The Indian rupee hit a lifetime low in opening deals on Monday as a sharp surge in global crude oil prices threatened to push up imported inflation and widen the country’s trade and current account deficits. The partially convertible rupee was trading at 76.92/93 per dollar, after touching 76.96, its weakest level ever. It had closed at 76.16 on Friday. The benchmark 10-year bond yield was trading at 6.86%, up 5 basis points on the day. Oil prices soared more than 6%, touching their highest since 2008 on Monday after the United States and European allies mull a Russian oil import ban while delays in the potential return of Iranian crude to global markets fuelled tight supply fears. Indian shares tumbled over 2% on Monday, with investors dumping risky assets as oil prices soared after the United States and European allies were said to be mulling a Russian oil import ban.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s support for evacuating hundreds of Indian nationals stranded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy amid intense fighting in the region. The main focus of India’s evacuation efforts in Ukraine over the past few days has been the safe and secure exit of some 700 Indians, mostly students, from Sumy. Close to 16,000 Indian nationals have been evacuated from across Ukraine, including other areas in the eastern part of the country facing heavy Russian shelling and violence. During a 35-minute phone conversation, Modi sought continued support from the Ukrainian government in ongoing efforts for evacuating Indian nationals from Sumy, people familiar with the matter said.
The Russian military declared a ceasefire in the capital city of Kyiv in Ukraine and three other major cities on Monday to open humanitarian corridors, news agency Reuters reported citing local media. The decision followed a request personally made by French President Emmanuel Macron, the report said. The corridors to allow safe passage to civilians trying to flee the war will open at 1000 Moscow time (0700 GMT). It will continue for 11 hours, according to the report. Besides Kyiv, forces will hold fire in Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy. A day earlier, a similar ceasefire was announced in Mariupol. But after a brief pause in firing, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces resumed artillery fire and airstrikes which prevented residents from leaving. Putin has blamed Ukraine for sabotaging the effort.
Police in Thailand said Monday that an autopsy conducted on the body of Australian cricket star Shane Warne has concluded that he died of natural causes. A statement issued by deputy national police spokesperson Kissana Pathanacharoen said the opinion issued by the doctor who carried out the autopsy has been conveyed to Warne’s family and the Australian Embassy. It said the family did not have any doubt that the 52-year-old cricketer, widely considered one of the sport’s greatest spin bowlers, died of natural causes. The statement, issued ahead of a planned police news conference, did not specify the cause of death. Preliminary evaluations from Thai authorities suggested Warne died from a heart attack. Warne was found unresponsive in his hotel room on the Thai resort island of Samui on Friday and could not be revived at a nearby hospital. His body was transferred Sunday to the Thai mainland for an official autopsy at a state hospital.
The Ukraine government has a contingency plan in place if President Volodymyr Zelensky is killed during the Russian invasion, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an interview with CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday. ‘The Ukrainians have plans in place — that I’m not going to talk about or get into any details on — to make sure that there is what we would call “continuity of government” one way or another. And let me leave it at that,’ Blinken said when he was asked if the United States was working on an interim plan to support a Ukrainian government without Zelensky. This comes amid reports that Zelensky has survived three assassination attempts since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky too talked about the threat to his life. In fact, he opened the recent Zoom meeting with US senators saying that this is probably the last time they were seeing him live.
That’s all from us for now. We will be back with the morning news bulletin.
Supreme Court set aside the Delhi high court’s adverse order against the Future Group, Congress has decided not to field a candidate from Karhal seat, India defeated China in the F ... Read more
Supreme Court set aside the Delhi high court’s adverse order against the Future Group, Congress has decided not to field a candidate from Karhal seat, India defeated China in the FIH Hockey Pro League in Muscat & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
Nirmala Sitharaman announced a 30 per cent tax on any income from the transfer of virtual digital assets, India’s own digital currency to soon be a reality, Hindustani Bhau arreste ... Read more
Nirmala Sitharaman announced a 30 per cent tax on any income from the transfer of virtual digital assets, India’s own digital currency to soon be a reality, Hindustani Bhau arrested by the Dharavi Police in Mumbai & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
Canadian PM, family moved to secret location amid protests, India is likely to step up spending on infrastructure, health services and social programmes, Mamata Banerjee blocked Go ... Read more
Canadian PM, family moved to secret location amid protests, India is likely to step up spending on infrastructure, health services and social programmes, Mamata Banerjee blocked Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar from her Twitter account & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint sitting of parliament ahead of the budget session, India's GDP is expected to grow at 8% to 8.5% for the next fiscal year, Former Australia capt ... Read more
Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint sitting of parliament ahead of the budget session, India's GDP is expected to grow at 8% to 8.5% for the next fiscal year, Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed Rohit Sharma for leading the Indian men's team in Test cricket. & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
More than 75% of India’s adult population has been fully vaccinated, The Budget Session of Parliament will begin from Monday with President's address to both the houses, Tejasswi P ... Read more
More than 75% of India’s adult population has been fully vaccinated, The Budget Session of Parliament will begin from Monday with President's address to both the houses, Tejasswi Prakash lifts the Bigg Boss 15 trophy & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
Amit Shah addressed a gathering of BJP supporters in UP's Muzaffarnagar today, India continued a downward trajectory on the Covid-19 graph on Saturday, A thousand drones will dazzl ... Read more
Amit Shah addressed a gathering of BJP supporters in UP's Muzaffarnagar today, India continued a downward trajectory on the Covid-19 graph on Saturday, A thousand drones will dazzle the sky above Delhi during the Beating Retreat ceremony & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
NARC is ready to acquire stressed assets worth 82000 crore rupees, India and the Philippines signed a deal worth $375 million, The trajectory of India’s 3rd wave of Covid-19 appea ... Read more
NARC is ready to acquire stressed assets worth 82000 crore rupees, India and the Philippines signed a deal worth $375 million, The trajectory of India’s 3rd wave of Covid-19 appears to have started reducing & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
The Supreme Court set aside the Maharashtra Assembly's decision to suspend 12 legislators of BJP for a one-year period, Protesters blocked roads and burned tyres in Patna over alle ... Read more
The Supreme Court set aside the Maharashtra Assembly's decision to suspend 12 legislators of BJP for a one-year period, Protesters blocked roads and burned tyres in Patna over alleged discrepancies in railway recruitment examinations, Trinamool Congress national vice-president Luizinho Faleiro withdrew his candidature from Goa’s Fatorda assembly constituency & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
China has said it will work “closely” with India to properly handle the ongoing border tension, Yogi Adityanath says he does politics of development, Joe Biden has said he will nom ... Read more
China has said it will work “closely” with India to properly handle the ongoing border tension, Yogi Adityanath says he does politics of development, Joe Biden has said he will nominate a Black woman to the US Supreme Court for the first time in history & other top news in this bulletin. Read more
Supreme Court asked the Punjab government to not arrest Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia till Mon, Delhi Disaster Management Authority decided to lift weekend curfe ... Read more
Supreme Court asked the Punjab government to not arrest Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia till Mon, Delhi Disaster Management Authority decided to lift weekend curfew and odd-even restrictions, China's People's Liberation Army handed over the missing teen from Arunachal Pradesh to the Indian Army & other top news in this bulletin. Read more