Page 38 - Bs Reads

On the Future of Species: Book explores power to design future lifeforms

Human beings may soon have the ability to intelligently design future lifeforms. This book offers a glimpse into that unsettling and thought-provoking future

India has no plans to join IEA strategic oil reserve release: Report

The source also said that India has no plans to restrict its fuel exports as it has 'reasonably' comfortable stocks of gasoline, gasoil and jet fuel

Bengaluru hotels face shutdown from March 10 amid commercial LPG shortage

Hotel and restaurant operations in the city are likely to be affected starting March 10, following a sudden and total halt in the supply of commercial gas cylinders, the Bangalore Hotels Association said on Monday. This development comes amid rising energy costs and supply constraints caused by the West Asia conflict. "Since the gas supply has stopped, the hotels will be closed from tomorrow," the association said in a release. Noting that the supply of commercial gas cylinders stopped today, it said, since the hotel industry is an essential service, common people, students, and medical professionals, who rely on the hotels for daily meals, will be affected. "In addition, our hotel industry will also face difficulties until the gas supply returns to normal," it added. The association said oil companies had guaranteed an uninterrupted gas supply for 70 days, making the sudden stoppage a "big blow" to the hotel industry. "Therefore, we expect the concerned Union Ministers to take .

Air India, AI Express to operate 60 flights to West Asia on Tuesday

Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 60 flights to and from cities in the Middle East, including 32 non-scheduled services connecting the UAE. Amid the escalating Middle East conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, airlines are operating services in a calibrated manner as there are airspace restrictions and closures in the region. On Tuesday, Air India and Air India Express will together operate 14 flights to and from Jeddah, while Air India Express will operate 14 services to and from Muscat. "In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express would operate a total of 32 ad hoc non-scheduled flights between Indian cities and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 10 March 2026, subject to the availability of slots and other conditions prevailing at the respective point of departure at the time," a statement said on Monday. These 32 flights will connect to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah from different Indian cities. Akasa Air sai

Trump reviews steps to tame oil prices after Iran war roils markets: Report

The turmoil in energy markets comes at a sensitive moment for the president, who has sought to keep fuel prices low as a cornerstone of his economic message to voters

Uber's women-only option goes nationwide in the US amid safety concerns

Uber launched a feature Monday to allow both women riders and drivers across the US to be matched with other women for trips, expanding a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its hail-riding platform. The new feature is being rolled out nationwide despite an ongoing class action lawsuit against the policy in California, filed by Uber drivers who argue that it is discriminatory against men. Rival ride-hailing company Lyft is also facing a discrimination lawsuit over a similar offering that it introduced nationwide in 2024. The feature, announced in a blog post, allows women to request a female driver through an option on the app called "Women Drivers." Passengers can opt for another ride if the wait for a woman is too long, and they can also reserve a trip with a woman driver in advance. A third option allows female users to set a preference for a woman driver in their app settings, which would increase the chances of being matched with a female driver, thou

Oil remains potent geopolitical tool, decades after energy crisis

In the West Asia, Iran has leaned on one of its strategic advantages: its ability to disrupt the flow of oil and natural gas through the Persian Gulf and hurt economies around the world

PM Modi speaks to Nepal leaders Rabi Lamichhane, Balendra Shah

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) of Nepal Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah and congratulated them for their election victory and conveyed India's commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of the two countries. In his telephonic conversations with the two leaders of Nepal, PM Modi said he was confident that with the joint endeavours, India-Nepal relations will scale new heights in the coming years. "Had warm telephone conversations with Mr. Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Mr. Balendra Shah, Senior Leader of the RSP," he said in a post on 'X'. The prime minister said he congratulated both leaders on their electoral victories and RSP's resounding success in the Nepal elections. "Conveyed my best wishes for their forthcoming new Government and India's commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of our two countries," he ...

Anthropic sues Trump administration over Pentagon 'supply chain risk' tag

Anthropic is suing the Trump administration, asking federal courts to reverse the Pentagon's decision designating the artificial intelligence company a "supply chain risk" over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology. Anthropic filed two separate lawsuits Monday, one in California federal court and another in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., each challenging different aspects of the Pentagon's actions against the company. The Pentagon last week formally designated San Francisco tech company a supply chain risk after an unusually public dispute over how its AI chatbot Claude could be used in warfare. The lawsuits aim to undo the designation and block its enforcement.

Farmers stage fresh protest in Delhi against India-US trade deal

The protest site, close to the historic Jantar Mantar observatory near the parliament complex in New Delhi, was packed with demonstrators

India emerges as world's second largest arms importer: SIPRI

India was the world's second largest importer of arms and military hardware from 2021 to 2025 and the largest chunk of the imports came from Russia, Swedish think tank SIPRI said in a new report on Monday. Ukraine which received 9.7 per cent of all arms transfers in 2021-25 was the world's largest arms importer in that period, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said. China dropped out of the top 10 arms importers for the first time since 1991-1995 due to expanded domestic production of its own designs, the think tank noted in its report, 'Trends in International Arms Transfers'. The United States supplied 42 per cent of all international arms transfers during 2021-25, up from 36 per cent in 2016-20, it said. Four states in Asia and Oceania -- India, Pakistan, Japan and Australia -- ranked among the 10 largest arms importers globally in 2021-25. The main supplier to the region in 2021-25 was the US, which accounted for 35 per cent of regional arms imports.

