PARIS: France’s European Affairs Minister Amelie de Montchalin reacted skeptically Thursday to British MPs’ quest for a third Brexit delay, saying that delaying the process again, “without changing anything,” would not solve Britain’s Brexit “problem.”
De Montchalin was speaking a day after British MPs approved a bill that could force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to delay Brexit until January or later.
“It’s not because a problem is complicated that by diluting it over time and delaying it for three months without changing anything, it will be resolved,” she told France’s Radio Classique.
“When I hear the British saying ‘Give us three months more and we will solve the problem’, we can see that another six months would not solve the problem, nor another three months.
“They have to be able to tell us what they want,” she said.
MPs voted three times to reject a deal negotiated by Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May with the EU while at the same time making clear they opposed leaving the EU without an agreement.
“We know what they don’t want but we are still struggling to understand what they do want,” De Montchalin said, describing the situation as “a bit blocked.”
Initially scheduled for March 29, Brexit has already been delayed twice due to the failure of Britain’s parliament to agree on the manner of the country’s exit from the EU.
Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the union by October 31, regardless of whether he has an agreement with the EU.
De Montchalin said France was continuing to prepare for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Tuesday that he considered it “the most likely scenario.”
De Montchalin also called it a “very strong possibility.”
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France: Delaying Brexit without compromise won’t solve crisis
France: Delaying Brexit without compromise won’t solve crisis
- France’s European Affairs Minister Amelie de Montchalin reacted skeptically to MPs’ quest for a third delay
- MPs voted three times to reject a deal negotiated by Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May with the EU
Induction stoves fly off shelves in India as gas shortage fears spark panic buying
CHENNAI: Indian households are rushing to buy electric induction stoves, draining stocks online and in stores, amid fears of a potential cooking gas shortage tied to the Middle East conflict.
India, the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), has invoked emergency powers to boost supplies for households even as availability tightens for commercial users including canteens, hostels and restaurants.
Meanwhile, consumers are buying electric cooking appliances as a precaution, with some households worried about refill delays and higher prices.
Checks by Reuters on Thursday showed several induction stove models were unavailable on Amazon, Walmart-backed Flipkart, Eternal’s Blinkit and Zepto, while some offline chains said fresh supplies were still days away.
Induction stove sales on Amazon India have jumped more than 30-fold, while rice cookers and electric pressure cookers are up fourfold, a company spokesperson said.
Kitchen appliances maker TTK Prestige said demand for induction stoves had surged far beyond supply.
“There is a threefold surge (in demand),” CEO Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan told Reuters.
The company has raised its production capacity to 100 percent from about 70 percent before the start of the war, and increased staffing by roughly 15 percent. It also plans to raise prices of induction stoves in the June quarter to offset any higher costs.
Induction stoves accounted for about a tenth of TTK’s 25.30 billion rupees ($274.52 million) standalone revenue in 2024–25.
Online shopping platforms also showed models from Butterfly , Havells India and Bajaj Electricals marked as “currently unavailable.”
Google Trends showed search interest for induction stoves hit a record high on March 12, while some restaurant chains, including Wow Momo and California Burrito, said they were exploring induction stoves as a contingency plan.
Anand Rathi analyst Manish Valecha said large kitchen appliance makers with domestic assembly and strong distribution, including TTK Prestige, Butterfly and Stove Kraft, are best placed to benefit from the surge in induction cooktop demand. But reliance on imported components could pose supply risks if the spike persists, he added.
TTK Prestige will switch from sea shipments to airlifting components sourced from China and Southeast Asia, absorbing higher costs to ensure supplies if disruptions persist, Vijayaraghavan said.
The Middle East conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, raising costs and tightening oil and gas supplies from the Middle East.
On Thursday, the Suezmax tanker Shenlong reached Mumbai with Saudi crude, becoming the first crude carrier to arrive in India from the Middle East since the war between Iran and the United States and Israel erupted in late February, LSEG data showed.
India, the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), has invoked emergency powers to boost supplies for households even as availability tightens for commercial users including canteens, hostels and restaurants.
Meanwhile, consumers are buying electric cooking appliances as a precaution, with some households worried about refill delays and higher prices.
Checks by Reuters on Thursday showed several induction stove models were unavailable on Amazon, Walmart-backed Flipkart, Eternal’s Blinkit and Zepto, while some offline chains said fresh supplies were still days away.
Induction stove sales on Amazon India have jumped more than 30-fold, while rice cookers and electric pressure cookers are up fourfold, a company spokesperson said.
Kitchen appliances maker TTK Prestige said demand for induction stoves had surged far beyond supply.
“There is a threefold surge (in demand),” CEO Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan told Reuters.
The company has raised its production capacity to 100 percent from about 70 percent before the start of the war, and increased staffing by roughly 15 percent. It also plans to raise prices of induction stoves in the June quarter to offset any higher costs.
Induction stoves accounted for about a tenth of TTK’s 25.30 billion rupees ($274.52 million) standalone revenue in 2024–25.
Online shopping platforms also showed models from Butterfly , Havells India and Bajaj Electricals marked as “currently unavailable.”
Google Trends showed search interest for induction stoves hit a record high on March 12, while some restaurant chains, including Wow Momo and California Burrito, said they were exploring induction stoves as a contingency plan.
Anand Rathi analyst Manish Valecha said large kitchen appliance makers with domestic assembly and strong distribution, including TTK Prestige, Butterfly and Stove Kraft, are best placed to benefit from the surge in induction cooktop demand. But reliance on imported components could pose supply risks if the spike persists, he added.
TTK Prestige will switch from sea shipments to airlifting components sourced from China and Southeast Asia, absorbing higher costs to ensure supplies if disruptions persist, Vijayaraghavan said.
The Middle East conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, raising costs and tightening oil and gas supplies from the Middle East.
On Thursday, the Suezmax tanker Shenlong reached Mumbai with Saudi crude, becoming the first crude carrier to arrive in India from the Middle East since the war between Iran and the United States and Israel erupted in late February, LSEG data showed.
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