Indian snacks maker Haldiram's is in talks to acquire a majority stake in listed rival Prataap Snacks, which is valued at $350 million, to expand its presence in the potato chip market, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Prataap Snacks shares in Mumbai jumped about 13% to their highest levels since 2018 after the news, before paring some gains to close 9.7% higher.

Some of the key allies of the Congress in the INDIA bloc, including the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, have said their respective leaderships and workers will stay away from Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

In a related development, to bolster the party's less-than-robust organisational strength, the Congress has instructed its state units to collaborate with civil society organisations, which have come together under the rubric of ‘Bharat Jodo Abhiyan’ (BJA).

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has entered an agreement with Taro Pharmaceutical to acquire the balance 21.52 per cent stake in the Israel-based company for a cash consideration of $43 per share amounting to $347.73 million (Rs 2,982 crore).

Sun already owns a controlling stake of 78.48 per cent in the company. The new transaction is expected to complete by 2024-25.

DMI Group, a pan-India financial services platform, on Wednesday night, said it has acquired the beleaguered ‘buy now pay later’ (BNPL) ZestMoney (Zest) platform. DMI, which has raised over $1.5 billion of equity investment and is supported by global institutional investors and international banks, didn’t reveal the value of the transaction.

This development comes more than a month after Bengaluru-based ZestMoney, shut down amid an unsuccessful attempt to revive its business under new management and regulatory uncertainty.

Asian Paints saw its net profit rise 35 per cent in the December quarter. The country’s largest paint maker saw its profits rise to Rs 1,448 crore and its decorative paints business volumes stood at 12 per cent.

During the quarter, the company’s net sales stood at Rs 9,103 crore and was up at 5.4 per cent due to a moderation in demand in the later half of the quarter, the company said.

The price of 24-carat gold fell Rs 380 in early trade on Thursday, with ten grams of the precious metal selling at Rs 62,950, according to the GoodReturns website. The price of silver declined Rs 600, with one kilogram of the precious metal selling at Rs 75,900.

The price of 22-carat gold slipped Rs 350, with the yellow metal selling at Rs 57,700.

A Maine judge on Wednesday paused an election official's decision on former President Donald Trump's ballot status to allow time for the US Supreme Court to rule on a similar case in Colorado.

Trump's lawyers appealed in state court when Secretary of State Shenna Bellows removed the Republican front-runner from the presidential primary ballot but then asked the judge to pause proceedings to allow the US Supreme Court to rule on the Colorado case, which could render the lawsuit moot.

In a setback to Zee, the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a Delhi High Court order by referring a dispute between Essel Group entity Siti Network and Aditya Birla Finance to arbitration.

The 150-crore loan dispute involves Essel Group of Companies, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Siti Networks Ltd, and Aditya Birla Finance. The court said all parties involved should raise their arguments before a sole arbitrator appointed by the Delhi High Court.

The Adani Group, one of the world’s largest infrastructure conglomerates, and the Telangana government on Wednesday signed four agreements committing investments worth more than Rs 12,400 crore in the state.

The memoranda of understanding were signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group.

Google announced a strategic move to optimise its global ad team by eliminating "a few hundred" positions, primarily from its "large customer" sales team, according to media reports. The layoffs signify the company's move towards leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance efficiency and creativity while providing better support for small and medium-sized businesses advertising on Google's platform.

According to one report by India Today, around 1,000 employees have reportedly received pink slips in this fresh round of layoffs.

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