Page 15 - Bs Reads

Explosion outside Punjab BJP's office in Chandigarh, no casualties

An explosion outside the office of the Punjab BJP office here on Wednesday evening led to panic and police cordoning the area. There were no reports of any casualties. Sounds of the explosion were heard around 5 pm, said head of the state BJP's media cell Vineet Joshi. A scooter parked outside the building in Sector 37 was damaged. Senior police officers, including Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardip Kaur, as well as a team of the Central Forensic Laboratory rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. "We heard the sound of the explosion. How did it take place? We could see some signs on the boundary wall. Only police can provide details," Joshi told reporters. "It is a matter of concern if a blast took place outside the party office," he added. There was little clarity on what had happened. Further details are awaited.

Maruti Suzuki may raise prices as Iran conflict drives up commodity costs

The carmaker, majority-owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor, said it has not faced any supply disruptions, but acknowledged potential disruptions in the future

Experts cut Germany's growth outlook for 2026, 2027 due to Iran conflict

German growth forecasts for 2026 and 2027 were cut by experts on Wednesday as governments across Europe implement measures aimed at reducing the price impact of the Iran war. A group of five economic institutes predict German gross domestic product will expand by 0.6 per cent this year - less than half the 1.3 per cent they forecast in September - and by 0.9 per cent in 2027, down from 1.4 per cent. The economic outlook was below the government's own forecast, issued two months ago, of 1 per cent and 1.3 per cent growth, respectively. The Iran war has created an unwelcome new obstacle to growth across Europe. The annual inflation rate in the 21-nation euro area sped up to 2.5 per cent in March from 1.9 per cent the previous month. It was powered by a 4.9 per cent increase in energy prices as the war and the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz sent fuel costs higher. "This energy price shock is hitting a German economy in which a recovery set in last year after a several-year downturn,"

India's realty investment falls 62% in Q1 amid West Asia tensions: Vestian

Institutional investment in Indian real estate sector fell 62 per cent during January-March period to USD 1.41 billion from the previous quarter amid negative sentiments because of the West Asia conflict, according to Vestian. The investment in real estate stood at USD 3.73 billion in the October-December quarter of the 2025 calendar year. However, real estate consultant Vestian said investments rose 74 per cent from USD 0.81 billion in the year-ago period and this highlights strong investor confidence in India's real estate sector, even as global headwinds continue to intensify. Driven by strong demand from GCCs, commercial assets dominated investment activity in Q1 2026 with 80 per cent share. Investment in commercial assets fell to USD 1.12 billion in January-March from USD 2.28 billion in the preceding quarter. The inflow of fund jumped more than three times from USD 307.2 million in the January-March period last year. Commercial assets include office, retail, co-working, and

Power sector leads rating upgrades in FY26 on stable operations: Icra

The power sector has led rating upgrades in the fiscal year 2025-26 on improved execution as well as stable operations, said rating agency ICRA on Wednesday. The power sector emerged as one of the key drivers of rating upgrades in FY2026, supported by improved project execution, stable operating performance and strengthening parent profiles, according to the ICRA statement. The sector witnessed a significant improvement in credit metrics during the year, with its credit ratio rising to 5.2 in FY2026, compared to 3.4 in FY2025 and 2.9 in FY2024, indicating a sustained increase in upgrades relative to downgrades. This improvement reflects easing project risks, stabilisation of operations for commissioned assets and steady cash flow generation. Rating upgrades in the sector were driven by factors such as project completion, track record of stable operating performance and strengthening of parent credit profiles. The sector also benefited from continued policy support, infrastructure p

G+D to scale passkey authentication push in India over next two years

German firm Giesecke+Devrient plans to scale passkey-based biometric authentication in India, partnering with banks and card networks to boost trust and improve transaction success rates

Rediff opts for confidential route, files IPO draft papers with Sebi

Rediff.com India Ltd, a subsidiary of AvenuesAI Ltd, has filed preliminary papers with markets regulator Sebi through the confidential route to float an initial public offering (IPO). The company has opted for the confidential pre-filing route, which allows it to engage with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for initial feedback on its draft document without it being publicly disclosed. Companies increasingly prefer this route because it offers more flexibility in IPO preparations and allows them to respond to market conditions before a public filing. In a stock exchange filing on Tuesday, AvenuesAI said, "Rediff.com India Ltd, a subsidiary of AvenuesAI Ltd, has filed the Pre-Filed Draft Red Herring Prospectus (Pre-DRHP) with the Sebi, the BSE Ltd and the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd in relation to the proposed initial public offering of its equity shares...on the main board". AvenuesAI, formerly known as Infibeam Avenues, is a multinational financial ...

Oil drops 1% as West Asia uncertainty offsets Trump's war-end hopes

Prices rose earlier on Wednesday but then uncertainty over the Middle East conflict prompted investors to lock in gains

UK to host global meet on reopening Strait of Hormuz, says Starmer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said the UK will host an international diplomatic conference this week on ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer says 35 countries have signed a statement committing to work together on restoring maritime security to the key oil transport route. He said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will lead a conference on the issue, and military planners are also working on plans for security once the Iran war ends. Starmer said "a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity" is needed to restore stability.

