SATURDAY PIC: DEBADATTA MALLICK 07 MARCH, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard AI CHALLENGE ‘ANTHROPIC AS SUPPLY-CHAIN RISK’ Pentagon has formally notified Anthropic, firm with state-ofthe-art AI products, a supplychain risk, escalating a bitter dispute over AI safeguards. PAGE 9 DIVINE INTERVENTION IN AHMEDABAD! A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI   J8.00 Two days before India took on England in Mumbai, the team deferred its training session by an hour due to Lunar Eclipse. Now, the team has changed the hotel in Ahmedabad ahead of the final. Moreover, the Motera strip is made of three soils—red, black and a mixture. India may not go for black this time | P11 PAGES 12 Presenting Partner Luxury Mobility Partner March 7 2026 Raajkutir, Kolkata - IHCL SeleQtions 6 pm Associate Partners Celebration Partner Prosenjit Chatterjee, Actor, Padmashri Awardee will be presenting the awards TOWNHALL INTO CULTURAL HUB The civic body has teamed up with DTTDC to conserve, restore and repurpose the 160-yearold complex for revenue generation | P4 Government sources, meanwhile, clarified that India had not stopped buying Russian oil despite US overtures. In February, Russia was India’s largest crude oil supplier. Sources said despite the US waiver, Indian refiners are seeking a legal opinion on purchasing the Russian oil stranded at sea, which may include shipments from sanctioned entities and vessels. “So far, refiners have bought only non-sanctioned oil,” said a petroleum ministry official, adding that oil companies want to avoid complications including payment problems if they buy sanctioned oil. After the Russia-Ukraine war started, New Delhi had consistently raised purchases from Russia from 0.2% of total oil imports in December 2021 to as much as 40% in July 2025. IRAQ Status of major Gulf energy sites Basra Mina AI Ahmadi KUWAIT Kharg Island AI Zour IRAN Juaymah Strait of Hormuz Ras Tanura IRANIAN WARSHIP DOCKED IN KOCHI New Delhi: Days before the US sank Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, Iran had approached India seeking urgent docking permission for IRIS LAVAN with 183 crew members, in Kochi. Sources said request was made on Feb 28 and permission given on March 1. The ship remains docked in Kochi since March 4 | P7 Oil facilities Ras Laffan QATAR Gas facilities Ruwais Jebel Ali Fujairah Gulf of Oman UAE OMAN SAUDI ARABIA Duqm Recently damaged THE Centre on Friday invoked its rarely used emergency powers to direct all oil refiners operating in India to ramp up LPG production in view of supply disruptions due to the ongoing war in West Asia. As much as 85% of India’s LPG imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which is now effectively closed. To ensure seamless supply of cooking gas, the government issued an order under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (ESMA) asking refiners to maximise LPG Shut down Yemen production and supply it only Gulf of Aden to the three state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation. The order further stated that refiners must use all available propane and butane to produce LPG and should not use the two chemicals to make petrochemical products or other downstream derivatives. “All Public sector OMCs shall ensure that LPG so procured is supplied/marketed solely to consumers of domestic LPG only the order read. ,” COMMITTED TO SERVE PEOPLE OF DELHI AND NATION: SANDHU A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi TARANJIT Singh Sandhu, the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, has said that he is committed to serving the people of the city and the nation with dedication and humility. He succeeds V K Saxena, who held the post for nearly four years and has been shifted to Ladakh. Sandhu’s appointment was made by President Droupadi Murmu as part of a reshuffle of gubernatorial posts in several states/UTs late on Thursday night. In a post on X, Sandhu said, “Deeply honoured and grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the opportunity to serve the people of Delhi as Lieutenant Governor. Grateful also to Home Minister Amit Shah for his trust and support. Committed to serving the people of Delhi and the nation with dedication and humility .” A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Sandhu is one of India’s most experienced diplomats on US affairs. He served in the Indian mission in Washington multiple times, including as India’s ambassador to the US from February 2020 to January 2024. Earlier, he was Deputy Chief of Mission from July 2013 to January 2017 and First Secretary (Political) from 1997 to 2000, liaising with the US Congress. Sandhu has also served as an advisor to the Board of the USIndia Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and as its established Geopolitical Institute’s chair. His diplomatic career spans 40 years, during which he guided USISPF’s strategic initiatives, including the IndiaMiddle East-Europe Economic Corridor, the Quad, and the I2U2 grouping of India, Israel, the US, and the UAE. He played a key role in organising major events, including PM Modi’s 2014 Madison Square Garden address, US President Donald Trump’s 2020 visit to India, and Modi’s 2024 state visit to Washington. As Chair of the Geopolitical Institute, Sandhu helped shape USISPF’s approach to global developments, focusing on defence ties, vaccine diplomacy, emerging technologies, and energy partnerships. Balendra Shah India bullish on new govt Govt invokes ESMA, asks OMCs to raise LPG output E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi Voters across the nation align with spirit of Gen Z revolution, chuck all major parties Pakistan WITH the Iran-Israel/US war starting to impact crude supply and setting prices on fire, the US on Friday said it would issue a 30-day waiver for Indian refiners to buy Russian oil stranded at sea. The Strait of Hormuz, the crucial chokepoint through which 20% of global oil and gas shipments pass through, is currently under threat due to the war. Announcing the decision, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the temporary waiver is to ensure oil continues to flow into global markets. The announcement, however, kicked off a political storm in India with the opposition parties questioning how the US can decide where India should buy from, accusing the Narendra Modi-led government of “surrendering” the country’s Rapper-politico Balen on Nepal landslide course Afghanistan sovereignty to a foreign power. Israel S ea MCD TO TURN FOR INDIA TO BUY STRANDED RUSSIAN OIL ed eR THE long-delayed Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, is set to begin operations, with aviation regulator DGCA granting the aerodrome licence to developer Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG. Designed to complement Delhi-NCR’s growing air traffic, NIA’s first phase can handle around 1.2 crore passengers. IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India Express have confirmed services from the airport. Commercial and cargo operations are set to start 45 days after obtaining the licence. Officials had earlier secured security clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security which was de, layed partly because the airport had a foreign CEO, Christoph Schnellmann, a Swiss national who previously served at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. Incomplete boundary walls around the airport also delayed clearance. