India has ushered into a new era of energy transition driven by a shared commitment to advancing the ‘Hydrogen Agenda’, Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shripad Naik, has said.

The Green Hydrogen commitment is a historic opportunity to redefine energy systems, create jobs and secure a cleaner planet for future generations.

Addressing the International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2024), Naik emphasised the government's unwavering commitment to advance clean and green energy.

Typhoon Yagi and the consequent landslides and floods have left 254 dead and 82 missing in Vietnam's northern region, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

Lao Cai, Cao Bang and Yen Bai have been the hardest-hit provinces with fatalities climbing to 111, 43 and 49, respectively, news agency reported on Friday.

The Red river floodwater in the capital Hanoi has decreased to below the alert level 1 out of 3, according to the city's Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention, Control, Search and Rescue.

Evacuated people have returned to their houses, while forces have been mobilised to clean up flooded areas.

Lionel Messi is poised to return to action for Inter Miami this weekend after more than two months on the sidelines due to injury.

The 37-year-old Argentina captain has not played since suffering ankle ligament damage during the Albiceleste's 1-0 victory over Colombia in the Copa America final in July.

But he has returned to full training and will almost certainly be called upon for Inter Miami's home clash against Philadelphia on Saturday, reported.

"Yes, he's fine," Inter Miami manager Gerardo Martino told reporters on Friday.

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and her fellow NASA colleague Butch Wilmore, currently stuck on the International Space Station (ISS), expressed their anticipation on Saturday for casting their votes in the 2024 US presidential elections from space.

Both astronauts emphasised the significance of fulfilling their civic duty despite being in orbit.

Williams mentioned that they had already sent down their requests for ballots, adding, "Looking forward to voting from space, which is pretty cool."

Wilmore also stressed their responsibility as "American citizens," noting that "NASA makes it very easy for us to do that."

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail on Friday. AAP leaders and volunteers hailed it as a victory for truth and democracy. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, stating that "the truth has prevailed." CM Mann posted on his X account that Arvind Kejriwal's bail is proof that truth cannot be suppressed.

US automaker Ford Motor is making a comeback in India and will restart its manufacturing plant in Chennai to boost exports, along with hiring another 2,500-3,000 employees, it was announced on Friday.

According to Kay Hart, President, Ford International Markets Group, the step aims to “underscore our ongoing commitment to India as we intend to leverage the manufacturing expertise available in Tamil Nadu to serve new global markets.”

In a post on LinkedIn, she said the company has submitted a letter of intent (LOI) to the “government of Tamil Nadu in India, outlining Ford’s intention to utilise our Chennai plant for manufacturing for export”.

South Korea's spy agency National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on Friday that it is closely monitoring the possibility of North Korea's Foreign Minister visiting Russia.

The National Intelligence Service assessed the response to a news report that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is expected to visit Russia to attend the fourth Eurasian Women's Forum to be held in St. Petersburg from September 18-20, news agency reported.

There has been speculation that Choe may also travel to New York to take part in the UN General Assembly meetings, which are set to open on September 24.

Indian equity indices closed marginally lower on Friday as heavyweights like Reliance and ITC declined.

At closing, the Sensex was down 71 points or 0.09 per cent at 82,890 and Nifty was down 32 points or 0.13 per cent at 25,356.

The broader market sentiment was positive.

On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), 2,483 shares were in the green, 1,473 shares in the red and 111 shares closed without any change.

Punjab Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has arrested Drug Inspector Shishan Mittal for his involvement in facilitating drug smuggling operations connected to illegal pharmaceuticals, medical stores and laundering the drug money in the ‘benami’ accounts in names of his relatives, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday.

The development came about a month after the police froze 24 bank accounts, with the total amount reaching Rs 7.09 crore, linked to the accused, besides seizing a huge amount of cash and foreign currency during a series of coordinated raids conducted at different locations in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

In addition to this, two bank lockers were also seized.

Following Rodrygo's comments in which he admitted that he was 'upset' over not being in the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or trophy, Real Madrid head coach Ancelotti has stated that he understands the Brazilian's 'sadness.'

"For sure Rodrygo should have been among the nominees for the Ballon d’Or, no doubts. I understand his sadness, he’s right. For me he’s an important player and there are zero problems," said Carlo Ancelotti in a pre-match press conference.

Five players for Los Blancos were included in the shortlist, in the likes of Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos (now retired), Federico Valverde and Dani Carvajal. But the Brazilian, who scored 17 goals and provided nine assists, was not included.