Cement industry to grow 7-8% in FY27, margins to stay under pressure: ICRA

The cement industry is expected to grow by 7- 8 per cent in the current fiscal year, supported by sustained demand from housing and infrastructure sectors, a report by rating agency ICRA said. Profitability, however, will remain under pressure due to rising input costs and geopolitical tensions affecting fuel and freight. In 2025-26 up to February, the cement industry posted a 9.2 per cent year-on-year increase in volumes, it added. According to ICRA, the cement industry witnessed healthy expansion in profits in the previous fiscal, following an 11-17 per cent expansion in OPBIDTA/MT (operating profits per unit of sales volumes) to Rs 900-950 per MT (metric tonnes). "The operating environment is now expected to moderate in FY2027 due to cost pressures," it said. The cement sector is also expected to face pressure on operating profitability in H1 FY2027 amid higher input costs, primarily fuel (petcoke and coal) and freight (diesel) amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, i

India sees surge in IPO filings in March despite weak investor sentiment

The pace of filings defied the lackluster post-listing performance of recent stock debuts

India Innovates: Why we need tech sovereignty in a data-driven world

The author goes beyond startups and "jugaad." He covers: Government systems, manufacturing and infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture and emerging technologies

'International Relations' offers a Global South view on foreign affairs

From environment and gender to refugees and more, this book offers alternative insights on issues shaping the global discourse

Spain closes airspace to US planes linked to Iran conflict, says minister

Spain has closed its airspace to US planes involved in the Iran war, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Monday. Spain had already said the US could not use jointly operated military bases in the country for operations related to the Middle East conflict. "This was made perfectly clear to the American military and forces from the very beginning. Therefore, neither the bases are authorised, nor, of course, is the use of Spanish airspace authorised for any actions related to the war in Iran," Robles told reporters. Spain's government under Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been Europe's most critical voice of US and Israeli military actions in the Middle East. "I think everyone knows Spain's position; it's very clear," Robles said, calling the war in Iran "profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust.

Govt extends Indian Potash STE status for urea imports till March 2027

The government has extended the state trade enterprise (STE) status of Indian Potash Ltd till March 31, 2027 for import of urea, according to a notification. India produced 306.67 lakh tonnes of urea in 2024-25 and imported 56.47 lakh tonnes of the nutrient to meet the domestic demand. The country has imported 98 lakh tonnes of urea in the first eleven months of this fiscal year. "Import of Urea (Agricultural grade) on Government account is allowed through Indian Potash Ltd... till 31.03.2027," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification dated March 27. The move is important as the West Asia crisis has disrupted global fertiliser trade.

Flipkart appoints Smita Ojha, Amit Sharma as VPs to scale tech operations

E-commerce firm Flipkart on Monday announced the appointment of Smita Ojha as Vice President of Engineering and Amit Sharma as Vice President of Program Management. The appointments are aimed at scaling the company's core technology and fuelling long-term value creation, Flipkart said in a statement. Ojha will lead the Central Platforms Group (CPG) within Flipkart's OneTech organisation. She brings over two decades of experience and joins from Mindtickle, where she served as Senior Vice President of Engineering. OneTech is Flipkart's unified product and technology organisation responsible for building and operating all digital experiences across the company. Sharma will head the Technical Program Management charter for OneTech. With over 25 years of corporate experience, he previously served as a Director at Amazon and has held leadership roles at Accenture and WNS. "As we enter our next phase of growth and accelerate our AI-native evolution, investing in strong leadership across

Bengal has not yet issued notification for conducting Census: RGI Narayan

West Bengal has not yet issued the notification for conducting the Census, and the issue has been raised with the state, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said on Monday. Asked about West Bengal, he said we have until September 30 to complete the first-phase process. "West Bengal has not issued the notification for conducting the Census. We have raised this issue with them. It is expected that they will issue the notification soon, as it is a legally mandated exercise. We have time till September 30 for the first phase of the exercise," he said. The Census 2027 is being conducted in two phases -- the first stage is known as houselisting and housing census, and the second stage is the population census. The housing listing operations will take place during a 30-day window specified by each state and Union Territory through notifications between April 1 and September 30 this year. There will also be an option for self-enumeration to be ...

Govt proposes IT rule changes to make advisories binding on tech platforms

Currently, the IT ministry's advisories to platforms - on issues ranging from deepfake labelling to content takedown practices - have functioned as guidance without explicit legal consequences

All banking cos to deduct TDS on interest income beyond Rs 50,000 a year

The income tax department on Monday said "banking company" governed by the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, will deduct TDS on interest income beyond the prescribed threshold. Under the Income Tax law, the tax is to be deducted at source if the interest income from bank/post office deposits exceeds Rs 50,000 for ordinary citizens, or Rs 1 lakh for senior citizens, in a financial year. In a post on X, the income tax department said under Section 402 of the new Income Tax Act, 2025, a "banking company" refers to a company to which the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, apply. As per the Income-tax Act, 1961, the scope of "banking company" included not only banking companies to which the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, applies, but also "any bank or banking institution referred to in section 51 of that Act. The income tax department said by virtue of the extant Section 51 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, such banks and banking institutions fall within the

Congress flags Registrar General remarks, opposes rush on amendment bills

The Congress on Monday cited Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan's remarks that many Census data sets will be published in 2027 itself to claim that the grounds on which Constitution amendment bills are being sought to be "bulldozed" through Parliament are "false". In a post on X, the Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, "Constitution amendment Bills are being sought to be bulldozed through in the next few days on the grounds that Census results will not be available since 2029." "This information given by the RG&CCI proves that these grounds are false," he said and tagged a post on Narayan's remarks that the first set of Census data will be issued in 2027. Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Narayan on Monday asked people to give accurate information to Census enumerators, asserting that the individual data will remain confidential and cannot be used as evidence or for getting any benefit under any scheme. Addressing .