COP26 live: India will reach net zero emissions by 2070, says PM Modi

LIVE: Offices and shops in Bengaluru shut down and police battalions brought in to control crowds after actor's death.

3:45 PM

Actor Puneeth Rajkumar dies after heart attack

Actor Puneeth Rajkumar died in a Bengaluru hospital on Friday after suffering a heart attack. He was 46. He had been taken to Vikram Hospital this morning in an "unresponsive" condition; in the afternoon, NDTV.com reported. "I am deeply shocked that Kannada celebrity Shri Puneeth Rajkumar died of a heart attack. The death of Kannadigar's favourite actor, Appu, has caused enormous loss to Kannada and Karnataka," said Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Twitter, referring to the actor’s popular name.

3:15 PM

Mullaperiyar dam opened, red alert sounded in Kerala's Idukki

The shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala, operated by Tamil Nadu, were raised on Friday morning as the water level in the reservoir crossed 138 ft, Kerala government officials said in Idukki. Kerala ministers K Rajan and ministers Roshy Augustine, who were present during the opening of the shutters of the dam, said their state had taken measures to ensure safety of the people, PTI reported.

2:56 PM

Protesters spill 1,000 litres of fake oil at Lloyd's of London

Climate protesters spilled a 1,000 litres of fake oil outside Lloyd’s of London Friday, part of a campaign to draw attention to the finance industry’s financing of fossil fuels. The activists were protesting the insurance marketplace’s underwriting of fossil-fuel projects, including a tar sands pipeline in Canada, Bloomberg reported.

2:45 PM

Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar hospitalised, 'health serious': Doctors

Actor Puneeth Rajkumar is in the Intensive Care Unit of Bengaluru's Vikram hospital after suffering a heart attack on Friday. A doctor from the hospital said that the actor's condition is "serious" but that the medical staff were "trying (their) best to treat him, NDTV.com reported.

 

2:21 PM

IndusInd Bank raises Rs 2,800 cr debt capita

Private sector IndusInd Bank on Friday said it has raised Rs 2,800 crore by issuing bonds on private placement basis. The bonds, set to mature in 10 years, bear a coupon rate of 8.11 per cent payable annually, PTI reported.

1:27 PM

Tennis veteran Leander Paes joins Trinamool Congress

Tennis veteran Leander Paes joins Trinamool Congress in presence of West Bengal CM and party chief Mamata Banerjee in Goa. PTI

 

12:41 PM

We expect Aryan Khan to be out of jail in the evening today itself: Adv Satish Maneshinde

We expect Aryan Khan to be out of jail in the evening today itself: Adv Satish Maneshinde, who represented Khan in drugs-on-cruise case, to ANI

12:33 PM

Lucknow: Amit Shah to initiate 'Mera Parivaar-BJP Parivaar' membership drive shortly

12:15 PM

US, India urge Taliban to ensure Afghanistan is not used as terrorists' safe haven

India and the US have called on the Taliban to ensure that Afghanistan is not used as a safe haven for terrorists, as officials from the two countries concluded their joint dialogue on counter-terrorism to expand their cooperation to combat the scourge.

 

The Indian and the US sides also called for concerted action against all terror groups, including those proscribed by the UN Security Council such as al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a joint statement issued after the meeting here said on Thursday.

 

Reaffirming counter-terrorism cooperation as an important pillar under the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, both sides pledged to further expand cooperation on law enforcement, information sharing, exchange of best practices and strategic convergence on counter-terrorism challenges, it said.

12:09 PM

Canara Bank stock surges 10%, hits 21-month high in a subdued market

Shares of Canara Bank hit a 21-month high of Rs 214.50 after they rallied 10 per cent on the BSE in Friday’'s intra-day trade on the back of heavy volumes. The stock of the state-owned bank was trading at its highest level since January 2020.

 

At 11:45 am, Canara Bank was trading 9.6 per cent higher at Rs 214.20, as compared to a 0.11 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. In the past one month, it has surged 28 per cent, as against a 0.89 per cent gain in the benchmark index. A combined 35.81 million equity shares had changed hands on the counter on the NSE and BSE till the time of writing of this report. Read on...

12:05 PM

Widespread rains in southern Kerala; 'Orange Alert' for 5 districts

Several parts of the southern districts of Kerala continued to receive widespread rainfall on Friday causing waterlogging in low-lying areas and damage to roads as the weathermen sounded an 'Orange Alert', predicting very heavy rainfall, for five districts.

 

According to the latest update of India Meteorological Department (IMD), isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthita, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki districts.

 

An 'yellow alert', indicating heavy rainfall, was issued in another five districts- Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad.

 

Meanwhile, rain water entered several houses and three vehicles were washed away in the overnight heavy rains and flooding in Punalur-Thenmala region in Kollam district.

11:59 AM

We are elated to share that Nafisa Ali and Mrinalini Deshprabhu have joined the Goa TMC family: Mamata

"We are elated to share that Nafisa Ali and Mrinalini Deshprabhu have joined the Goa Trinamool Congress family today in the presence of party Chairperson Mamata Banerjee," tweets TMC.

11:53 AM

Railway Min withdraws decision on sharing IRCTC convenience fee; shares recover losses

The Ministry of Railways has decided to withdraw its decision on sharing of convenience fee earned by IRCTC on online bookings of train tickets, DIPAM Secretary said on Friday.

 

"Ministry of Railways has decided to withdraw the decision on IRCTC convenience fee," DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey tweeted.

 

The Indian Railways Catering and Transportation Corporation (IRCTC) on Thursday said that the Ministry of Railways has asked it to share 50 per cent of its revenue earned as convenience fee from bookings on its website with the national transporter.

 

Convenience fees charged from customers generated a sizable revenue for IRCTC. The fee is not part of the rail fare. It is for the service of online ticket booking offered by the IRCTC.

 

Shares of IRCTC on Friday tanked nearly 10 per cent in opening trade to Rs 822.40 apiece.

11:29 AM

The govt has failed, it has completely ignored farmers: Priyanka Gandhi

The govt has failed, it has completely ignored farmers. This is not an issue of these four farmers alone, this is an issue of the entire Bundelkhand: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

11:23 AM

Biden announces Build Back Better Framework, $1.75tn social spending plan

US President Joe Biden has unveiled a framework for a $1.75 trillion social spending package following weeks of intensive negotiations with Congressional Democrats.

 

The so-called Build Back Better Framework includes $555 billion in clean energy and climate investments; $400 billion in funding for child care and free preschool; $200 billion in child tax and earned income tax credits; and $150 billion in investments for affordable housing, according to a fact sheet released by the White House on Thursday.

 

The framework seeks to impose new taxes on the largest corporations and the wealthiest Americans to raise revenue of around $2 trillion over a decade to fully pay for the social spending plan, reports Xinhua news agency citing the fact sheet. Read on...