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Microsoft has told managers across its cloud unit and North American sales teams to stop hiring anyone who doesn’t already have a job offer in hand, The Information reported, citing three employees with direct knowledge. The move comes as the company scrambles to rein in costs and shore up margins before its fiscal year closes in June—a period during which it’s also burning through billions on AI infrastructure.
The freeze isn’t company-wide. Teams building Microsoft’s Copilot AI tools are still actively hiring, which tells you where the company’s priorities lie. But for divisions outside that AI orbit, the belt-tightening is real. This follows a sweeping overhaul of Microsoft’s HR organisation reported by Business Insider earlier this week, with Chief People Officer Amy Coleman restructuring her team to prioritise speed and adaptability. Chief Diversity Officer Lindsay-Rae McIntyre is also departing the company on March 31.
Microsoft pledged $80 billion in capital expenditure for fiscal year 2025—most of it directed at AI infrastructure. But that spending hasn’t come cheap on the balance sheet. The company reported slower cloud growth in the October–December quarter alongside record capital expenditure, a pairing that rattled investors. Earlier this year, Microsoft shed roughly $440 billion in market cap as doubts around AI profitability mounted.The company had about 228,000 employees globally as of June 2025. Its last major layoff round came in July, when it cut roughly 9,000 roles—about 4% of its workforce. The Xbox division bore the brunt, with Microsoft cancelling games like Perfect Dark and Everwild, and shutting down The Initiative studio. Two months before that, around 6,000 employees were let go in a round framed around operational efficiency.
Even before the current freeze, Microsoft had been pulling back. In January 2025, it froze hiring across its US consulting division, slashed marketing budgets by 35%, and pushed employees to swap travel for remote meetings. The consulting arm’s $1.9 billion in revenue made it a relatively painless target next to the company’s cloud and productivity juggernauts.The pattern is hard to miss. Microsoft is funnelling billions into AI while trimming headcount and discretionary spending almost everywhere else. How long that trade-off holds depends entirely on when those AI bets start generating returns.
Vasai: The Pelhar police have registered an FIR against six staff members of a CNG pump located in Dhanivbaug, Nalasopara (E), for allegedly assaulting a govt officer and overcharging customers. The case has been filed under sections related to assault, causing grievous hurt to a public servant on duty, along with provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and the Petroleum Act.The complainant, Bhagwat Sonar, a Food Supply Inspection Officer from Vasai, had conducted a raid at the pump on Saturday afternoon following multiple complaints of overcharging. During the inspection on Saturday afternoon, Sonar allegedly found that customers were being charged Rs 30 to Rs 50 extra per refill despite fixed government rates.According to the FIR, the situation escalated when Sonar questioned the staff about the malpractice. The staff allegedly behaved aggressively, argued with the officer, and disobeyed his instructions. In a video recorded by Sonar, the employees can be seen confronting him in a hostile manner. He further alleged that his movement was restricted and that he was physically assaulted during the incident.One of the staff members also reportedly helped a colleague escape from the spot, who was allegedly involved in collecting the excess cash from customers. Following the incident, Sonar alerted the Pelhar police, who reached the location and intervened.Sonar said the raid was conducted after receiving several complaints. He added that the staff appeared to be taking advantage of rumours about a possible shortage of CNG supply to overcharge customers. They also feel that this overcharging may have been going on for some time. He also confirmed that the action taken report will be shared with the state govt with a proposal to cancel the licence of this pump.Police officials confirmed that further investigation is underway to determine the extent of the malpractice and whether more individuals were involved in the racket.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season kicked off with a high-octane clash as the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), took on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, March 28. While the atmosphere was electric with the ‘home team celebrating their status as reigning kings, a somber undertone touched the opening proceedings. As Rajat Patidar led his side onto the field after winning the toss and electing to bowl, fans quickly noticed the RCB players sporting black armbands, a poignant gesture that transcended the boundaries of the sport.
The reason behind the black armbands is deeply emotional and serves as a tribute to the tragic events of June 4, 2025. Following RCB’s historic maiden IPL title win last year, the city of Bengaluru erupted in unprecedented celebrations. Unfortunately, the sheer magnitude of the crowds led to a fatal stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, claiming the lives of 11 devoted fans.
