A look at the top headlines of the day:

  1. Special police officer and his brother killed by suspected militants in J&K: The militants shot the officer, Ishfaq Ahmad, at his home in Chadbugh village in Budgam. They also shot his brother Umar Jan, who succumbed to his injuries at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar.
  2. CBI visits site of Birbhum violence, collects forensic evidence: This came a day after the Calcutta High Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the violence in the state’s Birbhum district.
  3. India resumes regular international flights after two years: All scheduled international flights were suspended in March 2020, ahead of a nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.
  4. Amarnath Yatra to begin from June 30, announces Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor: The annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir has been suspended twice in wake of the coronavirus pandemic since 2020.
  5. Petrol and diesel prices rise again, Congress calls for protest on March 31: Since the revision began on March 22, petrol prices have increased by Rs 3.70 in all, while diesel rates have gone up by Rs 3.75.
  6. Joe Biden says Vladimir Putin is a butcher who can no longer stay in power: The American president made the remarks during a visit to Poland, over a month after Russia began its attack on Ukraine. However, the White House later clarified that Biden was not calling for a “regime change” in Russia.
  7. Bahrain authorities shut Indian restaurant for allegedly denying entry to woman wearing veil: The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority has begun an investigation into the matter. The alleged incident took place at the Lanterns restaurant, located in the Adliya area of Bahrain’s capital Manama.
  8. Congress MLA’s son among five arrested for allegedly raping minor girl in Rajasthan: One of the accused persons also allegedly extorted Rs 15 lakh from the girl. He had threatened the girl saying he would upload the video of her rape on social media.
  9. Heatwave alert issued till April 1 for parts of northern and central India: For plains, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature rises to 45 degrees Celsius.
  10. Movie theatre chains PVR Limited and Inox Leisure announce merger: The combined entity will be named “PVR INOX Limited”, while new cinemas opened post the amalgamation will be branded as “PVR INOX”. The amalgamation of two companies is subject to shareholders’ approval.