On Wednesday (December 28) afternoon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat to meet his hospitalised mother.
Heeraben Modi was hospitalised at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre on Tuesday night following the deterioration of her health. As of now, her condition is said to be stable.
PM Modi arrives at UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre in Ahmedabad where his mother Heeraben Modi is admitted
Reportedly, BJP MLAs Kaushik Jain and Darshnaben Baghela have reached the hospital to meet Heeraben Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brother Prahlad Modi and family members were injured after their car met with an accident in Mysuru, Karnataka. The incident took place on Tuesday (December 27) afternoon near Kadkola, which is 13 kms away from Mysuru.
Prahlad Modi was travelling with his son, daughter-in-law and grandson to Bandipura in an SUV. The accident took place when the car hit a divider. All passengers in the car were taken to JS Hospital in Mysuru. The grandson has suffered some head injuries but is out of danger as per reports.
China’s latest ingress in Arunachal Pradesh has a lot to do with the control of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. Tawang, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, is home to the oldest and second-largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism outside of China’s control, according to a report in Voices Against Autocracy.
The report also says that: “The Tawang Galdan Namgye Lhatse monastery, sits at 10,000 ft with a commanding view of the Tawang Chu valley near India’s borders with Tibet and Bhutan. It was established in 1681 on the instruction of the 5th Dalai Lama.” Thousands of ethnic Tibetan families still live in Tawang which is their traditional homeland outside China. Tsangyang Gyatso, the sixth Dalai Lama was also born in Tawang in March 1683.
“China claims Tawang along with the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as a part of South Tibet. With the current Dalai Lama ageing and reportedly not in the best of health, succession will be a huge question after his passing,” reported Voices Against Autocracy.
China in order to control Tibetan Buddhism, will try to nominate a new Dalai Lama of its choice. According to China, control over Tawang would improve the country’s chances of capturing the Tawang monastery.
The Tawang monastery could be a part of the mysterious puzzle to the future of Tibet, its spirituality, and its politics, all of which are currently embodied by the 14th Dalai Lama, according to Voices Against Autocracy.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) is worried about the current Dalai Lama’s visits to Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh due to the rising discontent against Chinese President Xi Jinping in China, Tibet and Xinjiang.
Recently, a report in The Diplomat said that China has been greatly fixated on an ancient kingdom known as “Zhangzhung”. China has been carrying out research and excavation related to Zhangzhung in Western Tibet.
Academics contest Zhangzhung’s exact boundaries. Some say it comprised parts of what is now known as Ladakh, West Tibet, Nepal, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Others, however, argue that the kingdom only cut into the northwest edge of Nepal and a part of Ladakh.
“The lack of knowledge and certainty surrounding Zhangzhung make it ripe for exploitation and distortion. The importance of the kingdom is that it is tied to so many cultural and geostrategic dynamics China wants to manipulate today. Beijing is therefore actively creating historical revisionism through the sponsorship of archaeologists and historians to provide a new narrative of Zhangzhung in order to justify its territorial, cultural, and geopolitical control in the region,” according to The Diplomat report.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The police remand of Sheezan Mohammad Khan, arrested in the TV actress Tunisha Sharma death case, ends on December 28. Meanwhile, the police have identified a secret girlfriend of Sheezan Khan and they have discovered that he had deleted the WhatsApp chat with her.
The investigation of Mumbai Police in the Tunisha Sharma death case is currently centred on a WhatsApp chat Khan had with his secret girlfriend and Tunisha. Police are investigating the conversation between Tunisha and Sheezan Khan. This chat is 250 to 300 pages and the police are looking for the reason for the breakup between the two in these chats. According to the information, this chat is from June until now.
According to a report by India Today, the police sources involved in the investigation said, “The Valiv police retrieved Whats App chats and recordings from Sheezan’s phone. They scanned all the chats and found nothing inappropriate or suspicious in the chats exchanged between Sheezan and Tunisha. They are yet to unlock Tunisha’s phone.”
Sources claim that Sheezan has been changing statements during the police recordings. Sources further said, “All of Sheezan’s statements are being recorded on camera. After speaking about differences in religion being one of the reasons behind the breakup, Sheezan now claims that he wanted to focus on his career and hence he broke up with Tunisha. Police have taken into custody the footage of the shoot on the day of the incident to understand if anything went wrong during the process of shooting.”
