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HSBC Holdings' board has appointed headhunters to start the recruitment of its next chairman to succeed Mark Tucker, Sky News reported on Saturday. The London-listed, Asia-focused bank will consider both existing non-executive directors and outsiders to succeed Tucker, the report said, citing sources. The bank has appointed headhunters including MWM Consulting to run the process, the report added.

Gold Loans: Bank loans secured by gold jewelry have seen a dramatic 50.4% increase in the first seven months of this fiscal year, ending October 18, 2024. This surge contrasts sharply with other personal loan categories, which experienced single-digit growth, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. Total outstanding gold loans reached Rs 1,54,282 crore by October 18, up from Rs 1,02,562 crore in March 2024. This represents a 56% year-on-year increase, compared to 13% in October 2023. Bankers attribute this rise to multiple factors, including borrowers moving from non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) to banks and a preference for secured loans over unsecured options. Bank loans to NBFCs have decreased by 0.7% to Rs 1.5 lakh crore during the same period.

A group of youngsters, meanwhile, staged a demonstration here, reiterating their demand for age relaxation and rescheduling of the examination. «A total of 5,59,135 candidates are scheduled to appear in the exams for 4,002 posts of constables (home department) to be held on December 1, December 8 and December 22,» Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) Chairperson Indu Kanwal Chib said at a meeting here.

weather forecasting. Republicans have the chance to make it better. One way Donald Trump may try to differentiate his second term from his first is by slashing the federal work force and budget and consolidating and restructuring a host of government agencies. For people who care about weather and climate, one of the most concerning proposals on the table is to dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The authors of Project 2025, a blueprint for the administration crafted by conservative organizations, claim erroneously that NOAA is «one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry» and should be «broken down and downsized.» An arm of Mr. Trump's team, the Department of Government Efficiency, to be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, wants to eliminate $500 billion in spending by cutting programs whose funding has expired. That could include NOAA.

Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who arrived on a two day visit to Kerala after her maiden electoral win, on Saturday attacked the BJP by accusing it of not following usual democratic norms even in political fights. Priyanka compared the BJP's behaviour with the landslides that hit Wayanad in July, saying just like the natural disaster the saffron party's conduct knows no rules, offers no explanations and follows no democratic norms that are normally adhered to in political fights. «The political challenges we face (from the BJP) today are like the landslides. There are no rules. There are no explanations.»

Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday was informed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that the sanction obtained in the CBI case is comprehensive/broad enough to cover offences not only under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, but also other potential offences arising from the same facts. The submission came in response to a plea filed by Delhi's former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had claimed he had not received a copy of the sanction order in the ED case against him. In his plea, Kejriwal pointed to a recent Delhi High Court hearing, where the Solicitor General representing the ED had stated that the necessary sanction had been obtained when the chargesheet was filed. In its response, the ED's Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain clarified that the sanction obtained in the CBI case was broad enough to cover not just the Prevention of Corruption Act, but also other offences that could arise from the facts and circumstances presented, and was sufficient for the court to take cognizance of the case.

Mahayuti alliance's new government in Maharashtra will be formed on December 5 with Devendra Fadnavis emerging as the frontrunner to become the next chief minister again, a senior BJP leader said on Saturday. In the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) retained power, pocketing a whopping 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41 seats. However, even after the announcement of poll results a week ago (on November 23), the formation of the government has been delayed as the tripartite alliance is yet to decide on who will be the next chief minister.

The report also noted that the overall expenditure of the government is also expected to surge by 15 per cent. It highlights that despite an increase in populist schemes in the run-up to elections, the central government remains committed to investing in infrastructure development over welfare-driven measures. The report underlined that while populist policies have gained traction, especially in state elections, the central government's spending priorities show a balanced approach.

«I am happy to be back here and I am ready to start working and do whatever I can to help the people of Wayanad have a better future,» she told reporters outside the Karipur airport here. This is her first visit as MP of the Wayanad LS constituency.

Raut indicated that differences in Mahayuti forced caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde to go to his village in Satara district amidst the government formation efforts. Notably, a key Mahayuti meeting scheduled on Friday was put off as Shinde headed to his native village, delaying government formation a week after poll results.

This is called “carewashing” — a strategy where corporations portray an image of commitment to social issues without genuinely working towards them. Such a strategy severely impacts employee trust. If this is not addressed or prevented, it can push employees to quit, leading to high staff churn and associated expenses. Experts say it is important for leaders to convey that they are establishing a genuine culture of care in the organisations if they want to succeed.

National Capital Region (NCR) are urging the government to lift a pollution-related ban on construction, citing the exodus of labourers from the region due to lack of work opportunities. Several builders said the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) should consider recent improvements in air quality and permit continuation of construction activity, particularly for RERA-registered projects. “Everything has come to a standstill; real estate is not just about builders; more than 150 industries are associated with it. Their business is impacted severely. Instead of banning construction every year, the government should come up with a permanent solution so that those relying on daily earnings are not impacted,” said Harsh Vardhan Bansal, president, The National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) Delhi.

