Reformist Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, dies at 87
Riyadh, Dec 22: Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, a half brother of King Salman, died on Saturday at the age of 87, his billionaire son said.
"Prince Talal was called by God on Saturday," Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal wrote on Twitter.
The family will receive condolences on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at home in Riyadh, he added.
Defiantly liberal and dubbed the "Red Prince", Talal bin Abdul Aziz was known as a tireless advocate of reform, sometimes in defiance of the royal family.
He was a long-standing advocate of allowing Saudi women to drive, a right that was finally granted to female citizens this year.
Born in 1931, the prince headed the Arab Gulf Fund for Development, a UN body that promotes education and health in developing countries.
Under the influence of Egyptian president and champion of pan-Arab socialism Gamal Abdel Nasser, he set up the "Free Princes Movement" in the early 1960s, calling for substantive political change in Saudi Arabia.
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Rs 2000 notes withdrawal: Rs 6,691 cr worth such notes still with public
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank on Wednesday said 98.12 per cent of the Rs 2000 banknotes have been returned to the banking system, and only Rs 6,691 crore worth such notes are still with the public. On May 19, 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the withdrawal of Rs 2000 denomination banknotes from circulation.
The total value of Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation, which was Rs 3.56 lakh crore at the close of business on May 19, 2023, declined to Rs 6,691 crore at the close of business on December 31, 2024, RBI said. "Thus, 98.12 per cent of the Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation as on May 19, 2023, has since been returned," it said in a statement.
The facility for deposit and/or exchange of the Rs 2000 banknotes was available at all bank branches till October 7, 2023. However, this facility is still available at the 19 issue offices of the Reserve Bank. From October 9, 2023, the RBI issue offices are also accepting Rs 2000 banknotes from individuals and entities for deposit into their bank accounts. Further, members of the public can also send Rs 2000 banknotes through India Post from any post office within the country to any of the RBI issue offices for credit to their bank accounts. The Rs 2000 banknotes continue to be legal tender.
The 19 RBI offices depositing/exchanging the banknotes are in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna and Thiruvananthapuram. The Rs 2000 banknotes were introduced in November 2016, following the demonetisation of the then-prevailing Rs 1000 and Rs 500 banknotes.
