Page 45 - Bs Reads

Switzerland to hold referendum in June on capping population at 10 million

According to Swiss government statistics, roughly 40 percent of residents aged over 15 are from a migrant background, most of them from European countries

Kremlin memo maps US-Russia economic ties, including dollar reset

At the heart of the offer is Russia's return to the dollar settlement system, a move which would mean a stunning reversal of Kremlin policy and, potentially, a dramatic shake up for global finance

CBIC to roll out Eligible Manufacturer-Importer Scheme by March 1: Chairman

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is set to introduce the proposed Eligible Manufacturer-Importer scheme by March 1, with a draft framework to be released in five to six days for stakeholder consultation, a top official said on Thursday. Addressing a media interaction in Mumbai, CBIC Chairman Vivek Chaturvedi said the scheme will initially be introduced for two years, offering eligible manufacturer-importers a "preview" of the benefits under the new framework. Manufacturers, who are not currently Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs), will receive benefits under this scheme for a period of two years, during which they must comply with the prescribed norms to obtain AEO certification, officials clarified. The government is currently working on finalising the eligibility criteria through an internal committee, and detailed contours of the scheme will be shared soon for public feedback. Chaturvedi indicated that the EMI scheme is aligned with the broader push towar

Tell My Mother I Like Boys: Suvir Saran's honest, heartbreaking memoir

As an openly gay man, Suvir Saran's memoir weaves his personal struggles to find love and belonging with reflections on policy, resulting in a memoir that is brutally honest and partly heartbreaking

Comply with quality norms to gain global edge, Paswan tells dairy industry

Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan on Thursday called upon the dairy industry to adhere to quality regulations, warning that non-compliance undermines market access and allows fraudulent players to thrive at the expense of honest businesses seeking international recognition. Speaking at the 52nd Dairy Industry Conference organised by the Indian Dairy Association (North Zone), Paswan said India has the potential to position itself as the world's dairy basket, capable of addressing global shortages through better organisation and strategic market channelling. "Today, India has the capacity to present itself as a global basket. We just need to be more organised in this direction, channelised and move forward," Paswan said, asserting that the dairy sector has a crucial role in building a globally competitive India. The minister said while the government formulates policies - including resolving GST issues and promoting dairy processing through central schemes - it i

Can AI cook dinner? India's smart kitchens test the limits of automation

From guided multi-cookers to robotic chefs, AI-powered appliances promise urban Indian homes precision and convenience, but raise questions about emotion, memory, and the meaning of cooking itself

Angela Merkel to deliver first Manmohan Singh Memorial Lecture in Delhi

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel will deliver the first Dr Manmohan Singh Memorial Lecture in the national capital on February 26, sources said here on Thursday. The lecture is being organised by the Dr Manmohan Singh Trust. Merkel, who shared good ties with the former prime minister, will deliver the inaugural lecture series in memory of Singh. She will speak on "Germany and India in times of global change". Singh, considered the architect of India's economic reforms and a consensus builder in the rough world of politics, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, on December 26, 2024. He was 92. Manmohan Singh steered the country as prime minister for 10 years from 2004-2014 and helped set up the country's economic framework as finance minister. He was also a renowned name in the global financial and economic sectors. The memorial trust was established by the family of the former prime minister to oversee the construction of his memorial at Rashtriya Smrit

Rolls-Royce CEO calls on PM Modi, shares plans to be part of Viksit Bharat

Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared plans to scale up its activities in India to become a part of Viksit Bharat. "It was wonderful meeting Mr. Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO of Rolls-Royce, earlier today," Modi said in a post on X. "We welcome Rolls-Royce's enthusiasm towards scaling up its activities in India and partnering with our innovative and dynamic youth," the prime minister said. Modi was responding to a post by Rolls-Royce on Erginbilgic's meeting with Modi. "Our CEO Tufan Erginbilgic met Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi today to discuss how Rolls-Royce is scaling up to be a part of Viksit Bharat, including expanding its GCC to be the largest globally, co-creating complex manufacturing and building high-value engineering capabilities," the British manufacturing firm said in the post.

India's massive $500 billion US import ambition raises scepticism: Experts

US President Donald Trump last week said he will slash tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent , sparking relief in India

Tatyasaheb: Reading Bombay's past through the life of an entrepreneur

A biography of a Mumbai businessman written by his great-granddaughter is more than an anecdote-rich story of entrepreneurship

Quick-commerce white-collar hiring jumps 21% in January: Report

White-collar hiring in the Quick-Commerce sector witnessed 21 per cent year-on-year growth in January as it is transitioning from rapid expansion to a sharper focus on profitability, predictability, and operational intelligence, a report said on Wednesday. There is a strong demand for specialised talent in the Quick-Commerce sector, with white-collar job postings rising 21 per cent year-on-year in January, according to the foundit Insights Tracker report. "India's quick-commerce ecosystem is moving from scale-first growth to efficiency and intelligence-led expansion. We are seeing strong demand for professionals across data analytics, product technology, and supply chain strategy, as companies focus on improving forecasting accuracy, optimising inventory movement, and strengthening customer experience. This signals a clear shift towards sustainable, tech-enabled growth for the sector," foundit VP, Marketing, Anupama Bhimrajka said. While overall white-collar hiring across industries

Judicial process itself can become punishment if misused: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has said fidelity to the rule of law requires the court to remember that the process itself can become the punishment if this responsibility is not exercised with care as it quashed the charges of caste-based violence against a whistleblower in the Madhya Pradesh VYAPAM examination scam. Anand Rai had challenged the Madhya Pradesh High Court order upholding the framing of charges in a case of caste-based atrocities arising from alleged violence and abuse against an MP, MLA and government officials during a rally in 2022. A bench of justices Sajay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh which quashed the charges under SC/ST Act against Rai said the court must consciously distinguish between a genuine case that warrants a trial and one that rests only on suspicion or assumption or for that matter without any basis. "To allow a matter to proceed despite the absence of a prima facie case is to expose a person to the strain, stigma, and uncertainty of criminal proceedings without ..

