LIVE: 25 states/UTs reduced VAT on petrol and diesel so far, says Centre

Covaxin, a vaccine developed in India, was found to have a 77.8 per cent efficacy rate against symptomatic Covid-19, said The Lancet

1:26 PM

MP wants to ban Salman Khurshid's book: Minister

Madhya Pradesh's BJP government is considering legal options to ban Congress leader Salman Khurshid's book in which he has compared Hindutva to radical jihadist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram, said Home Minister Narottam Mishra, PTI reported.

1:13 PM

Supreme Court seeks UP's response in Lakhimpur Kheri probe

The Supreme Court Friday told the Uttar Pradesh government it has time till granted time till November 15 to appraise it about a suggestion that a former judge of a “different high court” should monitor the state SIT probe on day-to-day basis in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people including four farmers were killed on October 3.

12:19 PM

Passenger vehicle despatches fall 27%

Passenger vehicle wholesales in India fell 27 per cent year-on year in October as a semiconductor shortage hitting production at automobile manufacturers, said an industry association Friday. Sales in October stood at 2,26,353 units: compared to 3,10,694 units in the year-ago period, said SIAM.

11:29 AM

Financial inclusion should be priority: Modi

Financial inclusion and awareness should include the last person in hierarchies, says Prime Minister Modi at launch of RBI's ‘Retail Direct Scheme’. 

11:18 AM

Modi inaugurates RBI's ‘Retail Direct Scheme’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Reserve Bank’s ‘Retail Direct Scheme’ in a virtual function. The scheme allows retail investors to open and maintain their government securities account with the central bank free of cost.

10:55 AM

Fino Payments Bank lists with share discout

Shares of Fino Payments Bank listed with a discount of nearly 6 per cent from its issue price of Rs 577. On the BSE, the stock opened at Rs 548, a 5 per cent discount.

10:28 AM

2,000 passengers after trains derails in Tamil Nadu

Some 2,000 passengers are safe after seven coaches of a Bengaluru-bound train derailed near Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu early Friday morning. The Indian Railways said the Kannur-Bengaluru Express came off tracks "due to sudden falling of boulders", PTI reported citing a press statement.

 

9:36 AM

India logs 12,516 new cases of Covid-19

India recorded 12,516 new cases of Covid-19 and 501 deaths from the disease, said the health ministry on Friday, marking a 4.3 per cent dip in daily cases from yesterday.

9:34 AM

Pakistan meddling in Afghanistan for long: US report

Pakistan has long played an active and, by many accounts, disruptive and destabilising role in Afghan affairs, including through the provision of support to the Taliban, a latest Congressional report on Afghanistan has said. If Pakistan, Russia, China, or US partners such as Qatar move towards greater acceptance of the Taliban, it could isolate the US in deciding for Afghanistan, PTI said about the report.

8:33 AM

Japan's Toshiba to announce split into 3 firms

Japanese industrial conglomerate Toshiba Corp is set to outline plans on Friday to break up into three listed companies that will focus on infrastructure, devices and memory chips, Reuters reported citing sources. The plan--borne of a strategic review undertaken after a highly damaging corporate governance scandal--is aimed at improving shareholder value and encouraging activist shareholders to exit, they said.

8:02 AM

Biden admin settles lawsuit, will help spouses of H-1B visa holders

The US will provide automatic work authorisation permits to spouses of H-1B visas holders, a step that would benefit thousands of Indian-Americans. The step became possible after the Department of Homeland Security settled a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of immigrant spouses this summer, PTI reported.

7:35 AM

Modi to inaugurate RBI's bond market scheme

India is set to open up its sovereign bond market to individual buyers on Friday as it seeks to widen the investor base to fund the government’s massive borrowing programme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the so-called ‘RBI Retail Direct Scheme’ for investors on Friday, the Reserve Bank of India said earlier this week, according to Bloomberg. 

 

6:51 AM

Boeing may win jet deal from new Indian airline: Report

Boeing Co may win a crucial deal as early as this weekend for some 70 to 80 737 Max jets from Akasa, a Mumbai-based startup airline backed by billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. The potential deal with the carrier would dent Airbus SE’s dominance in what was until recently the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, Bloomberg reported.

 

5:54 AM

Chinese leaders issue official history to elevate Xi

Leaders of China's ruling Communist Party on Thursday set the stage for President Xi Jinping to extend his rule next year, praising his role in the country's rise as an economic and strategic power and approving a political history that gives him status alongside the most important party figures, the AP reported.