Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated the people and government of Nepal for the successful conduct of elections in the Himalayan nation, and said the historic milestone is a proud moment in Nepal’s democratic journey.. The Prime Minister also reaffirmed India’s commitment to working with Nepal’s new government for shared progress and prosperity. (@NarendraModi). ALSO READ | Nepal’s first female PM, Sushila Karki steers return to polls after Gen-Z revolt: From discord to Discord, and beyond. Modi also said as a close friend and neighbour, India remains steadfast in its commitment to working closely with the people of Nepal and its new government to scale new heights of shared peace, progress and prosperity. “I warmly congratulate the people and government of Nepal on the successful and peaceful conduct of elections. It is heartening to see my Nepali sisters and brothers exercise their democratic rights so vibrantly. This historic milestone is a proud moment in Nepal’s democratic journey,” Modi said in a post on X.. ALSO READ | Rapper, politician and a Gen-Z favourite: Who is Balen Shah, frontrunner for Nepal PM post?. Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was on Saturday heading towards a landslide victory in Nepal’s first general elections since the violent Gen Z protests last year, shattering the dominance of the established political parties.. The RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Rabi Lamichhane, has won 39 of the 50 seats declared so far, including a clean sweep in the 10 constituencies of Kathmandu district, and is leading in 80 others, according to the Election Commission of Nepal.. The RSP, which has projected Balendra Shah as its PM candidate and organised its first election campaign at Janakpur in Madhesh, is heading towards a clean sweep of the province.. ALSO READ | Nepal Elections 2026: Why are there two types of ballot in Nepal and what is mixed electoral system?. The high-stakes election on Thursday came six months after deadly protests toppled the government led by Oli, with at least 77 people killed.. The September 2025 youth-led demonstrations, under a loose Gen Z banner, began over a brief social media ban but quickly tapped into broader grievances over corruption and a struggling economy. 

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two new corridors of the Delhi Metro and lay the foundation stones for development projects worth about ₹33,500 crore in the national capital on Sunday. The prime minister is also expected to address a public gathering during the event.. Delhi metro news: Modi will also lay the foundation stone for three Delhi Metro corridors under Phase 5(A). (Sanchit Khanna/HT). Ahead of Modi’s scheduled inauguration, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday that the expansion of the metro network is helping improve the public transport system. She added that the Delhi government has given priority to public transport in the 2025-26 budget.. Modi to inaugurate 2 new Delhi Metro corridors: Routes and other details. The prime minister will inaugurate the Majlis Park-Maujpur-Babarpur section of the Pink Line and the Deepali Chowk-Majlis Park stretch of the Magenta Line.. After the launch, the Pink Line will extend to 71.56 kilometres. This will complete the country’s first fully operational “ring metro” that runs around large parts of Delhi, officials told HT.. Stations along this stretch include Burari, Jharoda Majra, Jagatpur-Wazirabad, Soorghat, Nanaksar-Sonia Vihar, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura and Yamuna Vihar before Maujpur-Babarpur, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.. Gupta said the project will strengthen connectivity between north-east and north-west Delhi and allow quicker travel across several parts of the Capital.. The Deepali Chowk-Majlis Park corridor will take the Magenta Line close to 49 kilometres in length. Notably, the Deepali Chowk-Majlis Park stretch is an extension of the Botanical Garden-Krishna Park Extension Magenta Line.. It will include seven elevated stations such as Madhuban Chowk, Uttar Pitampura-Prashant Vihar, Haiderpur Village, Haiderpur Badli Mor and Bhalswa.. The Majlis Park-Maujpur-Babarpur section also features a new bridge over the Yamuna and a double-decker viaduct that carries both a metro track and a road flyover.. Foundation stone for three new metro corridors. Modi will also lay the foundation stone for three Delhi Metro corridors under Phase 5(A). The projects include the 9.913km underground Central Vista corridor linking Ramakrishna Ashram Marg and Indraprastha, the 2.263km underground extension of the Golden Line between Aerocity and Indira Gandhi Airport Terminal-1, and a 3.9km elevated extension of the Golden Line from Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj.. The government said that the corridors are expected to strengthen links between Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) cities such as Noida, Faridabad and Ballabhgarh.. Apart from the metro projects, the prime minister will also launch and lay foundation stones for works worth around ₹15,200 crore under the redevelopment of General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) colonies.. Meanwhile, a day before International Women’s Day on Sunday, Gupta travelled on a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus using th 

