Live! Only goal is regime change in Iran, says Israeli minister

Iranian Naval Ship IRIS Lavan docked in Kochi after technical issues

Days before the attack and sinking of the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena south of Sri Lanka, Iran had approached India seeking urgent assistance for another warship, IRIS Lavan, which had developed technical issues while operating in the region, it is learnt.

The request from Iran was received on February 28, 2026. The communication indicated that IRIS Lavan, which had been in the region for the International Fleet Review, required urgent docking facilities due to technical issues. Approval for the ship to dock at Kochi was accorded on March 1, according to sources. IRIS Lavan subsequently arrived and docked at Kochi on March 4.

The ship’s crew of 183 personnel are currently being accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, sources said.

LS to take up notice on March 9 for resolution to remove Birla

The Lok Sabha has scheduled for Monday (March 9) a notice from Opposition members proposing a resolution to dismiss Om Birla from his position as the Speaker.

Once 50 members of the House rise when called by the Chair, the notice will be deemed accepted. Subsequently, the resolution will be deliberated and put to a vote.

But if 50 members do not stand in support of the notice, the resolution cannot be moved.

According to the agenda paper for Monday, the resolution is the only item listed as the business of the day. Monday will see the resumption of the Budget Session, and it will go on till April 4. 

No lack of funds for Delhi's development, says CM Gupta

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday reaffirmed that there will be no lack of financial resources for development projects in Delhi, while also emphasising that any negligence will not be accepted.

The BJP leader, who completed her first year as the CM in February, chaired a review meeting on road and drainage works approved earlier and asked the concerned departments to complete tendering processes by the end of March, to ensure that the projects are completed before the arrival of monsoon.

"The pace of development works must be visible on the ground. Development projects worth approximately Rs 3,786 crore in total have been approved so far under three departments. All agencies must work in close coordination and expedite the completion of pending documentation," Gupta said.

Nishant Kumar set to join JD(U)

Ending speculation, the Janata Dal (U) on Friday (March 6) announced that Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, will officially join the party on Saturday. The decision was taken during a crucial meeting of all party MLAs, MLCs, and MPs at the Chief Minister’s residence in Patna.

According to party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, Nishant will have an active role in state politics, beginning with an extensive tour of the state to connect with the masses.

Have you read our comprehensive copy from Bihar? Here it's. 

Owaisi to Modi on Iran war: Tell Trump to stop this 'tamasha'

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "break his silence" on the conflict in West Asia and ask US President Donald Trump to end the war.

Addressing a gathering in Hyderabad, he also asked the PM to provide a full account of the sinking of an Iranian ship, IRIS Dena, off Sri Lanka by a US military submarine two days ago.

Taking strong exception to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's recent announcement regarding Indian oil imports, he said the BJP-RSS should give a strong response to the American official and assert that India would purchase oil according to its own will.

He accused the BJP-RSS combine of being "scared" of US President Donald Trump.

"This war should end. Prime Minister should break his silence. Take the phone and tell Trump to stop this tamasha. They (US) are not suffering any losses. Our citizens are suffering. Who is dying there? Indians are dying. You maintained silence over Gaza," he said.

Owaisi dismissed the argument that the Iranian vessel sank outside the Indian waters, saying it is important to realise that it occurred close to India.

"If a Chinese ship comes close to our nation, what would you do? You say that it was not in Indian waters. Water does not have borders. You see how close the enemy has come. It is the Constitutional responsibility of the Prime Minister to tell the country what happened. We are with America in Quad," he said.

Israel's foreign minister: Goal is 'regime change' in Iran

US-Israel’s ongoing attacks on Iran are to remove “existential threats” posed by that country, and the end goal is “regime change”, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Friday.

He made the remarks during a session via video conferencing at the 11th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

"The goal will be a regime change. The regime change will take place and will happen by the people of Iran. We should have; we should create the conditions to do that," Saar said.

"Until now, this oppressive regime was so powerful, so repressive, and so brutal that they couldn't do that, even if a huge majority of the Iranian public inside Iran, and sometimes you can feel it also from the Iranian communities outside Iran, even they strongly supported a change. So basically, this is the endgame. But the end game will be written by the Iranian people," he added.

He described the ongoing military operation as “amazing successes” during the five days so far. "We can achieve that goal as a means by changing this regime. This change can be during the operation or after the operation. We must create the conditions for the Iranian people to do that. But I would say, five days after the beginning of this war, it is probably too early to judge, and I think we had amazing successes during these five days. But anyhow, we have enough patience in order to achieve our goals. We are determined to achieve our goals."

Trump appears to rule out negotiations with Iran

US President Donald Trump appears to rule out negotiations with Iran and says US will help Iran rebuild after the war, reports AP.

Hong Kong ex-media mogul Jimmy Lai will not appeal national security conviction, legal team says

Hong Kong pro-democracy ex-publisher Jimmy Lai will not appeal the national security conviction for which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison last month, his legal team said Friday.

Lai, an outspoken critic of China's ruling Communist Party who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily, was found guilty in December of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiring with others to publish seditious articles.

His Hong Kong legal team told The Associated Press via a text message about the decision, which ends a yearslong legal battle. The lawyers would not comment on the reason for not appealing.

“We can confirm we have clear and definitive instructions not to lodge an appeal against conviction or sentence,” they said.

Anti-US-Israel protests take place in Kashmir after Friday prayers

Peaceful protests were held at some places in Kashmir against the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the Friday prayers, officials said.

No untoward incident was reported during the protests, they said.

Members of the Shia community held demonstrations in Saida Kadal and Rainawari areas of the city here, as well as in Gounchipora, Shadipora, Inderkoot, and Nowgam Sumbal in Bandipora, and Kalampora in the Baramulla district of north Kashmir.

Smaller protests were registered in Budgam district in central Kashmir.

A large number of police and paramilitary CRPF forces were deployed in these areas, the officials said.

Protestors shouted slogans against the US and Israel and denounced the killing of the global Shia leader.

Many places with a large population of Shias erupted in protests immediately in the wake of Khamenei's assassination. 

Post-mortem concluded on Iranian sailor deaths in Lanka

The post-mortem conducted on the bodies of Iranian sailors recovered from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena has been concluded, PTI reported citing hospital sources.

Sri Lanka said on Wednesday it had recovered 84 bodies of Iranian sailors after the US submarine attack sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Galle on the island’s southern coast.

The ship had been returning to Iran from Visakhapatnam, India, where it had participated in a naval fleet review exercise.

Having concluded the magisterial inquiry following the presentation by the Galle harbour police, the Judicial Medical Officer of the Karapitiya hospital conducted the post-mortem on 84 bodies.

Eighty of the 84 bodies have been identified by the survivors.

The medical superintendent of the Galle hospital said post-mortem certificates would be issued in due course.

The remains are still at the hospital morgue.

Eight of the 32 rescued sailors are still receiving treatment at the emergency care unit. The 24 others are now being treated at the general care hospital, officials said.