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The Manipur government has said there is no shortage of LPG and petroleum products in the wake of the West Asia crisis, asserting that claims of scarcity of cooking gas in the state were misleading. The Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Imphal, has confirmed that there is sufficient stock of LPG and other petroleum products in the state, an official release said late on Friday (March 13).

“IOCL has clarified that the temporary disruption in LPG distribution over the past few days was due to a purely technical issue at the all-India level in the Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) system. This issue has now been resolved and was in no way connected to the stock position of LPG in the state," it said.

"It has been observed that certain social media users and propagandists are spreading misinformation about an alleged shortage or possible shortage of LPG and other petroleum products in the state. Such claims are misleading consumers and the general public,” the release issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said.

The department also urged people not to panic or engage in “unnecessary hoarding” of LPG and petroleum products.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch projects worth around Rs 23,550 crore in Silchar on Saturday (March 14), marking the final leg of his two-day tour of Assam ahead of the assembly elections.

After spending the night in Guwahati, the Prime Minister will depart for Silchar this morning to perform the 'bhoomi poojan' for the Rs 22,860 crore Shillong-Silchar Corridor project, the first access-controlled greenfield high-speed expressway in the North-East, officials said.

The 166-km four-lane corridor will considerably enhance connectivity between Meghalaya and Assam, reduce the distance between Guwahati and Silchar, cutting travel time from 8.5 hours to around 5 hours, thereby fostering economic growth and cross-border trade in the region.

Modi will also perform the 'bhoomi poojan' for an elevated corridor on NH-306, from Trunk Road near Capital Point to Rangirkhari Point in Silchar (Phase I).

This project aims to alleviate congestion on one of Silchar’s busiest roads, improve links with neighbouring states such as Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur, and contribute to the economic development of Barak Valley, the officials said.

A missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad, two Iraqi security officials said.

AP footage showed a column of smoke rising Saturday (March 14) morning over the embassy compound.

The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones fired by Iran-aligned militias.

There was no immediate comment from the US Embassy in Baghdad. On Friday (March 13), the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure, and “may continue to target them.” The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones in the past by Iran-aligned militias.

As many as 741 LPG cylinders were seized from 102 locations across Chhattisgarh as part of a crackdown on hoarding and black marketing amid the West Asia crisis, an official said on Friday (March 13).

Teams from the Food Department and district administration have been conducting surprise inspections at suspected locations to curb hoarding of domestic LPG cylinders, an official release stated.

"So far, 741 cylinders have been seized from 102 places across the state. Raipur district recorded the highest number of seizures with 392 domestic LPG cylinders confiscated, followed by Bilaspur district, where 130 cylinders were seized," it said.

It stated that five LPG bottling plants are operational in the state, comprising two each run by Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, and one by Bharat Petroleum Corporation.

It added that an adequate stock of domestic LPG was available at these plants and bottling was being carried out at full capacity.

Eleven Indian nationals, living illegally in the US, have been charged with visa fraud for conspiring to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience shops, according to US federal prosecutors.

Authorities said the suspects are accused of organising fake robberies for the purpose of allowing the store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications towards getting a Green Card.

Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, Maheshkumar Patel, 36, Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, Dipikaben Patel, 40, Rameshbhai Patel, 52, Amitabahen Patel, 43, Ronakkumar Patel, 28, Sangitaben Patel, 36, Minkesh Patel, 42, Sonal Patel, 42 and Mitul Patel, 40 have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

They all were living unlawfully in various US states such as Massachusetts, Kentucky and Ohio.

According to the charging documents, in March 2023, Rambhai and his co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and elsewhere.

It is alleged that the purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the clerks present to falsely claim that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for a U non-immigration status (U Visa).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal on Saturday (March 14) to address a rally at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata and unveil development projects worth around Rs 18,680 crore, in his first trip to the state after the publication of the post-SIR electoral rolls last month.

The rally, organised by the BJP, will mark the culmination of the party's statewide 'Parivartan Yatra' ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

After the surge in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the setback in the 2021 assembly polls, the BJP’s yatra is being seen as its most expansive statewide mobilisation in recent years.

The yatra, which began on March 1, a day after the publication of the revised electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision exercise, criss-crossed nearly 5,000 km across the state, covering 237 assembly constituencies.