'Only Simple Flag-Hoisting': Pak Cancels Republic Day Parade Amid Oil Crisis

Pakistan has cancelled its military parade and ceremonial events that were scheduled for March 23, the country's Republic Day. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office announced on Tuesday.

The decision has been taken in the backdrop of a crisis that has been triggered due to disruptions in oil supply because of the ongoing war between the US-Israel and Iran.

"In light of the ongoing Gulf oil crisis and the austerity measures announced by the government, it has been decided that the Pakistan Day parade scheduled for March 23 and all associated ceremonies will not be held," the statement read.

The statement mentioned that instead of an elaborate celebration, there will be a simple flag-hoisting ceremony.

"All ministries, divisions and departments are directed to observe the occasion with simplicity and dignity, so that despite limited ceremonies, the importance of the day and its true message remain preserved," the statement added.

In March, Sharif announced sweeping austerity measures to combat a severe fuel crisis and economic instability triggered by the US-Israel-Iran war. These emergency steps aim to drastically reduce government expenditure and conserve energy as global oil prices surge.

Since the war began more than two weeks ago, Iran has attacked several ships in the Gulf, in effect closing the strait, a conduit for a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas, and driving up global energy prices.

Pakistan relies heavily on imported crude and refined fuels from Gulf producers, most of which come through the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan has raised the price of kerosene and Light Diesel Oil (LDO), local media reported on Monday.

Meanwhile, a report has highlighted that the sharp increase in fuel prices in Pakistan is turning painful during Ramadan, when household budgets are already under strain because the rise in the prices of basic necessities disproportionately affects middle-class families.

"The timing of the increase has, therefore, intensified public anger. Ramadan is traditionally a period when governments are expected to provide relief through targeted support for essential goods. Instead, households are confronting a cost shock that is quickly eroding purchasing power just as families begin planning for Eid expenses," the Dawn reported.

The day carries deep historical weight, commemorating the 1940 Lahore Resolution, the moment the All-India Muslim League officially called for an independent Muslim homeland, a demand that would ultimately culminate in the 1947 Partition of India. 

The date holds a second layer of significance as well, as it was on March 23, 1956, nearly a decade after the nation came into existence, that Pakistan transitioned into a republic upon ratifying its inaugural constitution.
 

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String Of Exits In Assam Raises Poll Stakes For Congress, Priyanka Gandhi

The departure of Assam Congress leaders Bhupen Borah and now Pradyut Bordoloi, which has added to the challenges of the Congress ahead of the state election, has sparked an internal debate in the state unit on why the party's senior leaders could not prevent it. While many question the role of the state party chief, others question how such an event could transpire under the watch of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Sources close to her have pointed out that the senior leader has been serving as the Chairperson of the Screening Committee and her role has been limited to the selection of candidates. 

Bordoloi, often called Shashi Tharoor of the northeast for his erudition, resigned from his Lok Sabha seat yesterday and is now set to contest the assembly elections on a BJP ticket. He is the last in a long line of leaders from Assam Congress who have made a beeline for the BJP since Himanta Biswa Sarma changed camp. 

Though Bordoloi has said his decision was the result of a slow estrangement and regular humiliations within the party and not so much about the election nomination, the perception that the latter is the key reason, persists. 

Read: Assam MP On Why He Decided To Quit Congress, Recalls Shashi Tharoor Incident

Bordoloi had quit, sources said, after the Congress decided to give a ticket to an MLA with alleged underworld links for the coming assembly election. The candidature is yet to be announced.

Lahorighat MLA Asif Mohammad Nazar was allegedly linked to Emdadul Islam, who, Bordoloi said, was involved in a murderous attack on him and other party leaders in April 2025. The man was charge-sheeted and once he was out on bail, was felicitated by Nazar. On multiple occasions Islam was seen in the presence of Gaurav Gogoi, Bordoloi has said. 

The MP said he had opposed Nazar's renomination during a screening committee meeting chaired by Priyanka Gandhi. But his reservations on the matter were rubbished at a committee meeting in New Delhi in presence of Gogoi, he claimed. 

Bordoloi had indicated that this last humiliation was the trigger for his decision -- which pointed to the screening committee - especially since he had written to the state Congress warning that he would resign if Nazar was re-nominated. 

Congress sources said Gandhi Vadra has executed her task as the chairperson of the Screening Committee competently. The names of most candidates have already been announced, including the decision to grant a ticket to Pradyut Bordoloi's son, though it is not known if he would accept.

