1.Cricket will feature six teams battling for top honours when the sport returns to the Olympics at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after a gap of 128 years.

2.Union Health Minister JP Nadda will launch Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in the state of Odisha  Friday, a move that is expected to beneft around 3.5 crore people.

3.Tahawwur Hussain Rana, one of the key accused in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was brought to India.

4.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Thursday said Odisha government will construct stadiums in all 314 blocks of the state to strengthen sports infrastructure at the grassroots level.

5.The renowned social worker, educationist and KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Buckingham, UK, during its graduation ceremony Thursday. This marks his 65th honorary doctorate.

6.Indian author and poet Charudutta Panigrahi has been honoured with the prestigious Emily Dickinson Award for his latest poetry anthology, Swirl & Still. From the evocative “Dusk at Rayagada” to the stirring “Monte Music,” Swirl & Still has garnered critical acclaim and is already being considered for several other international recognitions.

7.Finger millet procurement in Koraput district has hit a seven-year high, thanks to the Odisha government’s Rs2.10 per kg incentive scheme aimed at encouraging millet cultivation and supporting farmers, a report said.

8.The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear April 16, a batch of pleas relating to the issue of religious conversions in the country. While some pleas have challenged the anti-conversion laws in several states, another petition has sought a relief against forced religious conversions.

9.As Gujarat grapples with soaring temperatures, Ahmedabad recorded a high of 42°C (108°F) Thursday, with a predicted forecast similar for the coming days.

10.The world generated around 268 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2022 and India accounted for just 3.54 per cent, according to a new paper.

11.The US has announced the suspension of additional tariffs on India for 90 days until July 9 this year, according to the White House executive orders.

12.FBI Director Kash Patel was quietly removed weeks ago as the acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and has been replaced with the Army secretary, three people familiar with the matter have said.

13.Foreign and domestic investors showed strong confi dence in the Indian equity market in March 2025, with both foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) emerging as net buyers, a new report said Thursday.

14.The direct selling industry achieved a 4.04 per cent of year-on-year growth in FY24, reaching an estimated value of Rs22,150 crore, according to the latest report released by the industry body IDSA.

15.A jet-lagged Dhiraj Bommadevara, who landed in the US just hours before the competition due to visa issues, showed remarkable composure Thursday to guide the Indian men's recurve team into the final at the Archery World Cup Stage .