India on Thursday described the strikes by Hamas on Israeli cities as "terror attacks" but at the same time reaffirmed its long-standing position, advocating negotiations towards establishing a "sovereign, independent and viable" state of Palestine living side-by-side at peace with Israel.

A group of 254 Nepali students rescued from the strife-torn Israel and led by Foreign Minister N P Saud arrived in Kathmandu on Friday.

The opposition INDIA bloc has written to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai over their social media platforms' alleged role in "aiding communal hatred" in the country and demanded that the platforms maintain neutrality in the upcoming elections.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inviting her to the Raj Bhavan for a meeting on the appointments of vice-chancellors at different universities in the state, a senior official said.

 The first batch of around 200 Indians, including students, returned to the country from Israel onboard a chartered flight in the early hours of Friday.

Rajasthan BJP leader Arun Chaturvedi has accused Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of using official staff for political meetings in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Police have busted a major inter-state drug racket, leading to the arrest of eight people and seizure of nearly Rs 5 crore in cash and illegal substances, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said on Thursday.

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.