Highlights: Assam, UP govts oppose Pawan Khera plea to club, transfer FIRs on alleged derogatory remarks against Modi

India has hit out at Pakistan over its claims of Centre is ‘punishing' people of Kashmir by razing their homes and terminating leand leases to deprive them of livelihood. Read more

National People's Party president Conrad K Sangma on Friday submitted the ‘letter of support’ - signed by 32 MLAs from BJP, NPP, HSPDP, and two independents - to Meghalaya governor Phagu Chauhan, while staking claim to form the government in the northeastern state. Read more

King Charles will travel to France and Germany on his first state visits since succeeding his mother Queen Elizabeth as British monarch last September, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. Read more

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday distanced itself from Rahil Hasan, the former district president of Prayagraj city unit’s BJP Minority Morcha and brother of Mohd Ghulam — a key accused in the February 24 murder of lawyer Umesh Pal. Pal was a prime witness of the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder incident, said party office-bearers. Read more

The World Bank and India on Friday signed two complementary loans of USD 500 million each to support and enhance the country's healthcare infrastructure. Read more

Assam and Uttar Pradesh governments Friday opposed plea by Congress' Pawan Khera to club and transfer FIRs on alleged derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia on Friday applied for regular bail before Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court after his arrest this week over alleged irregularities in the capital's liquor excise policy. Read more

A total of 1,09,976 grievances were redressed by central ministries/departments in February 2023 and the highest number of grievances were received under the department of financial services (banking division), according to a Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) report by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). Read more

A day after the National Peoples’ Party (NPP) emerged as the single largest party, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma on Friday submitted his resignation to governor Phagu Chauhan and staked claim to form the next government. Read more

Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani at Andhra Pradesh Global Investors Summit in Visakhapatnam on Friday said that Reliance will invest over ₹40,000 crores in the state to create largest and the best digital network footprint. Ambani further said that they are also ready to invest in the 10 Gigawatts of renewable solar energy in Andhra Pradesh. 

Russian foreign minister Lavrov speaking at the Rasina Dialogue 2023 said, “We've excellent relations with China and India. The relations with India are characterized in offical documents signed by the two leaders as a ‘specially privileged strategic partnership’. I don't know whether any other country has the same status on paper offcially.”

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai in a reaction to the raid that happened against BJP MLA's son said that the Lokayukta has been restarted in the state in order to curb corruption. “Lokayukta has raided the son of an MLA,” Bommai said. “Without Lokayukta many such cases were found and closed during Congress rule,” Bommai further said. 

The anti-corruption branch of Lokayukta on Thursday arrested Prashanth Maadal, son of BJP MLA Maadal Virupakshappa, while taking a bribe of ₹40 lakh. Around Rs. 6 crore cash recovered from his residence and over ₹1.7 crore from his office . Prashanth Maadal is chief accountant in Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB).

Destination weddings offer a huge potential to tourism - the exchange of intercultural wedding rituals can boost it further. There is a need to further modernize our tourist apps and digital connectivity. It should be available in all UN languages and Indian languages: PM Modi at a  'Developing Tourism Mission' webinar

To give a new height to the tourism sector in India, we have to think out of the box and do long term planning: PM Narendra Modi addressing a post-budget webinar on boosting 'Developing Tourism Mission'

Three big issues that the world and the QUAD need to address are - more reliable & resilient supply chains, digital transparency & how to live a more secure digital existence and connectivity. I expect these to be a greater part of our agenda: EAM Dr S Jaishankar

New things which came out today, we agreed on a counter-terrorism working group and SoPs for the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative. All four nations supported to the reform of the UN: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar

EAM S Jaishankar, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong attend the Raisina Dialogue 2023 in Delhi

Large number of political leaders have Pegasus on their phone. I myself had Pegasus on my phone. I've been called by Intelligence officers who say please be careful of what you say on phone as we are recording the stuff: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Cambridge University. Read more

The anti-corruption branch of Lokayukta on Thursday arrested Prashanth Maadal, son of BJP MLA Maadal Virupakshappa, while allegedly taking a bribe of ₹40 lakh. Over ₹1.7 crore in cash was recovered from his office. Prashanth Maadal is chief accountant in BWSSB, ANI reported.

 Union home minister Amit Shah will visit Bengaluru today to flag off Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Vijaya Sankalpa Ratha Yatra from Anubhava Mantapa in Bidar.

A Pune-bound Air Asia flight made an emergency landing at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar after a bird-hit incident on Thursday, the Airport Authority informed, ANI reported.