Former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, 80, passes away

Israel's foreign minister says Palestinians will be ordered to evacuate parts of the northern occupied West Bank, amid unprecedented bloody raids in the area as similar measures have been taken by the regime’s military in the Gaza Strip, which is subjected to a genocidal war since October.

In a post on social media platform X on Wednesday, Israel Katz said the Israeli military is working “intensively” to thwart what he alleged to be “terrorist infrastructures” in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps, claiming that “an eastern terrorist front” is being established against Israel in the West Bank.

Katz noted that the raids see "temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents" in areas in the northern West Bank in measures akin to those imposed in Gaza.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli army launched raids in the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas in the northern West Bank, killing at least 11 Palestinians.

Since the start of Israel’s aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip in October, the West Bank has also seen a rise in violence from Israeli forces and settlers that has claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinians.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 662 Palestinians were killed and about 5,400 others injured by Israeli fire since October 7, considering the new deaths.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least  40,534 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 93,778 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

In a landmark ruling, the United Nations’ top court said last month Israel’s presence in the 1967- occupied Palestinian territories is “unlawful” and must end.

In a 1967 war, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East al-Quds, which it subsequently annexed.

The 83-page advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice also outlined a wide list of policies that it said violated international law, including the building and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east al-Quds. 

New Delhi: A man who recently travelled from a country experiencing mpox transmission has tested positive for the disease, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

"The previously suspected case of mpox has been verified as a travel-related infection. Laboratory testing has confirmed the presence of mpox virus of the West African clade-2 in the patient," it said.

The ministry said that it is an isolated case, similar to the earlier 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards. It is not a part of the current public health emergency reported by WHO which is regarding clade 1 of mpox, it underlined.

"The individual, a young male who recently travelled from a country experiencing ongoing mpox transmission, is currently isolated at a designated tertiary care isolation facility. The patient remains clinically stable and is without any systemic illness or comorbidities," the ministry said.

The case aligns with earlier risk assessments and continues to be managed according to established protocols, it said, adding that public health measures, including contact tracing and monitoring, are actively in place to ensure the situation is contained.

"There is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time," the health ministry stated.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) last month declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa.

21-year-old Kaivalya Vohra and 22-year-old Aadit Palicha of quick-commerce startup Zepto with net worth of Rs 3,600 crore and Rs 4,300 crore respectively have topped the 2024 Hurun India Rich List showcasing the youngest entrepreneurs in the country. 

The list, released on Thursday, had SG Finserve’s Rohan Gupta & Family, 25, on the third spot with a wealth of Rs 1,300 crore followed by 26-year-old Shasvat Nakrani of BharatPe (Rs 1,300 crore). 

OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal, 30, with a net worth of Rs 1,900 core; Alakh Pandey, 32, of Physics Wallah with Rs 4,500 crore in wealth were also on the list. Razorpay’s Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, both 33, were the richest in the ‘Hurun India Rich List – Youngest’ with each having a net worth of Rs 8,700 crore. 

“These individuals are driving change across various industries, reflecting the growing impact of India’s youth in business,” the report said. 

52 entrepreneurs on this year’s list were founders of 29 unicorns and two founders of gazelles, defined as most likely to ‘go unicorn’ within two years. Moreover, the cumulative wealth of Indian unicorn and gazelle listers on the rich list increased by 5 per cent to Rs 2.85 lakh crore. 

Meanwhile, this year’s list reported India’s billionaire count hitting 334, topped by Gautam Adani and family with 95 per cent growth in wealth to Rs 11.6 lakh crore followed by Rs 10.14 lakh crore net worth of Mukesh Ambani and family, Rs 3.14 lakh crore of Shiv Nadar and family, Rs 2.89 lakh crore of Cyrus S Poonawalla and family, and Rs 2.49 lakh crore of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries’ Dilip Sanghvi. 

“India is emerging as Asia’s wealth creation engine! While China saw a 25% decline in its number of billionaires, India experienced a 29% increase, reaching a record 334 billionaires,” said Anas Rahman Junaid, Founder and Chief Researcher, Hurun India. 

The list found 1,539 individuals across 134 cities with a net worth of Rs 1,000 crore. The cumulative wealth of individuals, according to the list, jumped by 46 per cent. Moreover, 1,334 individuals saw their wealth increase or stay the same, of which 272 are new entrants, while 205 recorded a drop in their wealth. 

The report said India minted a new billionaire every five days last year.

Sector-wise, industrial products had 142 individuals from the list while pharmaceuticals had 136 individuals. Chemicals, software, and real estate were other top sectors with 127, 105, and 91 rich individuals from this year’s list. 

“The pivot in the Indian economy from a services-led to a manufacturing-led model is reflected in the 2024 Hurun India Rich List. Industrial products sector entrepreneurs on the list have seen a remarkable 47% CAGR in their cumulative wealth over the past five years—the highest among all sectors,” said Junaid. 

This shift, he said, is fueled by several key factors, including the central government’s significant increase in capital expenditure on infrastructure development, which has risen to $133.3 billion for FY2024-25, marking an 11.1 per cent jump from the previous year.  

“Additionally, India attracted substantial foreign direct investment (FDI), with total inflows reaching US$17.96 billion in FY2023-24.” 

Mumbai with 386 individuals followed by New Delhi with 217 individuals were home to rich listers this year. Bengaluru (100), Chennai (82), Kolkata (69) were other top cities.