US lawmakers push for tighter curbs on China's access to chipmaking tools

The congressional warning over gaps in US export controls comes as China appears to be making breakthroughs Washington has long sought to block

MeitY's amendments on fake content to up risks for social media platforms

Experts say MeitY's amendment to the IT Rules for AI-generated content, which cuts takedown timelines to three hours, will increase compliance costs and risks for platforms

Cross-border biz to drive up to 15% of Cashfree's FY26 topline: Co-founder

Fintech firm Cashfree Payments' co-founder Reeju Datta says cross-border segment is the fastest-growing, and operates on a higher margin than domestic transactions

ECI defers publication of Goa SIR's final electoral roll to Feb 21

The final electoral rolls of Goa, as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list, will be published on February 21 instead of February 14, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday. In a letter to the state chief electoral officer, the EC said "... final publication of electoral roll in respect of special intensive revision (SIR) ... shall be done on February 21, 2026 (Saturday)". It asked the CEO to inform political parties and other stakeholders accordingly. While the draft rolls were published on December 16 last year, the final rolls were slated to be published on Saturday. Of the 11.85 lakh electors in the draft rolls, 10.84 were included in the draft list, while another 1.01 lakh were put in the ASD (absent, shifted, dead/duplicate) category.

Delhi Metro's Magenta Line set to become longest corridor with 89 km route

Spanning around89 kilometres, the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro is set to become the longest corridor in the network, with the highest number of interchange and underground stations, strengthening connectivity across the national capital. According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), following the sanction of Phase V (A), the extension of the Magenta Line from Ramakrishna Ashram Marg to Indraprastha via Central Vista will be taken up. The IndraprasthaInderlok corridor under Phase IV will also be implemented as an extension of the Magenta Line, it said. With these additions, the total length of the Magenta Line, from Botanical Garden to Inderlok, will be around 89 kilometres, making it the longest corridor in the Delhi Metro network. Once fully operational, the entire stretch will function as a driverless corridor, the corporation said. The DMRC said the Magenta Line will have 21 interchange stations after completion. At present, the operational section has four interchang

Delays are natural, India must persist with Gaganyaan: Shubhanshu Shukla

India must continue to pursue its ambitious human spaceflight programme with sustained enthusiasm despite inherent complexities and unknowns, Group Captain and Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said on Wednesday. The Ashoka Chakra awardee asserted that the success of Mission Gaganyaan will place the country among a select group of spacefaring nations. Addressing reporters here, he said, "I think, as a nation, what we are trying to do with Mission Gaganyaan has only been done by three other countries in the world." India aims to launch Gaganyaan in 2027, according to ISRO. Group Captain Shukla is among the four astronauts selected for the mission. "These are very complex and challenging missions. We are trying to do something so audacious, whatever time it takes, we need to continue to work towards it with the same enthusiasm that I had on day one, and that will be there on the final day when we finally launch humans into space," he added. The Indian astronaut acknowledged that de

Valsad, Navsari coastlines witnessed significant erosion: Govt to LS

More than 36 km of the coastline in Gujarat's Valsad and 24 km in Navsari experienced varying levels of erosion between 1990 and 2022, the government told Parliament on Wednesday. The information was shared by Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dhaval Laxmanbhai Patel in the Lok Sabha. Singh said the 62.78-km Valsad coastline experienced 2.5 km of high erosion, 3.24 km of medium erosion and 30.88 km of low erosion, according to an assessment of the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR). The Navsari coastline, 40.88 km in length, saw 3.86 km of high erosion, 4.6 km of medium erosion and 16.18 km of low erosion, he added. According to the NCCR shoreline change classification, the region north of Udvada is identified as a high-erosion zone, while the Bhagal coastal stretch falls under the moderate-erosion category -- both are considered erosion-prone or high-risk areas. Other coastal stretches, such as ..

UBS opens new GCC in Hyderabad, to add 3,000 jobs next 2 years

Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services company UBS on Wednesday announced the opening of its new GCC here, marking a significant step in strengthening its presence in the city and reaffirming its long-term commitment to India. With the new facility, UBS plans to add nearly 3,000 professionals over the next two years, the Swiss firm said in a release. The state-of-the-art centre further reinforces Hyderabad's growing position as a global hub for high-value financial technology, operations and GCC (global capability centre) leadership, it said. At the inauguration, Telangana Minister for IT and Industries D Sridhar Babu said the city has emerged as a preferred location for the world's most respected financial institutions, and the UBS choosing to deepen its presence here reflects the city's credibility as a global talent and innovation hub. "The decision of UBS to establish its new centre in Hyderabad reflects the confidence global industries place in our ...