England captain Harry Brook won the toss and chose to bowl against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday. The match is being played at the Wankhede Stadium.   India captain Suryakumar Yadav said the team was comfortable batting first despite losing the toss. “We were looking to bat first anyway,” he said at the toss.   India come into the match after beating West Indies in a key Super 8 game. Sanju Samson scored 97 in that win. England also arrive in strong form after winning their last five matches.   The winner of the semi-final will face New Zealand in the final on Sunday. (PC: BCCI)

Missiles fired by the United States and Israel hit two schools in Parand, a town southwest of Tehran, Iranian media reported on Thursday. Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency shared images showing damaged classrooms and debris. It said several nearby residential buildings were also damaged in the strikes. At the same time, air raid sirens sounded across central Israel. Two blasts were heard in Jerusalem, AFP journalists reported. Israel’s military said it had detected missiles launched from Iran. Authorities activated warning systems and asked residents to follow safety instructions. Iran later said another missile attack struck two more schools. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan said it would respond after accusing Tehran of launching an earlier attack. (PC: X)

India conveyed condolences over the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei amid escalating regional tensions. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi and signed the condolence book to express sympathy on behalf of the Indian government. He also met Iran’s ambassador and conveyed condolences to the Iranian leadership and citizens. The gesture reflects India’s diplomatic outreach to Tehran during a period of heightened conflict in West Asia involving Iran, Israel and the United States. The development highlights India’s careful diplomatic approach as tensions continue to escalate across the region.

A second Iranian warship is moving toward Sri Lanka a day after a US submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, killing at least 87 sailors. Sri Lankan authorities confirmed the new vessel is currently just outside the country’s territorial waters with more than 100 crew members on board. Officials say they are monitoring the situation and trying to safeguard lives amid rising tensions. The earlier attack occurred about 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s coast and has intensified the ongoing US-Iran conflict. The presence of another Iranian ship near Sri Lanka has raised concerns about further escalation in the region. (PC: AP)

Iranian drones struck Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave on March 5, marking a new escalation in the expanding regional conflict. According to Azerbaijani officials, at least two drones crossed the border from Iran, with one hitting the airport terminal and another landing near a school in a nearby village. The attack injured several civilians and caused structural damage at the airport. Azerbaijan strongly condemned the strike, summoned Iran’s ambassador and warned that the incident would not go unanswered. The drone attack highlights how the wider Iran-related conflict is spreading beyond the Middle East and raising fears of broader regional instability.

A United States submarine sank an Iranian naval warship near Sri Lanka amid rising tensions in the Iran-US conflict. The ship, returning from naval exercises in the Indian Ocean, reportedly had dozens of sailors on board, with many feared dead and several rescued. The incident has drawn attention to India because the vessel had recently operated near Indian waters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi now faces growing diplomatic pressure to clarify India’s position as New Delhi maintains ties with both Washington and Tehran. The situation highlights India’s delicate balancing act in foreign policy while tensions in the Middle East and surrounding regions continue to escalate. (PC: AFP)

Iran condemned the US submarine attack that sank its naval frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, calling it an attack on a “guest of India”.   Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the ship was returning from naval exercises in India when it was struck.   “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea… Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy, was struck in international waters without warning,” he wrote on X.   The attack killed 87 Iranian sailors. More than 60 remain missing.   Thirty-two survivors are being treated in a hospital in Galle, Sri Lanka.   The United States said the strike was part of its campaign against Iranian naval forces. (PC: X)

Israel and Iran carried out new attacks on Thursday as fighting in the Middle East entered its sixth day. Israeli forces said they struck a missile launcher in Qom and an air defence system in Isfahan. Explosions were also reported in Tehran. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks toward Israel. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israeli defence systems intercepted several strikes in the sky. Meanwhile, the UK delayed a planned evacuation flight for its citizens from Oman due to a technical issue. In the United States, lawmakers voted against a proposal that would have limited the authority of Donald Trump to order further military action against Iran. (PC: BBC)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said military conflict cannot solve any issue as fighting between the US and Iran spreads across West Asia.   Speaking at a joint press conference with Alexander Stubb in New Delhi, Modi said India supports dialogue and diplomacy.   “India and Finland believe in rule of law, dialogue and diplomacy. Only military conflict cannot solve any issue, whether it is Ukraine or West Asia,” he said.   The region has seen heavy missile and drone attacks after US-Israel strikes on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last week.   An Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, was also hit off Sri Lanka, killing several sailors.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck a US oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf hours after an American torpedo sank an Iranian warship. Iranian state media said the tanker caught fire. Casualties were not immediately known.   The strike followed a US submarine attack on Iran’s frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean. The ship had been returning from naval exercises in Visakhapatnam, India.   Iranian officials said 87 sailors were killed and more than 60 remain missing.   The attack happened off Sri Lanka’s southern coast in international waters. US forces have recently increased strikes on Iranian naval assets in the region. (PC: India Today)