The accused, Sheezaan Khan, has admitted that he has a secret girlfriend. The Valliv police have identified the secret girlfriend but her statements have not yet been recorded. At the same time, the police are also trying to retrieve the chat that Sheezaan Khan had deleted. The Vasai police are thoroughly investigating the whole matter. The police have also seized the DVR of the shoot on the set. The police are trying to understand if there was anything that could be understood from the facial expressions during the shoot.
The police have also seized the raw footage. Police are also investigating how many takes Sheezaan and Tunisha took to give a shot. Police have said that the interrogation of Sheezan Khan is necessary while in custody. At the same time, the police will now interrogate that secret girlfriend too. Along with this, the statement of Sheezan Khan’s mother will also be recorded.
Actress Tunisha Sharma, best known for films like “Ali Baba: Dastan-e-Kabul” and “Fitoor”, committed suicide on Saturday, December 24, on the sets of her serial. Tunisha Sharma was cremated on Tuesday in the presence of her family members and television colleagues.
A Vasai police official said on Monday that Sheezan Khan had told the investigating officers that his relationship with Tunisha Sharma lasted for three months. He also mentioned the age difference between the two cited as a reason for separation. According to the official, a team from Kalina Laboratory inspected the set on Monday and also seized the clothes and jewellery that Tunisha Sharma was wearing on the day of the incident on Saturday.
On November 23, a Sindhi Hindu boy identified as Love Kumar Meghwad, a resident of Mithi, district Tharparkar (Thar) of Sindh Province in Pakistan, was arrested by the Police for alleged blasphemy. As per social media posts, Love used ‘Mola’ instead of Bhagwan in a Facebook post while addressing God. A case was filed against Love under sections 298 and 153A of the Pakistan Penal Code. Love published the alleged post on Facebook on November 22.
Zafar Sahito, founder and Central Chief organizer of Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement, said in a post that Love had complained to God that He is missing when Hindu girls are abducted from their homes every day and how their families are suffering! He also said that when fathers and mothers of such girls cry, God does not listen to them.
That’s it , that’s his crime & now he is in jail ! Already professor Nutan kumar is in Pakistani jails since many years on blasphemy charges. This is what happening in Occupied Sindh with real owners of land Sindhi Hindus.3/3 @hrw@ANI#ReleaseLoveKumar#ReleaseNutanKumarpic.twitter.com/ZmmirHpxyR
He further added that his post had nothing blasphemous, but he was arrested and thrown in jail. Remembering a similar case, he wrote, “Already professor Nutan Kumar is in Pakistani jails for many years on blasphemy charges. This is happening in Occupied Sindh with real owners of land Sindhi Hindus.”
Notably, the ‘Mola’ word is commonly used in the Sindhi language to address God. Veengas, a journalist from Karachi, said in a Twitter post that both Hindus and Muslims in Sindh refer to God as ‘Mola’, ‘God’, ‘Dhari’ or ‘Ishwar’. Furthermore, Sindhi literature references the word ‘Mola’ referring to God. She urged the Pakistani government to ‘protect citizens’.
She said, “A blasphemy charge has been made against a young Hindu boy in Tharparkar over a Facebook post wherein he had communicated with God by complaining about injustice. In Sindh, either Hindus or Muslims remember God using a different name: Mola, God, Dhari, Ishwar.
Even our Sindhi literature is filled with such writings. People can communicate with God as it is between you and Dhari (God). Government should show its presence and protect citizens. Please, let people breathe.
“Even our Sindhi literature is filled with such writings. People can communicate with God as it is between you and Dhari (God). Government should show its presence and protect citizens. Please, let people breathe.”
The case of Professor Notan Lal
Notan Lal, a Hindu teacher, was sentenced to life imprisonment on the charges of blasphemy. Lal, owner and principal of a private school, was accused of ‘insulting’ Prophet Muhammad during an Urdu class as accused by a student named Muhammad Ihtisham, who later said he had lied. A fine of Rs 50,000 has also been imposed on him.
In September 2019, an FIR was filed against a Hindu principal of the Sindh Public School for allegedly passing derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
After the false accusation by the student, violence and vandalism were unleashed by residents of Ghotki protesting on the streets, damaging the school and also a Hindu temple in the area. The Police, in order to control the situation and avoid further damage, detained Lal under Article 295 (c) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The demonstrators had already vandalized three temples, a private school and multiple houses belonging to the Hindu community, posing a threat to the minority community in Pakistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had also reported mob violence after accusations of blasphemy in Ghotki. “Hindu community is in danger”, it quoted in a tweet.