To honor these individuals, the RCB management and players decided to make their 2026 season opener a day of remembrance. Earlier in the day, the team performed their pre-match warm-ups wearing jerseys emblazoned with the number 11. During the match itself, the black armbands served as a visible mark of respect. Furthermore, the franchise has made a permanent gesture by leaving 11 seats vacant in the stadium, ensuring that those fans remain a symbolic part of the RCB family forever. Captain Patidar noted at the toss that while they are eyeing a second star on their jersey, they carry the memory of their supporters in their hearts.
Also READ: IPL 2026: SRH coach Daniel Vettori shares big update on Pat Cummins ahead of RCB clash
The 2026 opener also marked a new era of leadership for both franchises. With Pat Cummins sidelined due to a lumbar bone stress injury, Ishan Kishan stepped up as the interim captain for SRH, fresh off a stellar T20 World Cup campaign. For RCB, Patidar officially began his full-time captaincy stint, looking to replicate the magic of 2025.
The match highlights a significant homecoming for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Philip Salt in RCB colors, while SRH showed faith in young talent like Salil Arora, whom Kishan described as one to watch. Despite the missing frontline pacers like Josh Hazlewood (RCB) and Cummins (SRH), the clash remains a heavyweight battle on a fresh Chinnaswamy track.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.
Also READ: Salaries of all team captains participating in IPL 2026
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a telephonic conversation with Crown Prince and the prime minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, during which both leaders discussed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.In a post on X, PM Modi said that he reiterated India’s condemnation of attacks on regional energy infrastructure and agreed to ensure freedom of navigation and keep shipping lines open and secure.
“Spoke with Crown Prince and PM of Saudi Arabia, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman and discussed the ongoing conflict in West Asia. I reiterated India’s condemnation of attacks on regional energy infrastructure. We agreed on the need to ensure freedom of navigation and keep shipping lines open and secure. Thanked him for his continued support for the welfare of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia,” he said.This was the second telephonic conversation between PM Modi and the Crown Prince since the Middle East conflict erupted on February 28.The crisis has seen the United States and Israel launch strikes on Iran, while Tehran has retaliated by targeting Israel and locations across the region.Iran’s strategic control over the Strait of Hormuz — a vital corridor that carries nearly 20 per cent of the world’s energy supplies — has heightened global concern. Since the escalation, shipping through the route has been significantly restricted.He also spoke with US President Donald Trump, describing the conversation as a “useful exchange of views” on the evolving situation in the Middle East.
“Energy can never be created, nor destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another.”The first law of thermodynamics remains a quiet scientific truth despite a broken supply of crude oil due to the ongoing Middle East crisis. As geopolitical disruption tightens its grip around the Strait of Hormuz, that law reads less like classroom physics and more like a warning. The oil is still there, in the reservoirs beneath Kuwait, Iraq and the Emirates. What has changed is whether the crude oil can move without disruption.The disruption in the Middle East has exposed a deeper fault line in global oil markets. For India, it’s significant because the country imports nearly 90 per cent of its crude oil requirement. With roughly 50 per cent of its crude imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea data, India now finds itself at the intersection of simultaneous pressures: a disrupted supply route, a changing import mix since it began unwinding Russian crude purchases. According to the government, the supply is sufficient to cover 60 days of consumption.
In a telephone call on March 21, 2026, Vinay, a professional working in NAPESCO, Kuwait-based upstream drilling support services, originally from eastern Uttar Pradesh described conditions on the Kuwait’s coast. “Operations are disrupted. Only about 30 per cent of employees are coming to the office. Offices have taken all safety measures, including fire safety, after the missile attack. The fire safety team can reach any office within 2-3 minutes ,”he told TOI. This disruption has changed the language of the market. The focus is no longer limited to supply and demand. It is about resilience, rerouting and the ability to sustain flows through disruption. In that recalibration, pricing benchmarks, refining systems and national strategies are being tested simultaneously.In March 2026, global crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz – the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoint–collapsed dramatically, triggering a chain reaction across markets. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), nearly 20 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude and petroleum product flows have been disrupted, while global oil supply is projected to fall by around 8 mb/d in the same month.
The first thing to understand about crude oil is that it is not a single substance. It is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, and where a crude sits on that spectrum determines who buys it, at what price, and what can be made from it.Two measurements define any crude at the wellhead. The first is API gravity, a density scale developed by the American Petroleum Institute. Light crude, above 31 degrees API, flows easily and naturally yields a high proportion of petrol and jet fuel when refined. Heavy crude, below 22 degrees API, is viscous, requires more processing energy and tends to produce larger quantities of lower-value residues unless the refinery is specifically built to upgrade them.
