Latest update LIVE: UP Police killed Dubey in self-defence, says STF

India among top 5 nations in solar energy: Prime Minister Narendra Modi while launching 750 MW solar project in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. Stay tuned with Business Standard for the latest news of today

3:10 AM

Turkey's president formally makes Hagia Sophia a mosque

The president of Turkey on Friday formally converted Istanbul's sixth-century Hagia Sophia back into a mosque and declared it open for Muslim worship, hours after a high court annulled a 1934 decision that had made the religious landmark a museum.
 

The decision sparked deep dismay among Orthodox Christians. Originally a cathedral, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque after Istanbul's conquest by the Ottoman Empire but had been a museum for the last 86 years, drawing millions of tourists annually.

Hagia Sophia

3:07 AM

Facebook mulls ban on political ads ahead of US elections

Facebook Inc is considering imposing a ban on political ads on its social network in the days leading up to the Nov. 3 elections in the United States, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the company's thinking.
 

The potential ban is only being discussed and has not been finalized, the report added.

2:31 AM

Four dead in landslide in Arunachal Pradesh after incessant rainfall

11:42 PM

Default risk for Indian companies drops at fastest pace in decade

Default risks for Indian firms are declining at the fastest pace in more than a decade as the central government deploys huge stimulus to support local companies hit by the impact of the pandemic.

 

The cost to insure against nonpayment by a basket of Indian companies, including Reliance Industries and State Bank of India, dropped by 252 basis points in May and June combined, the most for any two-month period dating back to 2009, according to CMA prices. Read more

11:37 PM

Covid-19 impact: Housing sales down 67% in April-June, says PropEquity

Sales or absorption of housing units dropped by 67% to 21,294 across top nine cities in the second quarter of calendar 2020, from 62,851 in the year-ago period, according to a PropEquity report. The sales declined because of the Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown. The supply of new units also dropped by 81% during the period to 11,967. Read more

11:22 PM

Travel curb by states to contain Covid-19 hurting demand: IndiGo CEO

Press Trust of India Hoping that the Covid-19-hit aviation industry should be back on "track" within the next one-and-a-half years, budget carrier IndiGo parent InterGlobe Aviation's Chief Executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta has said restrictions on travel by certain states are hurting demand. Read more.

11:14 PM

Amazon makes employees delete TikTok, cites security concerns

10:13 PM

Arunachal landslides: All assistance being provided to the affected, says PM Modi

10:13 PM

Will make efforts to ensure national unity, territorial integrity: Nepal PM

Embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Friday said he will make "every effort" to consolidate national unity and protect the territorial integrity of Nepal and asserted that it is the duty of the ruling communist party and its leaders to resolve the internal matters and disputes. Read more

9:43 PM

Govt's stimulus package has preserved macro stability: KKR India head

9:43 PM

PAC to review border road construction at LAC, procurement of high-altitude clothing for troops

9:43 PM

CBDT asks taxmen to process returns filed up to AY 2017-18 with refund claims by Oct 31

9:43 PM

India, China agree on "complete disengagement" of troops from eastern Ladakh in timely manner

9:42 PM

Sultry day in most of north India, landslides caused by heavy rains kill 7 in Arunachal

9:26 PM

Vikas Dubey encounter killing: Opposition parties attack UP govt; Congress, BSP demand Supreme Court-monitored probe

9:04 PM

Ladakh admin procuring tech, expertise for Jal Jeevan Mission: L-G

Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh R K Mathur on Fridaysaid the administration is in the process of procuring appropriate technologies and expertise to execute the Jal Jeevan Mission in the Union territory and expects it to be completed by March 2022.
 

In a meeting with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat via video conference, Mathur discussed the implementation and progress of Jal Jeevan Mission in Ladakh, a spokesman of Ladakh Raj Bhavan said.
 

Jal Jeevan Mission, envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, aims to provide portable water in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality to all households.

 

8:47 PM

Govt on track to doubling farmers' income by 2024: Agri Min official

The government is on track to achieving the target of doubling farmers' income by 2024 and recent farm reforms, including setting up of a Rs 1 lakh crore agri-infra fund, are steps in that direction, a senior agriculture ministry official said on Friday.
 

The recent reforms, including three ordinances to provide barrier-free trading platforms to farmers, are aimed at addressing the post-production challenges and ensuring better returns to farmers, said Ashok Dalwai, CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority under the agriculture ministry.
 

Dalwai, also the chairman of the Committee on Doubling Farmers' Income (DFI), was speaking at a webinar organised by the India Pulses And Grains Association (IPGA).

 

8:37 PM

Dubey encounter: Car overturned when driver tried to avoid cattle, says STF

The Uttar Pradesh STF on Friday said the official vehicle in which gangster Vikas Dubey was being brought to Kanpur overturned when a herd of cattle suddenly came in front of it.
 

