India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister (MoPNG) Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday that the country should be lauded by the global community for purchasing Russian oil, warning that crude prices would likely "skyrocket" if Russian supplies were removed from the global market.Puri was responding to a question about the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) threats of "secondary sanctions" against China, India and Brazil if these countries continued to buy Russian energy at the expiration of President Donald Trump's "50-day deadline".The Indian minister said that sanctioning Russian supplies, as envisaged by NATO and the US, would lead to two possibilities."The whole world consumes 10% less. Some people won't get heating in winter, some won't get AC in summer, some people won't get transport. So, 10% consumption reduction is not an easy thing. Or the other thing is that you start buying more from the remaining 90%. You know what that would do to prices. The prices which were here will skyrocket," Puri explained.He stated that Russian oil has never been subjected to any sanctions, but only to a "price-cap".He said that India was only buying Russian energy as it had started to become available, which the government has said is in interest of India's "energy security"."I buy $20 billion worth of energy from a particular source. They are global actors. Am I going to be blamed for being responsible for some of their actions? No. Equally, I buy energy from Russia. If Russia carried out an operation somewhere else, I am sure.. when I started buying, it was a consequence that energy became available," he stated.Puri emphasised that India has maintained a "navigational resilience" in dealing with turbulence in the global energy markets.During the conversation, Puri also noted the double-standards of the EU in asking India to cut off Russian energy imports, while it still continued to buy them.He also noted that Turkiye, China and Brazil ranked as big buyers of Russian oil products.
Mark Carney declined to answer if he believed Indian PM had a role in murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar Canada's prime minister Mark Carney has defended his decision to invite India's prime minister Narendra Modi to the upcoming G7 summit in Alberta, despite Canada's federal police's conclusion that the murder of a prominent Sikh activist in British Columbia was orchestrated by the "highest levels" of the Indian government. Carney declined to answer reporters' questions over whether ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Sivasagar, Jun 26 (PTI) Leakage of gas continued for the 15th day from a crude oil well of ONGC in Assam's Sivasagar district although the energy major on Thursday claimed that it is nearing to control the blowout. In its daily bulletin on the blowout, ONGC said it has achieved a key breakthrough in its ongoing operations in close coordination with international well control specialists from CUDD Pressure Control. "The team successfully cleared all remaining rig materials, including staircases, entangled wires and other structural components. "This critical step culminated in the safe remov ...Read More >
Guwahati, June 27 (UNI) The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has successfully capped a high-risk gas well blowout at its RDS 147A site in Sivasagar district, Assam, bringing an end to a 15-day-long emergency operation that triggered mass evacuation and widespread public anxiety. The gas well blowout, which began on June 12, involved an uncontrolled release of natural gas from one of ONGC's drilling sites -- a situation often considered one of the most hazardous in the oil and gas industry due to the risk of explosion and environmental damage. The blowout was finally brought under contr ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 27 (ANI): A female student was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in Kolkata's Kasba on Wednesday evening. The police have arrested all three accused within 24 hours. The three accused, named as Monojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20), were former students or staff members of the same law college. Also Read | Student Gang-Raped at South Kolkata Law College: Police Arrest 3 Youths for Sexually Assaulting Young Woman Inside Law College. According to the police, the accused named in the FIR will be produced before the A.C.J. ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty climbed in initial trade on Thursday, mirroring a positive trend in Asian markets, amid optimism over India-US trade deal. The US-Vietnam trade deal also had a positive effect on the domestic equities, analysts said. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 242.83 points to 83,652.52 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty went up by 83.65 points to 25,537.05. "US President Trump announced a trade deal reducing Vietnam's tariff to 20 per cent from 46 per cent, raising hopes that India's effective tariff rate may settle around 15-18 per cen ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 31 (VOICE) The output of India's eight core sector industries rose 4 per cent year-on-year in December, driven by an increase in the production of coal, steel, and electricity during the month, according to government data released on Friday.The eight core industries include coal, natural gas, crude oil, refinery products, fertilisers, cement, steel and electricity which comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The growth rate of the core industries, therefore, is an indicator of the overall industrial growth rate. Apa ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Trade talks between India and the US appear to be back on track, as President Donald Trump hinted that a "very big" agreement with India will be forthcoming soon. In a presser at the White House, Trump said, "Everybody wants to make a deal and have a part of it. Remember a few months ago, the press was saying, 'You really have anybody of any interest? Well, we just signed with China yesterday. We are having some great deals. We have one coming up, maybe with India. Very big one. Where we're going to open up India, in the China deal, we are starting to open up China.""We're not going ...Read More >
