Live! Trump claims talks with Iran’s ‘new regime’, threatens to ‘blow up’ power plants, Kharg

Opposition stages walkout in RS over BJP MP's remarks on misuse of OBC reservation

The Rajya Sabha on Monday witnessed a walkout by several opposition parties over BJP member K Laxman's remarks that OBC reservation is being misused in the name of religion.

Leader of the House and Union Minister J P Nadda criticised the walkout, saying the Congress leadership and the opposition's INDIA alliance are neither interested in debates nor have any respect for democratic values or the Constitution.

During Zero Hour, Laxman raised the issue of OBC reservation, and said their quota is being misused in the name of religion.

He said some states are extending reservations to Muslims and requested the government to order a comprehensive review of such religion-based reservations.

While he was speaking, certain opposition members raised objections to Laxman's remarks.

Later, almost the entire opposition staged a walkout from the House.

Nadda said the opposition parties are disrespectful to the Constitution and do not respect the parliamentary procedures.

He further said opposition parties consider Muslims as a vote bank, while accusing them of engaging in appeasement politics.

Opposition presses for West Asia debate; Speaker adjourns Lok Sabha till 12.30 pm

Opposition parties, led by the Congress, asked Lok Sabha Speaker why the government continues to oppose a discussion on the West Asia crisis, even though it clearly has the time to move a resolution under Rule 193 for a short-duration discussion in the Lower House on Left Wing Extremism (LWE).

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the discussion on LWE is being allowed because the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister had assured the Lower House that India will be free of LWE by March 31, 2026. Regarding the West Asia crisis, Rijiju stated that the Prime Minister and Petroleum Minister have both made statements in Parliament, and the government had also briefed Opposition parties at an all-party meeting about the measures being taken to address the crisis. Therefore, the Opposition should not press for a discussion in the House. The minister added that he is willing to meet Opposition leaders this evening to hear their views on the West Asia crisis again.

As the Opposition continued to press for a commitment from the Centre to allow a discussion on the crisis before the budget session concludes on April 2, Speaker Birla adjourned the House till 12:30 pm.

Trump weighs ground operation in Iran to seize enriched uranium amid ongoing war talks

US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a ground operation in Iran to extract nearly 970 pounds (around 400 kilograms) of enriched uranium that Tehran could potentially use to build nuclear weapons, even as regional talks aimed to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East are underway. Trump has also encouraged his advisers to press Tehran to agree to surrender the material as a condition for ending the war, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a source familiar with the US leader's thinking.

According to the report, Trump has clearly indicated to US political allies that Tehran can't keep the nuclear material, and he has discussed "seizing it by force" if Iran does not give it up at the negotiating table.

Despite the threat, Trump noted that indirect talks between the United States and Iran via Pakistani "emissaries" were making progress. "A deal could be made fairly quickly," he said.

Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have acted as mediators between the US and Iran. But so far, Washington and Tehran haven't engaged in direct negotiations to end the war.

BJP chief Nitin Nabin to resign as Bihar MLA today

BJP national president Nitin Nabin, the MLA from Bihar's Bankipur, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha two weeks ago, will give up his Assembly membership on Monday.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is also set to resign from the state legislative council on Monday. The JD(U) supremo was elected to the upper House of Parliament on March 16.

In a post on X on Monday, Nabin said, "Today, I am resigning from the post of elected member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly from the Bankipur constituency." "Over the past 20 years, I have continuously strived to nurture and develop this constituency, built by my late father, Naveen Kishore Prasad Sinha, with dedication. I have always worked with complete commitment towards the development of my constituency and the state of Bihar.

"As a result, the people blessed me with the privilege of serving them by electing me as their representative to the Assembly five consecutive times," the BJP chief said.

Nabin said that he would remain ever committed to the development of the Bankipur constituency and Bihar in the "new role that the party has assigned to me".

"The unbreakable bond I share with my workers and the people of Bihar will always remain strong, and it will continue to give me new energy, inspiration, and guidance," he added. 

Rupee rebounds 128 paise from all-time low to 93.57 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee recovered 128 paise from its all-time low to 93.57 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, after the Reserve Bank brought down the net open position that banks can keep overnight at USD 100 million.

Forex traders said the rupee opened stronger as banks who generally have long positions, may have to cut their positions taken in onshore currency markets as per the RBI Director.

Through its circular dated March 27, 2026, RBI capped the Net Open Position (NOP-INR) for banks at USD 100 million, with compliance required by April 10.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 93.62 and then gained further ground to 93.57 against the US dollar, registering a gain of 128 paise from its previous close.

On Friday, the rupee slumped by a massive 89 paise to close at a historic low of 94.85 against the US dollar.

"As banks begin adjusting their positions, they are likely to sell dollars in the market, which can temporarily support the rupee. This creates a phase of relief, driven by position unwinding, not by a major shift in fundamentals, but still meaningful in the near term," CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari said.

However, the USD/INR pair is facing pressure from the elevated dollar index and crude oil prices. Safe-haven demand is keeping the dollar index firm above the 100 mark, limiting any meaningful recovery in the rupee, forex traders said.

