Top news of the day: March 26, 2026

Israel Defence Minister claims Iran Guards’ navy commander killed in strike

Israel claimed on Thursday (March 26, 2026) it killed Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navy — the key official overseeing the closure of the strait. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had been killed along with other senior naval commanders in a strike overnight. Iran did not immediately acknowledge Tangsiri’s killing. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump insisted that Iran was taking part in peace talks, suggesting Tehran’s denials were because Iranian negotiators fear being killed by their own side. 

India has 60 days of oil stocks and one month of LPG supplies: Government

In a bid to address speculation about India’s energy stocks amidst the escalating tensions in West Asia, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) on Thursday (March 26, 2026) said that India has so far arranged one month of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) supplies through imports, with constant additional procurement ongoing. The government statement added that India has reduced its reliance on LPG imports, with India producing “much more” than it needs to import. On crude oil, the government said Indian oil companies have secured crude oil supplies that would suffice for the next 60 days, while the country is already holding 60 days of stocks.

At least 13 killed and 25 injured in bus-truck collision in Markapuram

A major road accident took place near Rayavaram in the Markapuram district of Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours of Thursday (March 26, 2026). Responding to the accident, Markapuram District In-charge Collector P. Raja Babu said, “Out of 41 passengers in the bus, 13 persons died on the spot and their bodies were collected. Among 25 injured persons admitted to the Government Hospital in Markapuram, 10 suffered severe injuries and five were in critical condition. The five critical persons will be shifted to Guntur GGH.” According to the police officials, the accident happened at a turning point where a private travel bus collided with a tipper vehicle loaded with gravel coming from Kanigiri at 5.30 a.m. – 6 a.m.

Jaishankar in France for G7 meet; West Asia crisis tops agenda

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday (March 26, 2026) travelled to France for the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, which will discuss the West Asia crisis with a focus on coordinating efforts to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains open for international shipping. While India is not a G7 member, it has been invited as a partner country by France, the current chair of the powerful bloc. Top diplomats from the U.S., Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and the U.K. are attending the meeting. Mr. Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with his counterparts on the sidelines of the G7 meeting, it said. Besides India, France has invited Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Brazil.

Seven Indian fishermen from Rameswaram arrested by Sri Lankan Navy

In a fresh incident, seven fishermen from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy personnel on charges of poaching in the early hours of Thursday (March 26, 2026). Two mechanised trawlers were also impounded. According to Fisheries department officials, they had issued 365 tokens on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) from the Rameswaram fish landing centre. The Sri Lankan Navy personnel detained two boats, owned by Simson and Sasikumar, in which seven fishermen were engaged in fishing near the Neduntheevu islet. Speaking to The Hindu, fishermen leader Jesu Raja said they have been at the receiving end for the last four decades. “We have no other source of income other than fishing. Nearly 90% of the families depended on fishing. If the governments are not going to help and resolve the issue permanently, the survival may become a big question very soon,” he said.

India among five nations granted passage through Strait of Hormuz by Tehran

Iran allowed India and a number of other “friendly nations”, including China and Russia, to use the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said. “We have permitted certain countries that we consider friendly to pass through (Strait of Hormuz). We allowed China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan to transit,” Mr. Araghchi said, according to Iranian State TV. At the same time, the Iranian Foreign Minister made it clear that ships linked to Iran’s adversaries will not be allowed to transit through the strategic waterway. “We are in a state of war. The region is a war zone, and there is no reason to allow the ships of our enemies and their allies to pass through. But it remains open to others,” he said.

DGCA asks Air India to take corrective actions after wrong plane deployment to Vancouver

Aviation watchdog DGCA has asked Air India to take corrective measures after the airline deployed a wrong aircraft for operating a flight to Vancouver last week, a senior official said on Thursday (March 26, 2026). Action has also been taken against an airline official for the incident, the senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told PTI. A Vancouver-bound Air India Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, after being airborne for over seven hours, returned to Delhi on March 19 after it was found that the plane was not approved for operating the flight. The approval is only for the Boeing 777-300 ER to operate that flight. Following the incident, the DGCA had sought a report from the airline.

