Top news of the day: UN declares West Asia crisis ‘a major humanitarian emergency; Karnataka to ban social media for children under 16 years, and more

Israel-Iran war LIVE: UN declares West Asia crisis ‘a major humanitarian emergency’; Israel pounds Iran and Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon as the U.S. apparently struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea, intensifying its campaign targeting the Islamic Republic’s fleet of warships. The United Nations refugee agency said it had declared the crisis in the Middle East a major humanitarian emergency, stressing the need for an immediate response.

UPSC civil services examination results declared

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the results of civil services exam for 2025, on Friday (March 6, 2026).

Govt asks refiners to maximise LPG production, OMCs to prioritise supply to domestic consumers

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has asked oil refining companies to maximise production of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and make it available to the three public sector entities — IndianOil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum — to be sold to consumers for domestic consumption only.

‘Baseless’: Sources dismiss claim that Indian Navy provided intelligence on Iranian warship

India on Friday (March 6, 2026) has denied reports that it assisted the United States in targeting an Iranian vessel in Sri Lankan waters, with a top naval official describing such reports as “baseless”.

Mamata begins sit-in against voter roll deletions, alleges BJP-EC ‘conspiracy’ ahead of Bengal polls

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (March 6, 2026) began a sit-in here to protest against the alleged arbitrary deletions from the post-SIR electoral rolls, escalating the TMC’s confrontation with the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of the State Assembly polls.

Amit Shah reiterates commitment to eliminate Maoism by March 31

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (March 6, 2026) reiterated that India would be free from Maoist violence by March 31, 2026.

IAF jet crash: Pilot took part in Operation Sindoor, had family get-together 10 days ago, says father

Ravindra Duragkar could only recall memories of his son, Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar, the most vivid being their phone chat on Wednesday (March 6, 20226) and his visit home ten days ago for a family get-together.

Need to make agricultural products export-oriented, globally-competitive: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (March 6, 2026) asked farmers to leverage India’s diverse climatic conditions and focus on scaling up the harvest of high-value crops to enable the country’s agricultural products to effectively compete in global markets.

Karnataka Budget 2026-27: State Government to ban social media for children under 16 years

The use of social media by children under the age of 16 will be banned in an effort to prevent the negative effects of increasing mobile phone use among children, announced Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in his Budget speech on Friday (March 6, 2026).

At least one student killed, 11 others injured in ceiling collapse during tuition class in Navi Mumbai

A 13-year-old boy was killed, while 11 children were injured, after a section of the concrete ceiling collapsed onto a private tutoring class in Navi Mumbai’s Koparkhairane on Thursday (March 5, 2026).

Lt. Gen. (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain: the new Governor of Bihar

Lt. General (retired) Syed Ata Hasnain has been named the Governor of Bihar on Thursday (May 5, 2026) as part of major gubernatorial appointments effected by President Droupadi Murmu.

U.S. “allowing” India to import Russian oil will help mitigate price spikes and delays, say analysts

The decision by the U.S. to “allow” India to import Russian oil for a period of 30 days will help mitigate the spike in the price of oil and delays in oil shipments to import-dependent India, according to analysts. 

Karnataka Budget 2026-27: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presents his 17th budget, with an outlay of ₹4,48,004 crore

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented the State Budget for 2026-27 with a total outlay of ₹4,48,004 crore, a 13.3% increase compared to the Revised Estimates for 2025-26, pegged at ₹3,95,307 crore. This was despite concerns over a fall in Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue due to rate rationalisation, which seems to have been countered by an increase in the State’s share of the tax devolution pool, as per recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission. 

India in touch with multilateral agencies, U.S. DFC for shipping insurance, to shield impact on fuel supplies

India is in touch with U.S. authorities for securing maritime insurance cover from the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), sources in the government informed on Thursday (March 5, 2026).

Nepal election results: RSP leads in 96 constituencies, gains in PR vote

With vote counting under way in Nepal on Friday (March 6, 2026), the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) continues to make rapid gains under the Proportional Representation (PR) system, securing 9,188 votes.

Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu appointed Delhi L-G

Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi on Thursday (March 5, 2026), replacing V.K. Saxena, who has been made the Ladakh L-G.

Oil option price volatility doubled to $80 in two months: Experts

The volatility of oil option prices doubled to $80 in the last few days from $25-30 in December 2025, responding to the U.S. action in Venezuela and now Iran, according to analysts.

U.S. issues 30-day waiver to allow India to purchase Russian oil amid West Asian supply woes

The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday (March 6, 2026) issued a “ temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil”, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Published – March 06, 2026 05:42 pm IST