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Jewar Airport is being developed in four phases, along with a multi-modal cargo hub. When fully complete, it will handle up to 70 million passengers annually The first phase, cov. ering 1,334 hectares, is being built at a cost of `6,800 crore. Syria Th S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi 30-DAY US ‘WAIVER’ Turkey R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi Hospitality Partner Turkmenistan Caspian Sea DGCA okays aerodrome licence to Noida airport Silver Partner 1988-batch IFS officer, expert on US affairs Sandhu, a 1988-batch IFS officer, is one of India’s most experienced diplomats on US affairs. He was India’s ambassador to the US from February 2020 to January 2024. He was also Deputy Chief of Mission from July 2013 to January 2017 and First Secretary (Political) from 1997 to 2000. He also served as an advisor to the board of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. India, through foreign ministry Arabianspokesperson Sea Randhir Jaiswal, said, “We look forward to working with the new Government of Nepal to build on the robust ties between our two countries and peoples for mutual benefit” Top choice in Gen Z protest Balendra was a popular choice to lead the interim government after Gen Z youths toppled the Oli-led coalition government in September last year. But Balen declined, saying he would rather contest the parliamentary elections for a full term J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi RAPPER-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party is on course for a historic landslide in Nepal’s first post-Gen Z protest general elections, toppling decades of dominance by the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist). Shah, 35, a former mayor of Kathmandu, joined the three-year-old RSP in January as its prime ministerial candidate. Early counting trends from the Election Commission, covering 144 of 165 constituencies, show the RSP has already won three seats and is leading in 104 others. By contrast, the Nepali Congress has secured two seats and leads in 12, while the CPN-UML leads in 10 constituencies. In its manifesto, Shah’s RSP promised bold economic and social reforms, pledging to create 1.2 million jobs, curb forced migration, and double Nepal’s per capita income from $1,447 to $3,000 within five years. The party also vowed to expand the national GDP to $100 billion and provide universal healthcare insurance. Voter turnout reached approximately 60%, reflecting strong engagement in a politically fragile nation that has seen 14 governments in 18 years. The RSP’s dominance is evident in Kathmandu, where it leads in all 10 constituencies. Shah was leading in Jhapa-5 against four-time prime minister Oli, securing 6,551 votes to Oli’s 1,428. Other RSP victories include Ranju Darshana in Kathmandu-1 with 15,455 votes. Analysts caution that much of Shah’s success will depend on the team he surrounds himself with to tackle a corruptionprone bureaucracy and aspiration of youth who voted for change. Shah, popularly known as ‘Balen’, owes part of his appeal to a strong social media presence, boasting over 3.5 million followers, which allows him to engage directly with younger voters who spearheaded the anti-corruption, proreform protests last year. P9 EXPRESS READ Sharp fall in US student visas for Indians Student visas issued to Indian nationals by the US have been falling steadily in the last four years. In the last two years, the visa count has dipped drastically. The F-1 visa figures for August stand at 14,769 in 2022; 12,867 in 2023; 5,529 in 2024; and 2,389 in 2025. P7 K’taka bans social media use for those under 16 Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Friday announced a ban on use of social media for those under 16, aimed at preventing its adverse effects on children. However, the budget speech did not discuss implemention. Also, Andhra Pradesh has proposed to ban it for those under 13. P5 POLITICAL MESSAGING Social inclusion triumphed party heft in Cong call on RS ticket to Tilak PREETHA NAIR & RAJESH A B R A H A M @ New Delhi THE Congress announcement of M Christopher Tilak as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Tamil Nadu sparked quiet discussions within party circles, with sources indicating that the decision followed intense internal consultations amid differing views among the top leadership. Sources said Leader of Oppo- Committed organisational worker Party insiders said the choice of Tilak reflected a balance, along with the need to ensure coordination with the DMK. Regarded within Congress circles as a committed organisational worker, Tilak is expected to strengthen the party’s outreach in the state M Christopher Tilak | P JAWAHAR sition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and former party president Sonia Gandhi had favoured the candidature of Dr A Chellakumar, a former MP from Tamil Nadu who has held several organisational responsibilities in the party However, . the proposal did not find wider acceptance during the final round of discussions, with Congress president Mallikar- jun Kharge and a section of the leadership backing the idea of fielding a Dalit representative. The leadership eventually settled on Tilak. Senior leaders, including Kharge, Sonia, and Rahul, were closely involved in consultations on both seat sharing with the DMK and the selection of the Rajya Sabha nominee. According to sources, Rahul and Sonia argued that the nomination should reflect organisa- tional experience and merit, pointing to Chellakumar’s long association with the party and his earlier tenure as a Lok Sabha member from Tamil Nadu. However, another view emerged, with some leaders emphasising the importance of social representation. Kharge and a section of the leadership are learnt to have felt that nominating a Dalit would align with the party’s broader political messaging on social inclusion. UPSC RESULTS OUT, RAJ DOCTOR TOPS 26-year-old Anuj Agnihotri secured AIR 1 in the third attempt, while 38 from Jamia Millia Islamia became successful | P3 & P8