Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on Rishi Sunak, Xi Jinping, Kejriwal's suggestion on currency notes, and much more

BS Views of the week: Rishi Sunak, currency notes, Xi Jinping, and more

Speaking on the development, a Flipkart spokesperson on Monday night said the strategic decision reflects the company's deep and unwavering commitment to India and its remarkable growth

GEL, it's been alleged, submitted "conduct letters" and "no objection certificates" in the name of PFC and IREDA, which the lenders later discovered to have been forged by the company

OPPO K13 5G smartphone launched. Nothing Phone 3 will launch in Q3. WhatsApp tests message translation feature. Xiaomi launches Redmi Watch Move. Motorola Edge 60

Instagram is beginning to test the use of artificial intelligence to determine if kids are lying about their ages on the app, parent company Meta Platforms said on Monday.
Meta has been using AI to determine people's ages for some time, the company said, but photo and video-sharing app will now proactively look for teen accounts it suspects belong to teenagers even if they entered an inaccurate birthdate when they signed up.
If it is determined that a user is misrepresenting their age, the account will automatically become a teen account, which has more restrictions than an adult account. Teen accounts are private by default. Private messages are restricted so teens can only receive them from people they follow or are already connected to.
Sensitive content, such as videos of people fighting or those promoting cosmetic procedures, will be limited, Meta said. Teens will also get notifications if they are on Instagram for more than 60 minutes and a sleep mode will be enabled that turn

Meta has been using AI to determine people's ages for some time, the company said

The Delhi transport department is set to add 2,080 electric vehicles to its bus fleet over the year, an official said on Monday.
It currently operates around 7,000 buses in the city. But around 1,000 of those are set to get off road this year with some already being retired.
"We have signed a memorandum of understanding with five different concessioners to procure 1,040 buses. For the second set of 1,040 buses, we will sign agreements soon. Once they start rolling out, it would plug the gap created due to decommissioning of ageing buses," said a transport department official.
According to the plan, 1,040 buses will be added to the fleet in the first phase under the Centre's National Electric Bus Programme (NEBP). The scheme aims at introducing e-buses across the nation.
The second lot of 1,040 buses will be part of the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme.
The scheme aims to incentivise over 14,000 e-buses across nine major cities with

The second lot of 1,040 buses will be part of the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme

The PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less) levels in the city have consistently breached the national safety threshold of 60  g/m  not just during winter peaks, but even in the summer months, a four-year study has revealed.
In 2024, Malad West recorded a sharp spike in PM10 levels, rising to 154.5 g/m , a nearly 50 per cent increase from the previous year.  Shivaji Nagar, another critical hotspot, registered an alarming 211.0  g/m  in 2023 before dropping to 102.2  g/m  in 2024, still over 70 per cent above the national limit.  Siddharth Nagar-Worli saw levels rise from 57.1  g/m  in 2021 to 119.2 g/m  in 2023 before slightly improving to 105.1  g/m  in 2024, the study revealed.  Other consistently polluted locations include Chakala-Andheri East, Kurla, Deonar, Vile Parle West, and Mazgaon, all of which remained above safe levels year after year.  "PM10 levels in the city have consistently breached the national safety threshold of 60  g/m , not just during

In 2024, Malad West recorded a sharp spike in PM10 levels, rising to 154.5 g/m , a nearly 50 per cent increase from the previous year

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Friday presented a Rs 40,187 crore-budget for the megapolis.
Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement. The revenues have been estimated at Rs 36,939 crore, and the body chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be borrowing Rs 22,000 crore.
This will result in a budget deficit of Rs 3,249 crore, which the body plans to bridge through land sales, issuance of bonds, financial assistance from the government, and loans from financial institutions, the statement said.
The ongoing metro line projects have been earmarked Rs 10,969 crore of expenditure in the new fiscal, which is a fourth of the overall expenditure..
Over Rs 5,697 crore have been allotted for multiple tunnel projects which are going across the megapolis, with Rs 2,684 crore earmarked for the four-lane road running under the Sanjay Gandhi National 

Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday returned the Finance Bill 2025 to the Lok Sabha, along with 35 government amendments, including one that abolishes a 6 per cent digital tax on online advertisements, thus completing the 2025-26 budgetary exercise that started on February 1.
The House also returned the Appropriation Bill (3) with a voice vote.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had moved the two bills in the House.
The Lok Sabha had passed the Finance Bill on March 25 and passed the Appropriation Bill on March 21.
Replying to the debate later in the evening, she said the tendency of the finance ministry would be to exercise caution and not let go of revenues.
"But, here we wanted to use this opportunity to show our respect for Indian taxpayer. We have moved towards setting Rs 12 lakh as threshold up to which no one will have to pay any tax," Sitharaman said.
The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 lakh crore, an increase of 7.4 per cent ov

The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 trillion, an increase of 7.4 per cent over the current fiscal

Russia-Ukraine War

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Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

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BS Views of the week: Rishi Sunak, currency notes, Xi Jinping, and more

Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on Rishi Sunak, Xi Jinping, Kejriwal's suggestion on currency notes, and much more

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