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Rajya Sabha Wednesday passed The Boilers Bill, 2024 which seeks to repeal the century old Boilers Act, 1923 and decriminalise seven offences to promote ease of doing business. The Bill would provide for the regulation of boilers, safety of life and property of persons from the danger of explosions of steam-boilers and uniformity in registration. The Union Cabinet had cleared the bill in August. “The Boiler Bill, in a way, keeps the country safe and secure. It provides for a clear and transparent regulatory mechanism and sets accountability,” said commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal.

Assam Cabinet meeting has decided to ban beef in hotels, restaurants and public places in the state. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after the cabinet meeting held in New Delhi said, “What we started three years back consumption of beef was banned within a radius of 5 km of temple, Satra. Today we have taken a step ahead and decided that beef will be banned in hotels, restaurants and will not be served in public places.” He added, “Assam government has passed the Cattle Preservation 2021 Act, and we have had a lot of success.”

Hegseth’s second marriage to Samantha Deering ended in 2017 after he fathered a child with Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet. The pair married in 2019 at a Trump golf course in New Jersey. These personal controversies have raised questions about Hegseth’s character and suitability for overseeing a defense budget of $900 billion and 1.3 million active-duty personnel. Also Read: Who is the crypto king who ate a $6.2 million banana? Here's what he has done to impress Donald Trump

US officials told the ABC that Chinese hackers have exploited weaknesses in the communications networks of the nation's top telecommunications companies. The FBI and Homeland Security acknowledged the breach, stating China stole a “large amount of data.”

Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on Wednesday took a sarcastic dig at Ajit Pawar after the NCP Chief interjected immediately over a question directed towards Shinde. In a press conference, when asked about his decision on accepting Mahayuti's invitation for him to take on the role of Deputy CM to Maharashtra, alongside Pawar, Shinde said that the media should wait for an answer till the evening. However, Pawar was quick to interrupt and say that his decision to take on the role of Deputy Chief Minister was final.

Gold prices were steady on Wednesday as safe-haven demand countered a slight recovery in the U.S. dollar while markets await U.S. jobs data and comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for clues on the U.S. central bank's policy outlook, as per a Reuters report. Spot gold was steady at $2,644.48 an ounce by 1100 (GMT). U.S. gold futures were down 0.1 per cent at $2,666.30, Reuters reported. The dollar index reflected strength that makes dollar-priced bullion costlier for buyers with other currencies.

revenue from operations and a profit of Rs 3.72 crore during financial year ended March 2024. To fund its strategic expansion plans and enhance operational capabilities, the company is planning to launch an initial public offering (IPO) very soon, a release said.

Israeli bombardment, while behind the scenes, the United States and Gulf countries courted him diplomatically. It was a secretive, two-pronged approach meant to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad to abandon his most important regional alliance with Hezbollah and Iran. The overtures to Assad were the product of what Israel and its allies saw as a rare but risky opportunity: With Iran's regional network fracturing under Israeli attack, they hoped to force Iran's most important partner out of the alliance, according to former U.S. officials, two European diplomats and four Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Now, those regional ambitions may be derailed by a far smaller and long-discounted force: Resurgent rebels have launched a surprisingly successful attack in Syria, exploiting in part the strain Israel has put on the alliance that helped Assad maintain power through more than a decade of uprising and civil war. In a matter of days, the rebels seized most of the country's large city of Aleppo, and challenged Assad's grip on the country's northwest.

Nilesh Shah, managing director and CEO of Kotak Mutual Fund, shared his views on the complexities surrounding food inflation and its role in economic policy during a recent event. Shah, also a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, questioned the way food inflation is being calculated and included in policymaking. Shah raised concerns about whether the free food distributed to over 80 crore Indians under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) is accounted for when measuring food inflation. The program, which provides free or subsidised food grains to a vast segment of the population, could impact the headline food inflation number, Shah suggested. «My only submission will be are we measuring food inflation correctly? For example, 80 crore Indians are provided free food. That cost is more than our fiscal deficit. Is the credit taken in food inflation?» said Shah while speaking at a Kotak MF event.

