Golfer Shiv second at Royal Cup
Pattaya, July 28 : Indian golfer Shiv Kapur carded a three-under 67 in the third and peultimate round to move into the second spot in the $500,000 Royal Cup here on Saturday.
Defending champion Shiv's total after the three days was nine-under 201 -- two shots behind South African overnight leader Justin Harding, who battled to a one-over 71 to stay atop the leaderboard.
The highlight of Shiv's round was three birdies in four holes, starting from 14th hole. Prior to that he had two birdies against two bogeys at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club.
"Nothing much was happening up till hole 14 when I made a good putt to get some momentum going. Had a good chip on hole 16 to make birdie and on 17 I holed a 30-footer for birdie again," Shiv said in an Asian Tour release.
"Happy with the way I finished since all the action happened for me on the last five holes. It was just one of those days where you stay patient when the conditions are tough and you get rewarded."
The 32-year-old Harding reeled in 17 straight pars before dropping his first bogey of the week on the 54th hole, reducing his overnight lead to two.
American Jarin Todd posted a 69 to stay three shots off the pace. New Zealand's Mark Brown and Japanese Naoto Nakanishi shared the fourth spot on seven-under 203 total.
After Shiv, next best Indian was Gaganjeet Bhullar, who scored a 69 to share the ninth spot with five others at five-under 205 total.
Viraj Madappa was tied 24th on two-under 208 total (70-69-69). S. Chikka scored 67 to take his total to one-under 209 -- same as Honey Baisya as they tied for the 30th spot.
One stroke behind the pair were Khalin Joshi and Himmat Rai.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Domestic LPG price hiked by Rs 60 per cylinder to Rs 913
New Delhi (PTI): Domestic cooking gas LPG price on Saturday was hiked by a steep Rs 60 per cylinder, the second increase in rate in less than a year, as oil companies pass on a part of the spike in global energy rates that followed the West Asia crisis.
Non-subsidised LPG - the one that common households use in kitchens - will now cost Rs 913 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi as against Rs 853 previously, according to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) website.
Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries - the over 10 crore poor who have got free LPG connection since 2016 - will also have to bear the same amount of price increase. They will now pay Rs 613 per 14.2 kg cylinder after accounting for a subsidy of Rs 300 per bottle they get for up to 12 refills in a year.
ALSO READ: In biggest haul, drugs worth Rs 51 cr seized in Meghalaya, 2 held
The price increase, the website showed, is effective from March 7.
This is the second increase in rate in 11 months. The price was last hiked by Rs 50 in April last year.
Alongside, the price of commercial LPG - the one used by establishments such as hotels and restaurants - was increased by Rs 114.5 per 19-kg cylinder. It now costs Rs 1,883 in Delhi. This increase comes on top of Rs 28 per 19-kg cylinder raise effected on March 1.
Commercial LPG rate has risen by Rs 302.50 this year.
Industry officials said the increase follows a steep rise in global energy prices since the US and Israel attack on Iran last weekend triggered a wider military conflict in the oil and gas-rich Middle East.
The conflict has led to a near halt in tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz -the narrow but critical sea lane between Iran and Oman used by Middle Eastern producers to export oil and gas to global markets. The disruption has sharply curtailed energy shipments from the region, triggering a spike in global oil and gas prices.
Since the conflict broke out on February 28, US crude soared 35.63 per cent for the biggest weekly gain in the history of the futures contract dating back to 1983. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures closed at USD 90.90 per barrel. Brent jumped about 28 per cent for its biggest weekly gain since April 2020, to settle at USD 92.69 per barrel.
Asian spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) have also jumped to around USD 25.40 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) - a three-year high and more than double of last week's levels of around USD 10 per mmBtu amid fears of supply disruptions and halted exports from Qatar.
LPG markets have also tightened as shipments from key Gulf exporters face logistical disruptions, pushing international propane and butane benchmarks higher and raising concerns over supply availability for major importers such as India.
Despite Saturday's price increase, cooking gas in India is priced at the lowest when compared with neighbouring countries, industry officials said.
In Mumbai, non-subsidised LPG now costs Rs 912.50, Rs 939 in Kolkata and Rs 928.50 in Chennai, according to the IOC website.
Rates differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.
The Strait of Hormuz is also a critical conduit for India's energy imports, with roughly half of the crude oil the country buys from overseas transiting through the narrow waterway. In addition, nearly 40 per cent of India's natural gas imports, largely in the form of LNG from Gulf suppliers like Qatar and the UAE, also pass through the strait.
For LPG, the strait is more important. India consumed 31.3 million tonne of LPG in 2024-25, of which only 12.8 million tonne were produced domestically, with the remainder imported. Of the imported quantity, 85-90 per cent come from countries like Saudi Arabia that rely on the Strait of Hormuz for transit.
The Strait has been effectively blocked following a week-old escalation in the region, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to retaliate against US bases in neighbouring countries.
To augment domestic supplies, the government on Friday invoked sparingly used emergency powers to direct oil refineries to ramp up LPG production.
