Top news of the day: March 16, 2026

Iran-Israel war LIVE: Israeli strikes on South Lebanon kill three, including two paramedics

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says one person was killed by an Israeli airstrike early Monday (March 16, 2026) on a home in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir. The agency says another strike occurred after paramedics from the Islamic Health Society, Hezbollah’s health arm, arrived at the scene. The agency says the second strike killed two paramedics and wounded another person.

Rajya Sabha elections LIVE: 3 INDIA Bloc MLAs ‘missing’ in Bihar Assembly as voting continues in Haryana, Odisha

The biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha to fill 37 seats across 10 States are scheduled on Monday (March 16, 2026), with counting of votes set for the same day at 5 p.m.

EU, UN discussing Black Sea type initiative for Strait of Hormuz: Kaja Kallas

The European Union (E.U.) is in discussion with the U.N. on a Black Sea Grain initiative type arrangement to open up the Strait of Hormuz, according to its top diplomat Kaja Kallas. The strait, a waterway for a fifth of the world’s oil supply, has been virtually closed by Iran following a conflict in the region which began after Israel and the U.S. struck Iran on February 28, sending oil prices soaring to above $100 per barrel.

Parliament Budget Session LIVE: Allow married couples to file joint ITR, AAP MP Raghav Chadha urges government

Lok Sabha on Monday (March 16, 2026) took up the Question Hour without any disruptions for the first time in the second leg of the Budget session, which has been witnessing repeated protests by opposition members. As soon as the House met for the day, some opposition members demanded raising their concerns immediately. However, Speaker Om Birla said he will allow them to speak after the Question Hour at 12 noon.

Election Commission removes Chief Secretary, Home Secretary in poll-bound West Bengal

Barely hours after the announcement of the West Bengal Assembly poll schedule, the Election Commission of India (ECI) removed two of the top bureaucrats, including Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, of the Mamata Banerjee administration.

Supreme Court quashes criminal proceedings against Ashoka University professor after Haryana refuses prosecution sanction

The Supreme Court on Monday (March 16, 2026) quashed criminal proceedings against Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad for his social media posts on ‘Operation Sindoor’ after the Haryana Government informed that it has refused sanction for his prosecution.

Supreme Court refuses to intervene in a plea filed by journalist Ravi Nair against Ahmedabad Crime Branch notice

The Supreme Court refused to intervene in a petition filed by journalist Ravi Nair, who is challenging a February 12 notice of summons issued by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch in connection, according to him, with co-authoring an article titled “India’s $3.9 billion plan to help Modi’s mogul ally after U.S. charges”, published in ‘The Washington Post’ daily.

10 patients killed, several others injured in major fire at Cuttack’s SCB Medical College Hospital

Ten patients died and several others were grievously injured when fire broke out in an intensive care unit of SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack, due to electrical short circuit in the early hours of Monday (March 16, 2026).

Kharge raises LPG shortage issue in Rajya Sabha; government says Opposition trying to bring anarchy

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (March 16, 2026) expressed concern over the shortage of LPG in the country and accused the government of not taking pre-emptive measures to check the crisis and black marketing of the cooking gas.

Parliament yet to act on end-of-life care law despite repeated Supreme Court nudges: Rajya Sabha MP

A member of the Rajya Sabha on Monday (March 16, 2026) urged the government to introduce legislation on end-of-life care for terminally ill patients, pointing out that Parliament has failed to act on the issue despite multiple Law Commission reports and Supreme Court directives spanning two decades.

Indian airlines cancelled 4,335 flights and foreign carriers 1,187 flights due to West Asia conflict: Govt in RS

Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Monday (March 16, 2026) informed the Rajya Sabha that Indian airlines have cancelled 4,335 flights and foreign carriers 1,187 flights so far in the wake of the West Asia conflict.

Delhi-bound Air India plane diverted to Ireland due to tech issue

An Air India A350 aircraft from New York to Delhi was diverted to Shannon in Ireland due to a suspected technical snag on Monday morning.

NCP(SP) won’t contest against Sunetra Pawar in Baramati Assembly bypoll: Supriya Sule

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) working president Supriya Sule on Monday (March 16, 2026) said her party will not field a candidate against Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Sunetra Pawar in the upcoming Baramati Assembly bypoll.

Trump demands others help secure Strait of Hormuz, Japan and Australia say no plans to send ships

Japan and Australia said on Monday (March 16, 2026) they were not planning to send navy vessels to West Asia to escort ships ‌through the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies to create a coalition to reopen the ​vital waterway.

Oscars 2026: Full breakdown and highlights from the 98th Academy Awards

The 98th Academy Awards unfolded at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with a fairly middling sense of competitive tension that had defined the entire awards season, as the Warner Bros’ champions — Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling political thriller One Battle After Another and Ryan Coogler’s genre-bending Southern gothic Sinners— arrived as the ceremony as the two dominant forces and turned the Oscars into a head-to-head contest that ultimately shaped nearly every major headline of the night.