Page 21 - Bs Reads

From utility to sanctuary: Why Indians are investing in luxury bathrooms

Once a functional afterthought, the bathroom is now one of the most invested-in spaces in Indian homes, driven by wellness, design and long-term performance

India, US close to trade deal after very significant progress in talks

India and the US have made "very significant" progress in their negotiations for a trade deal, with New Delhi maintaining steady momentum in talks with Washington for a positive outcome even during the final stages of concluding its free trade pact with the European Union, official sources said on Wednesday. India's mega trade deal with the EU should not be seen as a response to offset the current state of trade relations with the US as the American market is equally crucial for the Indian exporters, they said. Very significant progress has been made in the negotiations for the proposed trade deal with the US and the two sides are "very close" to seeing that come to fruition, the sources said. The two sides remain in touch and even during the final stages of negotiating the EU trade pact, Indian trade negotiators were in contact with their US counterparts as well, the sources said. "So that work is continuing. We are hopeful of a positive outcome," said a source. India and the US

From icon to also-ran: Puma's long slide as rivals Adidas and Anta loom

Puma was the no. 3 in sportswear after Nike and Adidas until recent years, competing to churn out cool sneakers and win top athletes and soccer-team sponsorships

Indian Politics and International Relations: Great power begins at home

How the evolution of India's political development is having an impact on its external projection

India plans seasonal adjustment for industrial output in data revamp

A discussion paper from the ministry, released on Wednesday, said using a new methodology could improve economic signals without causing excessive revisions

Fertiliser sales rise 3.8% in April-December on higher imports: FAI

Urea sales in the country increased 3.8 per cent to 31.16 million tonnes during April-December 2025 on account of higher imports, even as domestic production declined marginally, according to provisional data released by the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) on Wednesday. Urea sales stood at 30.02 million tonnes in the year-ago period. Domestic urea production during the period stood at 22.44 million tonnes, while imports rose 85.3 per cent to 8 million tonnes, supporting higher sales during peak crop nutrition months. Production of NP and NPK fertilisers (other than DAP) rose 13.1 per cent to 9.27 million tonnes during April-December 2025, with imports increasing 121.8 per cent to 3.29 million tonnes, the data showed. Sales of complex fertilisers remained largely stable at 11.74 million tonnes. Di Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) production during the period was recorded at 3.03 million tonnes, reflecting a 3.9 per cent decline compared to the previous year, while imports increased 4

India, Russia in talks on joint production of Su-57 fighter jets: Report

India and Russia are holding technical discussions to explore the possibility of the joint production of the 5th-generation Sukhoi Su-57E fighter jet in India, a top Russian aerospace official claimed on Wednesday. There was no response from the Indian side on his claim. "Today, we are in the advanced stage of technical negotiations on this contract. Such contracts, given our experience, determine the trajectory of our cooperation for several decades to come," CEO of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Vadim Badekha told Russian reporters on the sidelines of the Wings India air show at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad. Russia has put on static display its latest regional transport aircraft - the Ilyushin Il-114-300 and the Sukhoi SJ-100. Badekha claimed that the parties are also discussing "the licensed production of the Su-57 fighters in India at the facilities currently used to produce the Su-30 aircraft, and the maximum use of Indian industry and Indian systems in this ...

IBC transformed insolvency landscape, but challenges remain: DFS secretary

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) has been a game-changer and has transformed the insolvency landscape by fostering transparency, accountability and efficiency in corporate dispute resolution and laying the foundation of a more resilient and robust economy, Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju said on Wednesday. "Despite these achievements, several challenges still remain, which include timelines of resolutions and liquidations, resulting in value deterioration, low realisations to creditors and capacity constraints at National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)," he said while addressing an event organised by IBBI and Insol India. The seventh amendment -- IBC Amendment Bill 2025, as recommended by the select committee, seeks to address some of these key challenges relating to delays in resolution and liquidation and low recovery rates, he said. "The bill also proposes, inter alia, introduction of provisions on group insolvency process, cross-border insolvency and the ...

Slack's Rob Seaman says 2026 will mark true adoption of agentic AI

Slack chief product officer and CEO Rob Seaman explains how Slackbot is bringing agentic AI into daily workflows and improving productivity across enterprises, including in India

Man arrested after spraying unknown substance on Rep. Ilhan Omar

A man sprayed an unknown substance on Democratic US Rep. Ilhan Omar and was tackled to the ground on Tuesday during a town hall in Minneapolis, where tensions over federal immigration enforcement have come to a head after agents fatally shot an intensive care nurse and a mother of three this month. The audience cheered as the man was pinned down and his arms were tied behind his back. In the video of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, "Oh my god, he sprayed something on her." Just before that, Omar had called for the abolishment of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment. Calls are mounting on Capitol Hill for Noem to step down after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two people who protested deportations. Few Republicans have risen to her defence. "ICE cannot be reformed," Omar said, seconds before the attack. Minneapolis police said officers saw the man use a syringe to spray an .

