NEW DELHI: Domestic urea manufacturing has been hit due to the West Asia crisis, with production falling to 18 lakh tonnes this month from the earlier average of 24 lakh tonnes. But the output is set to increase with greater availability of LNG, procured through “spot buying” every fortnight, officials have said.The govt has maintained that there is an adequate stock of fertilisers and is tapping alternative sources to boost supplies, even as urea units that had taken annual maintenance shutdowns this month begin resuming production. Centre has also asked states to monitor any abnormal spike in sales of fertilisers in the “lean season” to prevent any stockpiling and black marketing, people aware of the development said. They said any such activity would attract stringent action, while adding that farmers need not panic as the availability of soil nutrients is adequate and these will be available at current prices.Briefing the media on Monday, Aparna Sharma, additional secretary in the fertilisers department, said the current stock of soil nutrients at 180 lakh tonnes is 22 per cent higher than that of last year. On diversification of sources, she said a global tender for 13.1 lakh tonnes of urea has been floated, and long-term arrangements have been tied up with countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman. In addition, the focus is on sourcing from other countries, including Russia, Morocco, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, Canada, Algeria and Egypt.On the impact of the conflict on the fertiliser sector, Sharma said the Gulf region accounted for about 20-30 per cent of India’s urea imports, 30 per cent of Diammonium Phosphate and 50% of LNG needs. The conflict has pushed up the cost of inputs such as LNG, ammonia and sulphur, besides raising freight expenses.She added that notifications regarding gas supply allocation had impacted domestic urea production, resulting in a temporary output reduction of 30,000-35,000 tonnes per day. Following the notifications, the annual maintenance of some units was advanced.Sharma said that at present, 27 urea plants are receiving gas supply, and the units that were under maintenance are now ready to resume operations. The government has procured “spot gas” to support domestic production, with LNG availability now at 75–80 per cent. Of the 52 million standard cubic metres per day of gas requirements of fertiliser plants, about 15 mmscd was being procured from the spot market.Spot purchases have been made for $19.5-19.6 per million British thermal unit, as compared to a $11-12 per mmBtu rate in the pre-war period.All these factors will push up the subsidy burden substantially, officials said.

Pakistan star Naseem Shah found himself in a tough spot as soon as he expressed his political views on social media, criticizing the Punjab Chief Minister, Maryam Nawaz. According to the latest media reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has fined fast bowler Naseem Shah PKR 20 million for the controversial social media post.

The cricketer removed the social media post soon after it came into the public domain, but by the time it attracted a significant amount of attention, including the attention of the PCB, which is led by Mohsin Naqvi, who is also an interior minister of the government of Pakistan.

Why is there controversy around Naseem Shah

Ahead of the Pakistan Super League 2026 season, Naqvi said that, due to limited fuel resources and conflicts in Middle Eastern countries, the PSL 2026 matches will be held without spectators.

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However, for the opening match of the season, there were some notable guests in the stadium to witness the Lahore Qalandars vs Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was among the notable guests in the gallery to watch the match live.

Maryam interacted with players of both teams as well. She came to the ground with a heavy set of protocols, which might have annoyed Naseem Shah very much. In a sense of criticizing the top policy of the nation, the fast bowler of Pakistan wrote on his ‘X’ post, “Why is she treated like the queen at Lord’s?”

Naseem removed the post

As soon as he realized the act post could cause severe backlashes, he removed it from its timeline, citing that his profile had been hacked for a while. His excuses did not melt the ice as the Pakistan Cricket Board soon issued a statement, accusing the star pacer of breaching the code of conduct.

It is worth mentioning that Maryam Nawaz is the daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the niece of current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

According to an ESPN report, “It appears to do with clause 2.23 of the PCB’s code of conduct. It states that any “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to the Board, any of its officials or sponsors or policies, the ICC or any of its officers or sponsors, Player, Player Support Personnel or Match Officials including umpires and match referees, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made” is not permitted.”

PCB issued strict actions against Naseen Shah

According to the latest updates regarding the controversial act of Naseem Shah, the cricket governing board of Pakistan has fined Naseem Shah PKR 2 crore for breaching the central contract and social media guidelines. It is further claimed that the accused pacer has made an unconditional apology after the disciplinary proceedings.

Additionally, taking a step further, and to prevent any unnecessary stance on social media in the future, Naseem Shah’s social media adviser has been terminated and will be blacklisted from working with any contracted player, according to the latest reports.