Broken country turned into ‘broker country’ due to ‘self-styled’ Vishwaguru’s failures: Congress

The Congress on Thursday (March 26, 2026) took a dig at the Modi government over its “dalaal nation” reference to Pakistan’s reported mediation in the West Asia conflict, saying the “self-styled Vishwaguru’s” diplomacy and narrative failures have turned a “broken country into a broker country”. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the dapper and long-experienced External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is doing his best to cover up India’s “extreme embarrassment” and the setback to its regional diplomacy from Pakistan’s emergence as a mediator and facilitator of talks to end the current war in West Asia.

Trump to visit China in May after rescheduling trip due to Iran war

U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to China on May 14 and 15 for a rescheduled summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the White House has announced. Mr. Trump, who was earlier scheduled to travel to Beijing by the end of this month, postponed his trip due to the war in Iran. Announcing Mr. Trump’s “long-awaited” trip to China, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. President and First Lady Melania will also host President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a reciprocal visit to Washington D.C. at a later date this year.

North Korea, Belarus sign ‘friendship’ treaty during Lukashenko visit

North Korea and Belarus’s strongmen leaders signed a “friendship and cooperation” treaty on Thursday (March 26, 2026) after Kim Jong Un gave a lavish welcome to President Alexander Lukashenko on his maiden visit. Besides supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine — around 2,000 North Korean soldiers are thought to have died — both nations are under Western sanctions and are accused of gross human rights violations. The two men met last year in China. “In the modern realities of global transformation — at a time when the world’s major powers openly ignore and violate the norms of international law — independent countries must cooperate more closely and consolidate their efforts aimed at protecting their sovereignty and improving the well-being of their citizens,” Belarusian state news agency Belta quoted Mr. Lukashenko as saying.

Chinese Envoy assures Pakistan of ‘continued support’ in meeting with PM Shehbaz Sharif

Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday (March 26, 2026) and pledged his country’s “continued support” for trade and investment in Pakistan, a statement said. Mr. Zaidong also appreciated Pakistan’s “economic resilience” in the meeting, also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other officials, a statement by the PM Office said. Appreciating China’s steadfast economic support, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to advancing the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, called CPEC 2.0, with a focus on agriculture, industrial cooperation, and priority infrastructure projects, it stated.

Panel wants prosecution of ousted Nepal PM Oli over violence in Gen Z protests

A Nepali panel set up to investigate ​the violence during anti-corruption protests in September last year has recommended ‌that former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli be prosecuted ​for “negligence” for failing to prevent dozens of deaths. The ⁠report comes two days before rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah is sworn in as the new Prime Minister after winning a landslide in the ‌parliamentary election following the protests. “As the executive head … Oli should be held responsible for anything good or bad,” the 970-page report said in Nepali. The report ‌also held Mr. Oli’s home minister Ramesh Lekhak and the ​then police chief Chandra Kuber Khapung responsible and said they should be prosecuted. None of them could ⁠be immediately reached for comment.

Nayara Energy hikes petrol price by ₹5 per litre and diesel by ₹3

Nayara Energy, India’s largest private fuel retailer, on Thursday (March 26, 2026) raised petrol prices by ₹5 per litre and diesel by ₹3 a litre, passing on part of the recent surge in global oil prices following the war in West Asia, sources said. Fuel marketing companies in India have been under strain as retail petrol and diesel prices remained frozen despite a nearly 50% surge in international oil prices since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, triggering sweeping retaliation from Tehran. Nayara Energy, which operates 6,967 of India’s 102,075 petrol pumps, has decided to pass on part of the increase in input costs to consumers, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. A company spokesperson did not immediately offer any comment on the story.

Published – March 26, 2026 06:21 pm IST