External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday described the India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a transformative step for bilateral ties while speaking at the inaugural India–EU Forum, organised by the Ananta Centre in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs. Jaishankar said he highlighted how the FTA has emerged as a “game-changing” development for India–EU relations, while also underlining other promising areas of cooperation such as security, defence, climate action, technology, and talent mobility. He added that he hoped the forum would encourage deeper dialogue and greater alignment between India and the European Union.
His remarks came shortly after India and the EU finalised and signed the landmark FTA on January 27, concluding long-running negotiations and marking a major milestone in one of India’s most important strategic economic partnerships. Framed as a modern, rules-based trade pact, the agreement addresses present-day global challenges and enables deeper market integration between the world’s fourth- and second-largest economies. With a combined market size of over Rs 2091.6 lakh crore (USD 24 trillion), the deal opens up new opportunities for nearly two billion people across India and the EU.
Under the FTA, more than 99 per cent of India’s exports by trade value will receive preferential market access, while India retains flexibility to protect sensitive sectors and uphold its development priorities. In 2024–25, bilateral merchandise trade stood at around Rs 11.5 lakh crore (USD 136.54 billion), with India exporting about Rs 6.4 lakh crore (USD 75.85 billion) to the EU. Services trade reached Rs 7.2 lakh crore (USD 83.10 billion).
Despite strong trade growth, both sides acknowledge significant untapped potential, which the FTA seeks to unlock by paving the way for India and the EU to become key economic partners. The agreement reshapes bilateral ties into a comprehensive, multi-dimensional partnership, offering predictability for exporters and enabling Indian companies, including MSMEs, to plan long-term investments and integrate into European value chains amid global uncertainty.
India has secured preferential access across 97 per cent of tariff lines, accounting for 99.5 per cent of trade value. Of these, 70.4 per cent of tariff lines covering 90.7 per cent of India’s exports will see immediate duty elimination in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, leather and footwear, tea, coffee, spices, toys, sports goods, gems and jewellery, and select marine products. A further 20.3 per cent of tariff lines will be phased to zero duty within three to five years, while 6.1 per cent will receive tariff cuts or tariff rate quotas for products such as automobiles, steel, and certain shrimp and prawn items. Crucially, sectors currently facing EU duties ranging from 4 per cent to 26 per cent—together accounting for exports worth over Rs 2.87 lakh crore (USD 33 billion)—will gain zero-duty access from the date the agreement takes effect, sharply enhancing competitiveness.
In exchange, India will reduce or eliminate duties on 92.1 per cent of its tariff lines, covering 97.5 per cent of EU exports. Nearly half of these will see immediate duty elimination, while most of the remainder will be phased out over five, seven, or ten years. The FTA is expected to boost agriculture and processed food exports through preferential access for products such as tea, coffee, spices, grapes, gherkins, dried onion, and fresh fruits and vegetables, while carefully protecting sensitive areas like dairy, cereals, poultry, and soymeal.
Product-specific rules of origin are aligned with existing supply chains, allow self-certification, and provide special flexibilities for MSMEs, including quotas for shrimps, prawns, and downstream aluminium products. On services, the EU has made expanded commitments across 144 sub-sectors, including IT and IT-enabled services, professional services, education, and business services. India, in turn, has opened 102 sub-sectors covering EU priorities such as telecommunications, maritime, financial, and environmental services.
The agreement also creates a strong mobility framework for Indian professionals, covering intra-corporate transferees, contractual service suppliers, and independent professionals across multiple sub-sectors, along with commitments to finalise social security agreements within five years. Practitioners of traditional Indian medicine will gain improved access to provide AYUSH services in EU member states, with future provisions for wellness centres and clinics. The FTA strengthens intellectual property protections in line with TRIPS, recognises India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, and enhances cooperation on sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical standards through digitisation and mutual recognition.
The deal is expected to deliver gains across engineering goods, marine products, leather and footwear, gems and jewellery, textiles, chemicals, plastics, medical devices, and minerals, driving exports, job creation, and investment. The India–EU FTA positions both sides as preferred economic partners and lays the groundwork for a resilient, future-ready partnership—an objective Jaishankar said the India–EU Forum aims to advance through deeper cooperation across strategic domains.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from X/@DrSJaishankar.
Intel and AMD have alerted customers in China to tightening supplies of server CPUs, with Intel cautioning that delivery times could stretch to as long as six months, according to people familiar with the matter. The shortages have pushed Intel’s server CPU prices in China up by more than 10 percent on average, though actual increases depend on individual contracts.
Heavy investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure has intensified demand across the chip supply chain, not only for AI accelerators but also for supporting components. Memory chips have been hit hardest, with prices continuing to surge, and CPU availability has now also become more constrained. These developments could worsen supply challenges for AI firms as well as a wide range of other manufacturers.
China, which contributes over one-fifth of Intel’s total revenue, is seeing particularly acute shortages of Intel’s fourth- and fifth-generation Xeon processors. Intel has been rationing shipments and is facing a large backlog of unfilled orders, with some customers waiting up to six months for delivery. AMD has also notified Chinese clients of supply limitations. Some AMD server CPUs now have lead times of eight to ten weeks, according to sources.
Intel acknowledged during its January earnings call that CPU supply remains tight, citing strong demand driven by rapid AI adoption. The company said inventories are expected to bottom out in the first quarter, with gradual improvement anticipated from the second quarter onward into 2026. AMD, meanwhile, said it has expanded supply capacity and remains confident in meeting global demand, supported by its supplier relationships, including its partnership with TSMC.
