India’s crude basket: More Middle East, less Russia; after Trump’s sanctions, what’s next for Moscow’s oil shipments?

India has transformed its crude sourcing strategy, reducing Russian crude barrels while increasing its Middle Eastern shipments. Though Moscow still has a share in New Delhi’s oil inflows, the volumes are down due to compliance risks. Data from analytics firm Kpler shows that in the first three weeks of January 2026, the country imported about…

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Railway Budget 2026 expectations: 5 ways to drive an important growth engine for the Viksit Bharat vision

While investments in infrastructure creation of track and rolling stock have been significant, average train speeds have remained 50–52 kmph for mail/express passengers. By Dhruv Gadh and Nitin KumarThe transport and logistics sector serves as the backbone for India’s Viksit Bharat @2047 vision. As our national carrier, the railways connect remote places, while providing a…

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Budget 2026: Jewellery sector seeks duty rationalisation, reforms and GST cuts

For the Union Budget 2026-2027, India’s gems and jewellery industry is urging the government for a mix of GST cuts, customs reforms and policy changes to counter global trade headwinds and improve export competitiveness.In its pre-Budget memorandum submitted to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) highlighted measures aimed at…

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Investors’ expectations from Union Budget 2026

By Devendra AgrawalFor Investors: The recent Supreme Court judgement that has gone against Tiger Global may dampen the confidence of any global investor because anything that’s agreed in the past is open for interpretation. And while that may lead to short-term benefit of recovering the taxes from one investor, in the long run it might…

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Singapore to invest $785 million in public AI research through 2030 to boost global competitiveness

Singapore will invest more than Sg$1 billion ($785 million) in public research on artificial intelligence through 2030, as the city-state looks to strengthen its technological capabilities and sharpen its global competitiveness, the government said on Saturday.The funding will be used to set up “world-class” AI research centres, build capabilities to support industrial applications of artificial…

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Bessent signals easing of Russian oil tariffs on New Delhi while frowning on EU -India FTA

Scott Bessent (File photo) TOI correspondent from Washington: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled a prospective removal of the 25 per cent penalty tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian oil, citing “success” in Washington’s pressure tactics while appearing to disapprove the outreach of the European Union, which is on the verge of concluding…

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