebanese authorities reported multiple casualties from Israeli strikes, including attacks on areas where displaced families had been sheltering.The fighting has also disrupted global energy markets. Attacks on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most important oil transit routes — have pushed the price of Brent crude above $100 a barrel, raising concerns that the war could trigger wider economic instability.Meanwhile, Donald Trump insisted that US strikes had already severely weakened Iran, telling supporters that the country was “pretty much at the end of the line”.

The Hundred 2026 auction has finally concluded. It has been an exciting auction for the franchises. On Thursday, March 12, 2026, the Hundred (men’s competition) held its first-ever player auction at Piccadilly Lights in central London. The cricket league, which began in 2021, employed a draft system to assign players to franchises for the first five editions.

There have been new investors in the league, with some of the owners from the Indian Premier League (IPL) owning some stakes at the Hundred auction. The impact is immediate, with three teams changing their previous names to IPL-style names.

The Hundred gets new owners

Oval Invincibles are now known as MI London, Manchester Originals have become Manchester Super Giants, and Northern Superchargers are now Sunrisers Leeds. Only the Southern Braves have not changed their names, as it is owned by the GMR Group, which also owns the Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

Once they acquired the stakes, there were reports of a ban on Pakistan players from the auction. However, it did not happen; there were atotal of 63 to 67 Pakistan players (including both men and women) registered for the 2026 The Hundred draft/auction. However, only a select group of 14 Pakistani players were shortlisted for the final bidding process in the men’s auction.

Few Pakistan players were shortlisted

There was only one Pakistan player who withdrew from the auction was Pakistan ODI team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi. However, the other players who were registered were Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Zaman Khan, Usama Mir, Imad Wasim, Akif Javed, and Salman Mirza.

Among them, only two players were being sold in the auction. Usman Tariq and Abrar Ahmed are the two players to be sold at the auction. Tariq was the first player to be picked in the auction. He was picked by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000 during the auction.

Sunrisers Leeds shocks everyone after picking Abrar Ahmed

Abrar Ahmed was the second player to be picked in the auction by Sunrisers Leeds, for a price of £190,000, as it gained much attention, with the Sunrisers Leeds being a part of the SUN TV company, which also owns the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.

Except for the two players, Haris Rauf went unsold at the auction. Apart from them, no other players from Pakistan were even selected in the later part of the auction. James Coles became the highest-paid player at The Hundred. He was sold to the London Spirit for the upcoming season of The Hundred at a price tag of £390K.

List of Pakistan players who were sold and unsold at the Hundred Auction 2026

Also Read: Fans tolls Kavya Maran after Sunrisers Leeds sign Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in the Hundred auction

You don’t have permission to access “http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-refueling-aircraft-kc-135-crashes-in-iraq-amid-iran-war-11208162” on this server.

Reference #18.34a21ab8.1773357526.96c484f

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.34a21ab8.1773357526.96c484f

NEW DELHI: A day after the vote of no-confidence against him was rejected, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla resumed duty and asserted that he would stick to rules and not allow special treatment to any member, including leader of the opposition.“Some members believe that leader of the opposition may stand at any time and speak on any subject of their choice as their special privilege. I wish to clarify that the House functions according to rules framed by the House itself. These rules apply equally to every member,” said a confident Birla as he repudiated the charge – the principal justification of the Congress-led move to bring a motion against him – that he did not let Rahul Gandhi speak.

He rejected the charge that he has been unfair to opposition and switches off microphones when they are speaking. “I would like to clarify once again that the Chair does not have any button to switch microphones on or off. The system in the Houses activates the microphone only of the member who has been granted permission to speak,” he said.

Birla’s assertion came a day after home minister Amit Shah and other speakers from NDA turned the debate on no-confidence motion against the Speaker into one on Gandhi’s alleged sense of entitlement and the resultant expectation of privileged treatment.The Speaker, with Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh, with others looking on, said all members enjoy the same status. “Each member comes here with the responsibility to raise the concerns of the people and to fulfil their hopes and expectations.”Birla, who had annoyed Congress by saying that he had been tipped off about the opposition party’s plans to get its women members to surround PM Narendra Modi last month when he was scheduled to participate in the debate on motion of thanks to President, denied that he had shown disrespect to women members. “I have always held the highest respect for all women members. My endeavour has always been to ensure that every woman member gets the opportunity to speak in this House. During my tenure, every woman member, including first-time members, has had the opportunity to express her views.”He also denied that opposition members were not given enough time to speak. To the contrary, opposition members have often received more time than allocated during debates. “I frequently extend the time allotted for debates and Zero Hour so that more members can express their views.”Birla, however, was firm about not allowing sloganeering, display of placards, the tearing and throwing of papers, and movement into the Well of the House, and said they are inimical to the smooth functioning of Parliament. “Disagreement and intense debate are natural in a democracy, but there is a clear line between democratic discourse and disorder.”After he concluded, KC Venugopal of Congress again raised the issue of the notice by LoP seeking permission to speak on LPG crisis. The Speaker told him he has informed the minister concerned in govt, and the LoP will be allowed to raise the issue once he is present in the House.

NEW DELHI: India co-sponsored a resolution in UN Security Council that condemned the “egregious” attacks by Iran against Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Jordan and demanded immediate cessation of all attacks by Tehran while denouncing its threats of closure of the Strait of Hormuz.The 15-nation Security Council, currently under the presidency of the US, adopted the resolution on Wednesday with 13 votes in favour, none against and abstentions by veto-wielding permanent members China and Russia.Ministry of external affairs said India had co-sponsored the GCC-led resolution at the Security Council as it reflected its position on the issue. “We have 135 countries who have co-sponsored this particular resolution. The resolution reflects several of our positions… we have a large diaspora in GCC countries and their well-being and welfare is of utmost importance,” spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, adding the Gulf is also very important for India’s energy security needs.Without naming Iran, PM Narendra Modi had earlier condemned attacks on all GCC countries.India co-sponsored the Bahrain-led resolution along with over 130 nations, including Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Yemen, and Zambia. The resolution, which had a total of 135 co-sponsors, reiterated its strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan.It condemned in the “strongest terms the egregious attacks” by Iran against the territories of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan and determined that such acts constituted a breach of international law and were a serious threat to international peace and security.The resolution demanded immediate cessation of all attacks by Iran against GCC countries and Jordan and that Tehran “immediately and unconditionally” cease from any provocation or threats to neighbouring states, including the use of proxies.