The assistant inspector who fired at Mumbai hostage-taker Rohit Arya took the call since children were involved and the situation presented a "real threat", an official said on Friday.

The rupee slipped just one paisa to settle almost flat at 88.70 against the US dollar on Friday, as weak domestic equities and a firm American currency in overseas markets offset the gains from lower crude oil prices.

Union Minister George Kurian on Friday launched the household enumeration phase of the fully digitised National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025 at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) here.

Rohit Arya had told his film crew that they were going to shoot a hostage drama involving children, without providing any inkling that he was planning a real-life situation which was to end in a tragedy, his videographer said on Friday.

The Congress on Friday paid rich tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary, with party leader Rahul Gandhi saying she was fearless and unwavering while facing the powerful and "taught us that nothing is more important than India's self-respect".

Three officials from Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) in Rohtak have been booked after two women sanitation workers alleged they were forced to take photographs of their private parts and sanitary pads to prove they were menstruating.

 A 70-year-old Dalit man was allegedly assaulted and threatened with a pistol for sitting inside a temple in Madnapur village of Shahjahanpur district.

Air India is seeking approximately Rs 10,000 crore ($1.1 billion) in fresh financial support from its owners, Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, as the airline struggles with the aftermath of the Ahmedabad air crash earlier this year, along with other operational and financial hurdles, Bloomberg reported on Friday.