Hamas’s armed wing on Thursday said that ‘almost 50’ Israeli hostages held by its operators in the Gaza Strip have been killed since Israel began bombarding the Palestinian territory. “(Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades estimates that the number of Zionist prisoners who were killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of Zionist strikes and massacres has reached almost 50,” the group said in a statement issued on its Telegram channel.

Late on Wednesday, Russia and China vetoed a US push for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to act on the Israel-Hamas conflict by calling for pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid access, the protection of civilians and a stop to arming Hamas and other militants in the Gaza Strip.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased the threshold limit of non-callable deposits to Rs 1 crore from Rs 15 lakh now, a move that would provide more flexibility to depositors.

These new norms for commercial and co-operative banks are applicable with immediate effect.

US President Joe Biden has said that he is convinced that one of the reasons why Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel was because of the recent announcement during the G-20 Summit in New Delhi on the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor that integrates the entire region with a network of railroad.

Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive against Hamas after unprecedented attacks by the militant group on October 7 killed more than 1,400 people.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday revised the per kilogramme subsidy under the nutrient-based regime, lowering it for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur for the October-March period compared to the April-September period. The cost to the exchequer is estimated at Rs 22,303 crore. Between first half of FY-24 and October to March period, the per kilogram subsidy on nitrogen(N) has gone down by 38 per cent, phosphorus(P) by 49 per cent, potassium(K) by 84 per cent and sulphur (S) by 32.5 per cent (see chart).

MSD India (Merck) on Wednesday announced that the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab). This MSD's anti-PD-1 therapy has been given the green light for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in adult patients. KEYTRUDA is now approved for 14 indications across eight tumour types in India.

Unlike traditional chemotherapy or radiation therapy, KEYTRUDA enhances the body's own immune system to combat cancer cells.

The judge in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial fined the former president USD 10,000 on Wednesday, saying Trump violated a limited gag order barring personal attacks on court staffers.

The fine came after Trump was called to the witness stand to explain his comment outside the courtroom about a person who's very partisan sitting alongside the judge in the case, Judge Arthur Engoron.

India’s largest information technology (IT) services company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has received a notice from the Maharashtra government’s Ministry of Labour & Employment regarding the company's delay in onboarding lateral recruits. The complaint was filed by the Pune-based IT employees’ union, Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), in July 2023.

While the exact number of lateral employees affected by this delay could not be confirmed, according to the NITES complaint filed in July, over 200 employees were impacted.

GMR Airports Limited (GAL) on Wednesday said it will increase its stake in GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) by acquiring an 11 per cent stake from Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) for approximately $100 million (about Rs 831 crore).

This will take GAL's stake in Hyderabad airport operator GHIAL to 74 per cent.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Wednesday barred financial influencer Mohammad Nasiruddin Ansari, operating with the handle 'Baap of Chart' and known as Md Nasir on social media, from accessing the securities market. Further, the market regulator has asked him to disgorge Rs 17.2 crore for indulging in unregistered investment advisory.

'Baap of Chart' has over 443,000 subscribers on YouTube and 83,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) and has provided trading recommendations and courses.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) will run a pilot for the Asba-like facility for the secondary markets in December this year, Mint reported on Wednesday. Under the mechanism, money will be transferred only after the actual transfer of the security takes place. Till then, the funds will remain in the investor's bank account and earn interest.

In June, Sebi announced it would launch an Asba-like mechanism for secondary markets. Application Supported by Blocked Amount (Asba) facility is already available for the primary market, which ensures that money from an investor gets moved only when an allotment happens.

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