Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday expressed deep condolences over the tragic death of ex-Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani in a plane crash in Ahmedabad.

Calling Rupani a leader of humble nature, Gehlot recalled his association with him during his tenure as the Gujarat Congress in-charge.

Gehlot said, "The untimely demise of former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani in the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad is extremely saddening. He was a person of humble nature. I had the opportunity to work during his tenure while serving as the Congress in-charge for Gujarat."

"I pray to God to grant peace to his soul and strength to his family members to bear this irreparable loss," he added.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday called Israel's attack on Iran a ‘unilateral action’, asserting that the US had no involvement.

The statement came after Israel launched major airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of Friday, significantly escalating tensions in the region and raising the spectre of a broader conflict between the long-standing rivals.

“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel,” said Rubio.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where he met those injured in the Air India plane crash.

PM Modi arrived in the city to take stock of the situation, a day after the deadly plane crash, which claimed the lives of 241 people, including 12 crew members onboard.

The Prime Minister headed straight to the crash site from the airport and went around the devastated place. From here, he went to the hospital where he spoke to the injured and the attending doctors.

He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and Union Minister C.R. Paatil during the hospital visit.

An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed immediately after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon.

Siddhesh Lad-led Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals lifted the T20 Mumbai League 2025 trophy after beating Shreyas Iyer-led SoBo Mumbai Falcons by five wickets in the grand final at the iconic Wankhede Stadium here.

Playing in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium that included members of India’s first World Cup winning side Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar, and 2024 T20 World Cup winning captain Rohit Sharma, SoBo Mumbai Falcons overcame early setbacks to post a competitive 157/4, thanks to a composed half-century from Mayuresh Tandel (50 not out), and a powerful unbeaten 45 from Harsh Aghav.

In response, Chinmay Sutar (53) anchored the MSC Maratha Royals’ chase with a fluent half-century, supported by valuable contributions from Sahil Jadhav (22), Sachin Yadav (19), and the explosive Awais Khan (38).

The Indian benchmark indices opened sharply lower on Friday as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran. Heaving selling was seen in the auto, IT, Financial service and PSU Bank sectors in the early trade.

At around 9.33 am, Sensex was trading 896.5 points or 1.10 per cent down at 80,795.44 while the Nifty declined 278.5 point or 1.12 per cent at 24,609.70

Nifty Bank was down 633.80 points or 1.13 per cent at 55,448.75 The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 57,836.95 after dropping 603.90 points or 1.03 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 18,272.30 after declining 192.75 points or 1.04 per cent.

Analysts said that the economic consequences of this Israeli strike can be profound if the attack and counterattack by Iran lingers long. Israel has declared that the operation will last several days.

A Kerala man, who was on the run after murdering his second wife and her mother last week, is reported to have been found dead in a rest centre in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath, officials said on Thursday.

The development came as the Thrissur police were alerted by the locals in Kedarnath rest centre when a body was found on Thursday morning.

On checking the personal effects of the deceased, they recovered an Aadhaar card and based on the information, they called the home of Prem Kumar, 48, and passed on the information to his family members.

The family members subsequently informed the local police, who immediately alerted a team of Kerala Police officials who were in Delhi searching for the accused.

The team in Delhi has been asked to reach Kedarnath at the earliest.

Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran on Thursday announced that the company will provide Rs 1 crore to the families of each person who lost their life in the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 in Ahmedabad.

He also said that the Tata Group will cover the medical expenses of those who were injured and ensure they receive full care and support.

In a statement, Chandrasekaran said: "No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones, and with those who have been injured."

He added that the Tata Group would also help build a new hostel at B.J. Medical College as part of its support efforts.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have strongly criticized Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s statement advocating for the legalization of opium and bhukki (poppy husk) outlets, accusing Congress leaders of promoting drug use.

AAP leader Baltej Pannu said that the statements made by Congress leaders clearly indicate that they do not want drugs eradicated from Punjab. "They want to replace one drug with another, even though they know the AAP government has been waging a war against drugs to root this menacw out of Punjab," said Pannu.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer launched a scathing attack on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, countering her remarks with a detailed account of AAP's achievements in Punjab. Meet Hayer accused the SAD government of plunging Punjab into a debt crisis during their tenure without delivering any tangible development for the state's people.

“Punjab's debt burden began under the SAD government, and despite taking substantial loans, there was no visible development. Instead, this debt was used to benefit their own businesses. In contrast, the AAP government, in just three years, has demonstrated unparalleled progress across multiple sectors,” said Meet Hayer.

Ukraine and Russia on Thursday carried out the second phase of a prisoner exchange involving seriously ill and severely wounded captives, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that servicemen from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service were among those released.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said another group of Russian servicemen have returned from Ukrainian captivity and are currently receiving necessary medical and psychological assistance in Belarus, news agency reported.