2,400kg ganja tucked in drums seized along Assam-Tripura border, 2 held

A huge amount of banned substances was seized by the Border Security Force along the Assam-Tripura border late on Saturday night, leading to the arrest of two men. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said 2,400 of ganja tucked in drums was recovered from a truck from a neighboruing state. This seizure comes days after police seized 9.47kg of heroin in Karimganj district. One person, a resident of Karimganj's Patharkandi area, was arrested.

Bihar violence: CM holds high-level meet; announces ₹5L for kin of deceased

Bihar's chief minister, Nitish Kumar, has announced that families of the deceased in the recent violence in Sasaram and Biharsharif will receive a Rs 5 lakh ($7,700) ex-gratia payment. The decision was made during a high-level meeting chaired by the CM. After a violent clash broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession, another clash broke out in Bihar?s Nalanda district and Sasaram town. In the latter, one person died and at least ten were injured. Meanwhile, other incidents of stone pelting during Ram Navami processions were reported from Gaya and Naugachhia. 

Evening brief: Kejriwal invites Assam CM Himanta after ‘sue’ warning, and all the latest news

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has invited Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to his house in Delhi after the latter threatened to sue Kejriwal. The Delhi CM made the invitation while addressing a party meeting in Assam on Sunday. Meanwhile, 18 students of the National Institute of Technology in Assam's Silchar have been booked for allegedly beating two juniors inside the campus. In other news, an old interview of actor Parineeti Chopra has surfaced in which she says she will not marry a politician.

India determined to deliver action-oriented agenda for next G20 Summit: Kant

India's G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, has said that he is confident a consensus will be reached before the next summit in New Delhi in September. India aims to deliver an action-oriented agenda for the G20 Summit. This includes addressing the issues of debt burden and food and energy security in the Global South and measures to reform multilateral financial institutions to make them more capable of handling challenges such as climate transition. The Indian side was able to help forge a consensus at the G20 Summit in Indonesia despite several challenges.

Bhopal-New Delhi Vande Bharat breaches expected speed limit of 160 kmph during launch run

India's Bhopal-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express reached a top speed of 161 km/h, breaching its expected speed limit of 160 km/h, during its launch run on 7 August. The train is designed to cut the travel time between Bhopal and New Delhi by one hour. The semi-high speed train was flagged off from Rani Kamalapati railway station in Bhopal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

These 10 states likely to witness ‘above normal heatwave days' in April

India is set to experience above normal heatwave days in many regions from April onwards, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Most parts of the country are expected to witness above normal maximum temperatures from April to June, with central, east and northwest India likely to see a pattern of above normal heatwave days. However, pockets of northwest India and the southern peninsular are likely to log normal to below normal maximum temperatures. Average rainfall in April will be normal over the country as a whole, with below normal rainfall expected over east and Northeast India and pockets of west coast India.

Bus falls into ditch on Mussoorie-Dehradun road, 22 people injured

A bus carrying passengers fell into a ditch on the Mussoorie-Dehradhun road, injuring 22 people, including the driver. The Mussoorie police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) rescued all the injured passengers and admitted them to hospital. Three passengers are in a serious condition. Further details are awaited.

'Had I been in leadership of Congress...': Shashi Tharoor on opposition unity

Indian opposition parties have found a new reason to come together and the BJP might find it harder to win a majority in 2024, according to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Speaking in an interview with PTI, Tharoor said that if he were in the leadership of the Congress Party, he would encourage smaller parties to take the role of convener in an opposition alliance. Despite Congress being the de facto fulcrum around which other parties converge, Tharoor said he would not crow about it.

‘ ₹48,20,69,00,00,000 corruption’: BJP launches ‘Congress Files’ video

India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released a video titled "Congress means corruption", in which it accuses the Congress party of looting INR48.2tn ($665bn) from the Indian public during its 70-year rule. The BJP claims the money could have been used for security and development. The video also claims that AgustaWestland CEO Giuseppe Orsi gave a bribe of INR3.5bn in connection with the purchase of VVIP helicopters. The BJP accuses the Congress party of involvement in the coal scam of INR1.86tn and the 2G spectrum scam of INR1.76tn.

Rahul Gandhi to be in Surat tomorrow to challenge conviction in defamation case

Former Indian Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi will challenge his conviction and sentencing in a criminal defamation case on Monday. Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after being sentenced to two years in prison in a 2019 defamation case. A court in Surat will hear his appeal against the magistrate order convicting him in the defamation case. Gandhi has requested the sessions court to set aside the conviction and sentence and to grant an interim stay on the conviction until the matter is disposed of.

Mild earthquake jolts Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur

An earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale hit Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, India on 2 April, according to the National Center for Seismology. The epicentre was close to the city at a depth of 23 km. On 22 March, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake with its epicentre in Afghanistan hit north India, including Delhi and its environs. The earthquake killed at least 21 people and injured more than 130, with roofs of hundreds of homes collapsing.

Afternoon brief: Rahul Gandhi likely to challenge conviction in defamation case tomorrow, and all the latest news

Indian politician Rahul Gandhi is planning to challenge his conviction and two-year jail sentence in a sessions court in Gujarat's Surat. Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP following the 2019 defamation case.

Tripura to host G20 conclave on clean energy from April 3

The Indian state of Tripura is to host a two-day science conclave on ?Clean Energy for a Green Future? as part of G20 meetings for the first time from 3 April. Around 85 delegates from various countries will attend, including Bangladesh, which will be represented as an invitee member. Delegates will visit tourist destinations such as Albert Ekka Park, Oxygen Park, Purbasha, Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary and Neermahal Palace. India assumed the presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022.

‘Anti-Hindu’: Anurag Thakur slams Mamata Banerjee for Bengal violence

India's Union Minister for Sports, Anurag Thakur, has accused the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, of fanning tensions. Speaking after the alleged murder on Saturday of a BJP worker, Thakur said Banerjee was "anti-Hindu" and had remained silent as "Ram bhakts" (devotees of the Hindu god Ram) were attacked in the state. Clashes during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah saw vehicles set on fire and vandalised, while internet services were suspended in Bihar's Nalanda and Sasaram districts after similar violence.

'India achieved it': ISRO successfully conducts ‘Reusable Launch Vehicle' test from Karnataka. Video

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested its Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX). The vehicle was carried to an altitude of 4.5 km by a Chinook helicopter and then released. The RLV then performed an autonomous landing on a runway. The Indian Air Force, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, Aeronautical Development Establishment, and Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment all contributed to the test. The RLV is essentially a space plane with a low lift to drag ratio requiring a high glide angle approach that necessitates a landing at high velocities of 350 kmph.

Modi mourns legend cricketer Salim Durani's demise: 'He will surely be missed'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tribute to cricketer Salim Durani following his death at the age of 88. Durani was known for his style both on and off the pitch and played a pivotal role in India's rise to prominence in the sport. He scored 1,202 runs in 50 innings for his country and was also India's first Arjuna Award winner in cricket. Durani also had a brief career in Bollywood, starring in Charitra opposite actor Praveen Babi in 1973.