The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday released the first National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI), establishing a baseline for measuring vegetation along the country’s highway network using satellite-based assessment.. The first assessment cycle has covered around 30,000 kilometres of national highways across 24 states. (Image sourced from Doordarshan). Subsequent annual cycles will track year-on-year changes along the same highway stretches, enabling monitoring of improvements in roadside vegetation over time, NHAI said in a statement.. The index was prepared in coordination with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after a memorandum of understanding was signed by both agencies in January 2024 to develop a scientific and quantitative framework for assessing plantations along national highways.. The index uses high-resolution satellite sensors to detect chlorophyll content along highway corridors, enabling an estimate of vegetation within the right of way on both sides of the road.. The first assessment cycle has covered around 30,000 kilometres of national highways across 24 states for the period between July and December 2024.. Also Read: NHAI to build bridge, 2 km road to ease traffic at Masani Barrage. According to NHAI, the index is a technology-based approach for macro-level estimation of green cover along highways and could help identify stretches with relatively lower vegetation levels where plantation management may require attention. The framework also enables comparison and ranking of highway sections based on green cover. It said the use of satellite data offers a cost-effective and time-efficient method for monitoring vegetation along the expanding national highway network.. The release of the NH-GCI report follows NHAI’s publication of its sustainability report in July 2025, which outlined the agency’s sustainability initiatives and environmental performance across highway development and operations site. 

 India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday postponed Class 12 board exams scheduled from March 12 to 16 in several West Asian countries amid the Iran–US–Israel conflict and will review the situation on March 14 before deciding on exams from March 16 onwards.. Riyadh in Saudi Arabia has seen damage as Iran retaliates to US-Israeli conflict by attacking their bases in its neighbouring countries. (Reuters Photo). Follow: Live updates on the US-Iran conflict. In its fifth circular since March 1, CBSE said that after a “critical review of the current situation” in parts of the Middle East (or West Asia), including Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the board has decided to postpone the examinations. The board stated that “the new dates shall be announced later”.. “The board will review the situation on March 14 and take appropriate decisions with regard to examinations scheduled from March 16 onwards,” said CBSE controller of exams Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj in the latest circular, which lists the Indian ambassadors to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iran, as well as the consul general of India in Dubai, among those copied for information and necessary action.. In the fourth circular dated March 7, CBSE had postponed Class 12 board exams scheduled from March 9 to 11. In its third circular dated March 5, 2026, the board cancelled all Class 10 examinations scheduled from March 2 to March 11 and stated that it will later notify the mode of result declaration for thousands of affected students.. There are over 150 CBSE-affiliated schools in West Asia.. In the same circular, the board had postponed the Class 12 examination scheduled on Saturday, March 7.. In its first and second circulars dated March 1 and 3, CBSE had postponed board examinations scheduled on March 2, March 5 and March 6.. “All students are advised to remain in close contact with their schools and follow official announcements carefully,” Bhardwaj said in the latest circular.. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, in particular, host a large number of Indian expatriate families, and CBSE schools there account for a significant share of overseas candidates appearing for the board examinations each year.. CBSE conducts the Class 10 and 12 board exams annually in India and at select foreign centres where its affiliated schools operate.. The Gulf region constitutes the largest overseas cluster of CBSE schools, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh among examination hubs.. The postponements and cancellations mark a rare mid-session disruption to overseas board examinations. In recent years, the CBSE altered schedules mainly during extraordinary circumstances, most notably in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.. In isolated cases, the board has also deferred exams in specific centres due to extreme weather, local emergencies or security-related concerns, while maintaining the broader national time 

 An Iranian missile attack on Israel on Sunday resulted in an Indian national getting injured and undergoing surgery in Tel Aviv.. Israeli security forces inspect an area damaged during an airstrike in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP). This came on the ninth day of the war between the Israel-US alliance and Iran, which began on February 28, and has since almost escalated into a full-blown regional war in West Asia.. The Indian man was critically injured after shrapnel from an Iranian missile struck him in the neck. He underwent surgery at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv and is now in stable condition.. “He arrived yesterday in critical condition with a neck injury. The medical team at Ichilov fought to save his life, and he underwent a long surgery. Thankfully, he is now stabilising,” a spokesperson for the hospital told news agency PTI.. The officials quoted in the report said that the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv “is monitoring the situation and visited the hospital to check on his well-being.. The Embassy is also in touch with Indian nationals in Israel regularly amid the ongoing hostilities in the region, the officials elaborated.. So far, at least 11 people have died in Israel due to Iranian missile attacks, with Iran not letting up the barrage even though Tel Aviv claimed that its forces destroyed most of Tehran’s missile launchers.. After the Saudi Arabian authorities on Sunday said that an Indian national was among the two people who died as the military projectile struck a residential compound belonging to a maintenance and cleaning company in Al-Kharj, the Indian Embassy in the country clarified that there was no Indian fatality in the incident.. “It is a matter of relief that there has been no Indian fatality in the unfortunate incident at Al Kharj yesterday evening,” the mission said in a social media post.. The embassy added that an Indian national injured in the incident on Sunday is undergoing treatment at a government hospital.. The embassy said it has been in touch with the concerned Saudi authorities regarding the matter, adding that Counsellor (Community Welfare) Y Sabir visited Al-Kharj on Sunday night and met the injured Indian national involved in the incident.. The Saudi Civil Defence also clarified that the person initially believed to be Indian was actually a Bangladeshi national.. “After completing all final procedures, it has been determined that the two fatalities are of Bangladeshi nationality, (11) injured persons of Bangladeshi nationality, and (1) injured person of Indian nationality,” it said in a post on X.. Starting February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, which came after days of build-up with US President Donald Trump ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme. Iran’s retaliation escalated the war to the entire Gulf region. 

