Even as the death toll in Kerala due to rains climbed to 17 with the recovery of one more body, the Centre on Thursday assured that a central team will soon visit the state to assess the damage caused in at least eight districts.

P Chidambaram and his son Karti have denied any wrongdoing in the Aircel-Maxis case, calling it a witch-hunt by the BJP government.

A delegation of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders on Thursday sought support from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the no-confidence motion against the Modi government tabled by them in the Lok Sabha.

Led by TDP Parliamentary Party leader Y.S. Chowdary, state Ministers T.G. Venkatesh, K. Narayana and Narsimha Rao met Kejriwal to seek the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) support in both houses of Parliament against the Modi government.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given a lavender wash to the new Rs. 100 note which will be in circulation by next month. Two years ago, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced demonetization of Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 notes, the powder blue Rs. 100 note was left untouched. It was soon the most sought-after currency note in India till the new Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 500 arrived in the banks.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said the Modi government was committed to reservation in the faculty positions of universities and that it does not agree with a court order quashing the 50 per cent reservation.

"The University Grants Commission (UGC) was forced to issue a 13-point roster after an Allahabad High Court ruling last year. But we do not agree with the court order," Javadekar said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday expressed unhappiness after he led a 22-member delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek help on various issues concerning the state.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for the first time admitted in the Lok Sabha on Thursday that fake news on social media has resulted in many mob lynching incidents in the country, saying the government has asked service providers to put a check on rumour mongering on social media. Not satisfied with his response, the opposition walked out.

A 17-year-old student of a government school here died after he was allegedly beaten up by a group of students in the school compound, police said on Thursday.