The second is sulphur content. Crude with less than 0.5 per cent sulphur is called sweet; it meets clean-fuel standards at a lower refining cost and commands a price premium. Crude above that threshold is called sour; it requires an additional desulphurisation stage before it can meet Euro-VI standards, and it trades at a discount. That discount has historically ranged from three to fifteen dollars per barrel depending on market conditions, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights.The Middle East produces primarily sour, medium-density crude. North Sea and North American shale formations tend to yield light, sweet grades. This is a geological fact that no trade agreement can change, and it explains much of why the global oil market is structured the way it is.
With hundreds of crude grades traded globally, markets need reference prices. Benchmarks serve this function: widely traded, transparent contracts whose prices become the starting point for pricing almost every other grade as a premium or discount.Brent Crude, produced from a blend of North Sea fields known as BFOET (Brent, Forties, Oseberg, Ekofisk, Troll) and traded on the Intercontinental Exchange in London, is the world’s primary benchmark. ICE data indicates that Brent underlies the pricing of approximately two thirds of globally traded crude. Its authority rests on a structural quality: Brent cargoes are seaborne. Oil loaded at a North Sea terminal can reach any refinery in the world, making its price a genuine reflection of global supply and demand rather than regional logistics.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), traded on the NYMEX at Cushing, Oklahoma, is the primary US benchmark. It is marginally lighter and sweeter than Brent. But WTI is landlocked, its price reflects pipeline capacity and storage constraints at Cushing as much as global market conditions. When US shale output surged between 2012 and 2019, Cushing storage repeatedly filled, pushing WTI prices well below Brent even as world demand climbed. The US Energy Information Administration reports American crude production now exceeds 13 million barrels per day, making the United States the world’s largest producer, yet WTI’s geographic constraint has not fundamentally changed.Less visible in Western financial coverage but essential to Asia is the Dubai/Oman average, the benchmark for the sour, medium-density crude that flows east from the Gulf. It is the price marker against which more than three quarters of India’s imported crude is contracted. The Brent-WTI spread and the Brent-Dubai differential are among the most closely tracked numbers in the global energy trade, each reflecting a different kind of market signal.
Every barrel of crude passes through three stages before it becomes a usable fuel. Understanding which stage is currently under the most stress is essential to understanding what is happening to prices in March 2026.
Upstream is exploration and production. It covers geological surveys, drilling rigs and wellheads. In India, ONGC and Oil India are the principal domestic producers, but their combined output in FY 2024-25 amounted to approximately 29 million metric tonnes, covering barely 11 per cent of national consumption, according to PPAC. The remainder must be imported.Midstream is transportation: the pipelines and tankers that carry crude from wellhead to refinery gate. The most critical single point in the global midstream system is the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway 33 kilometres wide at its narrowest, between Iran and Oman. The EIA estimates that roughly 20 per cent of all global petroleum liquids pass through it each day. No pipeline bypass currently operates at adequate scale.
Downstream is refining and distribution, where crude is separated through fractional distillation and then upgraded by processes such as fluid catalytic cracking, hydroprocessing and coking into the product slate that consumers actually use: petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, LPG and petrochemical feedstocks. The complexity of a refinery, measured by the Nelson Complexity Index, determines what grades it can process and how profitably. It is in the downstream that India has invested most deliberately over the past quarter century.It is the midstream layer, the movement of oil, that has come under the most severe strain since late February 2026.
The volume of crude entering the global midstream system each day is not purely determined by geology. Since 1960 it has been partly managed by collective decision.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, founded in Baghdad and currently comprising 12 members including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and the UAE, coordinates production levels among its members to influence price stability. In 2016, facing a market flooded by American shale oil, OPEC extended this coordination to include Russia and nine other non-member producers, creating OPEC+. The expanded group now accounts for roughly half of global production.OPEC+ production from the Middle East stood at approximately 29.1 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2026, down from 30.2 million in 2024, according to the IEA. Total global production was approximately 100.4 million barrels per day in Q1 2026, up from 97.4 million in 2024 — a figure that reflects rising non-OPEC output from North America and Latin America even as Middle East output has tightened.The cartel’s pricing power is structurally constrained by competitive production elsewhere. North America produced approximately 28.6 million barrels per day in Q1 2026. American output alone exceeds 13 million barrels per day, making the United States the world’s largest single producer, according to the EIA. When OPEC+ restricts supply and prices rise, American shale drilling has historically accelerated within months, partially offsetting the cut. In the current crisis, however, the constraint is not production quota –it is transit.