Sensex plunges over 1,000 points, Nifty drops 300 on last day of FY

On the last trading day of this financial quarter, the Indian equity benchmarks opened in the red. At the open, the Sensex fell over 1,000 points while the Nifty was down 300. Sector-wise, the Nifty Bank and the Nifty PSU Bank were the biggest draggers.

Gold and silver futures were trading 2. per cent and 1.32 per cent down, respectively.Earlier on Friday, Nifty settled at 22,819.60, falling by 486.85 points or 2.09 per cent while the BSE Sensex closed at 73,583.22, declining 1,690.23 points or 2.25 per cent.

Asian shares decline as oil prices soar amid war in Iran

Asian shares mostly dipped in Monday morning trading as worries continued about soaring oil prices and the potential for further escalation in the US war with Iran.

The drops in Asia follow the deep declines on Wall Street last Friday that finished off a fifth straight losing week, its longest such streak in nearly four years.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 4.5 per cent in morning trading to 50,979.54. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.2 per cent to 8,417.00. South Korea's Kospi dove 3.2 per cent to 5,264.32. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.7 per cent to 24,519.63, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.7 per cent to 3,884.57.

Worries have been great in Japan and the rest of Asia about the effective lack of access to the Strait of Hormuz because of the war in Iran, as the region relies greatly on such access for oil shipments.

In energy trading, benchmark US crude jumped USD 2.28 to USD 101.92 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, soared USD 2.88 to USD 115.45 a barrel. Before the war, brent had been price at about USD 70 to a barrel.

Investors are now bracing for the war to last for some time, which would likely set off inflation in global markets, and eventually may stunt Asia's economic growth.

“Although we do not expect the conflict to be protracted, we anticipate heightened volatility in the near term,” said Xavier Lee, senior equity analyst at Morningstar Research.

Oil prices are again climbing after momentarily easing when President Donald Trump extended a self-imposed deadline to “obliterate” Iran's power plants to April 6.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 1.7 per cent to close its worst week since the war with Iran began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 793 points, or 1.7 per cent, and fell more than 10 per cent from its record set last month, while the Nasdaq composite sank 2.1 per cent.

Trump says he has 'no problem' with Russian oil tanker bringing relief to Cuba despite blockade

President Donald Trump on Sunday night said he has “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island, which has been brought to its knees by a US oil blockade.

“We have a tanker out there. We don't mind having somebody get a boatload because they need… they have to survive,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington.

When asked if a New York Times report that the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba was true, Trump said: “I told them, if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it's Russia or not.” Tracking data shows the oil tanker carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of oil, was just off the eastern tip of the island on Sunday night and slated to land in the city of Matanzas by Tuesday.

Journalists working for Cuban state media also reported the boat was expected to land, though Cuban officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, whose government has come at its Caribbean adversary more aggressively than any US government in recent history, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil shipments in an effort to force regime change.

The blockade has had devastating effects on the civilians Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help, leaving many desperate.

Island-wide blackouts have roiled Cubans already grappling with years of crisis, and lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospital and slashed public transport.

Trump suggests US could take Iran's Kharg Island

US President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran's Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.

The comment by Trump came in an interview published early Monday by The Financial Times.

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don't. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the newspaper. “It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while.” Asked about Iranian defences there, he said: “I don't think they have any defense. We could take it very easily.” The US already launched airstrikes once it said targeted military positions on the island.

Iran has threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and new attacks if US troops land on its territory.

Trump said that Iran's parliament speaker authorised the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

The comment by Trump in the interview is the latest signal by the Americans of Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf's importance within Iran's theocracy.

“They gave us 10” Pakistani-flagged tankers, he said. “Now they're giving 20 and the 20 have already started and they're going right up the middle of the Strait.” “He's the one who authorised the ships to me,” Trump told the newspaper about Qalibaf. “Remember I said they're giving me a present? And everyone said: What's the present?' ... When they heard about that they kept their mouth shut and the negotiations are going very well.” Qalibaf has maintained a combative personality through his X account in the war, mocking the Americans and issuing threats. But the former Revolutionary Guard commander has seen his profile rise as senior members of its theocracy have been killed. PTI

Russia concerned with possibility of US taking control of Afghan airbase, says Putin's envoy

Moscow is apprehensive that the US could try to take control of a key Afghan Base amid its escalating military conflict with Iran, a senior Russian diplomat has said.

Speaking in an interview with the government news agency RIA Novosti on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that the US demand for the Bagram airbase is not new.

The Bagram airbase, located near the capital city, Kabul, was built in the 1950s by the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and was widely used by the Soviet forces during their intervention in Afghanistan, and later by the US and NATO forces in operations against the Afghan Taliban.

“The Trump administration constantly voices demands for the return of the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, which the US lost after their inglorious retreat from Afghanistan in August 2021," Kabulov said.

His response came after he was asked to comment on the possibility of the US renewing its demand to the Afghan regime to access the Bagram airbase in the backdrop of massive US military deployment in West Asia.

Russia does not accept the deployment of US and NATO military facilities and infrastructure in Afghanistan or neighbouring states, he said.

"We hope the authorities of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will continue to adhere to a similar approach,” he added.