Breaking highlights: NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar steps down, economist Suman Bery likely to replace him

Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with UN secretary-general António Guterres in Russia next week: Kremlin

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin requests him to to direct the Ministry of coal to ensure the supply of 72,000 MT coal per day as per the FSA (Fuel Supply Agreement) at Paradip & Vishakhapatnam ports to maintain uninterrupted power supply in the state.

Rajiv Kumar to step down as vice chairman of NITI Aayog, economist Suman Bery likely to replace him.

Delhi reports 1,042 new Covid-19 cases, 757 recoveries and 2 deaths. Daily positivity rate recorded at 4.64%.

Maharashtra reports 121 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, while daily toll recorded at zero. Mumbai logs 68 fresh infections.

An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 occurred at around 6:50pm, 246km NNE of Kargil, Ladakh today: National Center for Seismology

A consensus decision was taken during the municipality meeting to remove the illegal encroachments present on the roadside. Before the encroachment drive, the temple priests shifted the idols to another place: Shivprasad Nakate, DM, Alwar

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla reaches the British High Commission residence in Delhi to meet visiting British PM Boris Johnson.

Of course, we have these conversations (on human rights or democratic values). The advantage of our friendship is that we can have them in a friendly way. It's very important to realise that India has constitutional protections for communities: Boris Johnson, UK PM

The UK will reopen its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine next week. The UK and our allies will not watch passively as Putin carries on this onslaught: Boris Johnson, UK PM, in Delhi

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to visit Delhi on April 29 to attend a joint conference of chief ministers and chief justices on April 30.

D Raja, CPI general secretary, reaches violence-hit Jahangirpuri in Delhi. “We've come here to meet the victims, police is not allowing us. India belongs to everybody,” says Raja.

Political leaders are not allowed near the mosque, no restrictions for general devotees there. Normalcy will return in the area in the next 24-36 hours: Depender Pathak, Joint CP (Law and Order), Delhi Police

Serum Institute of India Ltd., the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and a key supplier of Covid-19 inoculations to developing countries, has stopped making fresh batches of shots after its stockpile grew to 200 million doses amid a global supply glut.

“We have got 200 million doses of stock. We had to shut down production in December,” Serum’s chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla said at the India Economic Conclave organized by Times Network on Friday, saying he was worried about wastage if the shots expired. “I have even offered to give free donations to whoever wanted to take it.”

Delhi govt releases Covid SOPs for schools, asks to conduct daily symptoms check, quarantine rooms, thermal scan and hand sanitsation, among other protocols.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad gets bail in fodder scam case from Jharkhand High Court. The matter pertains to Doranda Treasury case in which he was sentenced with five years on Feb 21.

Police have written to the Enforcement Directorate to source finances of Ansar, prime accused in Jahangirpuri riots case in Delhi. Ansar is a resident of Jahangirpuri, originally from Haldia, West Bengal. He works as a scrap dealer in Delhi.

Supreme Court rejects a plea by Maharashtra minister & NCP leader Nawab Malik to release him in a case of money laundering.

"It is too nascent a stage to interfere with the investigation.We can't interfere with the due process at this stage. You move the competent court," the top court says.

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered a three-day military deployment ahead of the funeral of a protester killed earlier this week when police fired at crowds angry over the country’s worsening food and fuel shortages and rising living costs.

Soldiers have been deployed in and around the central Rambukkana area where police opened fire Tuesday night after tear gas failed to dispel protesters who had blocked a train track and tried to set fire to a diesel truck, Sri Lanka’s information department said in a statement.

A total of two terrorists were neutralized in an encounter that broke out in near Jammu's Sunjwan area, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) of Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh said.

Singh said that the terrorists had plans to carry out a major terror attack but their sinister designs were foiled. He also said the guerilla warfare tactics of the terrorists and arms used by them indicated them to be foreigners.

Markets opened on negative note on Friday. Sensex tumbled over 600 points to 57,294 as of 9:20am; Nifty stays above 17,200.