Egypt: Indian Army exchanges techniques, expertise with participating troops at Exercise Bright Star-23

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the West Asia region and its impact on air travel between India and countries in the region. Airlines are undertaking necessary operational adjustments in view of the prevailing conditions to ensure passenger safety and the orderly conduct of flight operations.

Oman Air confirmed that flights to and from Amman (AMM), Dubai (DXB), Bahrain (BAH), Doha (DOH), Dammam (DMM), Kuwait (KWI), Copenhagen (CPH), Baghdad (BGW), and Khasab (KHS) are cancelled until March 22.

India on Thursday highlighted a high-level diplomatic push to protect Indian interests, emphasising the twin priorities of citizen safety and the stability of energy supply chains.

Speaking during the weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India opposes attacks on merchant shipping "from any quarters" and confirmed that several Indian nationals have been affected in recent incidents.

Gobind Gurbani, speaking through video conference, drew attention to the growing gap between the number of patients requiring organ transplants and the limited availability of donated organs.

"There have been maritime incidents involving Indian crew on foreign-flagged vessels. Of these vessels, there were 78 Indian seafarers. Of these, 70 are unhurt and escaped. Four sustained injuries over the last few days, but are stable. Unfortunately, there have been three casualties, and one seafarer is missing," he said.

India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's allegations of aggravating skirmishes with Afghanistan, calling them "baseless" and accusing Pakistan of blaming others for its own misdeeds.

Pakistan's fruit and vegetable supply remains dominated by traditional middlemen and the "mandi" system, with digital platforms handling only 2-3% of trade. Restrictive provincial laws and lack of infrastructure force farmers into dependency on commission agents, stalling modern technological transformation in the agricultural sector.

An Indian crew member was killed after the US-owned tanker Safesea Vishnu was attacked by an explosive-laden speedboat near Basra, Iraq. India confirmed that 15 other Indian sailors were successfully evacuated and are receiving diplomatic assistance as regional maritime security challenges continue to escalate.

India's Consul General in Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, met Ant Group leadership to discuss fintech and digital economy opportunities. This follows high-level engagements with Shanghai's Mayor, aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Reform, Perform and Transform" mantra to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the SCO and BRICS.