Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that India is the most secular country in the world, despite that, the western media belittle the Indian government on issues of secularism and free speech.

He added that they cannot digest the fact that India is on the rise. Some of them suffer from indigestion.

The southern states that have been facing excessive rains for more than 10 days have clocked in record rainfall in November with Andhra Pradesh receiving 156 per cent excess rains, Kerala showing 148 per cent departure, while Tamil Nadu witnessed a 115 per cent departure, IMD data showed on Friday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) data has also shown that Karnataka has received as much as 292 per cent excess rainfall for the month.

The new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, first detected from South Africa this week, was on Friday designated as a “Variant of Concern” by the World Health Organisation, which named it “Omicron”.

A “variant of concern” is the WHO's top category of worrying Covid variants.

India’s digital payments giant Paytm is set for another bout of scrutiny on Saturday when it reports earnings in the wake of its record-breaking initial public offering and tumultuous stock market debut.

Ahead of the results, Paytm’s shares dropped as much as 7.7% in early Mumbai trading on Friday. While the stock had jumped about 32% over the last three days, it is still well below the price set in the $2.5 billion IPO as investors continue to weigh its longer-term prospects.

The price of 10 gram of gold increased by Rs 310 on Saturday, with 24-carat gold trading at Rs 47,940 and 22-carat gold at Rs 46,940. Meanwhile, the rate of 1 kg of silver increased by Rs 200 with the precious metal trading at Rs 63,100 on Saturday.

In Delhi, the rate of 24-carat gold stands at Rs 51,280, while in Mumbai the yellow metal's price is at Rs 47,940, according to the Goodreturns website. The price of 10 gram of 22-carat gold in Delhi and Mumbai is at Rs 47,000 and Rs 46,940, respectively.

Excessive rains in October in north India and later in southern states led to supply chain breaks, which in turn, has led to price rises for onions and tomatoes, the government said on Friday.

The all-India average retail price of tomato has been on the rise from the end of September 2021 due to unseasonal rains in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, which led to crop damage and delay in arrival from these states.

Tech giant Apple has surpassed smartphone brand Vivo to emerge as the largest smartphone vendor in China in October 2021, says a report.

According to market research firm Counterpoint, driven by the iPhone 13 series, Apple's sales grew 46 per cent MoM, the highest among all major OEMs in the country.

Colgate-Palmolive has introduced a sustainable innovation to the oral care industry with launching of 100 per cent recycled plastic handle toothbrush.

The company had recently unveiled the country's first recyclable toothpaste tubes.

We continue to innovate towards our commitment of reimagining a healthier world.

Realty firm Godrej Properties Ltd on Friday said it has bought a 16-acre land parcel in Bengaluru to develop primarily residential properties, as part of its strategy to expand business in major cities.

The company did not disclose the deal value as well as the name of the seller.

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by YES Bank against the Uttar Pradesh police order that had restricted voting rights on shares of direct-to-home broadcaster Dish TV India. The bank, which holds 24.19 per cent stake in Dish TV India, moved the Supreme Court on Friday and the matter will be mentioned on Monday.

Dish TV shares were frozen by the UP police following a complaint by Essel group founder Subhash Chandra last year against the previous management led by Rana Kapoor over a merger deal brokered by the bank between Videocon D2H and Dish TV.

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