Qwant asks French watchdog to take interim action against Microsoft
Qwant
has asked France's antitrust regulator to take action against
Microsoft
for allegedly driving down the quality of the French search engine's results via Microsoft's
Bing platform
, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Qwant, which has historically relied on Microsoft's Bing platform, wants the regulator to take interim action against the US tech giant while investigating its complaint, the sources said.
Competition enforcers only take interim action if there is evidence that a company abuses its market power and has caused serious and immediate harm to the complainant.
The French competition enforcer and Qwant declined to comment.
"This complaint lacks merit. We are fully cooperating with the Autorite's investigation," a Microsoft spokesperson said, referring to the French watchdog.
Smaller
European search engines
typically rely on their bigger rivals' back-end technology to deliver search and news results.
Microsoft is a major player in the search-engine syndication sector but its smaller rivals fear the company will discontinue the service to their detriment.
Companies risk fines of as much as 10% of their global annual turnover for breaching French
antitrust rules
.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Charting a disciplined path to sustain growth, manage fisc
Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his third term on June 10, 2024 by signing the release of ₹20,000 crore to 93 million farmers under PM Kisan Nidhi Yojana. The budget for 2024-25, presented the following month, announced an internship programme at 500 top firms for at least 10 million youth. And the latest budget, presented on February 1, 2025 gave significant income-tax relief to the middle class by effectively ensuring that people earning up to ₹12.75 lakh were outside the tax net. The fiscal deficit for 2024-25 came in at 4.8% (revised estimate), against a budgeted estimate of 4.9% -- indicating that none of these measures bust the bank. The budgeted fiscal deficit for this financial year is 4.4%. In effect, in its third term, the Narendra Modi government continued its emphasis on welfarism and growth, and on four key target groups -- farmers, women, young people, and the middle class. It also expanded its focus on trade, kept up its discipline on the fiscal deficit, and sought to stitch together a string of foreign investment deals. First, growth. The NDA began its 12th year in power with India continuing to be the fastest growing large economy in the world for the fifth year in a row. India is also set to be the fourth largest economy in the world by the end of the current financial year. India's GDP grew 7.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024-25, leading to 6.5% growth in FY25 despite severe global headwinds, including uncertainties in global trade because of the US' reciprocal tariffs. The growth in the January-March quarter was on account of all engines – manufacturing, services and agriculture, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said last week. 'India is sustaining this growth as the fastest growing economy now for the fourth year continuously without a break, thanks to the work of our small, medium and large industries, which are coming in and making sure our manufacturing capacity, our service capacity, are all intact. And agriculture has also sustained us,' she said. Next, trade, which was the unofficial theme of the year. India's economic growth momentum, its large middle-class consumer base, and its emergence as a reliable alternative to China in global supply chains were key reasons for all major economies flocking to forge bilateral free trade alliances. On the back of two FTAs – one with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the other with Australia in 2022 -- the Modi government finalised two major deals in its third term. The first was the India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) free trade agreement. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are the four members of EFTA. The deal – the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) – is significant because it is expected to help India bridge a huge gap in the balance of trade, which is in favour of the European nations. During 2023, India's trade deficit with the EFTA states was more than $18.57 billion. The other significant, and unique, feature of the FTA in favour of New Delhi is the European block's commitment for direct investments of $100 billion in India in the next 15 years. The India-UK free trade agreement announced on May 6 this year is the second. The India-UK FTA, which is currently undergoing legal scrubbing and expected to be enforced in a year, is expected to double bilateral trade to over $120 billion by 2030. The other advantage of the deal is its impact on the India-European Union free trade negotiations. A bilateral trade agreement with a dominant European country and the world's sixth largest economy has accelerated India-EU negotiations, and another FTA is expected to be announced soon. And on February 13, India became the first country to announce that it was negotiating a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the US after Donald Trump took over the presidency for the second time. Modi and Trump on February 13 agreed to forge a BTA to double bilateral trade between the two countries to $500 billion under the Mission 2030. This commitment came before Trump's April 2 announcement imposing 10% baseline tariff on all partners and different reciprocal tariffs on about five-dozen countries, including India. US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick earlier this week outlined the contours of a potential trade deal seeking 'reasonable' access to the Indian market and a reduction of the trade deficit. 