Synopsis

Ker: Welfare pension hiked, relief measures for farmers in Left govt's final budget

Hike in welfare pensions and relief measures for farmers were proposed in the Kerala 2021-22 budget presented on Friday by Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac.

Moderate fog in Delhi, minimum temperature rises to 6.7 degrees Celsius

A cloud cover over the national capital on Friday led to the minimum temperature rising to 6.7 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Delhi: Fire at e-commerce storehouse; woman, fireman injured

A fire broke out at an e-commerce company''s storehouse in the city''s Rohini area on Friday morning, leaving a woman injured, a Delhi Fire Service official said.

International

Biden announces USD 1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus plan to revive US economy

Washington: President-elect Joe Biden has announced a USD 1.9 trillion stimulus package for the coronavirus-sapped US economy, including direct financial aid to average Americans, support to small businesses and a national vaccination plan.

Iranian Guard drones in drill mirror those in Saudi attacks

Iran''s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard conducted a drill Friday that saw suicide drones crash into targets and explode, triangle-shaped aircraft that strongly resembled those used in a 2019 attack in Saudi Arabia that temporarily cut the kingdom''s oil production by half.

More than 100 individuals arrested for Capitol Hill riots, says FBI

Washington: US security agencies have arrested more than 100 individuals for their criminal activities in last week''s siege of the Capitol and are monitoring an extensive amount of concerning online chatter ahead of President-elect Joe Biden''s inauguration on January 20, FBI Director Christopher Wray said.

Impeachment complicates the early days of Biden's presidency

President-elect Joe Biden already faces the daunting task of steering a newly announced USD 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill through a closely divided Congress as the pandemic and its economic fallout grow.

Capitol riot: Confederate flag photo leads to man's arrest

A Delaware man photographed carrying a Confederate battle flag during a deadly riot at the US Capitol was arrested Thursday after authorities used the image to help identify him, federal prosecutors said.

US rejects UN plea to reverse Yemen rebel terror designation

The UN chief and top officials urged the United States on Thursday to reverse its decision to declare Yemen''s Iran-backed rebels a terrorist group to prevent massive famine and death in the conflict-torn Arab nation but the Trump administration in its final days stood by its action.

Paris extends curfew nationwide to fight virus

All of France will be under a stricter curfew starting Saturday at 6 p.m. for at least 15 days to fight spread of the coronavirus.

Business

Rupee logs 1st decline in four days, down 3 paise against USD

Mumbai: The rupee snapped its three-session winning streak and settled for the day 3 paise lower at 73.07 against the US dollar, with weaker Asian peers and heavy selloffs in domestic equities weighing on sentiment.

Exports up marginally to USD 27.15 bn in Dec

India''s exports rose marginally to USD 27.15 billion in December 2020, while imports surged 7.56 per cent to USD 42.59 billion, official data showed on Friday.

Forex reserves up by USD 758 mn to lifetime high of USD 586.082 bn

The country''s foreign exchange reserves rose by USD 758 million to reach a record high of USD 586.082 billion in the week ended January 8, RBI data showed on Friday.

Sensex drops over 200 pts in early trade; Nifty below 14,550

Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex dropped over 200 points in early trade tracking losses in index majors Infosys, HDFC Bank and TCS amid weak cues from global markets.

Rupee slips 3 paise to 73.07 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee opened on a flat note and depreciated 3 paise to 73.07 against the US dollar in opening trade on Friday tracking the muted opening in domestic equities.

HCL Tech Q3 net profit up 31 pc to Rs 3,982 cr, revises Q4 revenue growth forecast

IT firm HCL Technologies on Friday posted 31.1 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 3,982 crore for the December 2020 quarter.

Google muscles up with Fitbit deal amid antitrust concerns

Google has completed its USD 2.1 billion acquisition of fitness-gadget maker Fitbit, a deal that could help the internet company grow even stronger while US government regulators pursue an antitrust case aimed at undermining its power.

