Iranians follow a truck carrying the flag draped coffins of Iran's intelligence minister Esmail Khatib and, according to Iranian officials, his wife and daughter, during a funeral procession in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 20. AP/PTI
LIVE: Iran threatens world tourism sites; Trump calls NATO allies 'cowards'
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei praised Iranians' steadfastness in the face of war in a written statement read on Iranian television to mark the Persian New Year, Nowruz
Here is the top, trending news of Friday, March 20, 2026, including Iran war, Indian politics, states’ politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Scroll below for updates.
Live Updates
- 20 March 2026 7:56 PM IST
Over 85 hospitalised in three UP districts after eating items prepared with 'kuttu ka atta'
Nearly 85 people including an additional district magistrate fell ill after consuming 'kuttu ka atta' (buckwheat flour) - typically consumed during fasting rituals - in Baghpat, Bijnor, and Bulandshahr districts of Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Friday (March 20). All affected individuals have been hospitalised, they said.
More than three dozen people fell ill after consuming buckwheat flour in various areas of Bulandshahr. All have been admitted to the district hospital, and their health is showing signs of improvement, an administrative official said on Friday.
In Baghpat district, more than 18 people including Additional District Magistrate (Judicial) Shiv Narayan Singh suffered from food poisoning after eating meals prepared with buckwheat flour during the Navratri.
Nine members of a family from Kasimpur Khedi village, six people from Malakpur village, and two from Bawli village, also fell ill following consumption of items prepared with buckwheat flour and required medical attention. The incidents have caused a stir within the health and food safety departments, and joint teams have initiated a probe into the cases.
Meanwhile, in Bijnor district, around 30 people suffered symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea after consuming buckwheat flour on Thursday - the first day of Navratri. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Kaushlendra Singh said approximately 30 people across Sikroda, Lahak Kala, Mohanpur, and Khairullapur (located in Mandawali and Najibabad), began vomiting on Thursday evening after consuming buckwheat flour preparations. He said the majority of the affected persons were admitted to Samipur Hospital in Najibabad. Some patients also sought treatment at private hospitals.
The CMO said the situation is now under control. The food department will collect samples from the shop in Najibabad that sold the buckwheat flour; following examination of these samples, appropriate action will be taken in accordance with regulations, officials said.
- 20 March 2026 7:52 PM IST
Youth Congress claims harassment after AI Summit protest, slams Centre over 'US trade deal'
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Friday claimed its members faced harassment following their protest against the US trade deal at the AI Summit, alleging the agreement would harm farmers, compromise national data, and benefit American interests.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib said: "It is well known that we staged a protest during the AI Summit. The sole objective was to highlight how the government entered into this trade deal in a compromised manner."
"The nation's data, which is our greatest asset, could potentially be transferred to the United States free of cost. This would result in losses for citizens and damage key sectors," he added.
Chib confirmed that several members were detained but have since been granted bail. IYC national in-charge Manish Sharma, who received anticipatory bail, alleged the protest was being "criminalised" and that FIRs did not reflect the peaceful nature of the demonstration.
"The right to protest is fundamental. We will continue to raise our voice against this one-sided agreement," Sharma said.
- 20 March 2026 7:49 PM IST
Flipkart rolls out 105 pc bonus payout to employees for 2025
E-commerce major Flipkart has announced a 105 per cent bonus payout to employees for 2025 on the back of strong growth momentum. The bonus payout for eligible employees at the Senior Director (SD) level and below will be disbursed in March, as per an internal communication accessed by PTI.
However, for Vice Presidents (VPs) and Senior Vice Presidents (SVPs), the payout will take place after the closure of the 2025 performance review process, according to an email sent to employees by Flipkart's Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Seema Nair.
"Our annual Company Performance Multiplier for bonus payout reflects our progress across key business, operational, financial and people metrics. We made meaningful progress in our journey toward sustainable profitability while maintaining strong growth momentum," the email read.
The CHRO noted that the Walmart-backed company has made significant strides in strengthening its core categories and scaling new engines of growth.
"To recognise the hard work across all organisational levels... we are pleased to declare the 2025 Company Multiplier at 105 per cent for all eligible employees," Nair stated in the email.
An email sent to Flipkart seeking official comments on the development did not elicit an immediate response.
- 20 March 2026 7:45 PM IST
'People have the right to criticise judgments,' says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking the removal of a remark against its verdicts from NCERT's old Class 8 Social Science textbook, saying people have the right to criticise its judgments.
The Centre informed a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi that it had constituted an expert committee to review the NCERT chapter on corruption in the judiciary. The committee comprises former Attorney General KK Venugopal, former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra, and Justice Aniruddha Bose of the National Judicial Academy, along with a vice chancellor.
The court was hearing a petition by former NCERT member Pankaj Pushkar against a passage in the textbook that read: "recent judgments tend to view the slum dweller as an encroacher in the city."
Refusing to entertain the petition, Chief Justice Surya Kant observed: "It's a viewpoint about a judgment. That's a healthy criticism. Why the judiciary should be so oversensitive about that. This part of the book points out what is the structure of the judiciary, how they work, what they have done, some good has also been highlighted. Then they say, however, there are also court judgments that people believe work against the best interests of common persons. This is a viewpoint about a judgment, people have a right to criticise our judgments."
- 20 March 2026 7:22 PM IST
Congress spokesperson flags low representation of women in Kerala poll
Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed on Friday expressed dissatisfaction over the low representation of women in the party's candidate list for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.
In a Facebook post, the AICC leader said it was disappointing that very few women had been given tickets. "Rejected, but not defeated. I respectfully urge my leader, Rahul Gandhi ji, whom I admire and respect deeply, to support Congress women in Kerala," she said.
