Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said social media will be prohibited for children below 13 years of age within the next 90 days.

Addressing the Assembly, the Chief Minister said they are actively debating whether to extend this ban to children between 13 and 16 years of age.

The US has cleared the way for India to temporarily increase its purchases of Russian oil, reversing months of pressure on the world’s third-largest crude importer as an escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf upends energy flows.

The US won’t give India the same kind of economic advantages it gave China, which allowed that country to emerge as a major competitor, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on Thursday, signaling Washington’s cautiousness in negotiations over a trade deal.

A temporary surge in oil prices to $100 per barrel could slow global growth by 0.4 percentage point, Goldman Sachs analysts said on Thursday, as a widening conflict in Iran chokes off vital Middle East oil and gas flows.

Under its baseline forecast, Goldman expects oil prices to increase a bit further before moderating to $76 per barrel on average in the first quarter of 2026 and $65 in the fourth quarter.

Russia on Thursday accused the United States and Israel of trying to drag Arab countries into a wider Middle East conflict by provoking Iran into striking targets across the region and said there was no sign Washington and Tel Aviv would let up.

Arab states in the Gulf, all close US allies - some of which also have close ties with Russia - have come under Iranian drone and missile attacks since the United States and Israel launched their air strikes on Iran on Saturday.

India's Adani Total Gas (ATGL) has sharply raised ​prices for supplies to industrial clients, citing lower availability of gas due to ‌conflict in the Middle East, according to a customer notice seen by Reuters.

The company is a joint venture of Adani Group and French oil major TotalEnergies SE.

SpiceJet will operate 13 special flights from the UAE on Thursday to facilitate the return of passengers stranded due to the Middle East conflict.

"Of the 13 flights, 12 will operate from Fujairah and 1 will operate from Dubai. The airline will operate seven special flights to Mumbai, five special flights to Delhi and one special flight from Dubai to Mumbai," it said in a statement on Thursday.

The ongoing war with Iran could cost Israel an estimated NIS 9.4 billion ($3 billion approximately) per week under current restrictions on economic activities, the Israeli Finance Ministry has warned.

"In a letter sent to the Home Front Command chief, Maj. Gen. Shai Klapper, Finance Ministry Director General Ilan Rom asked to ease restrictions to allow for a gradual, partial reopening of businesses and workplaces as early as Thursday," the Times of Israel reported.

Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday said it was prepared for the “complete destruction of the region’s military and economic infrastructure” if the United States continued its actions in the Middle East, news agency Associated Press (AP) reported.

The statement, broadcast through Iranian state television, is the most direct warning issued by the organisation since the conflict started five days ago.

Shares of Indian Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) continued to face selling pressure for the second straight session after oil prices soared as escalating West Asia tensions rattled investor sentiment.

Bharat Petroleum Corp. (BPCL) stock fell as much as 4.5 per cent to ₹357.6 per share. Shares of Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) slid 4.3 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively. The Nifty Oil and Gas index was down 3.2 per cent.

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