On January 26, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that at least 89 people had been killed in the country since 1947. Furthermore, 1,415 people (both men and women) have been accused of blasphemy since 1947. Out of these, 1,287 people were accused of blasphemy from 2011-21.
Amidst the worldwide criticism and protest against the Taliban’s diktat banning entry of women students in universities in Sharia-governed Afghanistan, a professor from Kabul University registered his protest on national TV against the regressive order.
During a live debate programme on TOLO News, the professor tore up his diploma certificates saying that he does not need those certificates if the women of the country are denied access to education.
A video clip of the debate show was shared on Twitter by Shabnam Nasimi, former policy advisor to the Minister for Afghan Resettlement & Minister for Refugees. As seen in the video, the Kabul university professor held up his diploma certificates and then tore them up one by one.
While tearing the certificates, the professor is heard saying, “I do not need these certificates as now there is no place for education in this country. I cannot accept this education if my sister and mother cannot study.”
“Astonishing scenes as a Kabul university professor destroys his diplomas on live TV in Afghanistan —“From today I don’t need these diplomas anymore because this country is no place for an education. If my sister & my mother can’t study, then I DON’T accept this education,” Shabnam Nasimi tweeted.
Astonishing scenes as a Kabul university professor destroys his diplomas on live TV in Afghanistan —
“From today I don’t need these diplomas anymore because this country is no place for an education. If my sister & my mother can’t study, then I DON’T accept this education.” pic.twitter.com/cTZrpmAuL6
After its takeover, the Taliban had claimed that it will allow women to take education with strict rules and restrictions. Initially, educational institutions were ordered to implement new rules such as gender-segregated classrooms and entrances. However, in March this year, the Islamist regime took a U-turn and banned secondary education for girl students.
Taliban has also barred women from most jobs and made it compulsory for women to wear Hijabs and Burqas. Besides, Afghan women are also banned from public parks and gyms.
Crushing the aspirations of Afghan women to educate themselves and pursue a career of their choice, the Sharia-compliant Taliban regime on December 20 banned university access for female students.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education in a letter directed all the public and private universities to suspend access to university education for female students till further notice.
Taliban’s regressive move invited global outrage. Several countries condemned the Taliban’s order. Meanwhile, the male students of several universities in Afghanistan also expressed solidarity with the female students. Several male students at the Nangarhar University in Jalalabad and at Kandahar University in Afghanistan reportedly staged a protest and expressed solidarity with the women. The male students walked out of the examination hall at the University.
Apart from denying access to education, the Islamist regime on December 24 also barred women from working in local and foreign NGOs saying that the women employees were not following the “Islamic dress code”.
Opposing the order restricting women from working, three international NGOs Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and CARE on December 25, announced the suspension of their aid work in the country.
On December 27, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) also issued a press statement expressing its concerns over the denial of access to university education for Afghan women.
“The Security Council is deeply alarmed by reports that the Taliban have suspended access to universities for women and girls, and reaffirmed its deep concern about the suspension of schools beyond the sixth grade, and its call for the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghanistan,” the UNSC press statement read.
UN Security Council statement (Image via press.un.org)
On the Taliban order banning women from working in NGOs, the UN Security Council said that the move will have a significant and immediate impact on humanitarian operations in Afghanistan being carried out by private NGOs and the UN.
The mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Heeraben Modi, has been hospitalised at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat.
The development came after her health deteriorated last night. As of now, her condition is said to be stable. Reportedly, BJP MLAs Kaushik Jain and Darshnaben Baghela have reached the hospital to meet Heeraben Modi.
Heeraben Modi, mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is admitted at UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre in #Ahemdabad and her health condition is stable, says the hospital. pic.twitter.com/ln7JKJewz6
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brother Prahlad Modi and family members were injured after their car met with an accident in Mysuru, Karnataka. The incident took place on Tuesday (December 27) afternoon near Kadkola, which is 13 kms away from Mysuru.
Prahlad Modi was travelling with his son, daughter-in-law and grandson to Bandipura in an SUV. The accident took place when the car hit a divider. All passengers in the car were taken to JS Hospital in Mysuru. The grandson has suffered some head injuries but is out of danger as per reports.
