< Back EU’s Sustainable Products Regulation to hurt Indian exports 24 Jun 2024 Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) mandates stringent sustainability checks for imported products. This is bound to impact Indian exports to Europe significantly. The European Union recently passed a new regulation, the ESPR, to monitor the sustainability of imported products. It also mandates a Digital Product Passport for easier traceability of items. It will come into effect in January 2026 and begin monitoring items like textiles, mattresses, furniture, iron and steel, tyres, paints, detergents, and lubricants. By 2030, it will cover all EU imports. Global research group Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) believes this initiative will hurt exports from various countries. These countries will have to change their production processes to meet the ESPR sustainability criteria, which can lead to higher production and compliance costs, thus reducing the pricing advantage Indian exporters enjoy. To be compliant, Indian firms must ascertain their products' environmental impact throughout their life cycle, ensure ESPR adoption in their processes, set up compliance policies and measures, and provide the necessary sustainability data for Digital product Passports. Previous Next

< Back Govt to verify air purifier claims; mandates environmental claims disclosure 16 Oct 2024 The Indian government rolled out new guidelines to control greenwashing and deceptive environmental claims. After Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi accused air purifier manufacturers of false claims about their products, the Indian government announced its plans to conduct market surveillance to evaluate the performance of these products against the company claims. Bureau of Indian Standards will examine their performance with existing air filter quality control orders. The Centre has introduced fresh guidelines to identify greenwashing and false eco-friendly claims by companies. All claims like ‘100% recyclable’ and ‘net zero emissions’ must be accompanied by verifiable evidence, independent research, and third-party verification. All material details must be accessible to the end user through QR codes and URLs. The guidelines also mandate companies to use consumer-friendly language explaining the sustainability or eco-friendliness of the product and whether the claim is about the product, its manufacturing process, packaging, or disposal. The Consumer Affairs Ministry’s decision will be final in case of ambiguity or dispute. Previous Next

< Back Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, arrested on August 24th in France 26 Aug 2024 The French regulator OFMIN, which protects minors from violence, arrested the 39-year-old Russian-born Pavel Durov, was arrested on Saturday night outside Paris. OFMIN arrested Telegram Founder Pavel Durov on charges of lack of moderators and failure to mitigate the misuse of his messaging app by criminals. In 2006, Durov created VKontakte, Facebook’s Russian version. He quit VKontakte after a political spat with Kremlin-linked owners when he refused to block the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s account. He eventually left Russia in 2014 and obtained citizenship of the Caribbean Island archipelago of Saint Kitts and Nevis. He became a French citizen in August 2021 and is reported to hold UAE citizenship, too. He founded Telegram in 2013 as a neutral and uncensored platform and headquartered it in Dubai. Durov, the 121st richest globally, is accused of organised crime, drug trafficking, promotion of terrorism on his platform, cyberbullying, and fraud. Russia tried to ban Telegram in 2018 after Durov refused to allow the state security agents access to users’ messages. Previous Next

< Back Iran’s new Bill withdraws cooperation with Int’l Atomic Energy Agency 25 Jun 2025 On July 1st, 1968, Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It was ratified on March 5th, 1970. Following its ongoing war with Israel, Iran passed the bill that suspends any cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and withdraws from the NPT. This bill restricts the IAEA’s access to Iranian nuclear facilities for inspection. This move draws a curtain on international visibility into Iran’s nuclear activities. It could set a precedent for the others and trigger several geopolitical reactions, like sanctions from the US or the EU. Iran’s atomic isolation could make future negotiations challenging. At the same time, Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, with its Parliament approving the measure. The final decision to physically close it rests with the Iranian Supreme National Security Council. This Strait allows 20% of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas to pass. In 2024, 84% of crude oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz to travel to India, Japan, South Korea, and China. Never miss another post from SalestorrsNews150. Follow Salestorrs on WhatsApp , LinkedIn , Facebook , X , and Instagram . Previous Next

