1 hour ago
Donald Trump waived tariffs on goods from the five largest buyers of Russian energy. The decision invokes US national interest while easing measures under a new Moscow-focused law.
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Newdelhi,Oct 17, 2026 20:46 IST
US President Donald Trump has waived tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods imported from the five largest buyers of Russian oil or gas, along with specified sanctions under a new law targeting Moscow, news agency Press Trust of India reported. Trump cited the national interest of the United States for the decision.
Other developments reported by PTI included the safe arrival of nine Indian seafarers in Romania after their tanker was hit by a drone, protests by Indian groups in London, a seven-hour power outage across Sri Lanka, a deadly resort fire in Bangladesh and an earthquake in Pakistan.
A chemical tanker carrying nine Indian seafarers reached the Port of Constanta after being hit by a drone while anchored off Romania earlier this week. All crew members were safe, the Indian mission in Bucharest said on Saturday, according to PTI.
Hundreds of people gathered at Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament Square, London, on Saturday for a protest organised by the Opposition Congress and UK-based Indian student groups. They protested against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Supporters of the Indian government held a counter-protest.
Sri Lanka faced an islandwide power outage lasting around seven hours on Saturday. The government described the disruption as a sudden system failure.
India rejected as "hearsay" a report by a UN human rights expert that took note of a "satirical political movement" created by Indian youth. New Delhi called on the expert to "verify" claims before vilifying issues on the basis of unverified information.
Six Democratic lawmakers in the United States, including Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar, urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise with his Indian interlocutors the alleged excessive use of force during student protests in Delhi and other parts of India. The protests were identified as CJP protests in the PTI report.
At least 10 people, including six members of one family, were killed and several others injured in a fire at a seaside resort in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district on Saturday, according to officials and local media reports cited by PTI.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for stronger cooperation with India while inaugurating a major expansion of a zinc mine operated by an Indian conglomerate in the Northern Cape province. He said India and South Africa were "bound together" by deep historical ties and shared democratic values.
Pakistan's Opposition leader and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman warned against the growing concentration of political and institutional power in the military establishment. He said an imbalance among state institutions could threaten the country's stability.
Bangladesh celebrated Durga Puja under extensive security arrangements. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir greeted Hindus in the country and abroad, stressing communal harmony and equal rights for people of all faiths.
A senior Pakistani military commander criticised Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks that any future terrorist act originating from Pakistan would draw an even "stronger response", PTI reported from Islamabad.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Pakistan's Balochistan province on Saturday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
The developments ranged from the US waiver linked to Russian energy purchases and diplomatic exchanges involving India to protests, emergencies and political statements across Europe, South Asia and Africa.
With PTI Inputs
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