Read: Pradyut Bordoloi, 'Shashi Tharoor Of Northeast', Quits Congress. What It Means

Calling Bordoloi's decision "unfortunate", Gaurav Gogoi asserted that the Congress had given him everything.

"Just two years ago, the Congress party offered him the opportunity to contest the Lok Sabha ticket from Nagaon. He is a sitting Member of Parliament; the people of Nagaon voted for him. And in this present election, the Congress party offered an opportunity to a member of his family to contest the Vidhan Sabha elections. If our current Nagaon Lok Sabha Member of Parliament wants Himanta Biswa Sarma to continue as the Chief Minister, well, that is his decision, which is rather unfortunate," Gogoi said.

In private conversations, Congress MPs have alluded to the role of the Enforcement Directorate and other government agencies in the matter. 

The state Congress now has a list of leaders whose departures they have to explain: Bhupen Borah's departure from the party on February 22, the defection of three MLAs from the Congress to the BJP on March 5, the switch of former Assam Congress Working President Rana Goswami to the BJP, the exit of former Assam Youth Congress President Ankita Das and Joint General Secretary Parba Das Kalita. 

The continuous and systematic departures, most leaders agree off the record, have progressively weakened the party. The current dispensation, though, maintains that the party, which currently has 29 MLAs in the 126-member House, will put up a strong fight in the election.

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SKY Apologised To NZ Star, Told Arshdeep This After T20 WC Final Clash

India's T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav has revealed that he personally apologised to New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell after he was hit by an Arshdeep Singh throw during the recent World Cup final as he wanted to set an example of good leadership. Arshdeep was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and handed a demerit point by the ICC for throwing the ball that hit Mitchell on his pads. The pacer did not immediately apologise which prompted Mitchell to confront him, leading to an intervention by Suryakumar and the on-field umpires.

Arshdeep eventually issued a public apology and the two players shook hands at the end of the match that India won by 96 runs to retain the trophy.

Asked about the aggression on display in that moment during a podcast interview with PTI Videos, Suryakumar made light of the incident.

"Heat of the moment mein kabhi kabhi ho jaata hai (It happens in the heat of the moment sometimes). At that time you don't fully understand what is happening. But later, I told paaji, that this is not how it happens. He then spoke to Mitchell and it was a light moment," the skipper said.

"He took it in his stride. But it was very important for me to go and tell Daryl Mitchell myself, because as a leader, what example you set on the ground, that is also also very important.

"So I went and told him (Mitchell) the same thing, if Arshdeep did it deliberately, then I am sorry. And even if he did not do it deliberately, I am sorry," he revealed.

Arshdeep's public apology came soon after the match during a post-match interview with the broadcaster.

"Just want to apologise to Mitchell. My throw reverse-swung and hit him so just wanted to say sorry to him for that. It was not intentional," he had said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Man Jumps From 23rd Floor With 2-Year-Old Daughter In Arms At Noida High-Rise

A private school operator allegedly jumped from the 23rd floor of a residential building with his two-year-old daughter in his arms here on Monday, killing both, police said. Police said Rahul Vijayran (35), from Delhi's Nangloi area, lived in Tower 9 of the residential society, but he jumped from another tower, which makes the case suspicious.

According to Vijayran's family members, he had lost his sight in one eye after contracting coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic and was distressed due to this.

The incident took place at a housing society in Sector 102 around 7.30 am.

On Monday morning, while Neetu Dahiya was cooking at home, her husband Vijayran took their daughter Vamika to play in the society park. He later went to the 23rd floor of Tower 5 and allegedly jumped with his child, police said.

Upon hearing commotion, when Neetu went out, she found a man and a girl lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Residents took the two to a private hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

Vijayaran's brother, Amit, told police that his brother got married in 2014.

The couple also has an 11-year-old daughter who studies in Dehradun and lives in a hostel there.

Amit also told the police that his brother had been living in the society for the past two months, and he runs a school in Delhi's Kirari.

"My brother's eyes were damaged when he contracted coronavirus, causing him to lose vision in one eye and have limited vision in the other. He was deeply distressed because of this, pushing him to eventually take this step", he added.

Sub Inspector Jagmal Singh said that the family has refused to take any action.