The terrorist outfit Al-Qaida, which is banned in India, has again targeted the country over the alleged blasphemous remarks made by former BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma against Prophet Muhammad. In its fifth issue of a periodical magazine named ‘One Ummah’, the organization has appealed to all Muslim countries to boycott India and Indian products and also expel all the Hindus working in the Arab countries.
Al-Qaida Media, As-Sahab, released the fifth edition of the quarterly magazine One Ummah. One of the magazine’s pieces was directed toward India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and it included the Nupur Sharma statement controversy. The article which featured the image of Indian PM Modi with a foot stamp on it urged Muslims and Islamic nations to stand together in the fight against India.
“The Hindu government of India was encouraged by the silence in the Muslim world to cross the limits this time and go on to insult the Prophet,” the article by Al-Qaida read. The terrorist organization has also sought the assistance of Muslim countries in executing terrorist attacks in the Kashmir Valley.
Article targeting the Indian government published by the terrorist organization
“We invite our noble Ummah to unite against this Hindu government and help their brothers and sisters in India so that the enemies of Allah dare not repeat such an outrageous offense against our Prophet,” the words in the magazine read.
“We also invite all Muslims, specifically businessmen, to boycott Indian products, fire Hindu employees, and expel them from Muslim countries. It is a disgrace to let millions of supporters of Modi reside in the Peninsula of the Prophet,” it added.
The magazine also blatantly compared the Hindus to Jews and accused the country of allegedly targeting Muslims. “The Indian ruling class has always had a tendency of showing disrespect and expressing their hatred for Islam. In fact, they have a criminal record of engaging in the forced displacement of Muslims, throwing them behind the bars, torturing them in jails, and depriving the Muslim community of basic human rights. For all practical purposes they are no different from the Jews in their criminal treatment of Palestinians,” the article read.
It also added that the “Hindu government of India was encouraged by the silence in the Muslim world to cross the limits this time and go on to insult the Prophet”. It further slammed the Muslim nations for not taking any action against India and just stopping at condemnations of the alleged remarks made by Sharma.
“These spineless governments replied to these insults and offenses with hollow sounding condemnations and little in terms of solid action. While in reality they continue to back the Hindu-led government of India and maintain extensive political, economic and security ties with them,” it added.
The magazine also includes photographs of the 9/11 hijackers, who are referred to as ‘heroes’ in the publication. According to ‘One Ummah’ magazine, Al-Qaida has a foothold in Somalia. The Somalia article covers Ahmed Abdi Godane, nicknamed Mukhtar Abu Zubair, the former Emir of Al-Shabaab. Godane was executed in a US drone attack in Somalia in September 2014.
Godane was executed in a US drone attack in Somalia in September 2014
The journal also touted a future As-Sahab book on AQIS commanders who were killed, recounted by Ayman al-Zawahiri. Notably, the publication makes no mention of Zawahiri’s whereabouts.
The SITE intelligence agency said last week that Al-Qaida had issued a 35-minute audio tape. The terror organization claimed that the audio was narrated by its commander, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was killed in a US operation in August 2022.
The journal also includes a biography of terrorist Abdelmalek Droukdel, nicknamed Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, the former Emir of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Originally from Algeria, he was killed in northern Mali in June 2020 during the Battle of Talahandak by a French special operation.
Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud was killed in North Mali
The latest publication by the banned terrorist organization has also made attempts to instigate Muslims staying in India to act against the Indian government. The issue asks the Muslims to unite against the PM Modi-led government and assist the terrorist organization in its anti-India operation in Kashmir.
On Monday (December 26), Congress scion Rahul Gandhi paid floral tributes at the memorials of former Prime Ministers of India, including that of his father Rajiv Gandhi, grandmother Indira Gandhi and great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Congress leader had also visited the memorials of BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Janta Party leader Charan Singh, who became Prime Ministers outside of a non-Congress alliance in Parliament.
Interestingly, Rahul Gandhi did not pay tribute to former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, although he was a prominent Congress leader and the architect of the modern Indian economy.
But even after his death, his mortal remains were not allowed to keep in #Congress Office for Lying-in State.