Source: International Energy Agency, Oil Market Report March 2026. mb/d = million barrels per day.
The Indian basket is not a fixed benchmark but a dynamic measure of the country’s actual crude procurement. India buys a mix of crude grades through contracts with multiple producers, and the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) calculates a weighted daily average based on realised transaction prices. The Indian basket, therefore, is a record of cost rather than a traded market price.According to PPAC’s methodology notes, the basket currently comprises 78.71 per cent sour grades, represented by the Oman and Dubai average and 21.29 per cent sweet grades linked to Brent dated prices. This composition reflects the crude actually processed in Indian refineries and is derived from the proportion of high-sulphur and low-sulphur crude in total refinery throughput. The tilt toward sour crude is a deliberate strategic choice built on refining economics. A complex refinery equipped with vacuum distillation units, fluid catalytic crackers, hydrotreaters and coking units can buy discounted sour crude and still produce Euro-VI compliant petrol and diesel. The capital investment required is substantial, but a sustained three to fifteen dollar per barrel discount on sour crude, realised over decades of throughput, justifies it commercially. India has been building this refining complexity methodically since the early 2000s.
India operates 23 refineries with a combined capacity of approximately 256.8 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) as of April 2025, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The concentration along India’s western coastline is deliberate. Imported crude arrives at sea terminals in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka, feeding the large coastal complexes directly. The largest single site is Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar complex in Gujarat, where the SEZ and DTA units together exceed 68 MMTPA, making it the largest refining concentration at any single location in the world. IndianOil operates refineries at Panipat and Mathura in the north, Haldia on the east coast, and at Paradip in Odisha. BPCL and HPCL anchor refining in Mumbai and other urban centres. In the northeast, smaller refineries at Numaligarh, Guwahati, Digboi and Bongaigaon serve legacy producing fields and regional demand.In February 2026, Indian refineries processed 21.9 million metric tonnes of crude, of which nearly 20 MMT was imported, according to PPAC’s monthly report.
The economic transmission from a disrupted Strait of Hormuz to an Indian household is neither immediate nor simple, but it is real, and it moves through several channels simultaneously.The first is the import bill. India spends more on crude oil imports than on any other single import category. A sustained rise in the Indian basket price directly widens the current account deficit and exerts downward pressure on the rupee. A weaker rupee makes oil imports more expensive still, compounding the pressure in a feedback loop that is well understood by Indian policymakers but a challenge to deal with once it gains momentum.With the Indian basket at $111.93 and pump prices unchanged, state fuel retailers –IndianOil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum – are losing approximately Rs 24 on every litre of petrol sold and Rs 30 on every litre of diesel, according to TOI. The Centre on Friday (March 27) slashed the special additional excise duty on both petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre each– a decision that will cost the exchequer an estimated Rs 1.3 lakh crore. At the same time, it imposed export duties: Rs 21.50 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.50 per litre on aviation turbine fuel, designed to capture windfall gains from Indian refiners exporting into a tight global product market. The windfall tax is expected to recover approximately Rs 1,500 crore in the first fortnight, partially offsetting the excise cut. Pump prices, critically, remain unchanged.“In view of the ongoing and evolving situation in West Asia, our government has resolved to provide relief in the form of a significant reduction in excise duties on petroleum and diesel so as to ensure stable prices.” said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajya Sabha
Going forward, we will continue to ramp up our efforts in mobilising additional non-tax revenues, and our government will remain on its toes to carefully manage the country’s fiscal position.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajya Sabha (March 27)
In a S&P Global report citing Jefferies research note on the Strait of Hormuz disruption, which said that every $10-per-barrel rise in crude prices above $80, if passed through to consumers, could lift the Consumer Price Index by 20–25 basis points.“If the government absorbs the increase through an excise duty reduction instead of passing it on, the same quantum falls on the fiscal deficit. Neither outcome is comfortable,” the note said.However, the ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, in its statement of March 26, offered a more detailed official picture: against a total reserve capacity of 74 days, actual availability currently stands at approximately 60 days – accounting for crude stocks, refined product inventories and the three underground strategic petroleum reserve sites at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur in Karnataka, which hold a combined 5.33 million metric tonnes, or roughly 9 to 10 days of consumption at current rates. There are no comparable strategic reserves for natural gas.