Articles by Apoorva Shukla

Politics

Bus Carrying 42 Indian Umrah Pilgrims Meets With Accident in Saudi Arabia, Several Feared Dead

A bus carrying Umrah pilgrims from India met with an accident near Medina in Saudi Arabia on Monday. Several pilgrims are feared to be dead, according to local media reports. According to reports, the bus was carrying Indian Umrah pilgrims, with several people hailing from Hyderabad, Telangana. Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi expressed grief over the accident. In a telephonic conversation with ANI, Owaisi said that he had contacted two Hyderabad-based travel agencies and shared the passengers' information with the Riyadh Embassy. Owaisi also spoke to Abu Mathen George, Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, who told him that they are gathering information from local authorities and would update him soon. "...Forty-two Hajj pilgrims who were travelling from Mecca to Medina were on a bus that caught fire...I spoke to Abu Mathen George, Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, and he assured me that they are gathering information about the matter. I have contacted two Hyderabad-based travel agencies and shared the passengers’ details with the Riyadh Embassy and the Foreign Secretary," Owaisi told ANI. " I request the Union Government, especially EAM Dr S. Jaishankar, to bring the bodies back to India and, if anyone is injured, ensure that they receive proper medical treatment," he added. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the bus accident in Saudi Arabia involving Indian pilgrims from Hyderabad, reported ANI. The Telangana CM ordered senior officials, including the CS and DGP, to get in touch with the officials from Centre and the Saudi Embassy and provide necesary relief, his office said. With the CM's orders, CS Ramakrishna Rao alerted the Resident Commissioner Gaurav Uppal, who is in Delhi. He ordered to collect details on how many people belonging to our state are in the accident and provide them immediately. A control room was set up in the Secretariat, the Telangana CMO said in a statement. (This is a developing story. More details are awaited.) For the Latest news, India News, Bihar Election 2025 updates and breaking stories from around the world, visit Times Now for live coverage and in-depth reporting.

World

Trump 'Okay' With 500% Tariff On Russia's Trading Partners - Is India On The List?

United States President Donald Trump said that he is "okay" with the legislation proposing sanctions against countries trading with Russia. Trump said that the Republicans are working on legislation that will impose sanctions on any country doing business with Moscow, saying that Iran may get added to the list. When asked whether it was time for Congress to pass measures aimed at pressuring Russia and President Vladimir Putin, Trump said, “I hear they're doing that, and that’s okay with me.” "They're passing legislation... the Republicans are putting in legislation... very tough sanctioning... on any country doing business with Russia. They may add Iran to that... I suggested it,” the US President told reporters. “So any country that does business with Russia will be very severely sanctioned. We may add Iran to the formula,” Trump reiterated. According to a Bloomberg report, the US is planning a bill that would impose a 500 per cent tax on imports from countries buying Russian energy. This specifically targets major consumers of Russian energy, such as China and India, the report said. A bill introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham has proposed a 500 per cent tariff on secondary purchase and reselling of Russian oil. The proposal has near-unanimous backing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal have jointly introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which seeks to impose secondary tariffs and sanctions on “countries that continue to fund Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine". The proposed legislation has 85 cosponsors in the Senate. The US has already imposed sanctions on India over New Delhi's Russian oil trade. In August 2025, the Trump administration had imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India, taking the total to 50 per cent, over Russian oil imports. While Washington had accused India of funding the Russian oil machinery, New Delhi had rejected the claims. India's Spend on Russian Oil Buy at 2.5 Bn Euro in October India, the second-biggest buyer of Russian oil, spent as much as 2.5 billion euro on purchases of crude oil from Moscow in October, ahead of new sanctions being slapped on Russian entities, a European think tank has said. India's spending in October was unchanged from the 2.5 billion euro spent on buying Russian oil in September. India remained the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in October behind China, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). On October 22, the US imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, two of the largest oil producers in Russia, to cut off the Kremlin's resources for funding the Ukraine war. The sanctions have resulted in companies like Reliance Industries, HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd halting imports for now. Russia shipped 60 million barrels of crude oil in October, with Rosneft and Lukoil together accounting for 45 million barrels.