The Hindu Morning Digest: March 19, 2026

Iran hits Gulf energy sites after attack on its gas field

Iran overnight struck oil facilities in Persian Gulf countries, following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on gas facilities in Iran’s southern Bushehr province. This came hours after Israeli air strikes killed Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib, the third high-profile assassination in 24 hours. The South Pars/North Dome mega-field is the largest known gas reserve in the world. Iran had earlier warned that any attack on its energy infrastructure would trigger retaliatory strikes at energy facilities in the region.

Government pledges to allocate additional 10% commercial LPG to States, UTs

Seeking to enhance penetration of piped natural gas (PNG) among commercial entities whilst according support amidst the setback to liquified petroleum gas (LPG) owing to tensions in West Asia, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has written to State governments and Union Territories pledging to allocate an additional 10% of the cooking gas. Furthermore, the Ministry sought to provide an additional quantum, in a tiered structure, should the respective governments be able to attain certain eligibility criterions.

22 India-bound ships on Hormuz evacuation list

22 India-bound vessels in the Persian Gulf region have been identified for evacuation and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz by the Indian government. Of these, 20 vessels have been assessed as critical to India’s energy security, carrying some 2.15 lakh metric tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), 3.21 lakh tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 16.76 lakh tonnes of crude oil. These vessels are both Indian-flagged and foreign-flagged but all are bound for India.

Kolkata I-PAC raids case: ED not a ‘person’ to claim violation of fundamental rights by a State, Bengal argues in SC

The Supreme Court asked the West Bengal government if the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) was expected to merely “look and watch” when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “barged” in and obstructed ongoing raids at the offices of the political consultancy firm I-PAC at Kolkata in January. The remark from Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, heading a Bench, was in response to the poll-bound State’s submissions that the ED was neither a “body corporate” nor a “legal or natural person” to approach the apex court under Article 32 of the Constitution claiming violation of its “fundamental rights”.

2-3 drones sighted along India’s border every day: Parliament panel report

In the past five years, about two-three drones were sighted every day and at least one drone incursion was reported each day along India’s international borders, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed a Parliamentary Standing Committee. The Ministry said that during the last five years, 4,323 cases of drone sightings were reported. However, 967 cases of drone incursions occurred, which were intercepted or neutralised, resulting in the seizure of 710 ammunitions, 75 arms and 641 kg of drugs.

China-bound Russian oil tanker diverted to India

A crude oil tanker that set sail from Primorsk in Russia for Rizhao port in China has changed course in Southeast Asia and is now heading towards the New Mangalore port with 1.1 lakh tonnes (7.7 lakh barrels) of Urals crude, showed ship-tracking data. The ship is expected to reach Mangaluru on March 20. According to marinetraffic.com, Aqua Titan, a Cameroon-registered tanker, left the Russian port on January 18. It anchored at Port Suez and departed on February 21, showed vesselfinder.com.

17 killed in Delhi, Indore blazes; major fires reported in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh

Devastating fires in Delhi and Indore killed 17 people, many of them children, and gutted several shops in busy markets in Ahmedabad and Chandigarh, triggering panic and large-scale firefighting operations. Authorities rushed teams to contain the flames and rescue those trapped, ordered probes into the incidents and announced financial compensation for the victims.

U.S. offers $2,600 ‘exit bonus’ for illegal migrants to self-deport voluntarily

The United States Department of Homeland Security announced a scheme offering financial incentives and free travel to undocumented migrants who choose to leave the country voluntarily, using a government mobile application. The post on X by the department had promotional posters for free flights to India, Colombia and China.

‘No full stops in politics’: PM as Rajya Sabha bids farewell to 59 retiring MPs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “in politics, there is no such thing as a full stop”, as the Rajya Sabha bid farewell to 59 Members retiring between April and July, including Deputy Chairman Harivansh, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. Lauding their contributions, Mr. Modi urged the Members to remain active in public life. He singled out Mr. Deve Gowda, Mr. Kharge, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar and Mr. Harivansh for their commitment to parliamentary work, calling their long tenures “a matter of immense significance”.

