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Nord Stream pipelines, cutting off a major route for Russian gas exports to Europe and reports allege that Ukrainians may have played a role in this. The blasts occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark, so both countries launched investigations into the incident. So far, they say the explosions were deliberate, but they have yet to single out who was behind the blasts, according to a report in Aljazeera. On September 26, 2022, several underwater blasts ruptured three of the four pipelines comprising Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, throwing vast amounts of gas into the Baltic Sea near Bornholm, Denmark. “Dutch military intelligence warned the CIA of a Ukrainian plan to blow up the pipelines three months before the attack, Dutch broadcaster NOS and Germany’s Die Zeit and ARD reported in June.

prices rose on Monday as investors focused on a tighter supply outlook after Moscow issued a temporary ban on fuel exports while remaining wary of further rate hikes that could dampen demand. Brent crude futures climbed 48 cents, or 0.5%, to $93.75 a barrel by 0110 GMT after settling 3 cents lower on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures extended gains for a second straight session, trading at $90.53 a barrel, up 50 cents, or 0.6%. «Crude oil prices have started the week on the front foot, as the market continues to digest Russia's temporary ban on diesel and gasoline exports, into an already tight market, offset with the Fed's hawkish message that rates will stay higher for longer,» IG Markets analyst Tony Sycamore said. Both contracts snapped a three-week winning streak to fall last week after a hawkish Federal Reserve stance rattled global financial sectors and raised oil demand concerns. Prices had rallied more than 10% in the previous three weeks on forecasts of a wide crude supply deficit in the fourth quarter after Saudi Arabia and Russia extended additional supply cuts to the end of the year. Last week, Moscow temporarily banned gasoline and diesel exports to most countries in order to stabilise the domestic market, fanning concerns of low products supply especially for heating oil as the northern hemisphere heads into winter. In the United States, the number of operating oil rigs fell by eight to 507 last week, their lowest since February 2022, despite higher prices, a weekly report from Baker Hughes showed on Friday. Expectations of better economic data this week from China, the world's largest crude importer, also lifted sentiment.

Bloomberg Barclays Emerging Markets bond index to advance a scheduled review to early October so that a decision on India, now featuring on the competing JP Morgan gauge, can be brought forward by a quarter to give bulge-bracket investors tracking the benchmark an option to incrementally buy about $25 billion of bonds issued by one of the least indebted major economies. A couple of large US-based firms are at the forefront of the group of investors that made the review rescheduling demand as JP Morgan's decision last week threatens to reduce competitiveness of the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate index, sources aware of the development told ET. Furthermore, these investors haven't even linked the potential inclusion to trade settlement on an international platform, reflecting India's increasing relevance for global indices that must recast themselves to reflect exclusion of Russia and tepid growth in China.Tax Talks «The investors have communicated to Bloomberg Barclays that they do not have a problem with the domestic delivery and payment system of settlement and that the Euroclear settlement is not a hurdle either,» a source said. Usually, managers of the Bloomberg Barclays index review the constituents and weights in the first quarter of a calendar year. Typically, overseas investments into instruments featuring on the gauge begin around nine months after the index inclusion is announced.AUM Nearly Equals GDP If included, India could be given a 0.8% weightage in the Bloomberg Barclays EM index, which has assets under management (AUM) of around $3 trillion.

Police in Russia have reportedly arrested an entrepreneur and “crypto influencer” known as Bitmama, aka the “Queen of Crypto,” on fraud charges.

It was the long holiday that first raised eyebrows. Rupert Murdoch, for so long someone who rarely spent more than a week at a time away from the coal face of his global media businesses, News Corp and Fox Corporation, was on board a yacht once owned by magnate Aristotle Onassis.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, it is perhaps time for Canada to implement a 'foreign policy reset', shedding off its 'middle-power approach' and focussing more on 'Indo-Pacific diplomacy', Japan Times reported. Prime Minister Trudeau's allegation of an Indian role in the assassination of Khalistleader Nijjar on Canadian soil, triggered a broader deterioration in relations between Ottawa and New Delhi, the report noted. Notably, a similar episode also led to a deteriorating trend in China-Canada relations, the report stated, adding that Michael Spavor, a businessman, and Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, were arrested by Beijing on espionage charges.

