Liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies from Qatar to India could be impacted following Iranian strikes on energy facilities in the Middle Eastern nation, a government official said on Friday.. In 2024/25, India imported over 27 million metric tons of LNG, with Qatar supplying 11.2 million tons (REUTERS). India, the world’s fourth-largest LNG importer, relies on Qatar for about 41% of its gas imports.. In 2024/25, India imported over 27 million metric tons of LNG, with Qatar supplying 11.2 million tons, according to government data.. “(LNG) capacity of Qatar has been hit, this will hit us too,” Sujata Sharma, a joint secretary in the federal oil ministry, told a news conference. India is Qatar’s second biggest LNG customer.. Iranian attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia, QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters on Thursday.. He said two of Qatar’s 14 LNG trains and one of its two gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities were damaged, with repairs expected to sideline 12.8 million tons per year of LNG for three to five years.. Qatar earlier this month had declared force majeure on gas exports after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran broke out on February 28, halting shipments via the Strait of Hormuz.. Indian industry officials, however, are hopeful that Qatar will continue supplies to India after the lifting of the force majeure, as the facilities catering to Indian demand have not been affected by the attack. 

 An Indian national was killed in missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia’s capital, the external affairs ministry announced on Friday. This raises the total number of Indian fatalities in the West Asia conflict to six, as New Delhi keeps implementing measures to protect 10 million citizens in the region. FILE PHOTO: Clouds drift over the Riyadh skyline. (REUTERS). An Indian national died in Riyadh on Wednesday, marking the first reported Indian death in Saudi Arabia. On February 13, two Indians lost their lives in an assault on an industrial zone in Oman, three seafarers perished in strikes on merchant ships amid the conflict days, and another citizen was listed as missing. “Late [on Thursday] night, we learned of the tragic death of an Indian national in an attack in Riyadh on March 18.” “We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” Aseem Mahajan, secretary (Gulf) in the external affairs ministry, said during a media briefing. The Indian embassy in Riyadh is communicating with his family and working with local authorities to facilitate the prompt repatriation of the body, Mahajan added. Additional details were unavailable, and sources close to the situation indicated that the Indian national died in Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Riyadh. Dozens of Indians, such as workers and seafarers, have sustained injuries in strikes across multiple Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Iraq. The Indian government has prioritized the safety and security of 10 million Indian nationals residing in West Asian countries through its recent outreach to the leadership of these states. Mahajan stated that 15 Indian crew members from the US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu, recently attacked near Basra, Iraq, are scheduled to return home via Saudi Arabia. Another Indian crew member from the same ship was killed, and Mahajan stated that arrangements are underway to bring his body back to India. Since the conflict started on February 28, around 300,000 people have returned to India from West Asia. On Friday, UAE airlines ran 90 flights to India, with additional flights from Oman and Saudi Arabia. 

 Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi stated on Friday that India could have taken a significant moral stance in peace initiatives if it had remained neutral during the US-Israel assault on Iran. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi spoke at an event held at Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad on Friday, March 20. Muu teave: 2011. aasta lõpus oli ta ühinenud Talibani sõjalise nõukoguga. “What did (PM Narendra) Modi do? He positioned himself in the corner between (US President Donald) Trump and (Israel’s PM Benjamin) Netanyahu. “If you had remained neutral, your words might have carried some weight,” he told a gathering in his hometown, according to news agency ANI. He also criticized another South Asian country, Pakistan, for its alleged support of Israel. Our neighbor Pakistan is also like Israel’s younger brother. These two nations will never allow their neighbors to live in peace. Pakistan conducted bombings in Afghanistan, resulting in 400 deaths. 

 On Friday, Delhi experienced light rain and mild thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds, with the minimum temperature at 13 degrees Celsius—0.5 degrees below normal. The rainfall, which restored a winter-like chill to the capital, followed a short spell of warming temperatures. (ANI Video Grab). Cloudy skies will persist over the national capital in the days ahead as well. The India Meteorological Department’s seven-day forecast predicts partly cloudy skies over Delhi, with a chance of very light rain, thunderstorms, and lightning early next week. The recent downpour, which reintroduced a wintry chill to the capital, followed a short spell of warming temperatures ahead of summer. This has made March Delhi’s wettest in three years, averaging 9.4 mm of rain; per PTI, the highest prior March total was 50.4 mm in 2023. The IMD issued a yellow alert for Friday, cautioning of additional rain and temperatures falling to 23-25°C. On Thursday, the minimum temperature dropped below 30°C for the first time in almost a month, reaching 26.8°C. The IMD’s seven-day forecast indicates that maximum temperatures will gradually increase after Friday, hitting 32-34°C by March 25. Rain and snowfall are expected in the Himalayan region and Northeast India. According to the weather department’s bulletin, rainfall or snowfall is likely in isolated areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The forecast indicated light to moderate rains accompanied by thunderstorms in parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Also Read | ‘Insane cover’: What’s making Delhi unusually cold? It’s a rain band spanning 1,000 km. 

 Mussoorie: Officials reported that the Gangotri highway in Uttarkashi district was briefly shut down owing to heavy snowfall between Sukki Top and Gangotri Dham, while widespread rains also battered various parts of Uttarakhand on Friday. Snowfall occurred in the Badrinath Dham temple area in Chamoli district. (Photo by HT.) Officials reported heavy rain in at least seven districts—Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Champawat, and Pithoragarh—while areas above 3,000 meters experienced moderate to heavy snowfall with gusty winds of 20.2–214 kmph. Higher Himalayan shrines such as Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham, Gangotri Dham, and Kharsali on the Yamunotri route also saw heavy snowfall. Meanwhile, lower areas saw heavy rainfall spells all day. District disaster management officials reported that the Gangotri highway was temporarily closed due to snow buildup, with Border Roads Organisation (BRO) teams sent to clear it. Shardul Gusain, Uttarkashi’s district disaster management officer, stated, “Gangotri Dham had a heavy snowfall, while the Yamunotri highway reopened to traffic on Friday.” In Chamoli district, Badrinath Dham was covered by one to two feet of fresh snow. Sunil Purohit, executive officer of Badrinath Nagar Panchayat, confirmed intense snowfall in the shrine area and rain in other parts of the district. Data from the India Meteorological Department’s Dehradun center indicated that Nainital and Dehradun districts were the main areas of rainfall, with 26 mm of precipitation recorded. Places like Mussoorie and Koti, popular tourist spots, saw 2900 mm of rain each, causing a clear drop in temperatures starting Friday morning. In the plains and foothills, Kotdwar, Bhimtal, and Kaladhungi each recorded 214.4 mm of rainfall, with Gular Bhoj getting 221 mm. In higher and interior areas, Rani Chauri recorded 21 mm of rain, while New Tehri, Satpuli, and Kanatal saw between 224 mm and 229 mm. The state averaged 24.8 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am Friday, which was 1,285% above normal levels.