Daily Briefing: India's oil trade faces heat

Indian Express

3 days ago

Good morning,
What if you could change the ending of your favourite film? Your beloved character could escape death, maybe the it-wasn't-meant-to-be couple could finally be together, or the female protagonist could reject the toxically masculine hero instead of falling in love with him. The prospect is exciting, isn't it? Well, what once belonged in the realm of fanfiction may now turn into reality with Artificial Intelligence. Eros International has announced it will re-release the 2013 romantic drama Raanjhanaa in theatres. Twelve years later, the film is set to receive a new, happy ending, where Dhanush's character, Kundun, does not die. The move raises many questions, and most pertinently, where does creative liberty end and who does it lie with? The film's maker, Aanand L Rai, told SCREEN, our Entertainment vertical, that he wasn't consulted in the process. 'How can they do this? It's a tragedy, that's an emotion. How can you meddle with emotions?' What do you think?
On that note, let's get to the rest of today's edition.
India's fight against tariffs opened up a new front after NATO chief Mark Rutte warned of secondary sanctions against countries doing business with Russia in the face of its continued war with Ukraine. The warning comes as Delhi is engaged in trade talks with Washington to reduce the steep tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Caution: Rutte warned China, India and Brazil that if they continued to trade with Russia and buy their oil and gas, 'then you know: if the man in Moscow doesn't take the peace negotiations seriously, I will impose 100 per cent secondary sanctions.' Rutte was doubling down on an earlier threat by US President Donald Trump, who had warned of similar economic penalties against Russia's trading partner if the Kremlin does not agree to end the war within 50 days. Crucially, the US Congress is working on a Bill to put 500% tariffs on buyers of Russian energy.
Response: In the face of these threats, the Ministry of External Affairs cautioned against 'double standards' on the matter, underlining that 'securing the energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us'. Notably, India began buying Russian crude oil after it offered discounted rates. Russia is now India's top supplier, with Delhi showing no signs of scaling back trade. India maintains it will continue buying oil, which is not under sanctions, from whoever offers the best price. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri asserted that he was not 'feeling any pressure' as India has diverse sources of oil supply.
Also Read: Trump, who has earlier blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for 'gambling with World War III' and threatened to all but abandon the embattled nation, has had a sharp turn in his position. He went from praising Russian President Vladimir Putin to expressing frustration with the latter. What explains this change of heart? Shubhajit Roy writes.
Language politics have gripped Maharashtra in the run-up to the local body elections. But the state is not alone. The argument that 'outsiders', who have come to live or work in the state, should learn the local language has also found resonance in other states, particularly Karnataka. In this week's Dis/Agree column, we invited two writers to elaborate on the debate.
Leher Kala writes that the issue is just a 'distraction'. 'Linguistic divisions have got an alarming amount of air time and newsprint, while our garbage-laden streets are sinking in the monsoon.'
Aakash Joshi opines that 'lumpen, empty politics' has hijacked the language question. 'No language should be forced down anyone's throat. However, learning a language opens up a universe and a world.'
Hiring! For many candidates for whom the UPSC dream remains elusive, the prospects of starting professional life from scratch can be daunting. Now, they have been handed a lifeline through the UPSC's Public Disclosure Scheme, which can help willing candidates get private sector jobs which match their qualifications. Know all about it.
Content laws: The Centre has defended its decision to lower 'safe harbour' protections offered to newspapers and TV news channels for Internet intermediaries and social media platforms, stating that such algorithmic curation systems are 'fundamentally unlike any editorial process in traditional media'. The Centre was responding in the Karnataka High Court, which is hearing a plea by social media platform X challenging the Centre's use of Section 79 of the Information Technology Act to pass content blocking orders.
Not a cruise: Tesla may be staring at a bumpy road ahead in India. Despite relaxed import regulations tied to a 'Made in India' commitment, Elon Musk's electric vehicle powerhouse has yet to express any intent to manufacture its flagship models within the country. As a result, Tesla would import Model Y vehicles from its Shanghai facility in China. But can these vehicles truly adapt to Indian driving conditions? From challenges to the future rollout of self-driving cars to inadequacies in the existing hardware and features, here's a quick analysis.
A whirlwind romance: Russian national Nina Kutina was discovered last week living in a remote cave in the Ramatirtha hills near Gokarna, Karnataka, alongside her two young daughters. The revelation has taken a dramatic turn with the girls' father, Israeli citizen Dror Goldstein, stepping forward to seek shared custody. He is now urging Indian authorities not to deport his daughters to Russia with Kutina. Goldstein's missing persons report, filed in Goa's Panaji police station back in December, has now unveiled a tale of passion, separation and bitterness that led Kutina deep into the forests of Karnataka.
Harry meets 7: Last year, Bathinda resident Rajwinder Singh believed he was on the brink of a new life, engaged to Harpreet Kaur, a Canada-based woman, and chasing the Canadian dream. But what seemed like love turned out to be an elaborate scam. Harpreet and her mother, Sukhdarshan Kaur, allegedly duped multiple families across Punjab by staging fake engagements and spinning tales over video calls, promising marriage and migration in exchange for lakhs of rupees. The con, believed to be worth at least Rs 1.6 crore, came crashing down after one accidental WhatsApp voice note exposed the truth.
🎧 Before you go, tune in to the latest '3 Things' podcast episode. Today's lineup: The Air India crash probe report, the challenges faced by astronauts after returning from space, and the quashing of the Tablighi Jamaat case.
That's all for today, folks! Happy weekend-ing!
Sonal Gupta
Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take.
... Read More