India has not only been closely monitoring Canada-based Sikh terror groups and their operatives, but also keeping a close watch on the role of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh (coalition partner in the Trudeau government) in encouraging extremist views. Jagmeet Singh has been alleged to influence Trudeau's pro-Khalistan politics and the Trudeau-Jagmeet alliance has engaged in vote bank politics amid the Canadian PM's rising unpopularity. India had engaged with certain countries, including Russia, on Jagmeet Singh's pro-extremist ideologies. Russia has banned Jagmeet's entry into its territory based on inputs provided by New Delhi, ET has learnt.

NEW DELHI : India expects to sign investment pacts worth ₹10 trillion during the Global Maritime India Summit in New Delhi slated for 17-19 October, Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said. In an interview, Sonowal said India is in talks with Russia to operationalize the recently proposed route of Chennai to Vladivostok, potentially reducing the maritime journey between the two countries to a mere 12 days. The development will facilitate trade between the two countries by providing a faster and cheaper way to transport oil.

India’s image as a leading space technology player and reaffirming its position as an attractive investment destination. India is just the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to achieve a soft landing on the moon, and at a reasonable cost of $75 million. India’s space economy is expected to grow to $12.5 billion by 2025. The multiplier effects of space technology expertise will spill over into component manufacturing, satellite systems, telecom, and assembly, and most importantly, it will create highly skilled and high-paying jobs. India is making its entry into another high-skill Industry — semiconductors.

Nijjar killing episode had lately led to some speculations regarding the flow of masur dal (red lentils) into India as Canada happens to be one of the main sources for its import. According to a September 24 ToI report, though, the Indian government so far is “comfortable” as far as the import of this item is concerned. Nearly lakh tonnes of it have arrived at Indian ports amid the ongoing diplomatic tiff, ToI said citing officials. “Against our annual consumption of 23 lakh tonne of lentils, the domestic production is around 16 lakh tonne.

Also Read: ‘Crude’ impact on economy: $10 rise in Brent widens India's CAD by 0.5%, say analysts as oil sizzles to 10-month high Oil prices are expected to trade higher and can touch above $95, but market analysts reckon that prices sustaining above $100 is questionable. ‘’Markets fear that this trend could spur more cooling in the US economy, potentially denting crude demand,'' said domestic brokerage firm Motilal Oswal. US fuel demand is also expected to cool in the coming months, with the end of the travel-heavy summer season.

Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist in 2020 by India was killed outside a Gurudwara in British Columbia's Surrey in June this year.

New Hope chief executive Rob Bishop says insurance companies’ attitude towards the coal sector has mellowed, reducing the urgency around efforts to establish a self-insurance scheme for local miners and their suppliers.

Justin Trudeau's allegations of Indian involvement in the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada is contemplating a shift in its foreign policy approach, as reported by the Japan Times. Trudeau's accusation concerning Nijjar's assassination on Canadian soil has strained relations between Ottawa and New Delhi, with repercussions echoing in Canada's relations with other nations, particularly China. The arrests of businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig by Beijing on espionage charges, in retaliation for the detainment of Huawei executive Meng Wangzhou in 2018 at the request of the United States, have added to the diplomatic tensions. China-Canada relations further soured due to allegations of Chinese electoral interference and threats against Canadian lawmaker Michael Chong, resulting in record-low favorability ratings for China in Canada. Discussing engagement between the two nations has become a sensitive issue. Canada's relations with Russia are also strained due to its staunch support for Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. Canada now finds itself in a precarious position, having alienated India, China, and Russia—three significant global players. Additionally, the looming possibility of Donald Trump's return to the U.S. presidency in 2024 poses another challenge, potentially misaligning Canada's goals with its most important economic, security, and political partner.