Comrades and Comebacks: Why the Left still matters in India today

India needs Left ideas of equality and humanism now more than ever, argues Saira Shah Halim in her book

Boeing posts strongest delivery quarter since 2018 as sales jump nearly 60%

Boeing's sales surged nearly 60 per cent in the fourth quarter as the aerospace company digs itself out of a string of crises that tarnished its reputation. It was the strongest quarter of aeroplane deliveries since 2018. Revenue soared to USD 23.95 billion from USD 15.24 billion for the three months ended Dec. 31. That topped the USD 22.6 billion that analysts polled by FactSet were looking for. Boeing had 160 commercial deliveries in the quarter, more than double the 57 deliveries in the prior-year period. Deliveries are an important source of cash for plane manufacturers since buyers typically pay a large portion of the purchase price when their orders are fulfilled. "We made significant progress on our recovery in 2025 and have set the foundation to keep our momentum going in the year ahead," Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a statement on Tuesday. Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing moved to a profit of USD 8.13 billion, or USD 10.23 per share, in the period. That compares with

Budget 2026 Outlook: Will India's debt-anchored fiscal reset make a mark?

The FY27 Union Budget will test India's shift to a debt-based fiscal framework as tax risks, Finance Commission changes, capex priorities and election pressures shape policy choices

Arijit Singh retires from playback singing, to continue independent music

"I am calling it off, it was a wonderful journey," said Arijit Singh on Tuesday, announcing that he will not be taking up any new assignments as a playback singer, a decision that sent shockwaves across his fan base. In a message shared on his social media pages, Singh said he has decided to step away from playback singing, a move that comes at the peak of his career as one of the most popular and in-demand voices in Hindi cinema. "Hello, Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much love all these years as listeners. I am happy to announce that I am not going to be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey," he wrote. The 38-year-old, however, clarified that he would continue to make music independently and complete existing commitments. "God has been really kind to me. I am a fan of good music and in future will be learning more and do more on my own as a small little artist. Thanks again

Harsh words not enough, must see economic cost of air pollution: Bombay HC

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday orally observed that the impact of air pollution on the economy needed to be examined and just uttering "harsh words will not yield any results". During a hearing on the issue of air pollution, amicus curiae (friend of court) Darius Khambata cited former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief economist Gita Gopinath's recent comments in Davos that "pollution is a major economic threat to India than trade-related challenges". In 2023, the court had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of increasing air pollution and passed a slew of directions to civic bodies and other authorities to take steps to deal with the problem. During the previous hearing on January 23, a bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar had slammed civic authorities for their "belligerent disregard" of its orders to mitigate air pollution and warned of halting salaries of top municipal officials. When the matter was called on Tuesday, Amicus Darius Khambata, during his ...

RBI proposes disaster relief framework for banks, seeks feedback

The ‍proposed rules will kick in from April 1. The central bank ‍has ‍sought feedback from ‌stakeholders and public until February 17

Tata Power bets big on home automation, targets mass adoption across India

Tata Power is expanding its footprint in the home automation space, relying on rising mass acceptance of Internet of Things (IoT)-based products, a senior company official said here on Tuesday. The power major, which forayed into the retail home automation segment last year, is targeting one crore households with IoT-enabled converters and other products as part of a rapid expansion strategy, its renewable and automation head Kaushik Sanyal said. "We are growing at around 60 per cent, but growth will be unprecedented with this device. My aim is to take this to one crore households," Sanyal said at the launch of the company's EZ Home Automation Solutions in Kolkata. Tata Power currently operates in nine cities and plans to expand to 100 cities within three years, he said. Sanyal said the segment is poised for phenomenal growth, amid rising aspirations among Indian households to automate homes at affordable price points, driven by increasing awareness around safety, convenience and .

Budget 2026 Outllook: The 16th Finance Commission and fiscal consolidation

An examination of Finance Commission awards from the 11th to the 15th shows that transfers to states have not materially strained the Centre's finances, even during periods of higher devolution

Meta inks $6 bn deal with Corning for AI data center fiber cables: Report

Corning's optical connectivity products are among key components required to support the massive computing and data transmission demands at data centers

Aviation reforms in focus as India air show attracts global players

Analysts and industry executives will be looking for signals from government ​officials at the show on how India plans to ease airspace congestion in major cities