'India has put the right person on the other side of the table. We have managed, I think, to be in a very, very good place. You should expect a deal between the United States and India in the not-too-distant future because we've found a place that really works for both countries,' Lutnick said at an event hosted by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. Third, investment. India incentivised foreign investors to participate in India's growing prosperity by liberalising the foreign direct investment (FDI) regime. The budget on February 1 announced the government's decision to raise the FDI limit in the insurance sector from 74% to 100% with the condition that the enhanced limit would be available to those foreign firms that invest the entire premium in India. Gross FDI, as per data from the RBI, increased from $71.3 billion in 2023-24 to $81 billion in 2024-25. Despite global headwinds and geopolitical turmoil, India achieved record goods and services exports of $825 billion in 2024-25. Similarly, gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues in April touched ₹2.37 lakh crore with 12.6% annualised growth, the highest ever monthly collection since launch of the indirect tax regime in July 2017, reflecting resilience of the domestic economy backed by robust contributions of almost all states. The Budget 2025-26 spelled out exports as one of the four growth engines for the Indian economy with agriculture as the first engine followed by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and investments. In her budget speech on February 1, Sitharaman said that the four engines would propel India's journey of development, fuelled 'reforms' with 'our guiding spirit' of 'inclusivity' and the destination is 'Viksit Bharat'. India's exports, as seen in GDP data, grew at 6.3% in 2024-25 compared to 2.2% in 2023-24. The focus on trade is crucial for the growth of the Indian economy as steady performance in both goods and services exports, besides remittance inflows have served as an important buffer for the country's current account. 'The Indian rupee strengthened in April 2025 and remains one of the best-performing major currencies against the US dollar. With this stability and a stronger external position, India's foreign exchange reserves remain adequate, providing an import cover of approximately eleven months,' the latest issue of the finance ministry's monthly review, released on May 27, said. And finally, the fisc. The government has signalled that its consolidation approach will continue while keeping a focus on capital spending. In the Budget, it was clear that the government had tried to balance the demands of managing the fisc alongside boosting growth and not getting into a self-defeating consolidation exercise. This was important given that the 2024-25 nominal GDP growth ended up almost a percentage point — 9.7% instead of 10.5% — lower than what the July 2024 budget assumed.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Rafale fuselage to be made in India for the first time
The main body of future Rafale fighter jets will be produced in India, outside France for the first time, with French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) on Thursday announcing their partnership to build Rafale fuselage at a facility being set up in Hyderabad, in a move that is seen as a big leap for the government's wide-ranging Make-in-India initiative. The Hyderabad facility will supply the fuselages for India and other international markets 2028 onwards, the two firms said. Some of the 26 Rafale Marine fighters ordered by India for its navy will come with locally produced fuselages, people aware of the matter said. Dassault Aviation and TASL have signed four production transfer agreements to manufacture the Rafale fuselage in India and called it a significant step forward in strengthening the country's aerospace manufacturing capabilities and supporting global supply chains. 'Under the scope of the partnership, TASL will set up a cutting-edge production facility in Hyderabad for the manufacture of key structural sections of the Rafale, including the lateral shells of the rear fuselage, the complete rear section, the central fuselage, and the front section,' the two firms said in a joint statement issued in Saint-Cloud and Mumbai. The announcement comes weeks after India signed a ₹63,000-crore deal with France to buy 26 Rafale M aircraft for the navy which will operate them from its two aircraft carriers, with the deliveries expected to begin in three years and be completed by 2030. The April 28 government-to-government deal for 22 single-seat Rafale M fighters and four twin-seat trainers included the setting up of a local production facility for the jet's fuselage as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities for engines, sensors and weapons in India. The Hyderabad facility represents a significant investment in India's aerospace infrastructure and will serve as a critical hub for high-precision manufacturing, the statement said. The first fuselage sections are expected to roll off the assembly line in 2028, with the facility expected to deliver up to two complete fuselages every month. 