“India’s petroleum and LPG supply situation is fully secure and under control. There is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or LPG anywhere in the country,” the ministry stated, calling India “an oasis of energy security” that supplies refined fuel to more than 150 countries. It described reports of shortages and panic buying at filling stations as “a deliberately mischievous, coordinated campaign of misinformation.“The broader worry, as Priyanka Kishore of Singapore-based Asia Decoded notes, is the nature of a protracted disruption. An affordability problem, higher prices absorbed by government or consumers is a familiar challenge, one India has navigated through multiple oil price cycles since 2002, cited S&P Global. An availability problem where supply physically cannot reach refineries is categorically different. It implies production cutbacks, product shortages and, in extremis, demand rationing. India has not faced that scenario in the modern era of its refinery build-out.The government’s current posture rests on three foundations: diplomatic negotiations with Iran that have secured transit access for Indian-flagged vessels, active sourcing from 41 alternative suppliers, and fiscal intervention to hold pump prices while exporting windfall taxes back into the system. For now, refineries are running. Tankers are being rerouted. The government is watching its reserve cover. But the situation is fast evolving, and remains uncertain globally.
Abhinandan Singh has emerged as a new name in the Indian Premier League after being handed his debut by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2026 season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.The right-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh has taken a quick rise in the game. Four years ago, he was playing tennis-ball cricket. He is now part of RCB’s playing XI in one of the biggest matches of the season. The medium fast bowler proved to be impressive in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League where he claimed 15 wickets in 11 games while representing the Lucknow Falcons. Abhinandan had already impressed within the RCB camp before the season. He dismissed Virat Kohli in both intra-squad practice matches, which brought him into contention for a spot in the XI. RCB’s pace attack has been affected by multiple absences. Josh Hazlewood is injured, while Yash Dayal has been ruled out of the season. Nuwan Thushara is unavailable due to not receiving an NOC. This opened up a place alongside senior bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jacob Duffy. The match also marked the return of cricket to the venue after the stampede during RCB’s title celebrations last year that resulted in 11 deaths. Players wore black armbands as a mark of respect and had trained in No. 11 jerseys ahead of the game. Abhinandan’s selection comes at a time when the team needed a reliable option in its pace unit. His debut marks the start of his journey at the IPL level.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash SharmaSunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga
Two-time Olympic champion Tom Pidcock escaped serious injury after a frightening crash during stage five of the Volta a Catalunya. The British rider fell into a ravine while descending at high speed. The incident left him briefly stranded, as no one immediately realized where he had crashed. Despite the severity of the fall, Pidcock managed to communicate through his race radio. He was later able to rejoin the race.The 26-year-old rider, who was second overall before the stage, showed remarkable resilience. Even after the shocking fall, he got back on his bike and completed the stage. He eventually finished far behind stage winner Jonas Vingegaard, but his ability to continue racing was seen as a major relief. His team later confirmed that early medical checks showed no serious injuries, although further assessments were planned.
After the race, Tom Pidcock described the crash as a frightening moment that could have ended much worse. While descending, he briefly took his hands off to drink and misjudged a corner. As a result, he failed to brake in time and went straight off the road into a ravine. He explained that it felt like one of the worst types of crashes seen in cycling, but he was fortunate to escape without serious harm.He added that he landed far away from the road, making it difficult for others to notice the accident. Fortunately, he was able to use his race radio to call for help. No one initially knew his location. He later reflected that considering the speed of around 60 km/h, he was lucky to walk away relatively unharmed.Despite the incident, Pidcock showed determination. He remounted his bike and finished the stage, although he lost significant time. His team reported that initial checks did not reveal any major injuries. However, he would still undergo further medical evaluation as a precaution. Pidcock’s well being has been the biggest relief for his team and his fans. The incident came shortly after another serious crash in professional cycling involving Debora Silvestri during the Milan-San Remo. Silvestri suffered multiple injuries after going over a roadside barrier but has since been discharged from hospital and is continuing her recovery at home.