TVK chief Vijay rules out alliances, says ‘no compromise on secular social justice principles’

Dismissing reports of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) likely joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the ensuing Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, party president Vijay asserted there is no compromise in his party’s stand on “secular social justice” principles. Speaking at an iftar event organised by the party at Mamallapuram, 60 km south of Chennai, Mr. Vijay said from the very beginning of his entry into politics, many rumours have been spread about his party being a proxy of some other party. 

About 90 ships have crossed Strait of Hormuz so far as Iran exports millions of barrels of oil despite war

About 90 ships including oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the war with Iran and it is still exporting millions of barrels of oil at a time when the waterway has been effectively closed, according to maritime and trade data platforms. Many of the vessels that passed through the strait were so-called “dark” transits evading Western government sanctions and oversight that likely have ties to Iran, maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence said.

Tamil Nadu Assembly election: DMK allots 5 seats to CPI, while talks with CPI(M) continue

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) finalised a seat-sharing agreement with the State unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI), allotting five seats to the party — one less than what it had contested in the 2021 Assembly election. The agreement was signed by DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and CPI State secretary M. Veerapandian. However, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] remained firm on securing more seats or at least retaining the six allotted to it in the previous election. Hence, the two parties could not reach an agreement.

Trump temporarily waives maritime shipping law to ease energy costs

U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily waived a century-old shipping law to help ease energy costs that have surged since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the West Asia into war. Mr. Trump’s move to issue a 60-day Jones Act waiver would lift a ban on foreign-flagged vessels transporting cargo between U.S. ports over this period. The 1920 law was aimed at promoting American shipbuilding, but critics argue that it hampers free trade and has raised costs for consumers.

Vacancies, rising backlog, non-transparency weaken consumer dispute redressal system in India: report

Mounting vacancies, sharp rise in pending cases and non-transparency in terms of case disposals have significantly weakened India’s consumer grievance redressal mechanism, finds Consumer Justice Report 2026 released in Delhi. Released by the India Justice Report (IJR) with an aim to assesscapacity of redressal commissions in India, this first of its kind report mainly relied on data from public platforms, websites of redressal commissions, Right to Information (RTI) replies, and Parliament responses collected between 2020 and 2024. It finds that Indian consumers remain most aggrieved about insurance, housing and banking.

Mass funeral held in Kabul for victims of strike on hospital that Afghanistan blames on Pakistan

Bulldozers dug pits in a cemetery in the Afghan capital ahead of a mass funeral on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) for some of the victims of what officials have said was a Pakistani airstrike that hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul earlier this week. The strike was the deadliest in an escalating conflict between the two neighbours, now in its third week. Afghan officials have put the death toll at 408 people, with 265 wounded. The toll could not be independently verified.

West Bengal Assembly elections: BJP ‘trapped’ Mamata in her seat by nominating Suvendu from Bhabanipur, says Dilip Ghosh

Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said the party has “trapped” TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in her constituency, Bhabanipur, by fielding leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari from the seat in south Kolkata. He asserted that the move has removed the elbow room the Chief Minister usually keeps to cover her bases across West Bengal during her poll campaigns for the Trinamool Congress.

Centre taking action against coaching centres for misleading advertisements: Pralhad Joshi

The government has taken various measures to protect the interest of consumers, including action against coaching centres for misleading advertisements, Union minister Pralhad Joshi said. Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister said many notices were issued to coaching centres. Besides, penalties have been levied for misleading advertisements.

Cuba vows ‘unbreakable resistance’ as U.S. pressure mounts

Cuba’s leader said the U..S would face “unbreakable resistance” if it tries to take over the impoverished island nation, as communist authorities scrambled to fix a nationwide electricity blackout. Cuba’s government is under increasingly crushing pressure, with Washington enforcing an oil blockade and openly stating it wants to end the nearly seven-decade-old US standoff with the one-party communist state.

Published – March 19, 2026 06:41 am IST