Rising oil prices are, generally speaking, wonderful for companies that pump it out of the ground. But only up to a point. Crude near $100 a barrel might be an unattractive price for everyone involved.

Pope Francis’ views on Russia and its invasion of Ukraine are alienating many Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe, who believe that the pontiff is understating Russia’s historic expansionism in the region and the threat it poses today. The pope’s recent praise of the 18th-century Russian empire that subjugated Ukraine stirred outrage well beyond Ukraine itself.

ONGC) has signed an agreement to sell crude oil it produces from Mumbai offshore fields to HPCL — the second such agreement in as many months, as India's top oil and gas producer prefers term contracts over auctions where refiners hammer deep discounts. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, ONGC said it has inked 'term agreement with HPCL for sale of crude oil from Mumbai offshore.' While it did not give details, sources aware of the matter said the pact for sale of about 4.5 million tonnes per annum of crude oil to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd's (HPCL) Mumbai refinery. «This is the second term agreement sealed for sale of Mumbai Offshore crude oil post marketing freedom,» ONGC said. Last month, ONGC had signed a similar pact to sell 4 million tonnes per annum plus an optional 0.5 million tonnes of crude oil to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), which too has a refinery to convert the crude oil into fuels like petrol and diesel at Mumbai. ONGC produces 13-14 million tonnes per annum of crude oil from its fields in the Arabian Sea, off the Mumbai coast. In June last year, the government abolished a rule that said oil from blocks awarded prior to 1999 must be sold to government-nominated customers, mostly state refiners.

Russia's top diplomat denounced the United States and the West on Saturday as self-interested defenders of a fading international power structure, but he didn't discuss his country's war in Ukraine in his speech to the UN General Assembly. «The US and its subordinate Western collective are continuing to fuel conflicts which artificially divide humanity into hostile blocks and hamper the achievement of overall aims. They're doing everything they can to prevent the formation of a genuine multipolar world order,» Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. «They are trying to force the world to play according to their own self-centered rules,» he said. As for the 19-month war in Ukraine, he recapped some historical complaints going back to the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, and alluded to the billions of dollars that the US and Western allies have spent in supporting Ukraine.

Ukraine on Saturday morning launched another missile attack on Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean Peninsula, a Russian-installed official said, a day after an attack on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet that left a serviceman missing and the main building smoldering. Sevastopol was put under an air raid alert for about an hour after debris from intercepted missiles fell near a pier, Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev wrote on the messaging app Telegram.

Indian Army contingent, comprising 32 soldiers representing the 14 Rajputana Rifles, departed for Russia to participate in the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus Expert Working Group on Counter Terrorism, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The Counter Terrorism Field Training Exercise (FTX) 2023 will be conducted from September 25-30. «Indian Army Contingent consisting of 32 personnel from a Battalion affiliated to the RAJPUTANA RIFLES departed for ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus Expert Working Group (EWG) on Counter Terrorism Field Training Exercise (FTX) 2023 scheduled to be conducted from 25th to 30th September 2023 in Russia,» the Ministry of Defence stated in a press release. A multinational joint military exercise being hosted by Russia as a co-chair of the EWG along with Myanmar, the meeting was preceded by the Table Top Exercise of the ADMM Plus EWG on Counter-Terrorism at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar from August 2-4. Since 2017, the ADMM Plus meets annually to allow dialogue and cooperation among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Plus countries. The inaugural ADMM Plus was convened in Ha Noi, Vietnam on October 12, 2010. This year ASEAN member states, along with the Plus Group, will be participating in the exercise, the Ministry stated. The exercise will comprise a number of counter-terrorism drills, including the destruction of terrorist groups in a fortified area.

Keeping Russians happy as elections approach or kicking Joe Biden between the legs over Ukraine?  Vladimir Putin reckons he can do both — if ​​oil prices cross $100 a barrel to limit any damage to the Russian economy from his chokes on supply.