India is calling on the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to abstain from imposing new oil production cuts, as it believes that the move could affect consumers’ interests, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in an interview.
Despite including energy as a “major new component” of its bilateral ties, India is not expecting any concrete discussion on a long-term energy agreement with the US, similar to one signed with Russia, as part of a five-year roadmap for cooperation in the energy sector.
India is planning to import oil and gas from Russia via a new route, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz where tensions between Iran and the US have escalated in recent months. But the proposed alternative route would see vessels navigate the South China Sea, which is also a potential flashpoint.
Plastic waste has become a major environmental catastrophe. According to the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), five trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year. About 60% of that plastic ends up landfills or the natural environment
Dozens of people have been injured and about one hundred killed as a result of lightning strikes and heavy rain across India that started on 23 July, the broadcaster NDTV reported, citing police.
The Indian government said on Wednesday that it might not be able to reach a consensus with Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) in the US to set up six AP-1000 nuclear reactors in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
India’s government asserted on Wednesday that it has no plans to halt trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran despite stern words from the US. The development came as a major turnaround in the nation’s stance towards unlateral US sanctions against Tehran.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo created a flutter of sorts last week, by saying that Washington and New Delhi have a shared understanding of the alleged threat posed by Iran.
With the US waiver on sanctions against the purchase of Iranian crude extended to India ending, New Delhi has reiterated time and again that it would only follow UN-mandated sanctions. India put off the discussions on Iranian oil purchase until the national elections were over.
India and Japan have struck an important tripartite agreement with Sri Lanka to jointly develop the “East Container Terminal” in the Port of Colombo. As per the agreement, a terminal operator company will be set up with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority holding a 51% stake and the rest being split between India and Japan.