A laboratory test for a suspected case of bubonic plague in the western Mongolian province of Govi-Altai has returned negative results, local media reported on Wednesday.

The tests were conducted on samples taken from a resident of the province’s Taishir soum (administrative subdivision), who had recently been hospitalised after consuming marmot meat.

Despite the ban on hunting marmots in Mongolia, the rodent is still considered a delicacy by many, leading some to ignore the law, Xinhua news agency reported.

Seventeen out of Mongolia’s 21 provinces are at risk of bubonic plague infection, the country’s National Center for Zoonotic Diseases said, urging the public to refrain from hunting marmots and consuming their meat to mitigate the risk of infection.

Bubonic plague, a bacterial disease transmitted by fleas that live on wild rodents like marmots, can be fatal within 24 hours if not promptly treated, according to the World Health Organization. AGENCIES

 Violent mob clashed with police outside a mosque in northwest England’s Southport near the scene of a horror stabbing that left three dead.

Merseyside Police said that the English Defence League is believed to be behind the violent protests.

Speculation about the alleged attacker’s identity circulated online, fuelling the tension that already existed after Monday’s horrific knife attack, The Sun reported.

Protesters threw bricks at the mosque, set fire to cars and wheelie bins and caused damage to a local convenience store, police said.

At least 22 police officers, responding to the situation, were injured and 11 were hospitalised after clashes. AGENCIES

 Venezuela has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Peru due to Peruvian Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea’s statement on the presidential election results in the country, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on social media on Wednesday.

“We are forced to make this decision after the reckless statements of the Peruvian Foreign Minister that ignore the will of the Venezuelan people and our Constitution,” Gli said on social media platform X.

He added that the decision was made based on Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, Xinhua news agency reported.

This came after Peru refused to recognise the presidential election results of Venezuela.

Additionally, the Peruvian Foreign Minister said that he recognised Edmundo Gonzalez, the Venezuelan Opposition candidate, as the country’s President-elect.

Several countries, including the United States and Japan, have also raised “serious concerns” about Maduro winning the presidential election once again, citing that “doubts have been raised both domestically and internationally” about the transparency of the entire election process.

On Monday, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that Nicolas Maduro has won the presidential election for the third time and will govern the country from 2025 to 2031.

Maduro was running against nine presidential candidates. Of all the candidates, Edmundo Gonzalez, a retired diplomat, was seen as a significant challenge to Maduro. AGENCIES

 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has blamed the opposition’s presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, for the post-election violence unleashed across the nation.

“I hold you responsible, Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia, for everything that is happening in Venezuela, for the criminal violence, for the criminals, for the injured, for the dead, for the destruction,” the president said in a message broadcast to the nation during a joint meeting of the Council of State and the Defense Council on Tuesday.

The President also announced the creation of a fund to aid victims of the violence, Xinhua news agency reported.

Up to 749 people have been arrested for participating in violent riots following Sunday’s presidential election, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Tuesday.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council on Monday declared Maduro the winner of the election, paving the way for his third six-year term, from 2025 to 2031. agencies

Rapid global advancement in artificial intelligence has spurred demand for office space, and AI and robotics companies accounted for 21 per cent of the city’s absorption in the April-June quarter, a report said on Tuesday.

Overall, the IT-ITeS sector, including AI and robotics, accounted for 69 per cent of the city’s absorption in the second quarter (Q2) this year, according to the report by Vestian, an occupier-focused workplace solutions firm.

Bengaluru contributed the highest to pan-India absorption with a 25 per cent share in Q2, followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai at 20 per cent each.

“Despite global geopolitical challenges, India’s office markets reported robust real estate activities during Q2 2024. The quarter has already set the tone for robust leasing and construction activities for the current calendar year,” said Shrinivas Rao, FRICS, CEO, Vestian.

“Flex spaces are also likely to play a pivotal role in the growth of office markets in India,” Rao added.

Pune reported the highest quarterly growth, around 307 per cent, in value terms whereas absorption declined by 48 per cent in Chennai during Q2 2024.

