With 11,919 fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally has climbed to 3,44,78,517, while the number of active cases has gone up to 1,28,762, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

The death toll due to the viral disease has shot up to 4,64,623 with 470 more fatalities, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The price of ten gram of 24-carat gold on Thursaday increased by Rs 110 to Rs 49,470 from Wednesday's trading price. The price of silver decreased by Rs 400 per kg to Rs 66,400, according to goodreturns.in.

In Delhi, the rate of 24-carat gold stands at Rs 52,420 and in Mumbai it is Rs 49,470. The price of ten gram of 22-carat gold in Delhi and Mumbai is Rs 48,250 and Rs 48,470.

Apple is letting some iPhone users fix their own phones, a sharp turnaround for a company that has long prohibited anyone but company-approved technicians from fiddling with its proprietary parts and software.

The company said Wednesday that it will enable users of two of the newest iPhone models and eventually some Mac computers to get access to genuine Apple parts and tools for consumer repairs.

China Evergrande Group said on Thursday its unit will sell its entire share stake in HengTen Network Holdings for HK$2.13 billion ($273.47 million).

Evergrande, the world's most indebted developer, has been stumbling from deadline to deadline in recent weeks as it grapples with more than $300 billion in liabilities, $19 billion of which are international market bonds.

Sapphire Foods, quick service restaurant (QSR) company, made a healthy stock market debut on the bourses on Thursday. The shares of the company that owns and operates Pizza Hut and KFC chain of stores listed at Rs 1,350, a 14 per cent premium against issue price of Rs 1,180 per share on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). On the BSE, the stock opened at Rs 1,311, an 11 per cent premium over its issue price.

Post listing, shares of Sapphire Foods moved higher to Rs 1,383.60 on the BSE and Rs 1,380 on the NSE. At 10:09 am, it was trading 14 per cent higher at Rs 1,346 on both the exchanges.

One 97 communications, the parent company of digital payments major Paytm, made a weak stock market debut as its shares got listed at Rs 1,950, a 9 per cent discount against its issue price of Rs 2,150 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Thursday. On the BSE, the stock opened at Rs 1,955 per share.

At 10:01 am, Paytm was trading at Rs 1,805, 16 per cent lower against its issue price. The stock hit an intra-day low of Rs 1,777 on the BSE and NSE.

Shares of Vedanta dipped 3 per cent to Rs 326.15 on the BSE in Thursday’s intra-day trade after the company on Wednesday after market hours said it has appointed a committee of directors to evaluate and recommend a range of options and alternatives, including demergers, spin-offs or strategic partnerships of its aluminium, iron & steel, and oil & gas businesses.

With today’s fall, the market price of Vedanta was down 16 per cent from its 52-week high level of Rs 385.75 touched on October 19, 2021.

At 27, Vijay Shekhar Sharma was making 10,000 rupees ($134.30) a month, a modest salary that did not help his marriage prospects.

"In 2004-05, my father asked me to shut my company and take up a job even if it was for 30,000 rupees," Sharma, who went on to found digital payments firm Paytm in 2010, told Reuters. At the time, the trained engineer sold mobile content via a small company.

Delhi-NCR recorded its air quality in the very poor category on Wednesday morning and no major improvement is likely until Sunday, authorities said.

The minimum temperature in the capital dropped to 9.6 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal and the lowest this season so far. The maximum is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said.

India reported 10,197 fresh Covid cases and 301 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family welfare on Wednesday morning.

With the addition of 301 new deaths, the total deaths toll has climbed 4,64,153.

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