Top news of the day: March 7, 2026

Donald Trump vows ‘Iran will be hit very hard’

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a post on social networking site Truth Social on Saturday (March 7, 2026), promised to attack Iran very hard today, saying, “Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behaviour, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.“ He called Iran the “loser of the Middle East,” and said it had surrendered to its neighbours. This follows a recorded statement by Iranian President ​Masoud Pezeshkian​, who earlier apologised to Iran’s Gulf neighbours.

‘Approached from a point of humanity,’ Jaishankar on why India let Iran warship dock in Kochi

India allowed an Iranian warship to dock as a ‘humanitarian gesture’, Minister of External Affairs ​S. Jaishankar said on Saturday (March 7, 2026), after the U.S. sank another ‌Iranian Navy vessel off neighbouring Sri Lanka. In his first remarks on the U.S. sinking another Iranian Navy vessel in the Indian Ocean, Mr. Jaishankar said that India allowed it to dock in Kochi as it approached it “from a point of humanity”. On Wednesday (March 4, 2026), a U.S. submarine torpedoed the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which sank off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing 83 people. This brought the West Asian conflict closer to India. The Indian government faced scathing criticism for its “silence” over the attack.

Coimbatore gang rape case: Mahila Court sentences all three accused to life imprisonment

The Mahila Court in Coimbatore on Saturday (March 7, 2026) sentenced all three persons accused in the 2025 Coimbatore gang rape case to life imprisonment. The convicted persons are: T. Karuppasamy alias Satheesh, 30, his brother T. Kaleeswaran alias Karthik, 21, both natives of Singampunari in Sivaganga district, and their distant relative M. Guna alias Thavasi, 20, of Madurai district. The court awarded life imprisonment to the trio for the offence of gang rape under Section 70(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Uttar Pradesh SIR: Over 70 lakh forms for including names, 2.68 lakh for deletion in claims, objections period

Over 70.69 lakh Form 6 claims for inclusion in the electoral rolls and 2.68 lakh objections via Form 7, seeking deletion of names, were received in Uttar Pradesh between January 6 and March 6 as part of the SIR exercise in 2026, Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said on Saturday (March 7, 2026). Addressing a press conference at the Lok Bhawan in Lucknow, Mr. Rinwa said that during the two-month claims and objections period, 70,69,810 Form 6 applications were received, with 35,72,603 submitted by women and 34,96,911 by men, indicating that the number of applications by women exceeded those by men. As many as 296 applications were submitted by third gender voters.

LPG price hikes: Opposition targets government, questions government’s claim of adequate stock

Opposition parties on Saturday (March 7, 2026) slammed the Union government for hiking the price of LPG cylinders or cooking gas, with the Congress questioning the government’s claim of having adequate petroleum stocks amid the West Asia crisis. The prices of domestic LPG and commercial cylinders were hiked by a steep ₹60 and ₹114.5, following an increase follows a rise in global energy prices because of the West Asia conflict. The price increase is effective from March 7. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a post on X , said the Narendra Modi government is helpless in providing relief to the common people.

HC acquits Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim in journalist murder case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has acquitted Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the murder case of a journalist, in which he was serving a life sentence. He will, however, remain in prison, as he continues to serve time following his conviction in a separate rape case. The Dera head was in 2019 convicted under Section 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with three others and later sentenced to life imprisonment by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Panchkula for the murder of journalist Ramchander Chhatrapati in Haryana’s Sirsa.

India says to push ahead with Russian oil imports

India said on Saturday (March 7, 2026) it was pushing ahead with imports of Russian oil, after a temporary U.S. waiver to import crude from Moscow due war in West Asia, but adding it did not need Washington’s permission. The U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region have upended the world’s energy and transport sectors, causing a surge in global oil prices. Washington temporarily eased economic sanctions against Russia on Thursday (March 5) to allow Russian oil stranded at sea to be sold to India.

26-year-old killed in Holi clash in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar was studying digital marketing to support family, say kin

A 26-year-old man who died following a clash during Holi celebrations in southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar had been pursuing a digital marketing course and hoped to support his family, his relatives said on Saturday (March 7, 2026), while demanding strict action against the accused. The deceased, identified as Tarun, died after sustaining severe injuries in the clash that was allegedly triggered by a dispute between two families from different communities over a balloon, in the JJ Colony area on Wednesday (March 4), according to police.

Iran President apologises for strikes on neighbouring countries, says attacks caused by miscommunication

Iran’s ​President Masoud ‌Pezeshkian said on ​Saturday (March 7, 2026) ⁠that its temporary leadership ‌council had approved the ‌suspension ‌of ⁠attacks ⁠against neighbouring countries unless an ​attack ‌on Iran came from those countries. He also apologised for Iran’s attacks on regional countries, insisting that Tehran would halt them and suggesting they were caused by miscommunication in the ranks. The ‌announcement ​came as Iran ⁠continued to launch ‌attacks in the region in response to U.S.-Israeli ‌strikes on ​the Islamic Republic.

Sri Lanka to treat Iranian sailors according to ‘international law’

Sri Lanka will treat Iranian sailors rescued from a torpedoed frigate according to international law, a Minister said on Saturday (March 7, 2026), following reports Washington was pressuring Colombo to not repatriate them. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told a conference in New Delhi that Sri Lanka was caring for 32 sailors from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena under Colombo’s international treaty obligations. The frigate was sunk by a U.S. submarine on Wednesday (March 4, 2026) just off Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Sri Lanka sent its Navy to rescue survivors and recover 84 bodies.

Pakistan increases petrol, diesel prices by PKR 55 per litre, highest-ever hike

In the first post-Iran war economic shock, Pakistan government in an overnight decision has increased petrol and high-speed diesel prices by PKR 55 per litre each, the highest-ever hike. Addressing a press conference just before midnight, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced the hike with the consolation that the country has sufficient petroleum reserves. As a result of the hike, the ex-depot price of high-speed diesel was fixed at PKR 335.86 per litre for the coming week, up by about 20% from PKR 280.86 per litre.

Canadian PM supports removing Andrew from royal line of succession

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday (March 7, 2026) that former prince Andrew should be removed from the line of royal succession over his “deplorable” behaviour. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is being investigated for alleged misconduct in public office following revelations about his dealings with the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was arrested and released in February on suspicion of having passed confidential information to Epstein during his 2001-2011 role as a U.K. trade envoy.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee calls for protests on LPG price hike

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday (March 7, 2026) called for protests against the price hike of LPG cylinders on International Women’s Day and expressed concern over unavailability of gas cylinders. “Yesterday itself they increased the LPG price by ₹60, and three days ago it was increased by ₹59. Then they said that gas must be booked 21 days in advance. But what will people do for 21 days if their gas cylinder finishes? Should they not have thought about these issues beforehand?…What will people eat?,” the Chief Minister said.

Ronaldo’s injury more serious than first thought, says Al-Nassr coach

Cristiano Ronaldo’s hamstring injury is more serious than first thought, Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said. Ronaldo, 41, limped out of Al-Nassr’s 3-1 Saudi Pro League victory over Al-Fayha last weekend. “In the last game, Cristiano left with a muscle injury,” Jesus told journalists on Friday (March 6, 2026). “After the tests he underwent, it became clear that it is a more serious injury than we were expecting. “He will need rest and recovery. Cristiano will travel to Spain for treatment, as will other players who were injured. He will need treatment from his personal physiotherapist. We hope he will return soon to help the team.” Former Real Madrid star Ronaldo’s availability for Portugal’s friendlies later this month, as it ramps up preparations for the World Cup, may now be in doubt.

Published – March 07, 2026 06:33 pm IST