Formerly Iran's second-largest oil customer, Indian financial institutions were forced to withhold crude oil payments following the 2018 US sanctions.
Venezuela's Interim President Delcy Rodriguez is in New Delhi on her sixth visit to India.
As AI enters astrology apps and predictions, technology is becoming a new interface for humanity's oldest questions about uncertainty and the future.
A new study reveals that herbal cigarettes, often marketed as a safe alternative to tobacco, produce emissions that are comparably or even more damaging than regular tobacco cigarettes.
CAT and MBA expert and rediffGURU Patrick D'Souza explains how a simple daily reading habit can help aspirants clinch 99 percentile in the Common Admission Test this year.
As Aamir Khan Productions celebrates 25 years, we rank the 10 best films produced by its star, from the iconic Lagaan to the recent critically-acclaimed Laapataa Ladies.
India generates 9.3 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, nearly 20 per cent of the world's total.
There are roughly 2,000 ships stranded in the Persian Gulf, carrying more than 20,000 seafarers, according to the International Maritime Organisation, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
'He is 500 times better than you think he is.'
...is a way out, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War. What the indefinite extension produces is a prolonged condition of not-war-not-peace, in which oil markets cannot stabilise, Asian refineries cannot plan, European governments cannot stop subsidising consumption they cannot afford, and the next flashpoint -- a seized tanker, a miscalculated drone strike, a Truth Social post that claims too much -- is one news cycle away.
A new study reveals that AI chatbots often provide inaccurate and incomplete medical information, raising concerns about their use in healthcare communication.
Karex, the Malaysian company that makes roughly one in five of the world's condoms -- about five billion a year, supplying Durex and Trojan among others -- announced this week that it is raising prices by up to 30 percent. The reason is the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian news agencies have denied reports of Iranian officials travelling to Pakistan for negotiations with the United States, even as Pakistan prepares for potential talks and faces criticism from Israel.
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.
Trump has made it clear: the US will not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until a deal is signed.
Trump may strike. He may announce productive talks and extend again. He may do both at the same time. Iran will not open the Strait on someone else's terms, so no matter what happens, that problem will remain unsolved. And the IRGC will still be collecting its $2 million toll from every ship bold enough to ask permission to pass.
The clock on the ceasefire is running out. But everyone's already whispering about round two, possibly as soon as this weekend.
Awarded to select nominees and winners, the 2026 Everyone Wins Oscar swag bag includes luxury vacation stays in Ibiza and Lapland worth $65,000, a $25,000 facial plastic surgery voucher from a New York-based surgeon, and even a custom prenuptial agreement service, among several other high-end gifts.
The United States, which entered this war in expectation of a short, sharp win along the Venezuela model, is now preparing for deeper involvement in a conflict it does not fully control, without the allies it typically relies on, against an adversary that is not behaving as expected, in a global environment that is already absorbing economic shock. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey met in Islamabad in what analysts say is the formal opening of a new diplomatic formation that could reshape the post-war regional order. Their immediate goal is a ceasefire; their larger ambition is to ensure that neither Iran nor Israel emerges from this war in a dominant position. Pakistan's foreign minister then flew directly to Beijing and mooted a Chinese role as guarantor of any eventual agreement. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The ceasefire is still technically holding, to the extent that no overt hostilities have been reported yet, but the rhetoric has hardened dangerously. The week ahead will also clarify whether the Islamabad failure was a negotiating tactic or whether Washington has genuinely locked itself into a position from which the only exits are climb-down, escalation, or the slow bleed of a new status quo that nobody chose and nobody controls. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) seized 22 kg of etomidate, an analgesic drug, disguised as aloe vera powder at Mumbai airport. The drug was being illegally exported to Malaysia via air cargo. Three individuals from Surat have been arrested in connection with the smuggling operation.
The core issues to be settled -- access to Hormuz, Israel's aggression in Lebanon, the question of Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief and compensation -- are thorny enough to require weeks of patient negotiation. The most likely outcome of the opening sessions is that both sides take the measure of each other, establish what is and is not negotiable, and return home without having broken anything. That would count as progress.
The delegations from the US and Iran head to Islamabad on Friday, carrying a ceasefire that is already fraying, a Strait that is technically open and practically closed, and a negotiating agenda that would challenge even parties actually negotiating in good faith, which these groups are not. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are actively pushing Trump to take the war to its bitter finish and 'erase' Iran's presence in the geopolitics of the region. Simply put, the two most powerful Sunni Arab oligarchies are on the same page as Israel. Such interference increases the risk of a breakdown in dialogue between the US and Iran, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India's market regulator has found that Bank of America shared confidential details ahead of a 2024 block trade and later misled regulators during the investigation.
The 'rescue' operation occurred within kilometres of Iran's underground tunnel complex at Isfahan, assessed by the IAEA and US intelligence as holding a substantial portion of the country's 60 per cent enriched uranium stockpile. Retired senior US military officers have highlighted that the mission's footprint -- hundreds of special operators, multiple heavy-lift aircraft deep inside Iran -- appears outsized for recovering a single airman. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
The pause gives the US time to breathe, to regroup, to move its expeditionary force into position without risk of interception along the way. It gives Iran nothing -- on the ground, attacks against its infrastructure continue apace. Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
For weeks, the war skirted the edge of catastrophe without tipping over. Missiles flew, there was much destruction, commanders were assassinated, cities across the Gulf and even in Israel struggled to absorb the shock. But one line held: Energy infrastructure, the arteries of the global economy, remained largely untouched. That is no longer true. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
According to a post on X by the US European Command, the tanker violated US sanctions and was tracked by the US Coast Guard cutter Munro prior to the operation.
The European Union (EU) has suspended export benefits to sectors such as textiles and plastics under a preferential scheme for India and two other countries from January 1, a move that will impact the country's shipment to the 27-nation bloc. The development is important as the two sides are likely to announce the closure of negotiations for a free tarde agreement (FTA) on January 27.
Ranveer Allahbadia found an easy way of asking questions which made sense to him and his team. No counter-questions or finding out the 'Why?' from the celebrity he was speaking to. The 'Why?' was buried and forgotten in Ranveer's shows, observes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'For the first time in a hundred years, the army has been taken out of the political equation. And for the first time ever, there is only one man who calls the shots. Not even Mao had this kind of power.'
Bhagwat said India's concept of 'rashtra' is ancient, organic and fundamentally different from the Western idea of a nation.
'When AI comes in, coders in Bangalore or Hyderabad will lose their jobs.'
'Our problem is not a budget deficit but a trust deficit. We need to trust our institutions and industries to innovate and lead. That is the way forward for India.'
'They are totally disconnected with farm activities which their families have been involved in for years.'
The enduring relationship between the two countries have survived the disintegration of the erstwhile USSR in 1991, the end of the Cold War and the regime change in both countries, points out Rup Narayan Das.
AI will erase outsourcing jobs, redefine skills and disrupt global giants within five years, predicts Vinod Khosla. The IT legend urges young people to become generalists: Adaptable thinkers who can learn quickly, connect dots across disciplines and shift careers as technologies evolve.
'I need 3-4 lakhs for the wedding. All prospective grooms demand a motorcycle which costs 1 to 1.5 lakhs, then you have to also give a bed, cupboard, utensils, fridge,' says Kamala, her wrinkled forehead furrowing with despair.