Read More: Lahore Qalandars fines Shaheen Shah Afridi over security concerns

Mumbai: Addressing the absence of formal statements from industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare case chargesheet, NIA said legally, some witness statements aren’t mandatory if the relevant facts can be established through other evidence. In its reply opposing dismissed police officer Sachin Waze’s discharge plea, it said it still “reserves its right” to call the Ambanis as witnesses later.“…there is no lack of evidence, or in other words, prejudice caused to the case of the prosecution and even to the accused, for not recording the statements of persons concerned of the Ambani family as there is sufficient evidence on record which would conclusively establish incriminating facts beyond doubt about the commission of terrorist acts by [Waze] and his co-accused,” the agency said. It said statements from the family’s security personnel already provided a conclusive link. On Feb 25, 2021, an SUV with explosives was found near Antilia, the Ambanis’ home in south Mumbai. The prosecution has said Mansukh Hiran, the vehicle owner, was murdered that March 4 because he knew of the conspiracy. Ten accused, including Waze and other dismissed police officers Sunil Mane and Pradeep Sharma, have been named. Waze, arrested that same month, moved the special NIA court this March seeking discharge, claiming the case was built on a “comedy of errors” and “farcical” investigative rituals. Defending the Union home ministry’s March 8, 2021, order invoking NIA Act in the case, the agency said the ministry exercised proper “application of mind” and adhered to the Act’s intent. “As evident from the threat note placed along with the explosives in the vehicle planted by Sachin Waze… himself on Carmichael Road, [it] was an act of terror on the part of [Waze],” said NIA. It said the intention was to terrorise wealthy individuals and extort money by creating fear. It said there is ample evidence that prima facie establishes that Waze was directly found involved in leaving the vehicle along with the threat note near Antilia. NIA said the phrase “agle baar connect hokar aayega” in the note showed Waze’s intention to continue terrorist acts and re-establish himself as a “super cop by staging a fake encounter”. Rejecting Waze’s argument that Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges were inapplicable, NIA said the probe showed the accused committed heinous and serious offences attracting UAPA provisions. It said no sanction under Section 197 of Criminal Procedure Code was required to prosecute Waze because the acts were not committed in discharge of official duty.

Mumbai: A section of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dealers is supplying 19kg commercial cylinders to city hotels and restaurants only on the condition that they first apply for a piped natural gas (PNG) connection and show proof of the application before delivery, industry sources said on Monday.The move, being described as a temporary arrangement, is aimed at shifting commercial establishments to PNG wherever pipeline connectivity is feasible. Until the piped connection is provided at hotel premises, dealers will continue to supply the blue commercial cylinders, sources said.AHAR president Vijay Shetty confirmed that delivery staff from some gas agencies are insisting on proof of PNG application before handing over commercial LPG cylinders “in select areas” of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and parts of Maharashtra. It is only upon showing the copy of application the 19kg blue cylinders are being handed over to the hoteliers in select areas, he added.“Why are the agencies insisting on having an application made by hotels only in certain pockets or areas of MMR or Maharashtra? Ideally it should be implemented uniformly across MMR or state so that all the hotels get a chance to switch over to commercial PNG in larger numbers and become cylinder free,” Shetty told TOI.An official from Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) said applications are being accepted from all hotels and restaurants located “close to existing pipeline networks”. According to an official, most large and five-star hotels are already fully connected to piped gas. The official said expansion had been delayed for years in areas such as south Mumbai because permissions for road digging were difficult to obtain and charges were high.“With fresh support from the Centre and the Maharashtra government, including deemed permissions for pipeline-laying applications submitted earlier, the company is now accelerating work,” the MGL official said.Officials said there is little point in taking up connections where the nearest gas line is too far, but resources are being diverted to maximise the number of new commercial connections. Another official said the government mandate is to provide gas access across Mumbai. Hotels and restaurants can apply either online or by visiting the office.A senior government official said no dry-outs had been reported at LPG distributorships. Commercial LPG allocation, which had earlier been restored to 20%, has now been raised to 70% of pre-crisis levels. Officials also said refineries are operating at high capacity, domestic LPG production has been stepped up, and adequate fuel stocks are being maintained. 5kg cylinders given to migrant workers in cityLPG dealers across Mumbai have begun giving 5kg LPG cylinders for migrant workers after checking their photo IDs and getting a declaration signed by them. A dealer in eastern suburbs said that on an average 20-30 such cylinders have been given in the past two days. Nationally, sources said, more than 88,000 cylinders weighing 5kg have been given to migrant workers in the past two days.