All the cities, except Chennai and Delhi-NCR, reported an increase in absorption on quarter and on year, the report mentioned.

The first half of this year witnessed absorption of over 30 million square feet, registering an uptick of 18 per cent compared to H1 2023.

Bengaluru dominated new completions with a 28 per cent share, closely followed by Mumbai with 27 per cent.

Southern cities (Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad) accounted for 57 per cent of the total new completions reported in Q2 2024.

“Real estate activities are anticipated to increase further on the back of strengthened demand from IT-ITeS and BFSI sectors,” said Rao. AGENCIES

 As the government doubles down on clean and sustainable transportation, the clean mobility ecosystem in the country is expected to become a $250 billion opportunity by FY30, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38 per cent, a new report said on Tuesday.

By FY30, the overall mobility market in India is expected to reach $1.2 trillion, with clean and electric mobility accounting for about 20 per cent of the overall market, according to the report by Praxis Global Alliance.

“India’s journey towards electrifying its transportation sector is not just a leap towards a sustainable future but also a significant economic opportunity,” said Aryaman Tandon, Managing Partner, mobility, energy and transportation, Praxis Global Alliance.

India has an EV-to-charging station ratio of 9:1. To reach the globally acceptable standard ratio of 4:1, the government has taken multiple initiatives, including significant allocations in FAME II (over $120 million) and the reduction of GST rates on EV chargers.

“Despite challenges faced by the global EV market due to geopolitical shifts and fluctuating manufacturing costs, India remains a beacon of resilience,” the report mentioned.

The country’s strategic positioning, coupled with favourable domestic conditions and a robust policy framework, creates an environment conducive to rapid clean mobility adoption.

According to the findings, India’s emphasis on developing an integrated clean mobility ecosystem not only boosts EV adoption but also fosters innovation in supporting industries, such as charging infrastructure, battery technology, and sustainable supply chains.

“There is significant foreign direct investment (FDI) and private equity investment in this sector, which is a key growth driver,” it added.

By FY30, clean mobility product opportunities are projected to hit $94 billion, with overall penetration rising significantly to 23 per cent.

Mobility services opportunity in India is worth $450 billion in FY24, with more than 80 per cent of the opportunity lying in transportation and logistics services.

According to the report, the software solutions opportunity size is estimated at $0.37 billion in FY24, expected to grow at a CAGR of 27 per cent, reaching $1.58 billion by FY30. AGENCIES

Electric bus (e-bus) sales in India will rise by 75 to 80 per cent on a year-on-year basis due to policy push by government authorities, a report said on Tuesday.

Research firm Crisil Ratings said, “The supply of electric buses (e-buses) in India will surge 75-80 per cent to 6,000-6,500 this fiscal, spurred by increasing deployment via tenders awarded under various schemes for procurement by state transport undertakings (STUs) through the gross cost contract (GCC) model.”

These schemes include Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles (FAME) (1 and 2), National Electric Bus Programme (NEBP) under Convergence Energy Service Ltd (CESL) (1 and 2), and PM-eBus Sewa Scheme.

The report further said that the government’s push to lower carbon emissions in public transport will drive e-bus adoption.

Gautam Shahi, Director, CRISIL Ratings, said, “E-bus adoption is truly in a sweet spot because the interests of STUs and bus operators are being taken care of under the GCC model, with optimal distribution of risk among stakeholders.”

According to the report, “The surge in e-bus orders will generate economies of scale in production and declining battery costs will lower the purchase price of an e-bus. The benefits of the potential decline in e-bus prices may be passed on to STUs by bus operators, in terms of rentals per km, thus further aiding adoption.”

Pallavi Singh, Associate Director, CRISIL Ratings, said, “Existing strong e-bus orderbook, along with the remaining orders of 7,800 buses to be awarded under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme 4 will give a fillip to the sector.

“The government is expected to further augment this scheme, which will continue to support growth of e-bus sales over this and next fiscal.” AGENCIES

 Signalling the growing importance of India for the South Korean giant, Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of the Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics, said on Tuesday that the country is one of the biggest and fastest-growing markets globally and offers a huge opportunity for the company.

