"India's Efforts to Secure Affordable Russian Oil Amid Tightening Sanctions" India’s state-owned refiners are expediting payments for Russian crude oil to complete transactions before expanded US sanctions take effect. These refiners now settle payments within two days instead of the usual five, aiming to secure discounted Russian oil while navigating an increasingly restricted global trade environment. The urgency stems from Washington's announcement of stricter sanctions targeting Russia’s oil industry, which are set to take effect next month. Refiners are keen to ensure transactions are completed during the “wind-down” period allowed for pre-sanctioned cargoes. At least 4.4 million barrels of Russian oil are en route to Indian ports like Jamnagar, Chennai, Paradip, and Visakhapatnam. Among these shipments is the tanker Mercury , carrying over 1 million barrels of Russian Urals crude, expected to arrive in Paradip soon. This vessel loaded its cargo in mid-December ...
SpaceX Capsule Rescues Stranded Astronauts: Sunita Williams' Journey Home In a significant moment for space exploration, two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) are finally set to return to Earth, thanks to SpaceX. A SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully docked with the ISS on Sunday, marking the beginning of their journey home. The capsule is part of the Crew-9 mission, launched by the Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This event holds special importance because it will bring back NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who were stranded on the ISS after issues arose with their original spacecraft, the Starliner. The Launch of Crew-9 Mission The Crew-9 mission, which aims to rotate astronauts aboard the ISS, had initially been scheduled for mid-August. However, the launch was postponed multiple times to allow NASA experts more time to evaluate the reliability of the Boeing-designed Starliner. Eventually, the mission took off on Saturday,...