Together, Intel and AMD dominate the global server CPU market. Intel’s market share has fallen from more than 90 percent in 2019 to around 60 percent in 2025, while AMD’s share has risen from roughly 5 percent to over 20 percent. In China, major customers include leading server makers and cloud service providers such as Alibaba and Tencent.
The shortages are the result of several factors. Intel has faced ongoing manufacturing yield challenges, while AMD relies on TSMC, which has prioritized AI chip production, limiting capacity for CPUs. Rising memory prices have also prompted customers to accelerate CPU purchases to avoid higher overall system costs. Additionally, growing demand for advanced agentic AI systems, which require substantially greater CPU processing power than traditional workloads, has further strained supply.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.
A court in Delhi’s Saket has issued notice on an application seeking registration of an FIR and stringent action against the promoters of the Gurgaon-based commercial project “32nd Milestone,” including freezing of bank accounts, forensic audit of finances, suspension of passports, and issuance of Look Out Circulars.
The order was passed on Thursday by Judicial Magistrate First Class Devanshi Janmeja, who directed the police to file an Action Taken Report. The matter has been posted for further hearing on March 13, 2026. The application was moved by investor Arvind Gupta, who has accused the project entities of financial irregularities, cheating, and diversion of funds. The plea seeks action against M/s 32nd Vistas Private Limited, Growth Hospitality LLP, and their promoters, including Dhruv Dutt Sharma, Shirin Sharma, Mamta Sharma, and others, alleging large-scale fraud and mismanagement of investors’ money.
According to the complaint, the investor purchased a commercial unit in the project after being assured demarcation, guaranteed lease rentals for 30 years, and a buyback option. A leasing agreement was executed promising regular monthly rental income. However, lease payments allegedly stopped from August 2025. It is further claimed that TDS was not deposited from September 2024 and that there were defaults in GST payments, statutory filings, and employee contributions such as ESI and PF.
The complainant has alleged that investors were misled through false assurances and fabricated TDS certificates. The plea also claims that possession was not handed over and suggests the possibility of units being sold to multiple buyers. Serious allegations of fund diversion and siphoning have been raised, with claims that dues remain unpaid despite rental income from operational outlets.
The application also refers to protests by investors, closure of project offices, disconnection of utilities, and the promoters allegedly becoming untraceable. It seeks investigation into promotional spending involving celebrity endorsements, without making allegations against the public figures named. Taking note of the allegations, the court has asked police to submit a detailed status report. Separately, Gurgaon Police have recently registered FIRs linked to 32nd Avenue following investor protests over unpaid dues.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.
Two more Naxalites were killed during an ongoing anti-Naxal operation in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, while a C-60 commando who had been critically injured earlier in the encounter succumbed to his injuries, police officials said on Friday. With the latest development, the total number of Naxalites neutralised in the operation has increased to three. The multi-day operation began on Tuesday and is being carried out near Phodewada village along the Gadchiroli–Narayanpur border with Chhattisgarh. Police said the action was launched after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres belonging to company number 10 in the area.
Initially, 14 units of the elite C-60 force under the supervision of SDPO Bhamragad were deployed. During the course of the operation, security forces detected and dismantled two Naxalite camps on Wednesday. In view of the evolving situation, additional reinforcements were rushed to the area on Thursday morning, including four more C-60 units and a QAT unit of the Central Reserve Police Force.
Police said that on Thursday, the body of one Naxalite was recovered along with weapons, including an AK-47 rifle and a self-loading rifle. Subsequently, two more bodies, one of them that of a woman, were found, taking the total number of Naxalites killed so far to three. The identities of all the slain cadres are yet to be confirmed. C-60 jawan Deepak Chinna Madavi (38), who was earlier airlifted to Bhamragad after sustaining injuries in the encounter, died during treatment. Another injured jawan, Joga Madavi, was also airlifted and is reported to be out of danger. Police said the operation remains underway.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from PTI.
Anthropic has launched Claude Opus 4.6, its most advanced AI model, offering improved reasoning, coding, and the ability to handle longer, more complex tasks. The model features a beta one-million-token context window, making it ideal for large documents and extended workflows. Designed for knowledge workers and developers, it supports research, financial analysis, document creation, and autonomous task management in Anthropic’s Cowork environment. Claude Opus 4.6 also includes enhanced office tool integration and developer-focused features like adaptive thinking and context compaction. The model maintains a strong safety profile and is available via Anthropic’s website, API, and major cloud platforms.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from NDTV.
A crocodile has been spotted in the southern waters of Singapore, leading to increased patrols and safety warnings on Sentosa’s beaches. Authorities are keeping track of the animal’s movements and advising visitors to avoid entering the water. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng report on saltwater crocodiles, with insights from Kannan Raja, President of the Herpetological Society of Singapore.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.
The expiration of the New START treaty has lifted the final restrictions on the nuclear stockpiles of the United States and Russia. As global arms control frameworks weaken, Russia is simultaneously strengthening military partnerships abroad, notably through a new five-year defense agreement with Myanmar’s ruling junta. This raises questions about whether Moscow now has greater freedom to act militarily and what these moves mean for global nuclear security.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly making inroads into healthcare, offering tools that can answer medical queries, forecast risks, and support personalized health choices. But a new Singapore-based startup is challenging the notion that a single global AI model can safely cater to everyone. With structured screenings and national healthcare systems already in place, is there room for another AI health platform in Singapore? Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng explore this question with Hari V Krishnan, Co-founder and CEO of Genie Health.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.
US President Donald Trump announced that he is nominating Kevin Warsh as the next chair of the Federal Reserve. Warsh would succeed current chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May, pending Senate approval. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman discuss the nomination with Jason Ware, Chief Investment Officer, Head of Research, and Chief Economist at Albion Financial Group, to gain further insight.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA
