Page 43 - Bs Reads

Deep-tech, AI bets gather pace as investor appetite strengthens: VCs

Venture capitalists say stronger IPO exits have boosted LP confidence in long-gestation deep-tech and AI ventures, with family offices also stepping up bets in the sector

India allows limited Chinese equipment imports for key sectors

This is the first significant easing of ‌five-year-old curbs that have largely shut Chinese firms out of India's $700 billion-$750 billion government contract market

MP Budget 2026-27 sets ₹4.38 trillion outlay, big push for women

Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jagdish Devda on Wednesday tabled the state's "women-centric" budget for 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs 4,38,317 crore, and said no new taxes would be imposed. Devda presented the Mohan Yadav government's third consecutive budget amid interruptions from the Opposition, which raised concerns over the "mounting debt" burden on the people of the state. In his nearly 90-minute speech, the finance minister said the budget is framed on the model "GYANII - Garib Kalyan (poor), Yuva Shakti (youth), Annadata (farmers), Nari Shakti (women empowerment), Infrastructure and Industry". Allocations of about 3 lakh crore have been made for these areas, he said. Devda announced provisions of Rs 1,27,555 crore for various women welfare schemes, including self-help groups and the Ujjwala Yojana. He said 5,700 hostels would be constructed for working women. The budget has provisioned Rs 23,883 crore for the 'Ladli Behna Yojana' under which over 1.25 crore women receive .

Delhi Police identifies person involved in theft at India AI Summit

Delhi Police has identified a person involved in theft of devices at India AI Impact Summit that took place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the expo, a senior official said on Tuesday. Homegrown wearables startup NeoSapien Co-founder and CEO Dhananjay Yadav had complained about theft of his devices that he left at his booth allegedly under instruction of security personnel. Yadav said that the theft of his products was "difficult and painful," noting it occurred during a security shutdown for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. Manish Kumar Agrawal, Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence Division) said the local police are investigating and there are CCTV cameras in place. "There was a time when the gentleman left the items unattended, this was despite the fact that a locker was provided. It was expected that the exhibitor would put the items in the locker. "But nevertheless for whatever reasons he left (it) unattended, but we have proof, the local police ha

Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader who sought US presidency, dies at 84

An impassioned orator, he was a moral and political force who formed a "rainbow coalition" of poor and working-class people. His mission, he said, was "to transform the mind of America"

Warner Bros rejects revised Paramount bid, but is open to a final offer

Paramount informally broached an even higher per-share price of $31, Warner Bros said, apparently enticing the board to the table

IBA appoints Gunveena Chadha as Secretary General

Indian Beverage Association (IBA), the apex body for the non-alcoholic beverage industry on Tuesday announced appointment of Gunveena Chadha as its new Secretary General. Chadha, prior to joining IBA, served as Deputy Secretary General at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). She has also held leadership roles at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), said an IBA statement. Commenting on the development President C K Jaipuria said: "We are delighted to welcome Gunveena Chadha as the new Secretary General of IBA. The non-alcoholic beverage industry is navigating a dynamic policy and business environment, and Dr. Chadha brings a rare blend of policy depth and global industry experience. As the beverage sector engages with increasingly complex regulatory and market realities, her leadership will help IBA engage more effectively with policymakers and stakeholders." * * * * Panasonic India launches Co.lab ...

CCPA fines Snapdeal ₹5 lakh for selling toys violating BIS standards

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on e-commerce platform Snapdeal for selling toys that do not comply with mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards certification, violating the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020. A final order against Snapdeal (Ace Vector Limited) has been issued after taking suo-motu cognizance of the matter, CCPA Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare told PTI. The CCPA has also issued notices to other e-commerce entities including Amazon and Flipkart, along with sellers such as Stallion Trading Company and Electronics Bazar Store, she said. Besides the penalty, the CCPA has directed Snapdeal to ensure future compliance by guaranteeing that no non-compliant BIS standard toy is listed, hosted, or advertised on its platform. The platform has also been asked to prominently display contact numbers, e-mail addresses, and Grievance Officer details to facilitate prompt consumer redressal. The Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 beca

Markolines Q3FY26 result: Net profit jumps 12% to ₹6.78 crore

Highway solutions provider Markolines has reported a 12 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 6.78 crore for the quarter ended December 2025. The company had posted a net profit (profit after tax) of Rs 6.05 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. For the nine months ended December 2025, PAT stood at Rs 14.87 crore compared with Rs 10.43 crore in the year-ago period, while revenue rose to Rs 243.34 crore from Rs 185.92 crore. The company's CMD Sanjay Patil said revenue growth was driven by healthy project execution and improved billing traction, while profitability gains were supported by cost discipline and better project mix. Markolines provides highway operations and maintenance (O&M) and specialised road preservation services in India.

