Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after US President Donald Trump ordered a halt to planned military attacks on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, reducing fears of an escalation in the Middle East conflict.Brent crude fell more than 15% during the session to as low as $96 a barrel, falling below the $100 level for the first time since March 11. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also slipped 13.5% to a session low of $85.28.However, by 1130 GMT, Brent again reached $104 per barrel, while WTI was at $90.55.Brent crude prices had surged more than 60% since the start of the Middle East crisis, rising to nearly $112 a barrel on Monday before Trump’s announcement.The surge came as oil prices rose above $100 a barrel following attacks on Iranian ships that disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route, amid the Middle East conflict.On India’s Multi Commodity Exchange, crude for April delivery initially rose Rs 362, or 4%, to an intraday high of Rs 9,620 a barrel. However, prices later reversed sharply and fell Rs 827 or 9% to Rs 8,431 per barrel, hitting the lower circuit limit, PTI reported.Earlier in a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had “directed the War Department to suspend all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a period of five days.”He said the pause depended on the “success” of ongoing “meetings and discussions”.“We have had very good and productive conversations over the last two days between Washington and Tehran regarding a complete resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” Trump said.Earlier, Trump had warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face military action targeting key energy facilities. Tehran responded by threatening to “irreversibly destroy” critical infrastructure across the region, including water systems, and targeting power plants that supply electricity to US bases.The temporary de-escalation eased concerns over supply disruptions, leading to a sharp decline in oil prices after last week’s surge.However, the broader outlook remains uncertain. The International Energy Agency (IEA) had earlier warned that the ongoing conflict had created a global energy crisis.Speaking at the National Press Club in Australia, IEA chief Fatih Birol said, “This crisis is now a combination of two oil crises and a gas disaster.” He cautioned that the global economy faces serious risks, saying, “The global economy faces a big, big threat today, and I sincerely hope that this issue will be resolved as soon as possible.” Emphasizing the need for coordinated global action, Birol further warned that “if any country continues to move in this direction, it will not be left untouched by the impact of this crisis.”

Rama Duwaji’s artwork, published in February by Slow Factory alongside Diana Islaih’s essay on the Gaza displacement camp, has triggered a political backlash in New York City and raised questions about Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office.The illustration depicts a woman’s face, painted in black and white, with full eyebrows arched above a sharp nose, almond-shaped eyes and two outstretched hands. The essay was part of an anthology of essays edited by Palestinian-American writer Susan Abulhawa, CNN reported.Key City Hall staffers did not know whether Duwaji, the city’s new first lady, had been commissioned to create the artwork or about Abulhawa’s post, according to two people briefed on the matter, which was first reported by the conservative Washington Free Beacon earlier this month.Abulhawa has referred to Israeli forces as “Jewish supremacist monsters” and described Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack as “a spectacular moment that shocked the world”, which he described as a “criminally merciless siege of Gaza by Israel”.While Duwaji has not commented publicly, Mamdani spoke out against Abulhawa’s language and said that Duwaji’s independent work was protected through a third party, that Duwaji was not in direct communication with the author and that he was not aware of Abulhawa’s posts.Mamdani said on March 13, in reference to Abulhawa, “I think that rhetoric is obviously unacceptable. I think it’s reprehensible.”The people briefed on the episode, who declined to be named so as not to upset the mayor, argued that the reaction raised questions about whether his work should be scrutinized more closely.Scott Richman, New York regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said, “The mayor condemned the author’s language, which is to his credit.” “However, we have not heard from them. Do they have any problems with the author and his statements? We just don’t know.”Abulhawa denied that he was anti-Semitic and said he was disappointed by what Mamdani said.“You have capitulated to the forces that want to manipulate you, your talented, beautiful wife, and your work, and apply even more pressure with each apology or concession you make,” he said. “If you’re not careful, they’ll take away your soul before you even realize it.”The subsequent revelations came from pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel posts shared and liked by Duwaji. They went unnoticed during Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, but now there is new scrutiny for both of them, especially as Mamdani faces suspicion from many in the city’s Jewish community, the largest of any city outside Israel.Mamdani said at a press conference earlier this month that Duwaji, a Texas-born professional artist of Syrian descent, is a “private person who has held no formal position in my campaign or my City Hall.”His colleagues and allies argue that a double standard has been applied to the city’s first Muslim mayor and one of the most prominent Muslims in politics, arguing that much of the criticism against him is manufactured and motivated by Islamophobia. But both the mayor and first lady have long focused their public lives on pro-Palestine advocacy.