A fresher might be considered rude if they put forth their opinion without reading the room. Sometimes, even those with the best of ideas might fail in conveying them properly. That can also lead to trouble. So, what is the best possible way for a newbie to put forward their opinion in the workplace? Here are a few tips that might come in handy: Assess the environment around you: Every place of work has its own culture and style of communication. At some workplaces, it’s okay for juniors to directly approach senior-level management to engage in discussions, whereas others follow a well-structured hierarchy. So, observe the dynamics, pay a closer look at how people at your workplace communicate, and take a call accordingly. For instance, if you see that team members communicate their ideas to the team lead who decides whether to take it forward to the senior leaders or not, that’s your cue to not barge into the office of the department head with a list of your ideas. Stick to the line of communication.

Black Friday sales experiencing significant growth. According to Salesforce, a software-as-a-service major tracking e-commerce activity in real-time, online shopping has seen a strong uptick in demand. As per Salesforce, the US holiday season which kicks off with Thanksgiving day generated $33.6 billion in sales online globally, increasing 6% on year. The US market alone was up 8% to $8.1 billion while Europe grew 10%. Adobe Analytics said US consumers had spent $7.9 billion online as of Friday afternoon, an increase of 8.2% over last year, with a projected final tally between $10.7 and $11 billion — an ecommerce record for Black Friday.

The report highlighted that the real GDP growth in the first half (H1 FY25) stood at 6.0 per cent, with a projected growth of 6.5-6.8 per cent in the second half (H2). As per report the manufacturing-led slowdown significantly impacted the overall economic performance. The industry sector's growth declined to a six-quarter low of 3.6 per cent in Q2, contributing to the subdued GDP numbers.

Vance, who captioned the image without hesitation, became the subject of widespread discussion, with many interpreting the meme as a symbol of his loyalty to Trump. The image triggered heated reactions across the political spectrum.

affluent buyers prioritising exclusivity, lifestyle enhancements, and high-end living spaces. Despite global economic uncertainties, the demand for premium real estate has remained robust, reflecting the long-term confidence of wealthy buyers in this investment segment. According to CREDAI-MCHI, the first half of FY 2024-25 witnessed an 18% growth in total sales value across India’s top seven property markets, reaching ₹279,309 crore. This growth came even as the number of units sold fell by 3%, indicating a strong preference shift toward luxury homes. Average home prices jumped to ₹1.23 crore, compared to ₹1 crore in the same period last year. Cities like Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Bengaluru have emerged as leaders in this segment. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) retained its dominance with a stable average ticket size of ₹1.47 crore and a 2% rise in sales value to ₹114,529 crore. Other cities, including Hyderabad, Chennai, and Pune, also reported significant increases in average ticket sizes, highlighting a nationwide trend.

European House Ambrosetti group's senior partner Lorenzo Tavazzi has said Italian companies have invested USD 6.5 billion in India, which speaks of the importance accorded to the world's fastest growing major economy, and stressed that there are a lot of opportunities for growth. Tavazzi, who heads TEHA's Scenarios and Intelligence Areas, was speaking in Mumbai on Friday after the inauguration of the Villaggio Italia exposition, being held to coincide with the port of call of Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian Navy ship used for training and supporting national diplomacy. Speaking at a panel discussion curated by top Italian news agency ANSA in connection with the ship's arrival in Mumbai, Tavazzi said Italy can help India's aspirations on the energy transition and transport fronts with its expertise in sustainable technologies and also high-speed rail. Alessandro Giuliani of SDA Bocconi Asia Center, a Mumbai-based management education institute, said that given the commonality on the food front, wherein the culinary habits of both the countries focus on usage of spices, Indian students should feel at home if they go to study in Italy.

RG Kar Hospital financial irregularities in which it has named former principal of the medical establishment Sandip Ghosh as the prime accused, an official said. The Special CBI court at Alipore here, however, did not accept the chargesheet as the official approval required to file a chargesheet against any state government employee was not available, he said. In the 100-odd page chargesheet, the central probe agency has also named four others who were arrested for alleged involvement in the irregularities, he said. «Apart from Ghosh (who has been suspended), the chargesheet includes the names of the other four arrested accused — Biplab Singh, Afsar Ali, Suman Hazra and Ashish Pandey. The CBI has also attached at least 1,000 pages of documents in support of their investigation of the case,» the officer told PTI.

Himachal Pradesh Assembly has sparked sharp criticism from the BJP, with the party accusing the Congress government of avoiding accountability. Randhir Sharma, Media Department In-charge and BJP MLA, on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu-led government, alleging that the decision reflects the government's reluctance to face opposition scrutiny. While addressing the media in Shimla, he also questioned the impartiality of the Assembly Speaker, claiming that his actions suggest a bias in favor of the government.

The United States and South Korea have accused the nuclear-armed North of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine, with experts saying Kim is eager to gain advanced technology, and battle experience for his troops, in return. Kim, who met Belousov on Friday, blasted the recent decision by Western powers to permit Kyiv to strike inside Russia with their weapons, saying it constituted a «direct military intervention in the conflict», according to KCNA.