'For the first time, Rafale fuselages will be produced outside France,' Dassault Aviation chairman Eric Trappier said. 'This is a decisive step in strengthening our supply chain in India. Thanks to the expansion of our local partners, including TASL, this supply chain will contribute to the successful ramp-up of the Rafale and, with our support, will meet our quality and competitiveness requirements.' The development comes at a critical moment as the Indian Air Force (IAF) is scouting for 114 multi-role fighter aircraft to boost its capabilities, and the programme will involve a global plane maker setting up a production agency in the country along with an Indian partner. Dassault Aviation is among the foreign firms interested in that programme. In February, the chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said such a model will give the air force an alternative option for any future design, including a stealth fighter, rather than depending only on the capabilities of state-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The IAF operates 36 Rafale jets bought from France at a cost of ₹59,000 crore, and the aircraft's naval variant will bring commonality with the air force's fighters, creating advantages in training, maintenance and logistics support. Some of the air force's Rafales were among the fighter jets used during Operation Sindoor --- India's strikes on terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack. This partnership marks a significant step in India's aerospace journey, TASL CEO Sukaran Singh said. 'The production of the complete Rafale fuselage in India underscores the deepening trust in TASL's capabilities and the strength of our collaboration with Dassault Aviation. It also reflects the remarkable progress India has made in establishing a modern, robust aerospace manufacturing ecosystem that can support global platforms.' This is the way forward for the local aerospace manufacturing sector, said Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani (retd), the director general of Centre for Air Power Studies, an influential think tank. 'We couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to manufacture not just fuselages but entire fighter airframes in the future.' TASL is swiftly expanding its footprint in the aerospace manufacturing sector. TASL and European firm Airbus Defence and Space are jointly executing a ₹21,935-crore project to equip the IAF with 56 C-295 aircraft to modernise its transport fleet, including 16 in fly-away condition. The first made-in-India C-295 will roll out of a facility in Vadodara in September 2026 and the remaining 39 by August 2031. US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin is partnering with TASL to bid for the IAF's medium transport aircraft (MTA) competition for up to 80 planes. The joint venture Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL) is producing Apache attack helicopter fuselages in Hyderabad. And Airbus Helicopters is setting up a production line in India for H125 helicopters in partnership with TASL --- the fourth such facility in the world.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Dassault ties up with Tata to make Rafale fuselage in Hyderabad
NEW DELHI: French aerospace major Dassault Aviation has tied up with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture fuselage of Rafale fighters at Hyderabad, as part of the overall Rs 63,887 crore (almost ₹7 billion) deal inked by India in April to acquire 26 maritime variants of the omni-role jets. The inter-governmental deal, under which the 26 Rafale-M jets will be delivered in the 2028-2030 timeframe, had included the setting up of a production facility for fuselages as well as MRO facilities for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons in India. Hyderabad unit to manufacture 'key structural sections' of Rafale With the IAF first inducting 36 Rafales for Rs 59,000 crore and then the 26 Rafale-M jets for the Navy, the French fighter is the frontrunner in the long-pending project to manufacture 114 multi-role fighter aircraft with foreign collaboration in India, which was initially estimated to cost Rs 1.25 lakh crore and is now being fast-tracked, as reported by TOI earlier. Under the four production transfer agreements between Dassault Aviation and TASL, the Hyderabad facility will manufacture "key structural sections" of the Rafale, including the lateral shells of the rear fuselage, the complete rear section, the central fuselage, and the front section for India and global markets. "The first fuselage sections are expected to roll out in FY 2028, with the facility expected to deliver up to two complete fuselages per month," a joint Dassault-TASL statement said on Thursday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "For the first time, Rafale fuselages will be produced outside France. This is a decisive step in strengthening our supply chain in India. Thanks to the expansion of our local partners, including TASL, this supply chain will contribute to the successful ramp-up of the Rafale and, with our support, will meet our quality and competitiveness requirements," Dassault chairman Eric Trappier said. TASL CEO Sukaran Singh, in turn, said, "This partnership marks a significant step in India's aerospace journey. It also reflects the remarkable progress India has made in establishing a modern, robust aerospace manufacturing ecosystem that can support global platforms." A joint venture between Boeing and TASL in Hyderabad, incidentally, also manufactures the fuselage for the Apache attack helicopters ordered by India from the US.
