India news: Millions revel in colors of Holi

India's bowling coach Morne Morkel says that someone in the ranks of the T20 World Cup hosts will need "to put their hand up" and deliver if the bookmakers' favorites want to reach the final as predicted. 

Morkel said that India had not yet put together a flawless display in the tournament, but he also said that was irrelevant now that they'd reached the final four. 

"It's not about how you get to the semifinals. It's about the next two games, how we're going to play there," the South African national said ahead of the game in Mumbai. "It's a big occasion tomorrow night here, a semifinal, a great stadium to play a great game of cricket. So hopefully the boys can rock up tomorrow and just be calm and execute those skills."

After a shaky start, England picked up the pace in the most recent phase of the tournament, winning all three of its games to qualify for the semis. 

"They're a team that's street smart. Obviously there's a lot of quality in their side," Morkel said. "The way they approach a T20 game, fearless, trying to take the game on, will give you opportunities." 

The bowling coach predicted a "good shoot-out between two aggressive teams" on Thursday. 

Looking for the latest on the US submarine strike on an Indian warship to the south of Sri Lanka, opening up a new front in the fighting east of Iran in the Indian Ocean?

Fear not, we have you covered here. 

It's the first time since World War II that the US Navy has sunk a warship with a torpedo. The frigate was carrying a crew of around 180; Sri Lanka said earlier that it had rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 dead bodies.

India is aiming to become a global hub for artificial intelligence and cloud computing infrastructure. But AI data centers' enormous energy and water demands present a challenge.

Murali Krishan in New Delhi digs deeper here. 

New Zealand have comprehensively beaten South Africa in the first semifinal of the cricket T20 World Cup in Kolkata, racing to a modest target of 170 runs with nine wickets and 43 balls to spare. 

New Zealand kept South Africa to just 169/8 in their innings, with Marco Jansen's 55 not-out a lone bright spot for the Springboks, and then the Kiwis' batsmen made short work of the goal. 

Opening batsman Finn Allen hit a spectacular 100 runs off just 33 deliveries, with 10 fours and eight sixes, to do the lion's share of the scoring all by himself. It's the fastest century in T20 World Cup history, at just over three runs per ball.

Allen's opening partner Tim Seifert hit 58 before being bowled out by Kagiso Rabada.

Rachin Ravindra, who also took two wickets with the ball, then came in and delivered 13 runs from 11 balls while Allen continued his scoring spree. 

New Zealand will face either India or England in the final.

India and England play each other on Thursday in Mumbai. In both the last two T20 world cups, the two nations met in the semis and the winning side went on to lift the trophy. But if Wednesday's display is anything to go by, a stern test awaits in this year's final. 

The sun is setting in India and the fabled Holi lethargy is kicking in.

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Finland's  President Alexander Stubb arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday as he begins a four-day trip to India aimed at bolstering bilateral ties, including in the area of trade. 

He received a ceremonial welcome upon landing.

"Arrived in India today for a state visit, just as the country celebrates Holi, the festival of spring and colors. What a wonderful way to begin the visit!" he wrote on X.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Stubb's visit will take India-Finland relations to "new heights". 

According to India's Foreign Ministry, Stubb is slated to speak at the Raisina Dialogue — a geopolitics and geoeconomics conference — which begins Thursday.

The Finnish President will meet Modi to hold discussions focused on cooperation and addressing regional and global issues of mutual interest between the two nations.

Stubb will also meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. 

He will then visit Mumbai where he is scheduled to attend an India-Finland business event.

"India and Finland share warm, friendly and multi-faceted relations, rooted in shared democratic values. Finland is a valued partner for India in the European Union and the Nordic region," the Indian Ministry of External affairs said in a statement released earlier this week. 

Several prominent regional news outlets in India-administered Kashmir reported that their accounts had been taken down by Meta, which operates platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The move, which has sparked condemnation from Kashmir's political parties, came as large-scale pro-Khamenei protests in the region entered a third day.

The Jammu and Kashmir police condemned in a statement on Tuesday what it called "the deliberate circulation of false, fabricated and misleading information by certain news channels, media outlets, and individuals" across electronic and social media platforms.

Meanwhile, former chief minister of the Jammu and Kashmir state and People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti expressed concern over the action against outlets like Greater Kashmir, Kashmir Life and Rising Kashmir. 

"Platforms like Meta, Facebook, and Instagram should not gag freedom of expression or amplify propaganda by silencing the people's voice. The J&K government must also stop censoring media in the region," she wrote on X. 