According to a statement released by the STF, Dubey was being brought to Kanpur from Ujjain for appearance in a local court when the vehicle in which he was coming overturned in front of Kanhaiyalal Hospital on the national highway after a herd of cattle suddenly came in front of it.
 

The vehicle overturned when the driver, who was tired, tried to avoid the cattle on the road, the STF said, adding that five policemen were seriously injured.

8:27 PM

India's economic recovery started from June: SBI chairman

The country's economy, which witnessed a disruption due to the coronavirus outbreak, has started recovering from June, State Bank of India's Chairman Rajnish Kumar said on Friday.
 

Speaking at the SBI Banking and Economics Conclave, Kumar said there is a need to wait for three to four months to see the trend of the recovery.
 

"COVID-19 has caused gigantic disruption of the Indian economy along with dislocation of the supply chain. April was the worst month. Things had slightly improved in May, while the recovery started from June," Kumar said at the webinar.

8:14 PM

Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation, Indian Army retaliating

8:01 PM

Ex-AMU student leader held for anti-CAA violence: Police

A former AMU student leader and son of a varsity teacher has been arrested for his alleged role in the December 15 and subsequent violence during the campus protest against changes in the citizenship law, police said on Friday.
 

Sharjeel Usmani, the son of Assistant Professor Tariq Usmani of the AMU's Department of Geography, was picked by the UP's anti-terrorist squad (ATS) sleuths from his uncle's house in Azamgarh on Wednesday and was subsequently produced in a court here which remanded him in judicial custody, they said.
 

He has been lodged at a temporary jail at Lodha about 20 kilometres from here, they added.
 

Civil Lines Circle officer Anil Samania said Sharjeel was wanted in four different cases including the violence which broke out at AMU on December 15.

7:47 PM

India, China agree on complete disengagement of troops from eastern Ladakh

India and China on Friday held a fresh round of diplomatic talks on the border row in eastern Ladakh and reaffirmed to ensure "complete disengagement" of the troops in the region for "full restoration" of peace and tranquility along Line of Actual Control.
 

The Ministry of External Affairs said the talks were held under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).
 

It said the two sides reaffirmed to ensure complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC for "full restoration" of peace and tranquility in the border areas in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols.

7:44 PM

Industrial output slips for third straight month; govt withholds May number

7:41 PM

RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani overtakes investor Warren Buffett in terms of net worth: Forbes billionaires index

7:27 PM

Franklin Templeton MF receives Rs 1,252 cr payment from Vodafone Idea

Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund on Friday said it has received a payment of Rs 1,252 crore from Vodafone Idea Ltd, which will be distributed among investors of the segregated portfolios.
 

There are six schemes -- Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund, Franklin India Low Duration, Franklin India Short Term Income Plan, Franklin India Credit Risk Fund, Franklin India Dynamic Accrual Fund, and Franklin India Income Opportunities Fund -- that had made investments in Vodafone Idea.
 

Franklin Templeton MF side-pocketed its exposure in the telecom player and from January 24, various securities issued by Vodafone Idea in the schemes were segregated from the total portfolio.

6:51 PM

Chirag says holding Bihar polls during pandemic will put people at risk, JD(U) differs

BJP ally LJP on Friday joined the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal in expressing concern over holding the Bihar assembly polls amid a spread of Covid-19 cases, with its president Chirag Paswan saying it will put people at risk and may result in a very low voter turnout.
 

Paswan's comments have again highlighted his party's rift with its allies, especially the JD(U), which was quick to snub him and asserted that timely elections would be in interests of "good governance".
 

The BJP's response was more guarded as the party said that conducting elections was the prerogative of the Election Commission.

 

6:35 PM

16th meeting on India-China border affairs held today: MEA

6:34 PM

NIA takes up probe in Kerala gold smuggling case; lodges FIR

The NIA on Friday registered a case against four people, including a key woman suspect, for their alleged involvement in smuggling 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore in a diplomatic baggage in Kerala, an official said.
 

The Centre on Thursday allowed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the case in view of the "serious implications for national security".
 

The central agency registered the FIR under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, an NIA spokesperson said.

6:19 PM

Defence min Rajnath Singh speaks to US Secretary of Defense Mark T Esper

6:04 PM

Shipping ministry issues draft Aids to Navigation Bill to replace 90-yr old law

To replace an over nine decades old law governing lighthouses, the shipping ministry has issued a draft Aids to Navigation Bill, 2020 seeking suggestions from stakeholders and general public, an official statement said on Friday.
 

The draft bill aims at repealing the colonial Lighthouse Act, 1927, and provides for empowering the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) with additional power and functions.
 

In accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for augmenting people's participation and transparency in the governance, the "Ministry of Shipping has issued the draft of Aids to Navigation Bill, 2020 for suggestions from the stakeholders and general public," the ministry said in the statement.