LIVE: Russia, US defence chiefs to speak by phone on Friday, says report

Live news updates: The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday told the Supreme Court it has withdrawn notices issued in 2019 and proceedings against people holding protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The state withdrew 274 recovery notices issued against protestors for destruction of properties.

A special court on Friday gave the death sentence to 38 convicts for their role in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts, news agency ANI reported.

At least 80 people were on trial for the terrorist attack in the Gujarat city that killed 56 people. On February 8, a court convicted 49 accused and acquitted 28 others in the case. The court had ended the trial in the more than 13-year-old case in September last year, said NDTV.com.

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday there was now every indication Russia was planning to invade Ukraine in the next few days and was preparing a pretext to justify it, after Ukrainian forces and pro-Moscow rebels traded fire in eastern Ukraine.

India reported 25,920 new cases of Covid-19 and 492 deaths from the disease in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry on Friday. Total cases increased 42.78 million and pandemic deaths to 510,905.