An Indian national was killed in missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia’s capital, the external affairs ministry announced on Friday. This raises the total number of Indian fatalities in the West Asia conflict to six, as New Delhi keeps implementing measures to protect 10 million citizens in the region. FILE PHOTO: Clouds drift over the Riyadh skyline. (REUTERS). An Indian national died in Riyadh on Wednesday, marking the first reported Indian death in Saudi Arabia. On February 13, two Indians lost their lives in an assault on an industrial zone in Oman, three seafarers perished in strikes on merchant ships amid the conflict days, and another citizen was listed as missing. “Late [on Thursday] night, we learned of the tragic death of an Indian national in an attack in Riyadh on March 18.” “We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” Aseem Mahajan, secretary (Gulf) in the external affairs ministry, said during a media briefing. The Indian embassy in Riyadh is communicating with his family and working with local authorities to facilitate the prompt repatriation of the body, Mahajan added. Additional details were unavailable, and sources close to the situation indicated that the Indian national died in Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Riyadh. Dozens of Indians, such as workers and seafarers, have sustained injuries in strikes across multiple Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Iraq. The Indian government has prioritized the safety and security of 10 million Indian nationals residing in West Asian countries through its recent outreach to the leadership of these states. Mahajan stated that 15 Indian crew members from the US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu, recently attacked near Basra, Iraq, are scheduled to return home via Saudi Arabia. Another Indian crew member from the same ship was killed, and Mahajan stated that arrangements are underway to bring his body back to India. Since the conflict started on February 28, around 300,000 people have returned to India from West Asia. On Friday, UAE airlines ran 90 flights to India, with additional flights from Oman and Saudi Arabia. 

 On Friday, Delhi experienced light rain and mild thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds, with the minimum temperature at 13 degrees Celsius—0.5 degrees below normal. The rainfall, which restored a winter-like chill to the capital, followed a short spell of warming temperatures. (ANI Video Grab). Cloudy skies will persist over the national capital in the days ahead as well. The India Meteorological Department’s seven-day forecast predicts partly cloudy skies over Delhi, with a chance of very light rain, thunderstorms, and lightning early next week. The recent downpour, which reintroduced a wintry chill to the capital, followed a short spell of warming temperatures ahead of summer. This has made March Delhi’s wettest in three years, averaging 9.4 mm of rain; per PTI, the highest prior March total was 50.4 mm in 2023. The IMD issued a yellow alert for Friday, cautioning of additional rain and temperatures falling to 23-25°C. On Thursday, the minimum temperature dropped below 30°C for the first time in almost a month, reaching 26.8°C. The IMD’s seven-day forecast indicates that maximum temperatures will gradually increase after Friday, hitting 32-34°C by March 25. Rain and snowfall are expected in the Himalayan region and Northeast India. According to the weather department’s bulletin, rainfall or snowfall is likely in isolated areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The forecast indicated light to moderate rains accompanied by thunderstorms in parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Also Read | ‘Insane cover’: What’s making Delhi unusually cold? It’s a rain band spanning 1,000 km. 

