Gurugram, 18-April-25 : Conscient, a leading name in India’s luxury real estate segment, has announced the launch of Elaira Residences, a luxury residential development located in Sector 80, Gurugram. Spread across over 5.5 acres, this project is Conscient’s latest luxury residential offering in Gurugram.

Elaira Residences comprises 536 luxury apartments, ofa which 268 apartments are launched in the First Phase. It features spacious 3BHK residences, crafted to cater to the needs of modern, discerning homeowners. Apartment pricing starts at INR 14,500 per sq. ft. (Basic Sale Price – BSP), offering a blend of elegance, space, and exclusivity. Elaira Residences is poised to set new benchmarks in luxury living, seamlessly integrating elegance, modernity, and sustainability. Designed by the globally acclaimed architecture and design firm Benoy, Hong Kong, the development stands out for its contemporary aesthetics, international design, and thoughtfully planned spaces.

Elaira Residences was launched with much fanfare at an exclusive event in the world-famous entertainment and dining destination of Macau, aligning with international design and architectural standards of the project. Conscient invited select channel partners for this grand unveiling and also celebrated the continued support of these channel partners in their success.

Elaira Residences is the third offering from Conscient after the overwhelming success of Parq and Elevate Reserve. Both Parq and Elevate Reserve are being constructed by the reputed engineering firm Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure & Construction. Elaira Residences is financially backed by HDFC Capital which also funded the Parq project.

Commenting on the launch, Rajesh Jain, Director at Conscient Infrastructure Private Limited said, “We are thrilled to introduce Elaira Residences, expanding our luxury residential portfolio in Delhi-NCR. Located in Sector 80, New Gurugram — a burgeoning micro-market — Elaira Residences builds on the success of our previous luxury offering, Parq & Elevate Reserve. There is a huge demand for housing and we continue to be bullish on the market. We have plans for launching multiple luxury projects in Delhi – NCR “

With a legacy spanning four decades, Conscient’s commitment to excellence, combined with extensive planning and meticulous design, has resulted in the successful delivery of over 14,000 homes across Delhi-NCR, Dehradun, and Goa. The company has a residential/commercial portfolio of nearly 20 million square feet under various stages of development and continues to collaborate with world-renowned architects, designers, and consultants to transform spaces into premium condominiums, luxury villas, institutional developments, commercial, and retail spaces. This relentless focus on excellence and innovation ensures Conscient remains at the forefront of India’s luxury real estate landscape.

The fittings of the Free family give flaps new freedom in movement. This opens up more opportunities in the visual and technical design of furniture and has tangible benefits compared to hinged doors. But above all, it gives the furniture and the room undreamt elegance and lightness. With the new Free Space, Hafele offers an innovative stay flap fitting which, with its strong features and universal aesthetics, can be used in furniture across interior spaces. It immediately provides added value and more efficiency when working.

Almost 100 years of experience with furniture fittings, engineering expertise, and a close connection to the market and the people who work with furniture fittings on a daily basis led to the development of Free Space. Inspired by the requirements of the market of tomorrow Free space fulfils all demands for creative freedom and choice of design, ease of installation and convenient operation on a whole new level.

John Horn, a professor of practice in economics at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, explains how rapidly changing tariff policies add to economic uncertainty.

A lot has happened in the two weeks since “Liberation Day,” the day when President Donald Trump implemented sweeping tariffs, including a universal 10% tariff on all imports and additional reciprocal tariffs on imports from certain countries.

From a global market meltdown and unprecedented trade war to a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, stalled trade talks with the European Union, soaring tariffs on China and exemptions that seem to change by the hour, it can be hard to keep up.  

Below, John Horn, a professor of practice in economics at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, explains how tariff uncertainty and confusion is contributing to market volatility — and how this might impact long-term economic trends.

Why did Trump pause some temporary reciprocal tariffs last week?

I think there was a lot of pressure building up to that moment, in particular from the bond selloff and stock market. Earlier in the week, a rumor went around that tariffs were going to be paused, and that led to a huge rebound in the stock market. So that added pressure on the administration to make changes.

What is the status of tariffs currently?

It’s changing by the day. While the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs was welcome news, that’s only one piece of the puzzle. We still have 10% universal tariffs on all goods. For context, the average tariff rate on everything we import was 2.5% — and for industrial goods it was 2% — at the end of 2024. So that’s a four to five times increase. At the same time, the tariff on Chinese products went up to 145%.

How is this impacting the economy?

I don’t think the pause in reciprocal tariffs has eased any uncertainty for investors. And that shows in the stock market fluctuation. Increased tariffs mean prices and inflation will continue to rise, leading to increased risk of a recession. The escalating trade war with China, which is the second-largest importer to the United States behind Mexico, adds to those concerns.
 
