About 92 inmates of Jalpaiguri Central Correctional Home (JCCH) in West Bengal were infected with the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) between August 20, 2025 and March 9 this year, with seven of the infected inmates losing thier lives due to the infection, prompting alarm among district health and correctional administration officials.

Documents accessed by The Hindu show that during this period, four inmates from the correctional home died at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, while three deaths were reported at Jalpaiguri District Hospital.

An official said that while several patients have recovered, almost half of the 92 inmates affected by HSV-1 and HSV-2 had to be either segregated or put under treatment at State-run health facilities.

Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal today participated in the 12th Asian and Pacific Regional Conference organised by the All India Prosecutors’ Association in New Delhi. In a social media post, the Minister said during the conference, discussions were held with legal experts, prosecutors and other distinguished participants.

The discussion focused on key issues, including reforms in the judicial system and strengthening the prosecution mechanism. The Minister said that the government is promoting innovation in the judicial sector through the use of technology and institutional reforms to make the justice system more transparent, accessible and effective. He added that continuous efforts are being made to ensure that justice is delivered swiftly and remains accessible to all citizens.

In the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2026, India delivered an exceptional performance on Day 2 of the event in New Delhi, winning 12 golds and securing multiple podium finishes across track and field events, including several clean sweeps of the podium.

The highlight of the day came in the Men’s Javelin Throw, where Paralympic champion Sumit Antil led an all-Indian podium. Antil clinched gold with a powerful throw of 69.25 metres, while Pushpendra Singh secured silver with 56.91 metres and Poonam Ram won bronze with 49.48 metres. India also dominated the Men’s 400 metres Run T13, with Subodh Bhatt winning gold in 51.88 seconds, followed by Priyanshu Kaushik with silver in 53.19 seconds and Avnil Kumar claiming bronze in 56.91 seconds.

In the Men’s 400 m Run T46/T47, Bhavikkumar Din Bharwad secured gold with a time of 49.89 seconds, while fellow Indian Jasbeer finished close behind to take silver in 50.09 seconds. India continued its dominance in the wheelchair category of the Men’s 400m Run T53/T54, sweeping the podium with Manojkumar Sabapathi winning gold in 54.33 seconds, Anil Kumar taking silver in 57.57 seconds, and Manikandan Jothi securing bronze with a time of 1:01.94.

The Chhattisgarh government has approved the draft of the Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting held in Raipur yesterday evening under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. The proposed legislation aims to effectively curb religious conversions carried out through force, inducement, fraudulent means, undue influence or misrepresentation while converting from one religion to another in the state. The Bill will be introduced during the ongoing Budget Session of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly.

NASA said on Thursday that the long-delayed launch of Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, could come as soon as April 1.

"We are on track for a launch as early as April 1, and we are working toward that date," Lori Glaze, a senior NASA official, told a press conference, after technical difficulties delayed a launch originally expected in February.

"It's a test flight, and it is not without risk, but our team and our hardware are ready," she said. "Just keep in mind we still have work" to do.

China passed a law on a "shared" national identity among the country's 55 ethnic minority groups on Thursday (March 13), a move critics say will ⁠further erode the identity of people who are not majority Han Chinese and risk making anyone challenging that "unity" a separatist punishable by law.

Called "Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress", the ethnic minority law aims to forge national unity ‌and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at its core, a draft copy of the law showed.

It was passed ‌at the closing session of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, China's ‌legislature ⁠by 2,756 votes, with three opposing votes and three abstentions, according to a Reuters ⁠witness.

News Desk, News Nation 360:  Prof. Yashwant Gupta, a distinguished astrophysicist and the head of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) in Pune, was conferred the MP Birla Memorial Award for 2025 on March 13, 2026. The event was held at the MP Birla Planetarium in Kolkata. There was a special connection for Prof. Gupta, a distinguished astrophysicist and the head of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) in Pune, as his interest in the universe was kindled by a visit to the same planetarium during his high school days in the 1970s. After a hiatus of six years due to the pandemic, the MP Birla Memorial Award for 2025 was bestowed on Prof. Gupta for his pioneering work in radio astronomy and his contributions to international collaborations in the field. The event was initially scheduled for December 5, 2025, but was rescheduled by three months when a nationwide flight disruption prevented Prof. Gupta from attending the event. The MP Birla Memorial Award was instituted in 1993. Prof. Gupta joins a distinguished group of past laureates that includes Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, and Prof. Govind Swarup.

A professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has summited the Nevado Ojos del Salado, which is the highest volcanic peak in the world and the highest mountain in Chile.

By summitting the Nevado Ojos del Salado, which is 6,893 meters, on March 6, Arpita Patra, professor at IISc’s Department of Computer Science and Automation, became the second Indian woman to achieve this feat.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav on Friday inaugurated Yoga Mahotsav 2026 in New Delhi, marking the 100-day countdown to the 12th edition of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2026.

During the event, the minister launched 10 Yoga Protocols for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Target Groups, designed to support people across various age groups and health conditions.

Speaking at the event, Jadhav said the International Day of Yoga has grown into a global movement over the past decade. “Yoga has evolved into a global celebration of wellness. It is a powerful discipline that promotes mental clarity, physical health and emotional balance,” he said.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), an autonomous telecom research and development institution under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), organised a Demo Day for 18 startups under Cohort-II of the ‘Samarth’ incubation programme at the NBCC Convention Hall in New Delhi on Thursday.

The event showcased technological innovations developed by startups working in areas such as telecom applications, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, IoT, 5G/6G technologies and quantum technologies.

Launched in March 2025, the Samarth incubation programme aims to support startups in the telecom and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors. The programme is structured into two cohorts of six months each, accommodating up to 18 startups per cohort, thereby supporting a total of 36 startups under the initiative.