Kashmir Life reported that people attempting to access the social media pages of the outlets were shown notices saying that access had been restricted to comply with a legal request under Indian law.

Jammu And Kashmir People Conference president Sajad Lone called for the handles to be unblocked.

"Most of them are responsible, mature institutions and include GK, Kashmir Life and Rising Kashmir. Their absence will do more harm. At times it has been seen that space vacated by responsible institutions can be filled by unknown entities, further harming the cause of a free and responsible media," he said.

Here is a selection of pictures from Holi festivities across India.

This is how Mumbai is celebrating Holi:

Kolkata's bash:

Chandigarh colored:

Schools and colleges across India-administered Kashmir will remain shut until March 7 following protests in the region against the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US and Israeli strike last Saturday.

"All schools and colleges of Kashmir Division to remain closed till (sic) 7th of March 2026," Jammu and Kashmir state's Education Minister Sakina Itoo said. 

Schools and colleges were initially shuttered until March 3. 

News agency PTI, citing officials, said that strict restrictions were in place in the region for a third straight day.

There are curbs on the movement and assembly of people in some parts of the region, PTI cited officials as saying. 

Mobile and internet speeds also continue to be curtailed. 

The iconic Lal Chowk square in the region's largest city of Srinagar was also reportedly sealed.

Over the week, thousands of people, particularly from the Shiite community, have taken to the streets in India-administered Kashmir to mourn the killing of Khamenei. 

Shiite demonstrations have also taken place in other parts of India. 

Most of India's Muslims belong to the Sunni sect, while Shiites make up around 15% of the country's Muslim population.

Indian airline carriers are operating 58 flights between India and countries in the Middle East on Wednesday, the Civil Aviation Ministry said, amid attempts to help thousands of passengers stranded due to the Iran war. 

“To facilitate the movement of stranded passengers, 24 flights are being operated by Indian carriers today. Further, Indian carriers are planning 58 flights on 4th March,” the ministry said on Tuesday. Thirty of the scheduled flights were to be operated by IndiGo and 23 by Air India and Air India Express.

The ministry said that  a total of 1,221 flights by Indian carriers and 388 flights by foreign carriers have been cancelled so far since air travel in parts of the Middle East was severely hit by the ongoing tensions.

On Tuesday, India said that some 10 million of its citizens live and work in the Gulf nations and their safety was the country's main priority. 

The asphalt gray streets across India are caked with a splash of colors as millions of people celebrate the Hindu festival of Holi on Wednesday. 

Residential areas have installed speakers playing traditional Holi music and Bollywood, while children and adults both partake in fun battles using color powder, water balloons and water guns. 

Holi signals the arrival of spring, falling on the last full moon of winter in the Hindu calendar.

It is mainly celebrated in parts of northern India and Nepal and by Hindus Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The festival has also gained international popularity with Holi parties being organized in several big cities around the world. 

Holi is one of the oldest Hindu festivals. It is known for bringing people together in celebration, transcending the social  barriers of religion, caste and gender. 

On Wednesday, Indian leaders extended Holi wishes to the nation.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu said the festival conveyed a message of social harmony.

"This festival of colors infuses love and hope into people's lives and strengthens mutual unity and brotherhood. My wish is that this festival brings happiness into everyone's lives and that we all together contribute to building a developed nation," she said in a statement on X. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sent his Holi greetings.

"The festival of Holi infuses the entire atmosphere with fresh energy. This is one of its greatest qualities," he said. 

Meanwhile, in capital New Delhi strict measures were in place to ensure law and order. 

Traditionally on Holi, people consume alcohol or drinks mixed with bhang — an edible prepared with the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant.

Delhi's Traffic Police has deployed to some 134 of the city's major intersections to prevent drunken driving, reports said. 

This is Dharvi in Delhi. A fragrant mix of colors, love and spring is in the air as millions of people in India, Nepal and across the world celebrate the festival of Holi. 

I have started my morning with coffee and gujiya (a flaky, sweet pastry popularly made in the Indian subcontinent during Holi) as we begin our daily coverage of developments making headlines in India. 

Today, Indian airline carriers are planning to operate over 50 flights to the Middle East after the escalating US-Israel war with Iran severely impacted air traffic in the region, stranding hundreds of thousands of travelers. 

India said in a statement last evening that the safety of its 10 million citizens living and working in the Gulf countries was its top priority.

Meanwhile, schools and colleges in Indian-administered Kashmir have remained shuttered amid protests triggered by the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Stay with us for more news, analysis and trends from India.