News Highlights: India will continue buying Russian crude if available at discount, says Puri

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10:43 PM

Bird flu scare in Latur: 48 samples test negative, says official

Amid the death of crows due to bird flu in Udgir in Latur, 48 samples sent from poultry farms have returned negative, a senior health official said on Friday. After the death of crows at Hutatma Smarak Municipal Library, Hutatma Smarak Children's Park, and Mahatma Gandhi Garden, a thorough inspection was carried out in a 5-kilometre radius and samples of poultry were sent for testing, he said.

10:29 PM

Looking for bolder, bigger and more ambitious relationship with US: India

India on Friday said it is looking for "bolder, bigger and a more ambitious" relationship with the US and indicated its readiness to work with the Trump administration to address issues like illegal immigration and trade. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's approach has always been to address issues in a constructive manner in line with interests of both the countries.

10:10 PM

India, UK clinch pact for closer health and life sciences cooperation

India and the UK have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of healthcare and life sciences as strategic partners with strong links in the area, with a specific aim of strengthening collaboration in the health technology and innovation sectors. The ‘Health and Life Sciences Partnership' signed by UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting in London on Thursday will cover a broad range of areas, including digitisation and innovation across the country's state-funded National Health Service (NHS).

9:54 PM

Hungary wants EU to intervene in gas dispute with Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday said he wants the European Union to intervene in a gas dispute his country has with Ukraine, a potential sign of friction in the bloc's upcoming discussions over renewing sanctions against Russia. Speaking on state radio, Orbán said that Ukraine's decision to cease transiting Russian gas into Central Europe through the Brotherhood pipeline had forced Hungary to turn to alternative routes, which raised energy prices.

9:53 PM

76th Republic Day: Govt announces names of defence personnel chosen to receive honorary commissions

Several personnel drawn from the armoured corps, regiment of artillery and other units of the Army have been chosen to receive honorary commission to the rank of an honorary captain ahead of the 76th Republic Day celebrations, according to the defence ministry. In a statement on Friday, the minister shared a link leading to a draft gazette that contains a list of honorary commissions (honorary captain and honorary lieutenant) awarded on the occasion of Republic Day, 2025.

9:46 PM

India would continue buying Russian crude if available at discount: Hardeep Puri

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said that India would continue buying crude oil from Russia if it is available at a discount emphasising that the government is "committed" to buying the most economically-priced crude oil. "We used to buy less than 0.2 per cent from Russia in February 2022. Now, we are buying 30 per cent. If it's available at good discounts, we will buy it. If it (crude oil) is available elsewhere (at a discounted price), we will buy (from that market)," Puri, who is Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, said during a media interaction here.

9:33 PM

Eight killed, five injured in blast at ordnance factory in Maharashtra

Eight workers were killed and five others injured as a blast ripped through a unit of the ordnance factory in eastern Maharashtra's Bhandara district on Friday morning, officials said. At the completion of rescue operations after nearly eight hours, the final death toll stood at eight, said a district official. "Ordnance Factory Bhandara has constituted an inquiry committee to conduct a probe into the incident," the factory said in a statement late in the evening.

8:32 PM

Banks need to adopt rapid technological changes, ensure resilience: DFS secy

Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju on Friday said banks must adopt rapid technological changes, modernise core systems, and prioritise compliance and risk measures to ensure resilience amid global challenges. In a virtual keynote address at the IBA's 20th Annual Banking Technology Conference, Expo & Citations - 2025 conference on Future Ready Banking for Viksit Bharat, he emphasised that technological advances like DPI and Unified Lending Interface are empowering financial inclusion.

8:30 PM

Procurement through GeM crosses Rs 4 trn during Apr-Jan this fiscal

The procurement of goods and services through government's portal GeM rose by about 50 per cent to over Rs 4 lakh crore during April-January this fiscal due to higher buying activities by various ministries and departments, an official statement said on Friday. The Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched on August 9, 2016, for online purchases of goods and services by all central government ministries and departments. "The GeM has surpassed last years' historic high gross merchandise value (GMV) of Rs 4 lakh crore within 10 months of the current fiscal. As of January 23, GeM has clocked a GMV of Rs 4.09 lakh crore, which marks a growth of nearly 50 per cent over the corresponding period last fiscal," the commerce and industry ministry said.

8:26 PM

OpenAI faces new copyright case, from global publishers in India

Indian book publishers and their international counterparts have filed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI in New Delhi, a representative said on Friday, the latest in a series of global cases seeking to stop the ChatGPT chatbot accessing proprietary content. Courts across the world are hearing claims by authors, news outlets and musicians who accuse technology firms of using their copyright work to train AI services and who are seeking to have content used to train the chatbot deleted.

8:24 PM

Isro to launch 100th satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Jan 29

Isro will launch its 100th satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on January 29, the space agency said on Friday. The agency is gearing up to launch the GSLV-F15 NVS-02 mission. GSLV-F15 with Indigenous Cryogenic stage will place the NVS-02 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit and the launch will take place from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, said Isro, in a statement.

8:09 PM

Over 600 panchayat leaders to attend Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path

More than 600 panchayat leaders have been invited by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as special guests to witness the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path here, an official statement said on Friday.

7:57 PM

Govt approves Rs 500 cr capital infusion in IFCI via preferential issue of shares

Domestic financial institution IFCI on Friday said the government has approved Rs 500 crore capital infusion in the company through the preferential issue of shares. The Department of Financial Services has conveyed sanction of the President of India to release funds of Rs 500 crore to IFCI Ltd towards subscription to the share capital during FY 2024-25, the state-owned entity said in a regulatory filing.

7:55 PM

Odisha, Chhattisgarh among top-performing states in NITI Aayog's fiscal health index

Mineral-rich Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Jharkhand have emerged as top-performing 'achievers' among the states listed in NITI Aayog's first Fiscal Health Index (FHI) report released on Friday. The report titled 'Fiscal Health Index 2025' covers eighteen major states that drive the Indian economy in terms of their contribution to India's GDP, demography, total public expenditure, revenues, and overall fiscal stability.

7:45 PM

Aditya Birla Real Estate enters into JV with Mitsubishi

Aditya Birla Real Estate Ltd announced that its unit has entered into a joint venture (JV) with Mitsubishi to invest Rs 560 crore into a special purpose vehicle (SPV). Under this partnership, Aditya Birla Estate Projects Limited (BEPL) and Mitsubishi's MIPL will share a 51:49 economic interest in SPV. The SPV is set to develop a 4 million square foot residential project in Bengaluru.