In a remarkable achievement of the country’s fintech ecosystem, the Account Aggregator (AA) framework is now being used to facilitate loan disbursement worth about Rs 4,000 crore a month, a report showed on Monday.

The lending firms have used the AA framework to facilitate loans worth Rs 42,300 crore since September 2021 till March 2024, with cumulative average loan ticket size at Rs 1,00,237 for the same period, according to Sahamati, an industry alliance for the AA ecosystem in the country.

The growth surge is indicated by total loans disbursed at 21.2 lakh with Rs 22,100 crore in disbursements facilitated by AAs in the second half of this fiscal (FY25).

Average loan ticket size in this period stood at Rs 1,04,245 and is expected to reduce “as we expect more cash- flow based lending to MSMEs and unsecured loans to new to credit customers,” the report mentioned.

Karnataka Police detained four minors on Monday for raising a Palestinian flag while riding a bike in Chikkamagaluru district, police sources confirmed. The detained minors are being questioned regarding the incident.

The boys are being asked how they obtained the Palestinian flag and whether they were instructed to ride around the city holding the flag or if they acted on their own.

A police team, headed by an Inspector, has been formed to investigate the incident.

The police department is taking the case seriously and conducting a thorough probe.

Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage has been crowned the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for August 2024 following his exceptional all-round performances against India.

The 21-year-old left-arm spinner and battter outshone South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj and West Indies’ Jayden Seales to claim the prestigious award.

Wellalage’s contributions were instrumental in Sri Lanka’s historic ODI series victory over India, their first bilateral series win against the cricketing giants since 1997.

Despite India being heavy favourites, bolstered by the return of stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Wellalage’s brilliant all-round display helped Sri Lanka overcome the formidable challenge.

Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis, following his first game at the club, hailed Luka Majcen as a great example for the youngsters after the team got off to a winning start in the 2024/25 Indian Super League season against Kerala Blasters.

Skipper Luka Majcen who started off the bench went off to score a goal in the penalty and assisted the winning goal is stoppage time

“Luka is the captain of this team and a leader. He’s a great player but I have to say more about his personality. He is an amazing person. He didn’t complain about being on the bench but he realised that I might start with (Mushaga) Bakenga. He’s a great example for the young players who sometimes keep their head down and feel angry or disappointed because you don’t start them or you don’t get them on the bench. We are really lucky to have him. He scored and it’s amazing.

Three Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, a police source said.

Iraqi security forces surrounded two IS militants wearing explosive belts on a motorcycle in a neighbourhood in Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad on Sunday, Kirkuk police Salam al-Obaidi told news agency.

The security forces clashed with the two militants and killed them, al-Obaidi said.

Later, the security forces separately killed a third IS militant wearing an explosive belt in the same neighbourhood, al-Obaidi added.

The Adani Group on Monday vehemently denied fraudulent press releases being circulated, which are related to the conglomerate’s presence in Kenya, adding that it will take legal action against anyone involved in spreading false narratives.

A spokesperson from the Group said in a statement that certain “vested interests with malicious intent” are circulating multiple fraudulent press releases, including one titled “Adani Group Denounces Baseless Accusations and Threats”, related to the company’s presence in Kenya.

“We categorically state that neither the Adani Group nor any of its companies or subsidiaries have issued any Press Releases related to Kenya,” the Group spokesperson emphasised.

Accel Atoms 4.0, the fourth cohort of the pre-seed scaling programme by Accel, is now open for applications till November 17, the global VC firm announced on Monday.

The current edition of the sector-themed programme focuses on two categories of pre-seed startups -- those building for ‘Bharat’, and those building in or with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Accel defines ‘Bharat’ as the middle-income households spread across Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural India which presently is estimated to offer a $500 billion consumer market. Interestingly, the top 20 per cent of the rural population has a higher MPCE (monthly per capita expenditure) than 50 per cent of the urban population. Accel believes multiple Indian unicorns will emerge from this Bharat opportunity.

Following the death of a 23-year-old from Malappuram due to Nipah virus infection, authorities have made compulsory the use of masks in the district from Monday till further notice.

Health and revenue officials are now preparing the route map for the deceased and also the contact list to ensure that all the basic protocols of Nipah are followed.

The deceased, a 23-year-old student at Bengaluru, was a native of Chembaram near Naduvath in Wandoor. He died at a private hospital at Perinthalmanna last Monday.

Magdalena Frech clinched the first WTA Tour singles title of her career with a 7-6(5), 6-4 win over Australian qualifier Olivia Gadecki in the WTA 500 Guadalajara Open summit clash.

On Sunday evening, Frech needed just under two hours to seal victory over 152nd-ranked Gadecki in the final. With the win, she made her Top-40 debut in the WTA Singles rankings, occupying 37th place in the list.

"Dreams come true, it’s my first title and it’s amazing. It’s an incredible feeling, thank you for all the support, I just want to say, long live Guadalajara, long live Mexico!" Frech said after her title triumph.

In her first WTA 500 final on hard court, Frech did not miss the opportunity to confirm 2024 as the best season of her career, by winning 23 matches. She had previously reached championship contention in Prague on clay.

In yet another wolf attack in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich, a 13-year-old boy was attacked while sleeping on the terrace of his home.

The boy, identified as Armaan Ali, was attacked on Sunday night in Pipri Mohan village in the Mahsi area. The boy's neck was injured during the attack and was quickly rushed to a nearby Community Health Center for initial treatment before being referred to the Medical College in Bahraich for further care.

This incident follows a series of wolf attacks that have gripped the region.