Spain assured their place in the final phase of the Davis Cup after Carlos Alcaraz and Roberto Bautista won their singles matches against France in Valencia on Friday.

Alcaraz gave a solid display to assure Spain go into Sunday's tie with Australia when he beat Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-3.

Humbert tried to be aggressive against the world No. 3, but in front of a home crowd, Alcaraz always looked to have his match under control.

Bautista got Spain off to a winning start, although the locally born player had to come back from a set down and a break down in the second set, before bearing Arthur Fils 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in just under three hours.

Continuing an upward trajectory, 22.53 lakh new workers were enrolled under the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme in the month of July, up from 21.67 lakh enrolled in June, thus ensuring social security to more workers.

The year-on-year (YoY) analysis showed a growth of 13.32 per cent in net registrations compared to July 2023.

The provisional payroll data of ESIC revealed that 10.84 lakh young employees upto the age group of 25 (around 48 per cent of the total registrations) constituted new registrations in July.

While 4.65 lakh female employees enrolled in the ESI Scheme in July, 56,467 new establishments were registered under the ESI scheme, according to data from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

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.