Out of the 92 seats the Congress is contesting, only nine have been allotted to women. Mohamed also pointed out that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, only one woman was given a ticket out of 16 seats. "If capable women are not being recognised, the situation is indeed very poor. It is deeply disappointing," she said.
Meanwhile, Kochi Corporation councillor Deepthi Mary Varghese, who had expected a ticket, said she was not disappointed. "Candidate selection is always a consultative process within the party. Many may aspire to contest, but not everyone can be given a ticket. There is nothing unusual in that," she said.
Varghese said she would actively participate in election work across Kerala, particularly in the 14 constituencies in Ernakulam district, adding that winnability remains a key factor in candidate selection.
- 20 March 2026 7:20 PM IST
India-China border trade via Lipulekh Pass to resume after six years
Border trade between India and China through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district is set to resume this year after a six-year hiatus.
District Magistrate Ashish Bhatgai confirmed that preparations have begun following directives from the Union government, with the trade session typically running from June to September. The move follows a No Objection Certificate issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, along with clearances from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri wrote to Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan requesting the restoration of trade through the Himalayan pass. Authorities have been instructed to prepare an action plan covering transit camps, banking, security, and medical facilities for traders.
Trade via the Lipulekh had resumed in 1992 after a long suspension but was halted in 2019 due to COVID-19. Traders' body president Jeevan Singh Ronkali welcomed the move, noting it would allow traders to retrieve goods stored in Tibetan warehouses since 2019.
- 20 March 2026 6:58 PM IST
Jaishankar discusses West Asia crisis, Indo-Pacific with Australian counterpart
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a phone conversation on Friday with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong, focusing on the escalating tensions in West Asia and developments across the Indo-Pacific.
The discussion comes amid rising global anxiety following recent strikes on major gas facilities in West Asia. An Israeli attack earlier this week on Iran’s South Pars gas field triggered a sharp Iranian response, targeting energy infrastructure across several Gulf countries, including Qatar’s key LNG hub at Ras Laffan.
Detailing the exchange, Jaishankar said, "Very pleased to speak with my Australian counterpart @SenatorWong. Shared our assessments of the ongoing West Asia conflict. Also discussed Indo-Pacific issues."
The situation has drawn attention in India, which depends heavily on Qatar for liquefied natural gas, with the Gulf nation supplying nearly 40 per cent of its LNG needs.
- 20 March 2026 6:56 PM IST
DMK targets Palaniswami over Delhi seat-sharing talks
The DMK on Friday criticised AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami over his visit to Delhi for seat-sharing discussions with the BJP, calling the move unusual for a party that claims to lead the NDA in Tamil Nadu.
State minister K N Nehru, striking a sarcastic note, questioned why such talks were not held in Chennai. He compared the invitation from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to a summons, and said, "if AIADMK is leading the NDA in Tamil Nadu, then seat-sharing talks should have taken place at its headquarters in Chennai. But, Palaniswami is holding talks at Amit Shah's residence."
He added, "You may lock the party headquarters in Avvai Shanmugham Salai in Royapettah until the elections are over."
TN BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran dismissed the criticism, asking, "What is wrong in that," and said discussions on seat-sharing had not yet begun.
- 20 March 2026 5:56 PM IST
Nitish Kumar files nomination for JD(U) president post
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has filed his nomination for the post of JD(U) president as he prepares to return to national politics with his election to the Rajya Sabha. JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha submitted Kumar's nomination at the party's central office here on Thursday (March 19). Jha is one of the proposers for Kumar.
The Bihar chief minister did not come to Delhi to file his nomination. Party sources said Kumar is set to be elected unopposed, as there is hardly any possibility of anyone else filing the nomination for the post.
JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said the last date for filing of nomination for the post is March 22, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 24. The scrutiny of the documents of the candidates will be done on March 23, he said.
"The counting of votes will take place on March 27 if any other candidate files a nomination. So far, only one (Nitish Kumar's) nomination has been filed," he told PTI.
Kumar took over the reins of JD(U) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as Rajiv Ranjan Singh stepped down as party president in December 2023.
- 20 March 2026 5:54 PM IST
Merchant navy captain from Ranchi dies of cardiac arrest near Strait of Hormuz
Captain Rakesh Ranjan died on board a merchant vessel carrying oil near the Strait of Hormuz, his family said on Friday (March 20), urging the Centre and the Jharkhand government to help bring back his body.
Ranchi-based Ranjan (43) had joined the vessel, ‘ASP Avana- RPSL-MUM-172’, owned by a private company, on February 2. According to his family, Ranjan died on March 18, allegedly because of a cardiac arrest. They claimed the ship had been stranded about 14 nautical miles off the Strait of Hormuz since February 28 after movement was halted in the region because of the West Asia conflict.
"I request Chief Minister Hemant Soren to help bring my brother’s body back at the earliest. The company should also not create any hurdles in releasing his financial dues and entitlements, and the government should monitor the matter. In addition, I urge the central government, the Indian consulate in Dubai, and the company to hand over my brother’s body to us at the earliest," his elder brother Umesh Singh said.
Singh said letters have been sent to CM Soren and Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth seeking assistance in bringing back the body.
"My younger brother was serving as the ship's captain. On March 18, the company informed us that he had fallen from his chair after losing consciousness, and efforts were made to provide medical assistance. However, permission for airlifting him was not granted. He was later taken by boat to Port Rashid in Dubai, where he was declared dead," Singh told PTI, adding that cardiac arrest was possibly the reason for his death.
He, however, said the family would wait for the post-mortem examination report, which would determine the cause of Ranjan’s death.