US officials have identified Pakistan as a base of operations and/or target for numerous armed, nonstate terrorist groups, a recent report said. Twelve of the 15 groups listed are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) under US law, and most, but not all, are animated by Islamist extremist ideology.The report comes as Pakistan faces a sharp resurgence in terrorist violence. Pakistan has suffered considerably from domestic terrorism since 2003, and related fatalities peaked in 2009. Many observers predicted a resurgence of regional terrorism in the wake of the Afghan Taliban’s 2021 takeover, and data show this has occurred.After five consecutive years of declining fatality rates down to 365 in 2019, the number of terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan has risen every year since, spiking to 4,001 in 2025, the highest toll in 11 years. By many accounts, Pakistan currently is the country most impacted by terrorism.Although major cities such as Islamabad and Lahore have been targeted, the great majority of terrorism-related fatalities in 2025 were concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, especially near the border with Afghanistan. According to the report, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 68% of the deaths and Balochistan for 28%.Pakistan adopted a National Action Plan in 2014 to counter terrorism, seeking to ensure that no armed terrorists are allowed to function in the country. In 2018, the Paris-based intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) returned Pakistan to its “gray list” of countries found to have “strategic deficiencies” in countering money laundering and terrorist financing. In late 2022, FATF assessed that Pakistan had addressed technical deficiencies and completed all action items, and it removed the country from the gray list.Also in 2018, US President Donald Trump in his first term designated Pakistan a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. It has been redesignated annually since.Among the groups identified in the report is Al Qaeda (AQ) “core,” which was founded in 1988 in Pakistan by Osama bin Laden and designated as an FTO in 1999. The report says AQ core has been seriously degraded, but still has alliances with numerous other Pakistan-based FTOs.The report also highlights Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP or IS-K), a regional affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, ISIL, or the Arabic acronym Da’esh) that made inroads in Afghanistan in 2015 and was designated as an FTO in 2016.Its estimated 4,000-6,000 fighters are mostly former members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who are based in Afghanistan but also operate in Pakistan, along with disaffected Afghan Taliban fighters.Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET) was formed in the late 1980s in Pakistan and designated as an FTO in 2001. Led by now-incarcerated Hafiz Saeed and based in Pakistan’s Punjab province and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, it later changed its name to Jamaat-ud-Dawa to circumvent sanctions.With several thousand fighters, LET was responsible for the mass-scale 2008 terrorist assault on Mumbai, India, as well as several other high-profile attacks.Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was formed in 2007 and designated as an FTO in 2010. It is widely regarded as the deadliest terrorist group operating in Pakistan and has undertaken numerous mass-casualty attacks on Pakistani security forces and their families.TTP is composed largely of ethnic Pashtun terrorists who unified under the leadership of now-deceased Baitullah Mehsud, then based in the former FATA, with representatives from each of Pakistan’s seven former tribal agencies. TTP leadership reportedly fled into the border areas of eastern Afghanistan in response to Pakistani military operations in 2014.Resurgent since 2021 and led by Noor Wali Mehsud, the group has ties to Al Qaeda and an estimated 2,500-5,000 cadre. It seeks to defeat Pakistan’s government and establish Sharia law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan government officials accuse the Afghan Taliban of providing safe haven for the TTP.The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), also known as the Majeed Brigade, was founded in 2000 and designated as an FTO in 2025. An ethnic-based separatist group with several thousand terrorists, it employs guerrilla warfare tactics, including attacks targeting People’s Republic of China (PRC) nationals and PRC-funded investment projects in Balochistan.
NEW DELHI: A 22-year-old man died by suicide in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district after streaming his final moments on Instagram, police said on Saturday. The incident, which unfolded late on Friday night, has raised concern over the role of social media in such tragedies, with a 14-minute video of the act later circulating online.According to officials, the incident occurred under the Dehat police station limits. Station house officer Vikas Yadav said the man, identified as Manoj Rajak, went live on Instagram shortly before taking the extreme step. “He waved at his friends during the live chat and blew kisses before hanging himself from a noose tied to a ceiling fan,” Yadav told PTI.Rajak, who worked as a plumber, also sold ready-made garments from his rented room. He had been living alone after his father remarried, following the death of his mother. Friends and acquaintances described him as quiet and well-mannered.One of his friends, Shubham Rajak, said they immediately rushed to his room after noticing the distressing visuals on Instagram around 10.30 pm. However, by the time they reached, he had already died.Police said no suicide note was found at the scene. The body was sent for post-mortem and later handed over to the family. Officials have seized Rajak’s mobile phone and are examining his social media activity as part of the investigation.
