2 min readMar 26, 2026 06:40 AM IST First published on: Mar 26, 2026 at 06:40 AM ISTAmerican and Libyan forces clashed in disputed international waters off the Gulf of Sidra, killing about 27 Libyans. US navy jet fighters for the first time attacked the Libyan mainland by destroying a Libyan missile launch site at Surt, on the Libyan coast. The White House has declared that it henceforth views all approaching Libyan forces as having “hostile intentions.” The clashes between the Libyan and American forces continued for the second day in the Gulf of Sidra.Soviet condemnationThe Soviet Union described the United States attack as an “unilateral act of war and international banditry.” Official Soviet media described the US action as so blatant and impudent that it would naturally rouse feelings of outrage and anger. Moscow Radio, however, added, “but to analyse the provocation in the Gulf of Sidra in the general context of international relations, the emotions will have to be kept under control”. It said that at present, it was not possible to predict the consequences of this act of aggression.Punjab tensionsAdvertisementFour people were killed and the Damdami Taksal spokesman Mokham Singh was arrested in Hajipur town in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, placed under curfew during the past 24 hours. Four terrorists came to a shop in Fatibad village, about 30 kilometres from Amritsar, and fired from point-blank range, killing the two shopkeepers on the spot.India’s oil choicesThe Government of India has decided to go in for spot purchase of crude oil in view of the steep fall in oil prices despite pressures from the Soviet Union for the renewal of contractual sales at higher prices. Following the failure of the OPEC countries to come to an agreement on oil production cuts, the spot prices of crude in the US dropped to $11.70 per barrel, the lowest so far in the current year.