Looking to expand market access, India inks free trade pact with Oman

India Thursday signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with Oman, the second trade deal with a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country after the UAE, in an effort to expand market access for its exporters in the West Asian market at a time when steep tariffs in the US market are hurting trade and investments

G RAM G Bill clears both Houses

THE LOK Sabha Thursday passed the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM G), which seeks to repeal the MGNREGA, on the penultimate day of the Winter Session by a voice vote

FM for sending Market Code Bill to panel as Cong flags excessive powers to single body

The Bill seeks to merge provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, the Depositories Act, 1996 and the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 into a unified code, aiming at strengthening investor protection and improving the ease of doing business in India's financial markets

Parliament approves Nuclear Bill; SOP puts safety first, says MoS

The Rajya Sabha Thursday passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, which seeks to open up the nuclear power sector to private players and limits the liability of suppliers in case of an accident.

India-Russia logistics agreement, with eye on Arctic, Indo-Pacific

Days after his two-day official visit to New Delhi on December 4-5, Russia President Vladimir Putin has signed into federal law a major military cooperation agreement with India.

The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) was ratified by both houses of the Russian Parliament before receiving presidential approval. It will come into force after the formal exchange of instruments of ratification between Russia and India

China slams US plan to sell arms worth $11.1 bn to Taiwan

China on Thursday sharply criticised the US for its plan to sell massive advanced weapons worth $11.1 billion to Taiwan, saying Washington's move "grossly violates" the one-China principle and infringes on its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity

New Bill pushes for larger SEBI board, stricter conflict of interest safeguards

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday tabled the Securities Markets Code (SMC), 2025, which replaces three existing laws, in Parliament. The Bill empowers the markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to remove a board member for non-compliance, apart from laying down stricter conflicts of interest disclosure requirements.

The Bill empowers the removal of a SEBI Board member if they acquire any financial or other interest likely to prejudice the discharge of official functions. Members will also be required to disclose any direct or indirect interest, including those of family members, in matters under consideration at board meetings and to recuse themselves where such interests exist.

How Oman trade deal adds heft to India's West Asia strategy

Amid Increasing trade restrictions in the US due to tariffs and the European Union on account of the carbon tax, India has signed a trade deal with Oman on Thursday, with the aim of expanding the footprint for its exports in West Asia. This fits into New Delhi's strategy of rapidly pushing for more and more free trade agreements (FTAs), thereby securing new markets amid continued uncertainty around the trade deal with the US. 

Granting new, streamlined rare earth export licences: China

China's Commerce Ministry said on Thursday that it had granted several general licences for rare earth exports, a new category of permit that aims to speed up shipments of the vital elements