Trump says Iran ‘will agree’ to weapons inspection as part of deal

WASHINGTON: “Everybody is fully aware that Iran will agree to have Major Weapons Inspections in order to ensure “Nuclear Honesty” long into the future,” Trump posted on social media. Iran will continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in line with existing procedures, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told IRNA....more

JD Vance says ‘great progress’ achieved towards final deal with Iran

GENEVA: Vice President JD Vance has hailed “great progress” in negotiations with Iran and says UN nuclear inspectors will return to verify Tehran’s compliance with the preliminary agreement. Iran’s top negotiators depart Switzerland for Tehran after 18 hours of intensive talks as a team remains to continue technical negotiations on the Islamabad memorandum of understanding....more

US grants 60-day waiver on Iranian oil sanctions as part of interim deal to end war

WASHINGTON: The US treasury has issued a 60-day license permitting countries to continue purchasing Iranian oil, providing temporary relief from sanctions restrictions. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took to social media on Monday to say that the US would "continue to make the world safer and more prosperous."...more

India-EU trade pact to be signed by December; implemented from Feb-Mar next year: Piyush Goyal

MUMBAI: India and the 27-nation European Union will sign the free trade agreement by December and are likely to implement the pact during February- March next year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday. On January 27 this year, India and the EU announced the conclusion of negotiations for the 'mother of all deals'....more

Vihaan Jain Clinches Maiden IGU Category A Title

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vihaan Jain clinched his maiden IGU Category ‘A’ (15–17 years) title with an impressive three-shot victory at the IGU Andhra Pradesh Junior Boys Golf Championship held at East Point Golf Club, Visakhapatnam. The 16-year-old displayed remarkable composure in the final round, carding a two-under 70 to finish the 72-hole championship at four-under 284....more

15 dead in Lucknow fire

LUCKNOW: A total of 15 people have been confirmed dead by authorities after a fire broke out in a three-storey building on Usha Mehta Marg in Lucknow's Aliganj area on Monday. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who visited the incident site, has announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each for the family of those killed in the fire incident and ₹50,000 each for the injured....more

Modi, Rob Jetten Launch New Roadmap For Strategic Partnership

By Deepak Arora

THE HAGUE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Rob Jetten have agreed to elevate the India-Netherlands bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by following focused, time bound initiatives and joint plans of action. The two leaders held wide-ranging talks on strengthening the India-Netherlands relationship at the Dutch Prime Minister's official residence (Catshuis) in The Hague....more

@ Netherlands Returns 1,000-Year-Old Chola-Era Copper Plates To India

@ Modi invites Dutch companies to explore opportunities in India

@ Modi visits Afsluitdijk Dam, a symbol of engineering excellence and innovation

Keir Starmer resigns as British prime minister

LONDON: Keir Starmer resigned as British prime minister on Monday, and within hours Reform UK leader Nigel Farage demanded a general election. Farage said he had “had enough of waiting around” and that Britain needed “real change, not another washed-up has-been shoved into place by the uniparty”....more

India, France to double trade in five years, eye greater cooperation in nuclear energy

NICE: India and France on Sunday set a target for doubling two-way trade from the current level of about $16 billion within five years and agreed to work more closely on civil nuclear energy, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron held talks on bolstering bilateral ties and global crises such as the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia....more

Indians among 13 killed in blast at Qatar's key LNG hub in Ras Laffan Industrial City

DOHA: A total of 13 people were killed in an explosion at a facility in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, one of the world's most important liquefied natural gas (LNG) hubs, QatarEnergy said on Monday. According to the preliminary information, the victims included Indian and Pakistani nationals, according to a Gulf news report....more

UN tells world to brace for extreme weather as El Nino looms

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations’ climate agency has warned of an increased risk of extreme weather in the coming weeks and months due to the emerging El Nino weather pattern. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued the alert in a news release on Tuesday, saying that there was an 80 percent chance of an El Nino event – marked by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean- between June and August and a roughly 90 percent chance of it forming by November....more

Doval meets China’s Wang Yi, holds ‘constructive and forward-looking discussions’

NEW DELHI: National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Monday and reviewed bilateral ties, including progress in efforts to normalise relations following a military stand-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that lasted more than four years. Doval met Wang, who functions as the NSA in his role as Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, on the margins of the Brics NSAs’ meeting in New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media....more

America at 250: Advancing Freedom Worldwide Still Matters

By Daniel Twining

WASHINGTON: America was built on a radical premise: that individual liberty is an unalienable, inherent right worth fighting for in the face of tyranny. Revolutionary at the time of our founding, this idea remains the bedrock of American democracy and strength. As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, we should acknowledge the endurance of these ideals and their relevance today....more

From Fuel Shock to Supply Chain Strain: How the Strait of Hormuz Crisis Is Rippling Across Indian Industry

By Avica Kumar

NEW DELHI: India's energy security and industrial stability are coming under increasing strain as tensions around Iran continue to disrupt critical oil and gas supply routes. The fallout is no longer confined to global markets. Indian industries are now confronting escalating operational and financial risks, with cascading midstream and downstream impacts....more