News Broadcasting
CNN to air three summits in collaboration with Clinton Global Initiative
MUMBAI: CNN will produce three programmes with the Clinton Global Initiative to be broadcast on both CNN International and CNN/US in April, August and September of this year. The former US president Bill Clinton will be a featured guest at each of the hour-long events.
“These programs once again highlight CNN’s position as a global platform for news and debate. To pull together such important world players to discuss critical issues plays right to heart of CNN’s international audience,” said CNN International senior VP Rena Golden.
The end of Aids: A Global Summit with president Clinton is the first special event and will premiere in April. The program takes a unique perspective on the Aids crisis. Imagine for an hour that Aids has been eradicated. How did it happen? What role did government, drug companies and non-governmental organizations play in ending the Aids crisis? How will the unique public-private model employed at the Clinton Global Initiative be a factor in this eradication? CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will moderate a discussion that will include some of the world’s leading Aids experts and activists, informs an official statement.
Setting the scene for the debate, CNN Africa Correspondent Jeff Koinange travels to Botswana, where 40 percent of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS, and reports on how the government is testing for HIV. The end of Aids will also look at the most promising forms of treatment and the most effective government policies. The goal is to see how AIDS can be brought under control and eventually defeated.
In August, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who reported on last year’s devastating hurricanes along the US Gulf Coast, will moderate the second Global Summit. The focus of this forum will be on poverty – not only in third world countries, but also in the US– and what is being done to reduce it. Poverty is one of the four topic areas at the Clinton Global Initiative.
CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour will moderate the third and final Global Summit in September on the eve of the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York. Participants of this forum will discuss various topics of global significance including climate change, mitigating religious conflicts, global public health and effective global governance.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