Donald Trump claims he prevented a war between India and Pakistan. He says he used the threat of halting trade deals to de-escalate tensions. Trump mentions phone calls with leaders from both nations. He also notes a meeting with Pakistan's Army Chief. India maintains that the ceasefire understanding came from direct talks between military officials.US President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeated his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan and told the two countries that America ...Read More >
Jaipur: Police in Didwana have stepped up their probe into a cross-border smuggling case in which they arrested two arms and drug smugglers on June 27 for supplying Austrian Glock and Chinese Norinco pistols. It has emerged that the case has links to a massive Rs 300-crore heroin consignment seized by Punjab's Amritsar police near the India-Pakistan border in Barmer on June 30. Canada-based Joben Kaler was identified as the main overseas handler of the heroin consignment. Didwana-Kuchaman police had arrested Mohammad Ilyas from Khunkhuna and Amarjeet Singh Takhar, alias Prince, from Jalandhar ...Read More >
The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war - leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration Nato foreign ministers looked set to rebuff Tuesday a push from Ukraine for progress on joining their alliance ahead of Donald Trump taking power in the United States. The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war - leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said getting security guarantees from the Western alliance and ...Read More >
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Import tariffs expected to be implemented by the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could lower economic growth and inflation in the 20 nations sharing the euro, European Central Bank board member Piero Cipollone said on Tuesday. Most economists agree that the possible tariffs would impact growth, though views diverge on the effect on consumer prices. Some argue the U.S. trade barriers will push up the value of the dollar, making imports of key commodities more expensive, while likely retaliation from Europe will also raise costs. Cipollone, speaking i ...Read More >
New Delhi: The three-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine is not coming to an end, rather the war between the two countries seems to be reaching a dangerous turn. After the destruction caused by Ukraine's drone attack by entering Russia and Putin's retaliation on it, the threat of a nuclear showdown has increased. Military experts say that if Ukraine loses, then European countries will be Russia's next target directly. Ukraine currently acts as a buffer zone between Russia and Europe. As soon as it surrenders its weapons, Russia will reach directly to the European border. French President ...Read More >
Guwahati, June 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a significant move to boost infrastructure and community development, the Assam State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday approved key decisions under Mission Basundhara 3.0 and amended governance rules for autonomous councils and panchayats. The Chief Minister said: "The Cabinet cleared the allotment of government land for 942 infrastructure projects across 11 districts, including Kamrup, Barpeta, and Dhemaji. Barpeta leads with 170 proposals, followed by Dhemaji (207) and Lakhimpur (175)." CM Sarma told reporters here: "Add ...Read More >
June 30 (Reuters) - Futures tracking the S&P 500 and Nasdaq touched record highs on Monday, as optimism over U.S. trade negotiations with its key partners helped support upward momentum in markets. Shares of technology heavyweights rose premarket after Canada scrapped its digital services tax targeting U.S. tech firms, just hours before it was due to take effect, in a bid to advance stalled trade negotiations with the United States. Shares of Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab, Meta Platforms (META ...Read More >
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his international tour, questioning the effectiveness of India's diplomatic efforts in isolating Pakistan globally. Moitra commented on Modi's extensive traveling and expressed concerns about Pakistan's support from international organizations. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a multi-nation tour, he faced critical remarks from Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who questioned why India's diplomatic act ...Read More >
India is concerned with a U.S. Senator's proposal to slap a 500% tariff on goods imported in America from countries buying Russian oil, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, adding that the world's third-largest crude oil importer has conveyed these concerns to the U.S. lawmakers. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has proposed a bill to impose a huge tariff on any country buying Russian oil. In an interview with ABC News this weekend, Senator Graham said that President Donald Trump appears to be on board for the bill to be moved forward. "If you're buying products from Russia ...Read More >
New Delhi: ONGC's production trend is beginning to turn after eight straight years of fall as a key new field in KG Basin ramps up and the old Mumbai High asset arrests decline. ONGC's crude production rose 3% year-on-year in November to 53,804 tonnes per day (tpd) and the output growth so far in December has accelerated to 4.2% to 54,535 tpd, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The output was marginally higher in three of the first seven months this fiscal year but there is a cle ...Read More >
Mumbai: The rupee declined 14 paise and touched the crucial 86.00-mark (provisional) for the first time against the US dollar Friday as it failed to resist pressure from a stronger American currency and huge outflow of foreign funds. Surging crude oil prices overseas and negative sentiment in domestic equity markets also weighed down the Indian currency, forex traders said. Also, dollar strengthened on increased demand amid the anticipation of restrictive trade measures by the new US administration after Donald Trump takes over as president January 20. At the interbank foreign exchange, the ...Read More >
Ahmedabad, June 27: Union Home Minister Amit Shah began his Gujarat visit on a spiritual note early Friday morning by participating in the Mangala Aarti at the historic Shri Jagannathji Temple in Jamalpur, Ahmedabad. The visit coincides with the auspicious occasion of the annual Shri Jagannath Rath Yatra, a major religious event that draws thousands of devotees every year. Arriving at the temple at 3:15 a.m., HM Shah joined in the sacred rituals and offered prayers to Mahaprabhu Jagannath. Sharing his experience on social media platform X, he posted, "On the sacred occasion of Rath Yatra, par ...Read More >