< Back Tesla signs semiconductor procurement deal with Tata Electronics 15 Apr 2024 Tata Electronics will provide semiconductor chips for Tesla’s global operations. Tesla signed a strategic agreement with Tata Electronics a few months ago to procure semiconductors for operations worldwide. It aims to set up operations in India. Elon Musk is expected to visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the company’s potential investments in the country. This will position Tata Electronics as a trustworthy supplier to major international clients looking to establish a semiconductor value chain in India. This move backs Tesla’s strategy to set up its presence in India. Tata Electronics is strengthening its C-suite by recruiting top-level executives. Tata Electronics invested $14 billion in the semiconductor facilities in Assam, Dholera, and Hosur. Tesla has been looking for sources beyond China for critical EV parts like electric motors and battery packs. Tesla is expected to invest $2-3 billion in establishing electric vehicle manufacturing in India. The top contenders include Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which have established automotive hubs. Previous Next

< Back All credit card payments to pass through Bharat Bill Pay from July 1 21 Jun 2024 Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) is an integrated bill payment system backed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Banks can register with BBPS as Agent Institutions (AIs) to use its interoperable and accessible bill payment services. RBI directed all credit card payments to be done through the BBPS after June 30th. However, only eight out of 34 banks with the permit to issue credit cards have registered on it. HDFC Bank with 20 million credit cards, ICICI Bank with 17 million, and Axis Bank with 14 million, are yet to register. This can significantly impact fintech players like PhonePe, Cred, Infibeam Avenues, and BillDesk as they will not be allowed to process credit card payments after June 30th. Among those who have registered are the SBI Card, Bank of Baroda, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Federal Bank. The industry players have petitioned via the Payments Council of India seeking a 90-day extension. BBPS is a one-stop portal run by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It facilitates utility payments and repetitive payments for insurance premiums, credit cards, and mutual funds. Previous Next

< Back Reliance Ajio, Amazon readying Meesho-like low price marketplaces 21 Feb 2024 The new marketplace, Amazon Bazaar, is onboarding sellers to offer unbranded products below ₹600. Reliance Ajio is building a similar platform. Reliance Ajio and Amazon are building new marketplaces to compete with Meesho’s low price, unbranded product offerings. The upcoming marketplaces, Reliance Ajio Street and Amazon Bazaar, will offer a zero-commission model to sellers. The products will include apparel, shoes, jewellery, watches, luggage, home and kitchen, garden, and sports goods, among others, below ₹600. Amazon Bazaar will be integrated into the main app. Besides onboarding fresh sellers, it allows existing sellers to move relevant products to the new platform. Ajio Street offers a 15-day payment settlement to lure new merchants. Amazon Bazaar will offer deliveries within 2-3 days. Meesho offers zero commission or referral fee for merchants. It earns through add-ons like logistics services for sellers and advertising. Amazon Bazaar will not charge any closing fee to merchants using its Easy Ship service. To grow in India, these brands need to sell low-priced, difficult-to-find goods called longtail products at zero-commission models. Previous Next

< Back India's self-sustaining Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor reaches criticality 9 Apr 2026 Only Russia currently operates a commercial fast breeder reactor. US and France abandoned similar efforts after decades of technical and economic challenges. India has achieved a historic milestone in its nuclear programme with the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam attaining criticality, marking the start of a self‑sustaining chain reaction. The PFBR is designed to generate more fuel than it consumes by converting non-fissile material into usable plutonium. It offers a crucial advantage for India, which has limited uranium but abundant thorium reserves. The 500 MWe reactor uses liquid sodium coolant instead of water and operates at higher temperatures. Its construction began in 2004. Despite delays, India completed the PFBR with homegrown expertise. Fast breeders can extend nuclear fuel availability by up to 60–70 times. India’s long-term plan is: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (current fleet) Fast Breeder Reactors Thorium-based reactors. The PFBR is the crucial bridge to Stage‑3. Check out my new book, THE FLAMES TURN WHITE – THE BLACK FLAMES series, Book II . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back Jio AirFiber launch on Sept 19, 6G coming soon Ishita Nigam 29 Aug 2023 Jio plans to achieve PAN India coverage of True 5G by December 2023. It will the fastest such roll out globally. Jio is set to launch AirFiber on September 19, 2023. It is a personal hotspot device offering lightning fast internet speed without the need for any optical fibre wiring. It is a portable Wi-Fi powered by ultra fast True 5G internet. The telco is also developing 6G capabilities and will be among the pioneers worldwide to offer this upgrade. This move comes after Airtel recently launched its own AirFiber on August 7. Jio aims to expand its market from 50 million users of 5G to 200 million high-paying households. AirFiber will allow it to complete 150,000 connections daily from the 15,000 connections optical fibre currently achieves. Jio 5G adds one cell to its network every 10 seconds and is present in 96% of the census towns in India. It plans to achieve PAN India coverage by December 2023 to become the fastest ever such rollout globally. Previous Next

