Amarnath cloudburst LIVE: PM Modi takes stock of situation; rescue work on

Live news updates: India saw a single day rise of 18,815 new coronavirus infections, taking the tally of COVID-19 cases to 43,585,554, while the active cases increased to 122,335, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll has climbed to 525,343 with 38 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

With Russia's military action in Ukraine in its fifth month, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned Kyiv that it should quickly accept Moscow's terms or brace for the worst, adding ominously that Russia has barely started its action. Speaking at a meeting with leaders of the Kremlin-controlled parliament, Putin accused Western allies of fuelling the hostilities, charging that "the West wants to fight us until the last Ukrainian". "It's a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it looks like it's heading in that direction," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the first 'Arun Jaitley Memorial Lecture' (AJML) on Friday at 6 pm. He will also address the gathering during the event. The keynote address at the first AJML will be delivered by Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister, Government of Singapore, on 'Growth through Inclusivity, Inclusivity through Growth'. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion by Mathias Cormann (OECD Secretary-General) and Arvind Panagariya (Professor, Columbia University).