 New Delhi: Norway is skeptical about a US sanctions waiver that permits India to continue buying oil from Russia amid the intensifying conflict in West Asia, Norwegian deputy foreign minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik has said, adding the conflict should be settled through diplomatic means as it is having “dire effects” on regional security and trade flows,. Norwegian deputy foreign minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik has said. (Agency). Kravik said in an interview with HT that most global problems cannot be discussed or resolved without participation of India, which has become more important as a trade and investment destination following the free trade agreement signed by the The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which brings together Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.. Q. The Iran-US war has come very close to India with the sinking of an Iranian ship. How does Europe and Norway view these developments?. A: The last thing the Middle East needed now is another war and this is a war between the US, the world’s most formidable military power, and Israel, a very robust military power, and Iran, also a powerhouse of military capabilities. This is extremely unfortunate. Our sympathies predominantly lie with the Iranian people. They have suffered for too long under a brutal repressive authoritarian regime. Whatever comes out of this war, we hope that finally they can be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected and that Iran can at least be put on a path towards democracy.. But we’ve also flagged concerns with regards to the war. We have said we don’t think the war was initiated by the US and Israel in a way that comports with the UN Charter. We have stated the way in which Iran has responded by going after third countries in an indiscriminate fashion, is extremely problematic from the standpoint of international law and should be condemned. On top of that, you have all these global ramifications in terms of upsetting markets, slowing down growth, energy prices going up. There are only downsides to this. We’re hoping we can reach a diplomatic solution at the earliest because this is having dire effects on so many topics.. Q. An issue being debated is the killing of a head of state without war being declared and some believe this further weakens the global rules-based order. Your thoughts?. A: Obviously, there are additional concerns that the war is spreading, and now with this [Iranian] vessel being hit – this just showcases how these things can get out of control. So we need to find a way back to the negotiation table. There’s a reason why this is front and centre in the UN Charter – that states have an obligation to try to resolve these disputes in a peaceful manner. This is something we think should be taken very seriously by both sides.. Q. How does Norway view the US providing a sanctions waiver to allow India to buy Russian oil, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine?. A: Our position on Russi 

 Activist Sharjeel Imam was granted a 10-day interim bail by a Delhi court in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. This was reportedly for him to attend his brother’s wedding and care for his sick mother.. Sharjeel Imam was charged under section 15A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) along with fellow activist Umar Khalid. (Amal KS/ Hindustan Times). Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing the interim bail plea filed by Sharjeel Imam, which sought six weeks relief. In this light, the court granted him interim bail from March 20 to 30, news agency PTI reported.. ALSO READ | AIP welcomes former CJI’s statement on Umar, Sharjeel. This comes as good news for the supports of Khalid and Imam, particularly the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), which said former Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice DY Chandrachud’s statement is a “ray of hope for hundreds of Kashmiris languishing in jails” after he said Khalid and Imam should have been released on bail.. The two were arrested under Section 15A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after being accused of instigating the riots in Delhi in 2020. Both Khalid and Imam were denied bail by the Supreme Court earlier this year, on January 5, but five others were granted bail, namely Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed.. ALSO READ | Owaisi hits out at Congress after SC denies bail for Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam. The top court cited “hierarchy of participation” as the reason for this and said that their continued jail time was not necessary for a fair trial.. Shortly afterwards, Imam’s lawyers said he had withdrawn from the anti-CAA protests in Delhi before the Delhi Assembly elections, fearing the peaceful agitation was turning violent. His counsel told the court that even the prosecution claims Imam had left the protests by January, weeks before the February 2020 riots.. ALSO READ | ‘Imam withdrew from Delhi anti-CAA stir before riots begun’. The defence also argued there is no call record or evidence of meetings linking Imam with Umar Khalid, and that he was not part of WhatsApp groups allegedly used to coordinate road blockades. Instead, he had created a separate group of Jamia students for peaceful demonstrations.. Imam is among 17 accused in the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, which left 53 people dead and hundreds injured. Eleven accused are currently out on bail (excluding Imam), and the case is at the stage of arguments on framing of charges, with 17 of the 18 accused having completed their submissions.. (With inputs from PTI)