Overnight heavy rains and strong winds brought down trees and power lines, damaging houses, vehicles and causing power and traffic disruptions in parts of Kerala.

The rupee rose 9 paise to 87.79 against the dollar in early trade on Friday, bolstered by a drop in global crude oil prices and optimism around an India-US trade deal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address public rallies separately in various parts of poll-bound Bihar on Friday.

In a late-night incident on Thursday, two youngsters were stabbed by a gang of four near the Kana petrol pump under the Surathkal police station limits. One of them sustained serious injuries while the other suffered minor wounds.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar has said a youth from the Matang community was severely assaulted in Ahilyanagar district and demanded action under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against those involved.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said talks between India and the US for the proposed trade agreement are progressing, and expressed hope that both sides would work towards a fair and equitable agreement in the near future.

India ranked among the world's top ten countries with the largest forest carbon sinks, absorbing about 150 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year between 2021 and 2025, according to a new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said that Union Urban Development Minister Manoharlal Khattar has agreed to hold the meeting of Urban development ministers of South Indian states in Benglauru on October 30.