Rajputana Stainless IPO subscribed 30% on Day 1; QIB portion nearly full

The initial public offer of Rajputana Stainless Ltd, a manufacturer of long and flat stainless-steel products, got subscribed 30 per cent on the first day of bidding on Monday. The IPO received bids for 63,04,430 shares, as against 2,09,00,000 shares on offer, as per NSE data. The category for Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) received 99 per cent subscription, while the quota for non-institutional investors fetched 65 per cent subscription. The portion for Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) got subscribed 4 per cent. The initial public offer has a fresh issue of up to 1,46,50,000 equity shares and an offer-for-sale of up to 62,50,000 equity shares. Price range for the offer has been fixed at Rs 116-122 per share. The IPO will conclude on Wednesday. Rajputana Stainless has raised Rs 10 crore from anchor investor Shine Star Build Cap. The firm manufactures a range of stainless-steel products, including billets, forging ingots, rolled black bars, rolled bright bars, flats, pat

Tech Mahindra rubbishes market speculation on significant cut in headcount

IT services company Tech Mahindra on Monday strongly denied market speculations around a possible significant reduction in headcount. Given the speculation, Tech Mahindra said it finds it necessary to clarify that no such proposal is under consideration. The company cited calls and certain social media posts regarding a "market rumour" of a potential significant reduction in headcount. "The company has received calls and has noted certain social media posts regarding a market rumour of a potential significant reduction in headcount. "In view of the above speculation, the company on its own accord considers it necessary to clarify to the Stock Exchanges that no such proposal is under consideration and categorically denies any such market rumours," it added.

India's coal production may reach 1.5 billion tonnes by FY30: Kishan Reddy

Domestic coal production is expected to grow 6-7 per cent annually in the next few years to reach about 1.5 billion tonnes by 2029-30, Parliament was informed on Monday. The country's coal demand is expected to continue rising and is expected to peak around 2040, Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The Minister informed the house that "There is no scenario of transition away from coal that would impact workers and communities associated with coal mining in the short and medium time frame. India is presently augmenting its domestic coal production to meet the increasing energy requirements of the country. To meet the future demand of coal through indigenous sources and to reduce non-essential import of coal, domestic coal production is expected to grow by 6-7 per cent annually in the next few years to reach about 1.5 billion tonnes by 2029-30, the Minister. In 2024-25, India's coal production stood at about 1,047.69 MT, he ..

Indonesia signs agreement with India to procure BrahMos missiles: Report

In 2023, BrahMos, a company co-owned by the Indian and Russian governments, told Reuters it was in advanced discussions with Jakarta on a deal worth $200 million to $350 million

West Asia conflict could boost palm oil demand from biodiesel sector

Indonesia, the world's largest user of palm oil-based biodiesel, said it may revive plans to roll out a B50 grade of palm oil biodiesel mid-year to counter surging crude oil prices

Raajmarg Infra InvIT IPO to open March 11; anchor portion domestically

State-owned National Highways Authority of India-sponsored Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust (RIIT) on Monday said the anchor portion of its upcoming IPO will be allocated to only domestic investors. The anchor book will open for subscription on March 10. "We are in advanced discussions with anchor investors regarding the investment. The anchor portion will be allocated to domestic investors," NHAI Chairman Sathosh Kumar Yadav told reporters here ahead of its Rs 6,000-crore initial public offering. Of the issue size, over Rs 1,700 crore will be allocated to anchor investors. Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust's maiden public offering will open on March 11 and close on March 13. This will be the first time, NHAI is opening its asset monetisation programme to retail investors. The InvIT's IPO price has been fixed between Rs 99 and Rs 100 per unit. The initiative marks an important step in broadening public participation in the National Highway infrastructure growth story. The public I

India's inter-regional transmission capacity to reach 143 GW by 2027: Govt

The country's inter-regional transmission capacity will be increased to 143 GW by 2027 and 168 GW by 2032 to ensure reliable power flow across the regions, Parliament was informed on Monday. At present, there is no transmission constraint existing at the national level, and the inter-regional transmission capacity stood at 120 GW as of December 2025, Union Minister Shripad Naik said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The capacity of the National Grid is expanded on a continuous basis, commensurate with the growth in electricity generation and electricity demand. The inter-regional transmission capacity will be increased to 143 GW by 2027 and further to 168 GW by 2032, the Minister of State for Power told the Upper House. A peak electricity demand of 388 GW is expected by 2032, and under the NEP (Volume II Transmission), the transmission network (220 kV and above) is planned to expand to 6.48 lakh ckm by 2032, and the transformation capacity is to increase to 2,345 Giga Volt Ampe

India Energy Stack pilot to begin in five states next fiscal year: Govt

The India Energy Stack, an integrated digital public infrastructure for the power sector, will be launched in five states on a pilot basis in the next financial year before its nationwide rollout, Parliament was informed on Monday. The total fund allocated for the development of IES (India Energy Stack) is Rs 51.3 crore, of which Rs 3.88 crore has been released, Union Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. Distribution utilities of Delhi, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai have been identified for pilot implementation of IES, and the timeline for demonstration of the same is FY 2026-27, Naik said. After the successful demonstration, India Energy Stack is envisaged to be rolled out across the country, the minister informed the Upper House. Rapid growth in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and consumer participation in energy markets is transforming the sector, yet fragmented systems and the lack of seamless digital integrat

What 'Save America Act' proposes for US voter registration rules

The proposed legislation has triggered debate in the US because it introduces documentary citizenship requirements for voter registration and sets out procedures for verifying eligibility