The other worrying trend is the bond market, which is an important indicator of the longer-term economic outlook. The bond sell-off is likely due to other countries selling off their Treasuries as a response to the tariffs, as well as other buyers getting nervous about the long-term outlook on the U.S. economy and the ability of the U.S. government to pay off those bonds (i.e., not default).
 
Why does this matter? For starters, bond prices follow the standard supply-and-demand framework: as demand falls, the price decreases. But that decrease in price actually leads to a higher return that investors earn. That rate is determined by taking the difference between the face value of the bond (which does not change) and the price you pay (which decreases), divided by the price you pay. The face value minus the price paid is bigger, and when you divide a bigger number by a smaller number, the result is greater.

The impact doesn’t stop there, though. When interest rates for U.S. debt increase, other interest rates also rise. If they didn’t, investors would only buy U.S. debt because it would have better yields. So now credit card interest rates, mortgages and car loan rates are also going to increase. Before long, we’re headed into a recession.  
 
That also means that government debt rates will go up. That will impact the federal government down to individual municipalities because it will cost more to issue new debt to continue funding the government.

Last week, the Federal Reserve announced the consumer price index in March rose 2.4% on an annual basis, a lower rate than economists had expected. How does this factor into the overall economic outlook?  

The inflation numbers were lower primarily in fuel and transportation services, in particular, airlines. These tend to fluctuate and will likely increase again in the summer. Inflation expectations have also been increasing, according to the University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey. If the tariffs on China remain, inflation will increase because we buy so much from China. Even if we can find an alternative supplier in other countries, the prices will still likely be higher due to extra demand for those suppliers, and because they are less efficient to begin with — otherwise, we’d be buying from them already.

What do you think the administration’s end game is? Do you think this strategy could result in better trade deals for the U.S.?

The administration’s strategy is hard to figure out because it’s not clear what the objective is. It has been reported to be a return of manufacturing to the U.S., an increase in tariff revenue, a growth in the U.S. economy, a tactic to lower tariffs from other countries, among others. But these are contradictory. If we increase tariff revenue, it means we’re still importing instead of producing in the U.S. If, instead, we do grow manufacturing, then we won’t be importing as much and therefore not generating tariff revenue. If the goal is to lower other countries’ tariff rates, then we will continue to buy from them, which doesn’t increase manufacturing or tariff revenue. And tariffs are taxes, which lead to lower economic activity.
 
As for the trade deals the administration has promised, forcing negotiations is generally useful only in very tactical, winner-take-all negotiations — and it’s not always true in those cases. The general guidance for negotiating is to find win-win opportunities and to create a relationship that eases the ability to negotiate over time. International trade and relationships are long-term interactions, so negotiation strategy tends to favor relationship-building and win-win seeking. It’s not clear how the administration’s tactics will lead to those outcomes.

What would you advise businesses to do during this time of economic uncertainty?

The best thing businesses should do is to shift to a more conservative investment and spending approach. No one company can rebuild the U.S. supply chain and manufacturing sector, so being on the forefront leaves you exposed by yourself to the stormy weather ahead. Unfortunately, if every company adopts this view, then no one will take the lead to rebuild the future economic systems. Typically, these are roles the government steps in to coordinate, but this administration seems to be moving in the opposite direction — reducing the scope and actions the government takes in the economy.

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 18 April 2025: Noatum Maritime and The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) have marked the operational commencement of their joint venture (JV) to provide integrated marine services in Bahrain, with the arrival of four modern tugs at ASRY’s headquarters.

The arrival of the tugs, part of Noatum Maritime’s existing fleet, was celebrated during a ceremony attended by representatives from various ministries, public bodies and leading industrial firms at ASRY’s headquarters in Bahrain.

This development follows the announcement of the JV in February 2025, which aims to expand the current marine service offering in Bahrain and across the wider region. The partnership, to be known as ASRY Marine, is aligned with both parties’ strategic goals to expand capabilities and diversify service offerings.

Captain Ammar Al Shaiba, CEO of the Maritime & Shipping Cluster, AD Ports Group, said: “The arrival and deployment of these advanced tugs symbolise the official commencement of our strategic partnership with ASRY. We look forward to utilising our decades of expertise in this field to deliver greater operational efficiency, reliability and value to customers.”

Dr. Ahmed Al Abri, CEO – ASRY said: “We take pride in setting the stage for our new partnership with Noatum Maritime through this occasion. The new tugboats feature advanced technologies that will undoubtedly support and enhance current marine services, while also enabling the introduction of new ones. This partnership is set to open new doors for marine service growth within Bahrain and across the region.”

The arrival of the tugboats signals the JV’s operational readiness, and underlines both parties’ commitment to deliver safe and efficient marine services via a sophisticated fleet.