Farm bills have potential to represent significant step forward for agriculture reforms in India:IMF

The IMF believes the farm bills passed by the Indian government have the potential to represent a significant step forward for agricultural reforms, but a social safety net is needed to protect those who might be adversely impacted during the transition to the new system, a spokesperson of the global lender said here.

Legal

SC seeks reply from Centre, 61 firms on PIL alleging duty evasion in iron ore exports to China

New Delhi: The SC has sought responses from the Centre and 61 iron exporting firms including Essar Steel and Jindal Steel & Power on a PIL seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR and probe the alleged duty evasion by them in exporting iron ore to China since 2015.

NGT forms committee to look into plea alleging illegal mining in Odisha

The National Green Tribunal has formed a committee to look into a plea alleging illegal mining and stone crushing in Odisha.

HC judge recuses from hearing plea against updated privacy policy of WhatsApp

A Delhi High Court judge on Friday recused herself from hearing a plea challenging the updated privacy policy of messaging app WhatsApp.

SC allows IIMC to chop 29 trees for construction of new building

The Supreme Court has allowed the Indian Institute of Mass Communication to cut 29 trees for construction of a new building for the academic and hostel blocks as also a guest house subject to the Central Empowering Committee''s (CEC) conditions.

AAP MLA Somnath Bharti gets bail in one case, hearing on another tomorrow

A special court here on Friday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti in one of the two cases lodged against him for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and the state''s hospitals.

Entertainment

News to me: Chris Evans reacts to rumours of him returning as Captain America

Los Angeles: Hollywood star Chris Evans has seemingly denied reports that he might be returning as fan-favourite superhero Captain America in a future Marvel Cinematic Universe project.

Pankaj Tripathi clocks 3 million followers on Instagram

Seasoned actor Pankaj Tripathi has expressed gratitude for the love and support from fans as he touched the three million followers mark on Instagram.

An actor has to be an activist: Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub

Being aware is his biggest asset, says actor Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub who views his role as an idealistic student leader in Tandav as perhaps the closest a character has come to resemble the person he really is an artiste-activist looking to change society not just his life.

South star Vijay's 'Master' to get Hindi remake

Endemol Shine India, Cine1 Studios and 7 Screens on Friday announced they have acquired the rights to adapt Tamil film "Master" in Hindi.

Emma Thompson joins cast of Netflix's 'Matilda'

Los Angeles: British star Emma Thompson has boarded the cast of the screen adaptation of "Matilda".

'Animal Kingdom' to end with season six at TNT

TNT Network has renewed its popular series "Animal Kingdom" for a sixth and final season.

Sports

England leads Sri Lanka by 185 on back of Root's century

Galle (Sri Lanka): Joe Root notched his first test century in more than a year and Essex batsman Dan Lawrence made an impressive debut as England took control in a rain-affected first test against Sri Lanka.

Arjun Tendulkar makes Mumbai senior team debut, albeit in a losing cause

Budding left-arm pacer Arjun Tendulkar, who is the son of iconic former batsman Sachin Tendulkar, made his Mumbai senior team debut on Friday in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Haryana, which the hosts lost by eight wickets here.

Sundar gets Smith but Labuschagne takes Australia to 154/3 at tea

Brisbane: Debutant Washington Sundar got the dangerous Steve Smith with a well-planned dismissal but Marnus Labuschagne upped the ante in the second session with an unbeaten 73 that took Australia to 154 for 3 at tea on the opening day of the fourth Test.

Arsenal remain in midtable after 0-0 draw with Palace

Arsenal''s three-match winning streak in the Premier League ended with a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace as the Gunners missed a chance to keep their momentum going and climb up the table.

Athletic knocks out Madrid to reach Super Cup final vs Bar a

Athletic Bilbao knocked out defending champion Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup with a 2-1 win, setting up a final against Barcelona.

More injury worries for India: Navdeep Saini complains of groin pain, goes off field

The injury-plagued Indian team took another hit on Friday when pacer Navdeep Saini was forced off the field during the fourth and final Test against Australia here due to groin pain.

Australia 154/3 at tea on first day of 4th Test against India

Australia reached to 154 for 3 at tea on the opening day of the fourth and final Test against India here on Friday.