Han also visited the company’s Noida factory where Samsung manufactures smartphones, tablets and refrigerators, said they are among the first companies to invest in India.

“I am happy that the Noida factory has emerged as one of our biggest facilities, manufacturing not only for India, but for the world,” Han noted.

Han said that India has a large population of tech-savvy young consumers that inspire us to innovate.

“I am proud that many young, enterprising engineers who are playing an important role in the development of AI are working at our R&D centres in India,” he added.

Samsung unveiled its “AI for All” vision — which aims to improve the lives of consumers by bringing artificial intelligence and hyper-connectivity through open collaboration — at the start of the year.

This year, Samsung’s Galaxy AI-powered premium smartphones and Bespoke AI home appliances — such as refrigerators, ACs and washing machines — have together created a unique connected devices ecosystem.

While Samsung is deeply dedicated to its commitment to “Make in India” through its two state-of-the-art manufacturing plants at Noida and Sriperumbudur, it is equally invested in a design centre in Noida and three R&D facilities.

Of the three R&D facilities, which drive innovation for both local and global products, two are located in Noida and one in Bengaluru. AGENCIES

Slamming Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s reaction to the Union Budget, Union Commerce and Industry Minsiter Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said the country has moved from “Fragile Five” under the UPA government to “Top Five” in the BJP-led NDA government.

Stressing that the UPA government never talked about uplifting the poor, the Union Minister said in the Parliament that the BJP-led NDA government “inherited one of the most fragile economies”.

Attacking Congress leader P. Chidambaram, Minister Goyal said that in 2004, the former Finance Minister had said he “inherited a strong economy”.

“At that time, the growth rate was over eight per cent, inflation was around four per cent, and foreign exchange reserves were robust, compared to the size of the economy at that point of time. What did the UPA do in the 10 years when they were in government?” asked the Commerce Minister.

Minister Goyal said he read 10 speeches of the UPA government and never “once has there been a mention of bringing in a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP)” for crops.

“Never once did they speak about trying to uplift the poor by giving them free homes,” the minister added.

India’s ascent from the ‘Fragile Five’ to the fastest-growing major economy has lessons for other developing countries.

The country is now being hailed as the emerging superpower of the 21st century.

India is on track to become the world’s third-largest economy with GDP crossing $5 trillion, and the goal is now to reach a $30 trillion economy by 2047 with a per capita income of $18,000 per annum, according to a key NITI Aayog document. AGENCIES

 Amid growing demand from the manufacturing sector, warehouse transactions across eight primary markets in India were recorded at 23 million square feet in the first half this year, a report showed on Tuesday.

Almost 55 per cent of these transactions occurred in ‘Grade A’ spaces, led by Mumbai which accounted for 20 per cent of the total warehousing volume, according to the report by Knight Frank India.

“Demand from the manufacturing sector has compensated for the lull in e-commerce and helped broad base the market’s occupier profile,” said Shishir Baijal, Chairman and Managing Director, Knight Frank India.

While the availability of viable land for warehousing development remains a challenge, high institutional interest in this space should enable development of high-quality supply, he added.

Delhi-NCR was the second most prolific market, representing 17 per cent of the total warehousing area transacted during the period, with third-party logistics and manufacturing sectors driving volumes.

Pune was the most expensive warehousing rental market, with average rent at Rs 26 per sq ft a month.

It was followed by Kolkata with a rental rate of Rs 23.8 per sq ft monthly and Mumbai at Rs 23.6 per sq ft a month.

Pune and Chennai showcased a 4 per cent increment in rentals, followed by NCR and Kolkata at 3 per cent YoY growth, said the report.

“India’s robust fiscal position and resilient economy are well-positioned to sustain and enhance the warehousing market’s stability and growth potential for the remainder of fiscal year 2024,” said Baijal.

The country has benefited from the sustained move towards decentralisation of manufacturing capacity with global manufacturing giants such as Apple, Samsung, Foxconn and TSMC expanding their manufacturing base in the country. AGENCIES