Daily Briefing: Deadly fire in Lucknow; inside the land deals tied to Madhya Pradesh CM’s family; and more

In a breakthrough, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has now started reaching out to international oil companies, including Indian refiners and trading houses to resume commercial ties in a bid to restart its global oil exports, according to trade sources. This comes after the first round of talks under the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran indicated progress. The MoU, inked last week, had mentioned that the US will initially issue sanctions waivers for Iranian crude and petroleum products, until it terminates its sanctions on Iranian oil and its trade. On Monday evening, the US Department of the Treasury issued a temporary 60-day waiver, allowing production, delivery, and sale of Iranian oil, petroleum products, and petrochemicals through August 21.

With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:

Massive fire in Lucknow

Express Investigation into MP CM’s land purchases

Iran’s emerging hero at FIFA

🚨 Big Story

About 15 people (11 men and four women) were killed after a massive fire tore through a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday. Firefighters found it difficult to enter the building at first, according to officials, since the only way in was engulfed in flames and smoke. They then broke a side wall and made two holes to begin the rescue operation, which took constables another hour. According to the families of several victims, precious minutes were lost in the process. Police have arrested three people so far: Ramkrishna Upadhyay, 43; Virendra Prasad Shukla, 62; and T K Jaiswal, 31.

Probe: The building had faced demolition proceedings a decade ago for alleged unauthorised construction, according to records of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA). The order, however, was withdrawn less than two months later. The fire incident has brought the building’s regulatory history and compliance status under focus once again. Officials have said that relevant records relating to approvals, ownership changes and enforcement actions are being reviewed as part of the ongoing probe.

Grief: At the mortuary of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow, the grief was palpable as parents and relatives replayed the final phone calls from their children and siblings — trapped inside a burning building in Aliganj, crying out for help that never came. Most of the victims were employees of Head Hopper Studios, a company involved in 3D art production and game development on the second floor. Among those killed was 23-year-old Sukhmani Singh, a game designer at the company. His father, Prabhjot Singh, said his son called him, pleading for help. “‘Papa mujhe bacha lo (Papa, please save me)’, he cried. He told us there was no space to get out,” the father said.

⚡ Only in Express

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The city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh is at the centre of a massive urban renewal, driven by a sweeping infrastructure upgrade, allowing an unprecedented expansion of residential and commercial spaces. Among the early investors in this property market are Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, his immediate family, siblings and first cousins. An investigation of land records by The Indian Express revealed that after taking oath, Mohan Yadav’s family and their real estate companies have bought 137 plots, adding up to 168 acres, for Rs 45 crore, in zones most benefited by this infrastructure push. Records also showed that at least six of these plots were sold subsequently.

CM Mohan Yadav’s cousins have spearheaded the family’s land drive since late 2023. Between April 2024 and July 2025, Mohan Yadav’s cousin Govind Yadav and his associates purchased 41 acres through 16 land deals in Gangedi. And within months, they handed them over to Indore-based Shanti Mahalok Builders in five tranches for development. The CM’s another cousin Nilesh Yadav is developing multiple realty projects under the brand name, Sawariya. Since October 2024, he has registered four new housing schemes through Shri Annapurna Construction in Ujjain with Madhya Pradesh RERA.

📰 From the Front Page

Miles away: Twelve Indians were among the 13 people killed in an explosion at a gas processing facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar on Sunday night. In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said the incident was caused by a “technical malfunction” during operations. The identities of the deceased are not known yet. While many of the injured are also Indians, the Embassy said they were “stable”. Ras Laffan, Qatar’s central natural gas hub, employs thousands of engineers, technicians and manual labourers, many of whom are Indians.

Trade: Data shows that India’s trade surplus with the United States slipped by over 40% since the negotiations between the two countries began in 2025. Data also suggested that India’s surplus has been declining in multiple categories beyond energy. The revelation comes as Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is scheduled to begin the two-day talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday to conclude a trade deal by next month. The high-level talks come as the US is set to complete its Section 301 investigation by July and present a new tariff architecture – as an alternative to reciprocal tariffs.

📌 Must Read

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A ‘sixer’: Dealing the biggest blow to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) since the 2022 split, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday formally inducted six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs into the Shiv Sena, completing what leaders in his camp described as “Operation Tiger”. With the induction of six MPs — Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure — Shinde declared the completion of the second phase of the Shiv Sena rebellion. The Shiv Sena chief also assured the MPs that after joining the ruling side, they would no longer face hurdles in securing funds or carrying out development works in their constituencies.

Keir Starmer resigns: Two years after the Labour Party won 412 seats, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Monday resigned both as PM and leader of the Labour Party. Although Starmer campaigned with the promise of “Change” to create a “fairer, healthier, and a more secure Britain”, he struggled to deliver on his electoral promises and fell to the same post-Brexit malady that has troubled British politics and economy for a decade now. Moreover, the collapse of Labour, including in its traditional strongholds, and the subsequent surge of Reform UK in the recently-held local elections has weakened Starmer’s position, prompting many in his own party to question his ability to govern. What else pushed Starmer to the brink? We explain.

In our Opinion section today, Pulapre Balakrishnan highlights what India might need to focus on as the ripple effect of the West Asia war pushes one to consider the state of the local economy. Besides focusing on growth and reforms to advance “ease of living,” Balakrishnan suggests one looks at consumption and the standard of living to ensure overall well-being. He writes: “The high unemployment rate and low food consumption level show that the relatively high growth of the past three years is not trickling down to a large section of the population. It has been claimed that inequality in India has been growing from what is already a high base. While precise numbers on the income distribution may not be available, we have data consistent with rising inequality.”

⏳ And Finally…

Iran’s hero: Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand emerged as the star in the country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup segment against Belgium on Monday. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get anything past Alireza’s elastic, ever so reliable giant fists, and were left visibly stunned. “If not a footballer, Alireza would have certainly made it big as a gymnast. But then such has been his life of hardships, he has taken up several odd jobs to pursue his dream of becoming a footballer,” Sandip G describes. His journey from being a sheep-herder back at his province, then a car-washer, a bearer in a pizza shop, a street cleaner by night, to saving a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in the 2018 World Cup, is quite inspiring.

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🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the 2006 murder case of Congress leader Pavanraje Nimbalkar; Delhi’s draft Electric Vehicle policy 2.0; as well as the latest scrutiny faced by employees of the National Skill Development Corporation.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,

Ariba

Business As Usual by E P Unny