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S Jaishankar and Marco Rubio Hold Key Talks in Kuala Lumpur
Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, marking their first in-person discussion since the imposition of steep 50% tariffs on Indian imports by US President Donald Trump. This crucial encounter took place on the sidelines of the...
Alliance Projects Yadav-Sahani Leadership Bid
The Opposition bloc, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and its partners in the Mahagathbandhan, has announced Tejashwi Yadav as its candidate for the chief ministerial post in the forthcoming assembly polls in Bihar, with Mukesh Sahani designated as the deputy chief ministerial nominee. The declaration came at a...
US Sanctions Strain Indian Oil Supply Chains
Major Indian refiners including Reliance Industries and state-run players are preparing to suspend purchases of Russian crude in response to the latest sanctions imposed by the United States government on Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC, marking a significant shift in global energy flows. The measures, announced by the Treasury...
Modi opts for virtual presence at ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate virtually in the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Kuala Lumpur, rather than travelling to Malaysia, and has thereby ruled out a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed the decision and attributed it to the overlap with India’s Deepavali celebrations. In a telephone...
Congress Signals Break from Thackeray Alliance in Maharashtra
Mumbai — The Indian National Congress in Maharashtra has decided to contest the impending civic polls independently, refusing to form an alliance with both Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray and its existing coalition partner, Shiv Sena. The announcement, delivered by former Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap, may herald a fresh...
Tariff Showdown Deepens: US Pressures India Over Russian Oil
US President Donald Trump has escalated trade tensions with India by threatening that the country will face “massive tariffs” unless it halts imports of Russian crude oil. He claimed to have spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the Indian leader assured him that India would stop buying Russian...
Tejashwi Yadav to lead Bihar opposition
As Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan coalition grapples with ongoing tensions over seat-sharing for the forthcoming Assembly elections, Congress leaders have expressed their intention to make Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav the opposition’s chief ministerial candidate. Despite disagreements over the allocation of constituencies, both parties remain determined to present a cohesive...
India rejects Trump’s claim of Modi oil pledge
India’s Ministry of External Affairs declared it has no record of a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U. S. President Donald Trump during which, as Trump asserted, Modi “assured” him that India would stop buying oil from Russia. The denial came after Trump, in a White...
Modi Pledged to Stop Buying Russian Oil, Trump Asserts
U. S. President Donald Trump stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him India will cease purchasing oil from Russia, describing the move as a “big step” in efforts to cut Moscow’s energy revenue. The announcement arrives amid heightened U. S. pressure on major oil importers to abandon...
Nitish Kumar Presses for Seat-Sharing Reset in Bihar NDA Talks
Political turmoil in Bihar’s ruling alliance has deepened after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed displeasure with the seat-allocation arrangements struck by his party, Janata Dal, with the Bharatiya Janata Party and other partners. Internal sources say Kumar has urged the party leadership to reopen negotiations and has objected to...
NDA’s Bihar Seat Deal Faces Crisis at Eleventh Hour
A scheduled joint press conference at 4 pm on Monday to unveil the seat-sharing pact between the Bharatiya Janata Party and JD was abruptly cancelled, signalling a breakdown in talks at the final hour. The two parties remain at odds over the allocation of specific constituencies, even though they...
Seven Israeli Hostages Freed in Landmark Gaza Ceasefire Exchange
Hamas released seven Israeli captives into Red Cross care on Monday, delivering them to the custody of Israeli forces under the terms of a newly brokered ceasefire aimed at ending nearly two years of conflict. The freed detainees—Gali and Ziv Berman, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor...
Switching Colours: Kushwaha’s Leap Rocks Bihar Politics
Two-time JD MP Santosh Kushwaha has joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal, signalling a sharp shift in Bihar’s electoral landscape. At a public ceremony in Patna presided over by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Kushwaha and several other leaders formally embraced the opposition party ahead of the looming assembly polls. Kushwaha...
Generics Spared as White House Shelves Pharma Tariff Plan
The Trump administration has opted not to impose tariffs on generic pharmaceutical imports from abroad, a shift that alleviates pressure on global supply chains and India-based drugmakers. Officials say the decision narrows the scope of a broader pharmaceutical trade investigation under Section 232, focusing instead on proprietary and branded...
US Lawmakers Press Trump to Reverse India Tariff Policy
A bipartisan group of 19 U. S. House members, spearheaded by Congresswoman Deborah Ross and Congressman Ro Khanna, has formally urged President Trump to withdraw his administration’s tariff increases targeting Indian goods and to restore the bilateral alliance. The letter, dated 8 October 2025, warns that the tariff escalation...
Kishor-Paswan Axis Gains Traction in Bihar’s Alliance Chessboard
Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party have snapped into the spotlight as Bihar’s alliance arithmetic compels fresh speculation over their potential tie-up. LJP sources emphasise that “doors are always open in politics,” signalling an openness to alliance even as negotiations with the BJP remain...
Modi’s Pull Looms Large in Bihar Voter Mood
The Election Commission of India has scheduled Bihar’s Legislative Assembly elections for November 6 and 11, with the counting of votes on November 14. An opinion poll conducted by IANS-Matrize News Communications suggests that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal could exert notable influence: 57 per cent of respondents believe...
Trump Says Israel Agrees to Gaza Withdrawal Line
US President Donald Trump declared that Israel has accepted an “initial withdrawal line” from Gaza, adding that a ceasefire would be activated “immediately” once Hamas confirms the move—at which point a hostage-prisoner exchange would begin. Trump’s announcement, made via his Truth Social account, asserts that the withdrawal proposal has...