 Mussoorie: Officials reported that the Gangotri highway in Uttarkashi district was briefly shut down owing to heavy snowfall between Sukki Top and Gangotri Dham, while widespread rains also battered various parts of Uttarakhand on Friday. Snowfall occurred in the Badrinath Dham temple area in Chamoli district. (Photo by HT.) Officials reported heavy rain in at least seven districts—Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Champawat, and Pithoragarh—while areas above 3,000 meters experienced moderate to heavy snowfall with gusty winds of 20.2–214 kmph. Higher Himalayan shrines such as Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham, Gangotri Dham, and Kharsali on the Yamunotri route also saw heavy snowfall. Meanwhile, lower areas saw heavy rainfall spells all day. District disaster management officials reported that the Gangotri highway was temporarily closed due to snow buildup, with Border Roads Organisation (BRO) teams sent to clear it. Shardul Gusain, Uttarkashi’s district disaster management officer, stated, “Gangotri Dham had a heavy snowfall, while the Yamunotri highway reopened to traffic on Friday.” In Chamoli district, Badrinath Dham was covered by one to two feet of fresh snow. Sunil Purohit, executive officer of Badrinath Nagar Panchayat, confirmed intense snowfall in the shrine area and rain in other parts of the district. Data from the India Meteorological Department’s Dehradun center indicated that Nainital and Dehradun districts were the main areas of rainfall, with 26 mm of precipitation recorded. Places like Mussoorie and Koti, popular tourist spots, saw 2900 mm of rain each, causing a clear drop in temperatures starting Friday morning. In the plains and foothills, Kotdwar, Bhimtal, and Kaladhungi each recorded 214.4 mm of rainfall, with Gular Bhoj getting 221 mm. In higher and interior areas, Rani Chauri recorded 21 mm of rain, while New Tehri, Satpuli, and Kanatal saw between 224 mm and 229 mm. The state averaged 24.8 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am Friday, which was 1,285% above normal levels. 

 Following reports of supposed tensions between the Indian government and industry regarding pre-installing the Aadhaar app on smartphones, both parties have clarified that it’s merely a proposal under discussion, with no intention to make it mandatory. An official stated the app may come pre-installed but can be uninstalled. (Photo from the Google Play Store). Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO of UIDAI, informed HT on Friday that the proposal to preinstall the new Aadhaar app on mobile phones was sent to the IT ministry in November 2025, with stakeholder consultations currently underway. He explained, “The UIDAI’s rationale for preinstallation is to provide convenience to underprivileged users who lack high-end phones and cannot install space-intensive apps.” He added, “If it’s preinstalled, they won’t need to install it themselves.” It’s their choice whether to use it or not. Like Google Maps, it is pre-installed, but whether we choose to use it is up to us. The Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT) sharply rebutted a news agency’s report titled ‘India’s proposal to preload national ID app Aadhaar on phones faced pushback.’ MAIT described the coverage as “an unwarranted attempt to sensationalize a discussion that is three months old.” It contended that the article drew from “disjointed pieces of internal communications.” “It is essential to note that these discussions/communications were part of an early consultation phase and were never formalized as a government mandate.” The dialogue served as an initial discussion of concepts, common in the early stages of policy development,” it added. The association also expressed appreciation for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and its ongoing transparent engagement with industry stakeholders. “MAIT calls on the media to act responsibly and avoid sensationalizing standard, non-binding policy discussions. We continue to be dedicated to collaborating closely with the government to guarantee that India’s digital transformation is founded on mutual trust and constructive engagement,” it added. 

 New Delhi: Ahead of the Kerala assembly polls, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said he is not a chief ministerial probable as he is not a candidate in the election and believes that ideally the chief minister should be picked from among the elected MLAs.. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. (Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo). In an exclusive interview with PTI, Tharoor said since he is not a candidate, he does not have to worry about one particular constituency and that his role in the state polls is a “mixed bag”.. ALSO READ | Shashi Tharoor responds after skipping Congress rally: ‘Everything is fine from my side’. He added that he is looking forward to going “up and down the length and breadth of the state” to campaign.. Tharoor also referred to former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s advice to UDF leaders recently in which he metaphorically asked them to “dance together”, and said it was a “good message” to give and now “everyone is dancing together”.. ALSO READ | Rumblings in Congress as Tharoor shares survey showing him as top CM pick. Tharoor also said that while he would be happy with a majority, a figure between 85-100 seats would be good for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 140-member assembly. Using cricketing analogy, Tharoor said the UDF is bowling “googlies” particularly to the CPI(M)-led LDF because “they are on a sticky wicket and we can catch them on that”.. ALSO READ | BJP releases 2nd list of 39 candidates for April 9 Kerala assembly polls. He also said that with elections becoming more and more presidential in nature, he personally favours projecting a probable chief ministerial face ahead of the polls, but in Kerala, the Congress has the ability to deliver results not around an individual face or a name but around an agenda, a mission and the party logo.