Muthoot Microfin has reduced interest rates by 25 basis points for microfinance loans given for income generating activities and by 125 basis points for loans to buy third party products. Accordingly, the minimum interest rate for income generating loans is pegged at 23.05%. The rate can go up to 23.7%, based on borrowers' risk profile. This is the third rate reduction by Kerala-based Muthoot Microfin, a part of the Muthoot Pappachan group.

Bank of America is betting heavily on behalf of the American economy as it has claimed that the US economy is poised for solid growth in the coming year, with chances that the annualized rate of economic growth could surge to 2.4% in 2025, instead of the usual 2% every other year, according to a Bloomberg report. The US economy-related predictions from Bank of America comes in even after there are growing concerns about Donald Trump's economic policies which are reportedly inflationary in nature. The various campaign promises about illegal immigration, imposing tariffs on foreign imports, along with tax cuts for corporations, could all pile up and generate a condition for an epic inflation in the American markets in 2025, according to many market experts. Also Read: This property in the US is the most expensive; here is its whopping cost, is it worth that much? Finding a buyer may be difficult

NYT mini crossword clues, hints and answers for December 4 are out and readers have the option to solve New York Times mini crossword puzzle. NYT mini crossword game can be played on New York Times website and NYT Games App. NYT Mini is the smart version of the large crossword that appears in the newspaper. NYT Mini Crossword game clues and answers are available for 'Across' and 'Down'.

semiconductor chips, integrated circuits, memory chips, parts of electronic integrated circuits and micro assemblies, and amplifiers worth Rs 1.71 lakh crore in fiscal 2023-24, the minister of state for electronics and information technology, Jitin Prasada, told Lok Sabha on Wednesday. To offset the semiconductor import bill and kickstart the homegrown chip manufacturing ecosystem, the government has approved five semiconductor chip manufacturing and assembly projects with a cumulative investment of Rs 1.52 lakh crore, Prasad said in reply to a question in the lower house of the Parliament. Apart from the chip manufacturing and assembly units, the government has also approved proposals from nearly 15 semiconductor design companies under the Design Linked Incentive scheme, the minister of state said.

Manchester United versus Arsenal EPL match is scheduled to kick off at 3.15 pm (ET) at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, December 4. The soccer game between Arsenal and Manchester United will be live streamed in the US on Peacock. Arsenal are likely to win the game against Manchester United.

Rajya Sabha on Wednesday cleared a bill to provide for the regulation of boilers, safety of life and property of persons from the danger of explosions of steam-boilers and uniformity in registration. The Boilers Bill, 2024 seeks to repeal the century old Boilers Act, 1923. The bill, which aims to decriminalise seven offences and promote ease of doing business, was cleared in the Upper House by a voice vote. The bill also provisions to ensure the safety of persons working inside a boiler, it said, adding, it also talked about repair of boilers to be undertaken by qualified and competent persons.

Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, are believed to be in talks to set up a new private office in the new year to make a positive contribution to Britain, according to a UK media report on Wednesday. 'The Times' newspaper reports that Sunak and Murty, both 44 and with a combined estimated fortune of around GBP 500 million, are to fund the so-called «Office of Akshata Murty and Rishi Sunak» themselves. While the couple are still deciding on the focus of the new initiative, both are said to be passionate about education and likely to incorporate that among its goals.

: Electric two-wheeler manufacturer PURE EV announced plans on Wednesday to expand its dealership network to over 320 outlets across India by mid-2027. The company plans to launch PuREPower in 2025, leveraging its vehicle battery and powertrain platform. «Over the next 30 months, we aim to add 250 new dealerships, expanding our network to over 320 across India. This growth will be fueled by increasing demand for long-range scooters, electric motorcycles, large B2B contracts, and our entry into the household brand segment,» PURE EV Founder and MD Nishanth Dongari said. The company currently operates with 70 dealerships.

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FOX Business correspondent Gerri Willis speaks with real estate agent Lizette Sinhart on persistent housing hurdles.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of 5.4% in the three months ended 30 September, or the second quarter of 2024-25, was a shocker. It undershot even the most pessimistic forecasts.

open on Wednesday as investors braced for a crucial no-confidence vote by French lawmakers that will likely oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.1% at 0810 GMT, on track for its fifth straight session of gains, after closing at a one-month high on Tuesday, with Germany's DAX rising 0.5%. France's CAC 40 was up 0.05%.