Natcharaju Venkata Subhash, the grandson of PV Narasimha Rao, lambasted Rahul Gandhi for not paying homage to the former Prime Minister during his Telangana leg of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’
This was despite the fact that the Congress scion addressed a public meeting near the statue of Indira Gandhi. In a tweet, Subhash wrote, “Hatred for the #PVNarasimhaRao in the Gandhi Family reflects again. Rahul Gandhi took Darshan of all previous PM’s except P V Narasimha Rao. He gave his blood and sweat to Congress.”
“But even after his death, his mortal remains were not allowed to keep in Congress Office for Lying-in State. What else can be expected from a fifth-generation dynast,” he concluded.
Rahul Gandhi’s actions were however defended by Telangana Congress President, Goud, who claimed that the Congress scion was denied permission by the police.
“I was present there, Rahul himself wanted to visit PV Narasimha Rao and due to security reasons, he was unable to go there…Police said not to go as there was a heavy crowd surrounding,” Goud told ANI.
Indignities meted out to PV Narsimha Rao under Congress
It is not a hidden fact that Sonia Gandhi loathed P.V. Narasimha Rao enough to not allow his mortal remains to enter the AICC (All India Congress Committee) compound. His body stayed parked in a carriage outside the gate.
PV Narasimha Rao, who Manmohan Singh hails as the “father of economic reforms in India” did not even receive a state funeral. In fact, a leader like Sanjay Gandhi, who presided over horrendous programs such as forced sterilisation during the Emergency was honoured with a state funeral and a samadhi in Delhi.
However, PV Narasimha Rao was not considered by the Congress leadership, headed by Sonia Gandhi, of worthy enough to deserve a state funeral and a samadhi in Delhi. Sonia Gandhi, it is believed, was ‘upset‘ about the way the investigation of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination had proceeded.
Even before his demise, Rao was subjected to humiliation and abasement that did not seem proper for a senior AICC member and the former Prime Minister of India. Rao passed away on 23rd December 2004.
Following his death, Nalapat claimed that despite calling a special Union Cabinet meeting at 3 pm to discuss the subject of Rao’s funeral. No arrangements were made at his 9 Motilal Nehru Marg to receive the body and place it on a platform.
Neither flowers nor carpets were laid out by the Congress administration for the mourning crowds to sit on.
In July 2016, veteran Congress leader Margaret Alva accused Sonia Gandhi of insulting PV Narasimha Rao during an interview with Karan Thapar.
Thapar said, “There is a real sense from your book that Sonia Gandhi got her revenge. You were General Secretary and you saw how Narasimha Rao’s body was treated by Congress and Sonia was then Congress President.”
“The gun carriage bearing Narasimha’s body was not allowed to enter the AICC headquarters. Instead, it was parked on the pavement outside the gates, with chairs for party leaders outside the gate,” he read out an excerpt from Margaret Alva’s book titled ‘Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography.’
The Vice-Presidential nominee had clarified, “Whatever the differences, he had been the Prime Minister, Congress President, Chief Minister and party’s General Secretary. He had done a wonderful job, except for the Babri Masjid and the mess up with it.”
“When a man is dead, you don’t treat him that way. And I was hurt. I have always regretted not walking away on that occasion but I did not want to insult his body by walking away,” she informed.
The veteran Congress politician also nodded in affirmation when Karan Thapar pointed out that Narasimha Rao was not given the honour of a cremation or burial in the National Capital.
On Tuesday, the Assam Police busted yet another cow smuggling operation along the India-Bangladesh border in the South Salmara Mankachar district of Assam and recovered four cows. The Police, however, could not catch the accused smugglers as they later managed to flee from the spot upon noticing the Police.
According to the reports, the incident is said to have happened on Tuesday night. Further action by the police is being taken care of. A similar incident happened on Monday night in Assam’s Biswanath district when the Police foiled a smuggling attempt and recovered 24 cow heads from a truck.
Assam | Police personnel recovered four cows in South Salmara Mankachar district along the India-Bangladesh border on Tuesday night. Smuggler managed to flee upon noticing the police. Further action being taken: Assam police pic.twitter.com/J80Ge84z9H
According to authorities, on Monday night, a police unit apprehended a truck with the registration number NL-02Q-7983 on National Highway 15 in Borgang, coming from the Gohpur side. “During Naka checking, we intercepted the truck, but the truck driver fled after seeing the police team. During the search, we found 24 cattle heads in the truck and seized the vehicle. Out of 24 cattle, one cattle was found dead. Further investigation is on,” a police officer of Borgang police outpost, B Bey was quoted saying.