Black Box signs ₹275 cr Brazil deal in boost to global digital infra push

Essar Group firm advances India and overseas strategy amid rising demand for data centre, network and cybersecurity services

TCS, AMD expand AI partnership with Helios data centre push in India

The collaboration includes a blueprint for AI-ready data centres capable of scaling up to 200 megawatts of capacity

Vaccine Nation: Uncovering the fascinating story behind lifesaving jabs

A little jab that protects us from some of the deadliest diseases has a fascinating backstory. Ameer Shahul does an admirable job of uncovering compelling ones in his book

Iran meets UN nuclear watchdog in Geneva ahead of second round of US talks

Iran's top diplomat met with the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency on Monday, ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and said he would also meet with Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which is hosting the US-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday. "I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal," Araghchi wrote on X. "What is not on the table: submission before threats." Iran open to compromise in exchange for sanctions relief ------------------------------------------------------------ On Sunday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signaled that Tehran could be open to compromise on the nuclear issue, but is looking for an easing of international sanctions led by the United States. "The ball is in America's court. They have to prove they want to have a deal w

Delhi records hottest day of year, maximum temperatures soars above normal

The national capital witnessed a significantly hot day on Monday, recording the hottest day of the year so far, with maximum temperatures soaring well above seasonal norms, while minimum temperatures remained near or below average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD said that the Safdarjung observatory, the city's base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 31.6 degrees Celsius, which is 7.2 degrees above normal. The station also noted a sharp 24-hour temperature change of 3.1 degrees, indicating a sudden warm spell affecting the region. Similarly, Ayanagar recorded a high of 30.4 degrees Celsius, marking a 7.1 degrees Celsius increase from the seasonal average. Other stations, including Lodi Road, recorded 29.2 degrees Celsius, which is 5.2 degrees higher, and Ridge recorded 28.4 degrees Celsius, which is 5.3 degrees Celsius higher, also reported above-normal daytime temperatures, the IMD said. According to IMD, the city saw the minimum temperature

RCPL to form majority-owned JV with TGI Group to explore African markets

Reliance Consumer Products, the FMCG arm of Reliance Industries, on Monday said it has signed a definitive agreement to form a majority-owned joint venture with Nigerian conglomerate Tropical General Investments Group. This partnership will significantly expand RCPL's global footprint by establishing its presence in Nigeria, one of Africa's largest consumer markets, said a joint statement. Through this partnership, which is subject to customary legal and regulatory clearances, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL) will introduce its FMCG products to consumers in Nigeria, leveraging TGI's FMCG manufacturing and distribution experience and network, it added. "The partnership between RCPL and Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group aims to strengthen RCPL's market presence on the global stage," it said. RCPL Director T Krishnakumar said: "TGI Group is a diversified and trusted partner, and their deep expertise and decades-long presence in sectors such as FMCG, culinary, and agribusin

Lower consumer power costs key to AI-renewable success: MNRE Joint Secy

The success of artificial intelligence and renewable energy convergence will be when the overall power cost comes down, and industrial competitiveness goes up, a government official said on Monday. India has been significantly adding renewable energy capacity, and the country's total capacity is around 520 GW. Also, there is around 35 GW of distributed renewable energy capacity. JVN Subramanyam, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), said Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to be a game changer, especially for distributed renewable energy. He was participating in a session on 'Global Mission on AI for Energy Scaling through citizen-centric India Energy Stack' at the AI Impact Summit in the national capital. "I think in the next two to three years' time, success in AI and the renewable energy convergence would be where the overall cost of power to the consumers goes down, our industrial competitiveness goes up, and consumer empowerment becomes prosume

India seizes Iran-linked US-sanctioned tankers, steps up surveillance

The Indian Coast Guard has since deployed about 55 ships ​and 10 to 12 aircraft for round-the-clock surveillance in its maritime zones, according to the ‌source

X down for thousands of users in the US and UK, shows Downdetector

The actual number of affected users may differ from what's shown on Downdetector because these reports are user-submitted

PM Modi to visit Israel on Feb 25-26, second trip since 2017: Report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Israel on a two-day visit from February 25 to 26, sources said on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first broke news of Modi's visit while addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations on Sunday. "Parliament address on the anvil. Who's coming here next week? Narendra Modi," Netanyahu told the gathering. "Tremendous alliance between Israel and India, and we are going to discuss all sorts of cooperation. Now, you know, India is not a small country. It has 1.4 billion people. India is enormously powerful, enormously popular," he stressed. A source here told PTI that PM Modi's visit is 'likely to be short from February 25 to 26", but "its impact is deep given the popularity Modi enjoys not only in Israel but around the world". While the programme around the visit is being worked out, PM Modi is expected to address the Israeli Knesset (parliament). Modi is likely to touch upon all issues of ..

In-Solutions Global gets RBI's nod for domestic & cross-border PA

In-Solutions Global Ltd (ISG) on Monday announced that it has received regulatory authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) across all three Payment Aggregator categories - online, physical or offline and cross-border. The approval was granted under the latest RBI Master Directions for 2025-26. With these approvals, ISG joins a select group of non-bank ecosystem players enabled to support merchant payments across domestic and international channels through a unified and fully compliant framework, the company said in a statement. Together, the three licences allow ISG to offer enterprises, banks, marketplaces and digital platforms a single payment aggregation stack capable of managing online transactions, in-person payments and cross-border import-export flows within a unified onboarding and settlement environment. Adelia Castelino, Co-founder and Managing Director, ISG said, "As India's digital commerce and cross-border trade accelerate, merchants and financial institution