< Back Zerodha Fund House to go live in two months Ishita Nigam 31 Aug 2023 It is a digital-first mutual fund platform that will offer index funds starting from as low as ₹100. There’s a new kid on the block in the fintech space. Zerodha’s new Asset Management Company (AMC) Zerodha Fund House is expected to launch within the next two months. The company received SEBI approval and is completing the formalities to go live with its product range. Zerodha Fund House (ZFH) is a joint venture between Zerodha and fintech platform ‘smallcase’. It is a digital-first financial assistance company that aims to simplify how Indians invest in Mutual Funds, facilitate investor education, and raise awareness. It plans to offer passive products first, like index funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Index Funds are mutual funds that follow preset rules and imitate the performance and returns of specific market indexes. They offer a long-term, less risky form of investment. ZFH offerings will begin with ticket sizes as low as ₹100 for most funds, although the exact amount will depend on the product. Previous Next

La loi, appelée AB 3211, impose l’ajoute de filigranes aux métadonnées des photos, vidéos, et fichiers audio créées par l’IA. < Back Les géants technologiques soutiennent le projet de loi californien La loi, appelée AB 3211, impose l’ajoute de filigranes aux métadonnées des photos, vidéos, et fichiers audio créées par l’IA. Microsoft, OpenAI et Adobe soutiennent le projet de loi californien qui rend obligatoire l’ajout de filigranes aux métadonnées. Ces sociétés font partie de la Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, qui a contribué à la création des métadonnées C2PA, une norme largement pour marquer les contenus créés par l’IA. Ce projet de loi a été adopte par l’Assemblée de l’Etat de Californie avec un vote unanime de 62-0. Il attend maintenant un vote final au Senat de l’Etat, après quoi il sera transmis au gouverneur Gavin Newsom pour approbation ou veto d’ici la fin septembre. Il a été modifié après que des entreprises technologiques s’y soient opposées en avril. Beaucoup des entreprises ont été adopté cette pratique, même si les que gens ne lisent pas les métadonnées. L’AB 3211 demande aux plateformes de réseaux sociaux marquer les contenus générés par l’IA et les rendre compréhensibles pour les profanes. Previous Next

La compagnie aérienne a annoncé abandonner à cause des retards de la livraison des avions économes en carburant et l’accessibilité de carburants alternatifs. < Back Air New Zealand abandonne son objectif climatique de 2030 La compagnie aérienne a annoncé abandonner à cause des retards de la livraison des avions économes en carburant et l’accessibilité de carburants alternatifs. Le 30 juillet, Air New Zealand est devenu la première grande compagnie aérienne à abandonner ses objectifs de décarbonisation. Les retards dans le renouvellement de la flotte ont causé un autre risque au réaliser l’objectif. La chaîne d’approvisionnement mondiale a expérience les retards en fabrication et l’introduction de nouveaux avions économes en carburant. Par conséquent, la société se peut doive conserver sa flotte existante. Le transporteur visé avait de baisser l’émission carbone par 28,9 % d’ici à 2030, par rapport aux niveaux de 2019. Il a commencé a travailler sur un nouvel objectif à court terme. La compagnie aérienne se sont également recédé de l’initiative de Nations unies sur les objectifs scientifiques. Toutefois, il s’est engagé à s’objectif de zéro émission en 2050. En 2022, l’industrie aviation a contribué à environ 2 % aux émissions mondiale de carbone. Cette industrie est considérée comme un secteur difficile a décarboniser. Previous Next