 Ahmedabad weather: Sunny skies are up in Ahmedabad ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final match between India and New Zealand on Sunday, March 8, even as netizens keep a close eye on the city’s weather forecast ahead of the much-waited battle.. Ahmedabad weather: The India Meteorological Department warned of hot, humid conditions as crowds gather for the T20 World Cup final. (Hindustan Times). Ahmedabad and several parts of Gujarat are witnessing rising temperatures as the mercury climbs across western India. For Sunday, the IMD website showed a clear sky forecast for Ahmedabad, with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 39 degrees Celsius and the minimum around 19 degrees Celsius.. Weather officials said day temperatures across Gujarat are currently in the 35-40 degrees Celsius range, with a gradual rise of 2-3 degrees Celsius expected over the next three days, as per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) daily bulletin.. The agency has also warned of hot and humid conditions in isolated pockets of Gujarat, particularly in coastal areas of the Gujarat region and Saurashtra and Kutch between March 9 and 11.. This comes ahead of the much-anticipated T20 World Cup final cricket match, to be played at the Narendra Modi stadium, where huge crowds are expected.. ALSO READ | T20 World Cup final: India seek redemption for 2023 heartbreak. Across India, maximum temperatures on March 7 were significantly above normal in several regions. The highest temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Akola, Maharashtra, indicating the early build-up of summer heat. In many parts of Rajasthan, south Haryana, southwest Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, central India and southern peninsular regions, day temperatures have already touched 35-40 degrees Celsius, while most other areas recorded 30-35 degrees Celsius.. ALSO READ | At 38.9 degrees Celsius, city experienced its first heatwave of the season. The IMD has issued heatwave warnings for isolated areas of Himachal Pradesh and Vidarbha on March 8, while west Rajasthan could experience heatwave conditions on March 10 and 11. Temperatures are also running markedly above normal by 5-8 degrees Celsius in parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, with several regions in northwest and central India recording temperatures 3-5 degrees Celsius above normal.. ALSO READ | Chandigarh to feel early heat in March as mercury inches towards 30°C. Forecasts indicate that maximum temperatures will gradually rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius over northwest India, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat during the coming days. At the same time, weather activity including rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds is expected in parts of eastern and north-eastern India, as well as the western Himalayan region between March 8 and 13, which could provide some local relief from the heat. 

 Ahmedabad weather: Sunny skies are up in Ahmedabad ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final match between India and New Zealand on Sunday, March 8, even as netizens keep a close eye on the city’s weather forecast ahead of the much-waited battle.. Ahmedabad weather: The India Meteorological Department warned of hot, humid conditions as crowds gather for the T20 World Cup final. (Hindustan Times). Ahmedabad and several parts of Gujarat are witnessing rising temperatures as the mercury climbs across western India. For Sunday, the IMD website showed a clear sky forecast for Ahmedabad, with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 39 degrees Celsius and the minimum around 19 degrees Celsius.. Weather officials said day temperatures across Gujarat are currently in the 35-40 degrees Celsius range, with a gradual rise of 2-3 degrees Celsius expected over the next three days, as per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) daily bulletin.. The agency has also warned of hot and humid conditions in isolated pockets of Gujarat, particularly in coastal areas of the Gujarat region and Saurashtra and Kutch between March 9 and 11.. This comes ahead of the much-anticipated T20 World Cup final cricket match, to be played at the Narendra Modi stadium, where huge crowds are expected.. ALSO READ | T20 World Cup final: India seek redemption for 2023 heartbreak. Across India, maximum temperatures on March 7 were significantly above normal in several regions. The highest temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Akola, Maharashtra, indicating the early build-up of summer heat. In many parts of Rajasthan, south Haryana, southwest Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, central India and southern peninsular regions, day temperatures have already touched 35-40 degrees Celsius, while most other areas recorded 30-35 degrees Celsius.. ALSO READ | At 38.9 degrees Celsius, city experienced its first heatwave of the season. The IMD has issued heatwave warnings for isolated areas of Himachal Pradesh and Vidarbha on March 8, while west Rajasthan could experience heatwave conditions on March 10 and 11. Temperatures are also running markedly above normal by 5-8 degrees Celsius in parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, with several regions in northwest and central India recording temperatures 3-5 degrees Celsius above normal.. ALSO READ | Chandigarh to feel early heat in March as mercury inches towards 30°C. Forecasts indicate that maximum temperatures will gradually rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius over northwest India, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat during the coming days. At the same time, weather activity including rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds is expected in parts of eastern and north-eastern India, as well as the western Himalayan region between March 8 and 13, which could provide some local relief from the heat. 

 Kochi, The Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference , a key body of the Catholic Church in the state, on Sunday criticised the state government over the rising number of liquor outlets and alleged inaction against alcoholism and drug abuse.. KCBC criticises Kerala govt over rise in liquor outlets, inaction on drugs. The KCBC Temperance Commission issued a circular which was read out in Catholic churches across the state.. In the circular, Bishop Ambrose Puthenveettil, Chairman of the Commission, said that anti-liquor and anti-drug activities are being carried out across 32 dioceses of the Catholic Church in Kerala.. “While the Church and social organisations raise their voices against alcohol and drugs, the authorities often fail to take effective action to control or prevent them. Instead, liquor outlets continue to expand,” the circular said.. KCBC said that despite earlier promises to reduce alcohol availability, the number of liquor outlets has increased significantly.. “Today, the state has thousands of bars, beverage outlets and toddy shops,” it said.. The commission said that at the same time, dangerous narcotic drugs such as MDMA and hybrid cannabis are spreading across the state.. Government assessments indicate that around 1,400 schools have become hotspots for drug activity.. “Even young children are being trapped by drug mafias. If parents do not remain vigilant, the future of our children will be in danger. Recent incidents-including murders, violent family conflicts and shocking crimes-reveal the horrifying consequences of alcohol and drug abuse,” the circular said.. The circular claimed that alcohol and other intoxicants have penetrated deeply into homes, families and youth.. “The consequences of alcohol and drug abuse have severely affected society. Family bonds are breaking silently. Mothers weep behind closed doors. Children live in fear. Homes built with love turn into centres of conflict, violence and even murder,” it said.. KCBC said that the Church must rise like the prophets and confront this evil, adding that silence in the face of such destruction would itself be sinful.. “The Church must work with full commitment to protect children and youth from addiction and to ensure their future,” it said.. KCBC observed Anti-Liquor and Anti-Drug Day on Sunday with several programmes organised by the Commission at various churches across the state.. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.