A Tamil Nadu court on Monday found all nine accused policemen guilty in the custodial torture and death of a father and son in Sathankulam in 2020.The First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai delivered its verdict in the case related to the death of P Jayaraj and his son J Bennix, who died following alleged custodial torture in Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district in June 2020.Ten policemen were arrested in connection with the case, who were later suspended. The accused also include Inspector Sridhar; Sub-Inspectors Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh; Head Constables Murugan and A Samadurai; and constables M. Muthuraja, S. Chelladurai, X. Thomas Francis and S. Velmuthu, along with special sub-inspector Paldurai. After his arrest, he was kept in Madurai Central Jail.Paldurai later died of COVID-19.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the investigation, filed its charge sheet against the remaining nine policemen on September 25, 2020. After further investigation a supplementary chargesheet was submitted on August 12, 2022.The CBI said Bennix had gone to the Sathankulam police station after his father Jayaraj was detained and sought an explanation for the detention. According to the agency, a scuffle broke out between Bennix and the policemen, after which Inspector Sridhar reportedly intervened and directed the officers to teach him a lesson on “how to behave with the police”.The CBI alleged that both Jayaraj and Bennix were subjected to repeated torture in custody, during which their clothes were removed, adding to the cruelty.The investigation also found that the next morning, Sridhar allegedly directed a sweeper to clean the floors of the main hall and other areas of the police station in an attempt to destroy evidence. The agency said the victims’ blood-stained clothes were changed twice before being taken to the hospital and then changed again at the hospital before being produced for remand. The discarded clothes were reportedly thrown into the hospital dustbin to destroy evidence.The investigation further revealed that Jayaraj and Bennix had not violated the COVID-19 lockdown norms and there was no altercation between them and the police at Kamarajar Salai in Sathankulam on the evening of June 19. According to CBI, a false case was registered against two people.A total of 105 witnesses were examined in the case, including Jayaraj’s wife Selvarani and R Revathi, who was then serving as a woman head constable at the Sathankulam police station, as quoted by PTI.The court also examined 116 documents as evidence, including judicial inquiry reports related to the deaths of Jayaraj and Bennix.

उत्तर प्रदेश के अमेठी जिले में वोटर लिस्ट से नाम हटाने का मामला तूल पकड़ता जा रहा है. भेंटुआ विकास खंड के मई गांव के सैकड़ों ग्रामीण सोमवार को अमेठी तहसील पहुंचे और जोरदार प्रदर्शन किया। ग्रामीणों का आरोप है कि बिना किसी सूचना के उनका नाम मतदाता सूची से हटा दिया गया, जिससे वे मतदान के अधिकार से वंचित हो गये हैं. नाराज लोगों ने संपूर्ण समाधान दिवस में उपजिलाधिकारी को शिकायती पत्र देकर जांच व कार्रवाई की मांग की है।

ग्रामीणों का आरोप, बिना सूचना के हटा दिये गये नाम
ग्रामीणों का कहना है कि 200 से अधिक लोगों के नाम वोटर लिस्ट से हटा दिये गये हैं. अचानक हुई इस कार्रवाई से गांव में आक्रोश का माहौल है. लोगों का आरोप है कि उन्हें न तो पहले से कोई सूचना दी गयी और न ही कारण बताया गया. इससे वे ठगा हुआ महसूस कर रहे हैं.

बीएलओ पर लगे गंभीर आरोप
इस मामले में गांव के लोगों ने संबंधित बीएलओ ठाकुर प्रसाद पाल पर गंभीर आरोप लगाये हैं. 19 साल की प्रिया तिवारी ने कहा, “हमारा वोट देने का अधिकार हमसे छीना जा रहा है। बीएलओ ने गांव के दो सौ से ज्यादा लोगों के नाम काट दिए हैं।” पूनम तिवारी ने बताया कि बीएलओ उनके घर आया था और आधार कार्ड समेत जरूरी दस्तावेज ले गया था, फिर भी उनका नाम सूची से हटा दिया गया.

प्रधान प्रत्याशी ने भी उठाए सवाल
मई ग्राम प्रधान प्रत्याशी हिमांशु गुप्ता ने भी इस मामले पर नाराजगी जताई। उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि बीएलओ पहले से ही नाम काटने की बात कर रहे थे और अब सैकड़ों लोगों के नाम सूची से हटा दिये गये हैं. इससे गांव के लोगों में काफी नाराजगी है.

प्रशासन ने दिए जांच के आदेश
इस पूरे मामले पर उप जिलाधिकारी आशीष कुमार सिंह ने कहा कि उन्हें शिकायत मिली है. उन्होंने बताया कि मामले की जांच खंड विकास अधिकारी आकांक्षा सिंह को सौंपी गई है। जांच रिपोर्ट आने के बाद आगे की कार्रवाई की जाएगी। फिलहाल ग्रामीणों को न्याय मिलने की उम्मीद जगी है.