India should not stay on the margins of this initiative. There should be a serious debate about what would be in India's best interests asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) net-bought $7.4 billion from the spot foreign exchange market in February, its highest buy since March 2025, before heavily intervening by selling dollars in March as the rupee declined over 4 per cent following a spike in crude oil prices.
Gaganjeet Bhullar's solid round and Shiv Kapur's hole-in-one highlighted the first day for the Indian players at the Singapore Open, where Thailand's Ekpharit Wu and Japan's Jeongwoo Ham lead.
'Even if the war ends tomorrow, which is unlikely, and we go back to the pre-war status quo, the world will still need some time to get over the sudden shock of oil price increases.'
World No. 32 Ayush, who claimed his maiden Super 300 title at the US Open earlier this year, dismissed Canada's Sam Yuan 21-11, 21-15 in 33 minutes.
Both sides have now revealed a preference for escalation over strategic defeat, and each new provocation narrows the space for the next pause. The Touska seizure, Iran's refusal to negotiate under blockade, Israel's strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure -- all of these add up to an increasingly untenable situation. This makes the wild card -- Trump and his motormouth -- more consequential than ever, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
The logic of war plus the gathering storms in US politics as the midterms loom large leave him with no real alternative but to negotiate, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Indian refiners have access to only limited Iranian volumes compared with Russian oil, and even the barrels on offer come with 'too many hassles'.
China's latest defence budget surges to $275 billion, fueling its ambitious military modernisation program and intensifying geopolitical dynamics in the region.
Coco Gauff started her quest for a maiden Australian Open title with a straight games win over Kamilla Rakhimova to reach the second round.
But the 29-year-old late bloomer found a way back into the match and rattled off the next four games to book her second-round spot.
The World Nature Photography Awards 2026 celebrated breathtaking images of wildlife and nature, with Australian photographer Jono Allen winning the top prize of $1000 for his rare shot of a white humpback whale and her mother.
The Washington Post Guild, the union for staff members, had appealed to the public to send a message to Bezos: "Enough is enough. Without the staff of The Washington Post, there is no Washington Post."
Iga Swiatek has dismissed suggestions the career slam is driving her Australian Open campaign this year, with the world number two saying on Friday that she tries to block out outside noise and focus only on "grinding match by match".
China has made serious inroads into Latin America, which the US may now be hinting is simply not ok: Stay in your lane, Xi! In simple terms, China will no longer have access to Venezuelan oil, points out Rajeev Srinivasan.
In its annual report to Congress on Tuesday on 'Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025', the US Department of War said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is actively considering and planning for additional military facilities.
IMAGES from the Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park in Melbourne on Thursday.
Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal on Thursday said he is not concerned about the rupee at all, arguing that even China and Japan witnessed exchange rate weaknesses during their high growth phases.
'Calibrated depreciation will help rebalance external fundamentals, offset some of the tariff differentials with competitors, improve the competitiveness of domestic substitutes vis-a-vis Chinese imports, and contribute to the easing of financial conditions at a time when the inflation rate is unusually low,' explains Sajjid Z Chinoy, head of Asia Economics at JP Morgan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India this week aims to secure energy supplies, stabilise defence deliveries and ensure bilateral trade continues smoothly despite strong Western sanctions, GTRI said on Tuesday.
If Xi Jinping is dethroned in the future, the instrument for that may well be embedded within the PLA, notes former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
All of Tang's personal property will be confiscated and his illegal gains from bribery recovered and turned over to the national treasury, the court said.
World Junior C'ships: Gnana Dattu, Bhavya-Vishakha reach quarters; Tanvi, Unnati also advance
No. 6 seed Yuan Yue came back from down 3-0 in the second set to win the last six games of the match and defeat former world No. 1 Simona Halep on Monday in the opening round of the Hong Kong Open.
Indian shuttlers Tanvi Sharma, Unnati Hooda and Rakshitha Sree Ramraj overcame some anxious moments to advance to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Junior Championships, in Guwahati, on Wednesday.
China's second-ranked general, He Weidong, is under investigation for corruption, along with nine other senior military officers punished for discipline violations and work-related crimes. This crackdown comes ahead of a key Communist Party conclave.
A hiker has died and hundreds are stranded on the Tibetan slopes of Mt. Everest following a blizzard. Rescue efforts are underway.
The Mumbai police, currently investigating a cyber slavery case involving five individuals trafficked to Laos under the pretext of job offers in Thailand, arrested the prime accused on Wednesday.
China is set to build a rail link connecting Xinjiang province with Tibet, part of which will run near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India.
'New Delhi is not naive about its foreign policy choices.'
China has formally started the construction of a USD 167.8 billion dam over the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh, raising concerns in India and Bangladesh.
Asian champion 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji leads India's 4-gold show in Taiwan Open
American lucky loser Reilly Opelka put up an intense battle to stun top seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5), 7-6(5) and reach the semi-finals in Den Bosch on Friday.
'I don't see 88 per dollar now.'
Former Everton midfielder and national team coach Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison for giving and receiving bribes.
The weaker rupee will push the country's import bill due to higher payments for crude oil, coal, vegetable oil, gold, diamonds, electronics, machinery, plastics, and chemicals, economic think tank GTRI said on Friday. Citing an example, it said the depreciating domestic currency will increase India's gold import bill, especially as global gold prices have jumped 31.25 per cent, rising from $65,877 per kg in January 2024 to $86,464 per kg in January 2025.
India's concerns over a planned naval exercise between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the strategically important waters of Trincomalee led to the shelving of the drills weeks ago. The exercise was planned as part of regular engagements between the two navies, but India expressed its apprehensions to the Sri Lankan government. Trincomalee, situated on Sri Lanka's northeastern coast, is considered a significant hub in the Indian Ocean region, particularly for India's maritime security interests. The Pakistani Navy's close cooperation with China's PLA Navy has raised concerns in New Delhi about any Pakistani warship presence in Trincomalee. This incident follows previous diplomatic rows between India and Sri Lanka over the docking of Chinese vessels at Sri Lankan ports. India has been actively supporting Sri Lanka's development of Trincomalee's energy infrastructure and has recently signed a defense pact with the country to boost military cooperation.
The depreciation of Indian rupee against the US dollar is expected to push the country's import bill by about $15 billion, think tank GTRI said on Thursday. Compared to December last year, the Indian Rupee (INR) has depreciated 2.34 per cent against the US dollar, moving from Rs 83.25 to Rs 85.20, while the Chinese Yuan has weakened by 0.06 per cent, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said.
China has announced a 7.2 percent increase in its national defence budget, bringing the total to USD 249 billion for the year. This rise comes amidst China's ongoing efforts to modernize its armed forces, including the development of new warships and fighter jets. The budget increase, exceeding last year's 7.2 percent rise, reflects China's commitment to bolstering its military capabilities. Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized the importance of the Communist Party's leadership in guiding the military, with President Xi Jinping at the helm of the Central Military Commission. China's defence spending is now three times that of India's and is viewed by critics as a sign of the country's growing military ambitions.
With the players then facing a quick turnaround ahead of the Indian Wells main draw beginning on Wednesday, Pegula offered to fly all of them to California for the WTA 1000 tournament.
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