Meanwhile, authorities have opened an investigation into this. Earlier on December 22, the Assam Police arrested two persons after seizing a big amount of Ganja in the Biswanath area. The arrested accused have been identified as Krising Daimary and Nahu Daimary. The cops seized around 75 kilograms of Ganja.
According to reports, a police unit chased a car and apprehended two people in the Jamugurihat Borpathar region based on secret intelligence. Kulendra Nath Deka, Additional Superintendent of Police of Biswanath stated that when the police squad was following the car, the seized men had dumped numerous packets of Ganja on the road and tried to run.
“When our team chased them they tried to flee from the area, but we caught them. We brought them to Kolapani road and recovered 75.20 kg of Ganja. We have also seized a vehicle bearing registration number AS-12 X-0498. Our investigation is on and we will catch all persons involved with this,” Kulendra Nath Deka said.
In the current case, the Assam Police have recovered four cows along the India-Bangladesh border in the South Salmara Mankachar district of Assam. The Police, however, have launched a manhunt to nab the accused smugglers who fled from the spot upon noticing the Police. Further investigations into the case are underway.
On Tuesday, December 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to ban sales of oil to countries and companies that are backing the G7 and European Union’s newly imposed price cap on Russian seaborne oil. This executive order by Russia came in response to the “unfriendly actions” of the United States and other foreign states and International organisations that backed the price cap.
According to the Presidential decree, “The supply of the Russian oil and oil products to foreign legal entities and Individuals is prohibited if the contracts for such supplies directly or indirectly use the oil price cap.” The decree said that it have been issued to protect the national interests of the Russian Federation and in accordance with the federal laws on special economic measures and coercive measures, federal laws on security and federal laws on ‘measures to influence (counter) unfriendly actions against the United States of America and other foreign countries’.
The decree says that the supply of Russian oil and oil products to foreign legal entities and individuals persons is prohibited if such entities and individuals expressly and indirectly support the price cap. The prohibition applies at all stages of supply to the final buyer.
Effective from February 1 to July 1, the executive order mentions that the ban may be lifted in individual cases on the basis of President Putin’s ‘special decision’.
An interdepartmental working group has been tasked with ensuring compliance with the executive order. This group works on issues pertaining to Russia’s fuel and energy activities.
The decree issued by Moscow banning oil supplies to countries backing the price cap
The Russian government will determine the list of codes of goods according to the unified Commodity Nomenclature for Foreign Economic Activity of the Eurasian Economic Union, for which the provisions of the Decree apply, and will adopt acts aimed at implementing the prohibition established by the Decree. The Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation has been directed to monitor the implementation of the Decree on a regular basis.
This comes after the Group of Seven (G7) and European Union (EU) on December 3 agreed upon imposing a price cap of $60 per barrel on Russian seaborne oil in response to Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. As per the regulations of the EU and G7 imposed price cap, G7, and EU-based insurance and reinsurance companies that provide services for tankers carrying Russian crude oil, as well as institutions financing Russian crude transactions, will not be allowed to handle such cargoes unless the oil is bought at or below the price cap. Shipping companies will not be allowed to provide tankers for the transport of Russian crude as well unless the oil is sold at or below the $60 price cap.
Aimed at “reducing Russian revenues” and yet “ensuring the supply of Russian crude to the global market”, this price cap came to effect on December 5.
Notably, it was reported earlier that Russia has rejected the West’s price and Moscow might soon ban oil exports to countries backing the price cap in retaliation.
The Russian President has earlier said that the “ill-conceived, and miscalculated oil price cap will not have an impact on Russia and its war against Ukraine. However, he asserted that the West’s move will have a drastic effect on the global energy markets.
It is pertinent to note that Russia is the world’s second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia. In order to avert the sanctions imposed by the West, Russia has been selling its seaborne oil to countries like China and India at a 40-50 percent discounted rate. Besides, Russia is also confident of finding new buyers even after the West’s price cap.
This decision will not impact India as the Indian government has refused to accept the price cap on Russian oil imposed by G7. Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, said that the oil price cap will not have an impact on India. Russia has welcomed this decision by India. “The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed India’s decision not to support the price cap on Russian oil, which was imposed on 5 December by the G7 countries and their allies,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement earlier this month.
