5099: 60 days' oil buffer, firms absorb energy costs, helium crunch exposes chip sector | Editor’s Picks

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Even as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz continue, there is some near-term supply

security on the energy front.

The government says India has secured crude supplies for the next 60 days, tapping a wider

pool of 41 suppliers more than offsetting any disruption reports Arunima Baradwaj.

It has also lined up 800,000 tonnes of LPG cargo from the US, Russia and Australia, while

ramping up domestic output insisting there is no supply gap and nearly two months of fuel

availability.

Arunima also reports that a parliamentary panel has recommended the government move towards

a 90-day strategic oil reserves buffer amid rising supply risks.

And as India works to secure energy supplies, companies are quietly absorbing the first wave

of costs.

Priyansh Verma and Aishwarya Nayir report that food makers are for now taking the hit

from a surge in raw material, packaging and freight costs because of the war in West

Asia.

But if the crisis drags on, industry executives warn that companies may begin passing

some of these costs on to retailers and eventually to consumers within the next few weeks.

Sometimes a single obscure input can hold an entire industry hostage.

A helium supply shock triggered by the disruptions at Katar's Ras Lafenhub has exposed a key

vulnerability for India's semiconductor ambitions, reports Danish Khan.

The gas is indispensable for chip manufacturing and while India's ecosystem is still nascent

enough to avoid immediate disruption, prolonged disruption can complicate plans to build domestic

capacity.

The war has also hit Indian flight carriers hard.

Swaraj Bagankar reports that nearly three out of every four flights operated by Indian

carriers to the Gulf have been scrapped since the outbreak of the Iran war, underscoring

the scale of disruption in one of the country's busiest international corridors.

Court scrutiny of watchdogs is now tightening.

Meghna Mital reports that the national company Law Tribunal has allowed proceedings against

audit firms, including Deloitte, B.S.R. and Associates and S.R.B.C. and company to continue

in the infrastructure leasing and financial services limited fraud case, ruling that watchdogs

cannot claim blanket immunity and can be examined under section 339.

The mood at the box office is, however, celebratory.

Raghini Jaiswal reports that Durandar II, the revenge has crossed the 1,000 crore rupees

mark worldwide in just seven days, matching the pace of Pushba II, the rule.

In a conversation with Sarika Sharma, casting director Mukesh Chabra said Durandar II

benefited from nearly a year of preparation, allowing its ensemble to take shape thoughtfully.

Shangeera writes that a broader shift may be unfolding with films relying less on opening

week collections and more on longer theatrical runs.

And finally, Mariam Faroukui reports that a romantic dinner on the Eiffel Tower or a visit

to the Louvre Museum in Paris now costs almost twice as much due to the war in West Asia.

What was once a 2.5-3 lakh rupees getaway for a six-night itinerary for a couple in

Paris now costs as much as five lakh rupees as longer flight paths to avoid conflict zones

and higher fuel costs force travelers to stretch budgets or rethink their summer plans.

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