New Delhi/Guwahati, June 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on Friday successfully capped the blowout in one of its wells in Assam's Sivasagar district, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has announced. Announcing the plugging of the blowout, Puri said in a post on X on Friday, "ONGC has successfully capped the blow out of well RDS#147A at 1115 hours hrs today. This blow out started on 12th June and has been capped successfully within the shortest possible time following all the best practices." He said the Crisis Manag ...Read More >
Mumbai: The rupee rose 22 paise to close at 85.50 against the greenback on Friday on the back of sustained inflow of foreign funds and firm domestic equity markets. Lower level of American currency index also favoured the Indian unit though an uptrend in crude oil prices capped its gain, forex traders said. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 1,397.02 crore on a net basis on Friday, according to exchange data. This inflow came on the heels of a net buying of equities worth Rs 12,594.38 crore on Thursday. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 8 ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jul 1 (PTI) Rupee appreciated 17 paise to close at 85.59 against the US dollar on Tuesday, supported by weakness of the American currency in the overseas market and a positive tone in the domestic equities amid rise in risk appetite. Forex traders said the US dollar is trading at lowest levels since February 2022 as President Donald Trump's growing influence on Federal Reserve policy revived fears over the central bank's independence. Moreover, Brent crude prices remained subdued, offering a buffer to India's import bill and helping cool inflation. At the interbank foreign exchange, ...Read More >
MUMBAI, July 3 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee touched its strongest level in a month on Thursday, lifted by dollar sales from foreign banks and cutting of bearish bets on the local currency, while optimism surrounding a U.S.-India trade deal also aided sentiment. The rupee rose to a peak of 85.20, its best level since late May, before ending the session at 85.31, up 0.4% on the day. Dollar sales from foreign banks in the latter half of Thursday's session boosted the rupee, with the rise above 85.40 also triggering stop-losses on some wagers against the currency, traders said. Asian currencies ...Read More >
The U.S. dollar continued its strong run on Monday, bolstered by soaring Treasury yields and expectations of limited Federal Reserve rate cuts. Meanwhile, the yen steadied ahead of a key speech by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, where he may hint at a possible rate hike in December, with markets pricing a 55% chance of such a move. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato's warning on yen intervention caused a temporary pullback, while the dollar index touched a one-year high of 107.07. Analysts forecast further dollar gains as U.S. economic policies and performance outshine global peers. K ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024 to expand the definition of mineral oils and include petroleum and natural gas passed in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The bill was introduced by Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri for consideration and passing. The Bill will regulate the exploration and extraction of natural gas and petroleum. The amended bill expands the definition of mineral oils to include petroleum and natural gas in it. Also Read | Pune: Doctors Perform Rare Laser Surgery on Woman Pregnant With Monoam ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 29 (ANI): The world paused on June 13 when Israel targeted major military and nuclear facilities, and crucial personalities in Iran as it launched a series of attacks to disempower the West Asian country. Also Read | Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa Dead: IDF Eliminates Hamas Mastermind Behind October 2023 Attack in Israel. The involvement of the Houthis of Yemen and the US in this high-tension conflict stopped short of a nuclear apocalypse--but this was not entirely unexpected. Some saw this coming. Supporting Israel, the US went ahead and struck three key nuclear sites ...Read More >
New Delhi: U.S. President Donald Trump has backed a new plan to strike hard at countries helping Russia's economy. He gave his nod to a Senate bill that proposes 500% tariffs on nations buying oil and goods from Russia. Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime Trump ally, confirmed the move during an interview with ABC News. The bill targets India and China - the two biggest importers of Russian crude. Graham said both are fuelling what he called "Putin's war machine" by continuing trade with Moscow. According to him, India and China account for more than 70% of Russia's oil sales. The idea is sim ...Read More >
Still, the ongoing U.N. climate talks have thrown a spotlight on their efforts to tackle global warming. While the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, is tasked with agreeing a goal to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars for climate, leaders of the Group of 20 major economies half a world away in Rio are holding the purse strings. G20 countries account for 85% of the world's economy and are the largest contributors to multilateral development banks helping to steer climate finance. "The spotlight is naturally on the G20. They account for 80 percent of global emissions," U.N. Secretary Ge ...Read More >
In the Indo-Pacific region, if one development would prove to be a landmark event in the region's modern history, it would be the signing of the Treaty of Comprehensive Partnership between North Korea and Russia in June 2024. The partnership has paved the way for strengthening bilateral ties between Moscow and Pyongyang and marked the onset of the global order transition, which was already underway. The institutionalization of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan's trilateral security cooperation has also given Russia and North Korea another strategic reason to collaborate. Therefore, with the geo ...Read More >