"The cause behind the suicide is yet to be ascertained, and no suicide note was found. We are investigating why he jumped from another tower. Further probe is underway", the officer said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Yash Dayal Marries Content Creator Shweta Pundir In Private Ceremony - See Pics

Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler Yash Dayal reportedly married content creator Shweta Pundir in a private ceremony in February 2026. According to HT City, the wedding took place on February 4 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh with only family members and a handful of relatives in attendance. Dayal has not made any official announcement regarding his wedding but Shweta shared a reel featuring both of them on her Instagram account. Dayal was part of the RCB team that won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2025 and will take part in the competition once again this year.

Shweta is a social media influencer and vlogger from Delhi with more than 587,000 followers on the social media platform Instagram. She worked as a broadcaster for the International Legends League.

: Yash Dayal secretly married content creator Shweta Pundir on 4 February in the presence of only their family members. pic.twitter.com/cLG20s0kxn

—(@rushiii_12) March 15, 2026

Meanwhile, a new heavyweight has entered the race to buy the owners of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise. Swedish private equity firm EQT Group is preparing a binding bid that could value the franchise at around $2–2.1 billion, according to sources familiar with the process.

If submitted at that level, the offer would comfortably exceed the roughly $1.8 billion non-binding bid made by Avram Glazer through Lancer Capital.

The deadline for binding bids in the sale process is March 16.

The franchise is currently owned by United Spirits Limited, the Indian arm of global liquor giant Diageo. The company put its stake in Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) up for sale in November 2025 as part of what it called a strategic review of its non-core investments.

RCSPL owns both the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the Indian Premier League and the franchise's side in the Women's Premier League.

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Indian-German Couple Reveals Why They Chose To Move From Germany To India

An Indian-German couple recently opened up about their decision to leave Germany and move to India, stating that life in the European nation had become "too comfortable" and they were moving in circles. "Life started running on autopilot," the man, Deepesh Patel, wrote in an Instagram post, explaining that they craved a challenge and an opportunity to grow. The couple felt that their life in Germany was too predictable and lacked excitement. They also wanted to experience personal transformation.

"We didn't leave Germany because of the cold weather or the strict bureaucracy (although, we admit, there were moments when those things tested our patience)," the caption of the post read. "Ironically, we left because life had become too comfortable. Germany gave us financial stability, social security, and a sense of ease. But over time, our lives started running on autopilot. Days felt repetitive, and it seemed like we were moving in circles."

Also read | Intern Shares Detailed Monthly Budget To Survive In "Expensive" Bengaluru

They stated that they didn't want to wonder "what if" they hadn't taken the leap. "At some point, we realised we wanted more than the routine and comfort we had built," the caption read.

See the post here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Deepesh Patel 🇮🇳🌏 (@pateldeepesh13)

Why did they pick India?

According to the caption, the couple picked India because of its rich culture and traditions.

"We felt that India was the right place for that. In its chaos, deep traditions, and vibrant culture, there is space for new perspectives, creativity, and personal transformation," the post read.

Also read | Australian Entrepreneur Uses ChatGPT To Create Customised Vaccine To Cure Dog's Cancer

Social media reaction

The couple's decision has sparked conversation online, with many admiring them for the decision.

"You will not regret your decision. I moved back from US about 2 decades ago to Bangalore and I love it. I like the noise, the traffic, the colours, the people, the festivities..everything that Bangalore offers. Absolutely no regrets," one user wrote.

"Great choice! Good luck!" wrote another.

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"More Than An Hour For 6.5 km": Bengaluru Man Highlights City's Traffic Chaos

A Bengaluru resident has captured the attention of social media users by highlighting the commuting struggles within the city. Pankaj Huria shared a video on Instagram showing himself stuck in traffic, illustrating the painfully slow pace of his journey to work.

In the video, Huria explains that he left his home for the office, a distance of just 6.5 kilometers, at 9:15 am. Despite spending over half an hour on the road, his vehicle had barely moved due to the heavy traffic.

He then pans the camera to his car's infotainment screen, which is running Google Maps. The screen indicates that he still has approximately 4.4 kilometers left to cover, with an estimated arrival time of 10:16 am. This implies that completing the short distance of 6.5 kilometers could take over an hour.

Watch Video Here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pankaj Huria (@pankaj.huria.1209)

Expressing his frustration, Huria remarks that taking over an hour to travel a mere 6.5 kilometers is a common occurrence in Bengaluru, and that this is the harsh reality of the city.

Social Media Reaction

Social media users were shocked after seeing the video. One user commented, "Reality of borewell road."

Another user noted, "It takes 1.5 hours to cover 6 kilometers.

"Same in Pune," added a third user.

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