The first batch of around 230 Indians are expected to return to India from Israel on a charter flight on Friday morning, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Sanatan Dharma is "synonymous" with India and the country's culture is based on it, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Thursday.

The Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) held a meeting at the party headquarters here on Thursday to finalise the names of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.

 The High Court of Karnataka has stayed the criminal proceedings against BJP national president J P Nadda relating to certain remarks made at an election rally in April this year.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Thursday opposed the Maharashtra government's decision to hire personnel from a state-run security corporation for certain policing duties in Mumbai, saying there will be no provision for reservation in such `contractual' recruitment.

South Africa thrashed Australia by 134 runs to continue their good start in the ICC World Cup here on Thursday.

City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth, who held an emergency press meet at his office on Thursday to speak about the prohibitory orders in the city during the 'Mahisha Dasara' celebrations told reporters that the city police would take action against BJP MP Pratap Simha for his controversial statement against 'Mahisha Dasara' as advised by legal experts.

Months after the Bharatiya Janata Party lost Karnataka assembly elections, Former Chief Minister and BJP MP D.V Sadananda Gowda expressed grief over the party’s failure to unite its members together and stated that, “following a defeat in the assembly elections, we have failed to take everyone together and build a party.” He was addressing the press here at the V.V Tower office , on Thursday.