The US Treasury Department announced Thursday that it will temporarily authorize the purchase of Russian oil in transit. The measure aims to curb the surge in crude oil prices, which jumped more than 9% on Thursday after several days of increases and, despite moderating the pace of the climb, continued to rise on Friday. On Friday, the price of Brent crude—the European benchmark—surfaced at over $100 a barrel. Conversely, the price of natural gas moved in the opposite direction, falling by approximately 0.60% to €50.54 per megawatt-hour (MWh) on the Dutch TTF market, which sets prices across the continent. These declines were relatively small, and gas prices rose for much of the day. With the lifting of restrictions on Russian crude, thousands of barrels will enter the market, which should contribute to a decrease—or at least a moderation of the escalating price—of oil. When it announced the embargo, President Donald Trump's administration asserted that the ban on Russian oil purchases was key to pressuring Moscow in the war in Ukraine. However, it now indicates that this temporary exemption from the restriction, which will last until April 11, will not represent a significant benefit for Russia.

At 36, she burst onto the world stage with the beautiful novel The god of small things, which won the Booker Prize. This happened in 1997. How did he reach the literary heights? that daughter of an eccentric teacher Without a husband and a member of a Christian minority in a small provincial town, Kottayam, in the state of Kerala? What has happened to her since then, what has she done with her life, what has she done with the baskets of money she never imagined earning and that make her so uncomfortable? This is what he tells us in his memoir. My refuge and my storm (Now Llibres, translated by Imma Falcó). A hypnotic, devastating text about a strong woman straddling dreams and nightmares, in constant struggle against her family ghosts, who has built herself up through writing—fiction and essays—and has become a scourge of Hindu ultranationalism—placing President Modi at its peak—and an eco-activist. She has had to spend time in prison (a single, symbolic day) and frequently receives death threats. And yet, in her wandering labyrinth, she has found inner peace.

Varanasi, known as Kashi to devotees or Benares to the British, is a mythical city suspended between sacredness and legend, where for centuries pilgrims and travelers have sought the absolute. "Older than history, older than lore, older than legend," as Mark Twain wrote, it has represented for millennia the beating heart of Indian spirituality, attracting millions of pilgrims each year in search of purification and redemption. An initiatory journey that every Hindu devotee dreams of undertaking at least once in their lifetime. At dawn, when a silvery mist hangs over the sacred waters of the Ganges, the ghats The stone steps, polished by centuries, are filled with silent figures. Amidst flower petals floating like offerings, flames dancing on the waves, and the hypnotic echo of ancient mantras, the city of the god Chiva awakens surrounded by a mystical and timeless aura. Of all the world's oldest cities, Varanasi is perhaps the only one that has so tenaciously preserved its own soul, keeping ancient traditions alive despite the passage of time. Today, the city faces its greatest challenge: it is precisely that soul that is endangered by the challenges of the modern world.

He Russian President Vladimir Putin's official trip to India It has apparently proven as beneficial as he had hoped. The Kremlin leader was received with full honors, including a red carpet and a 21-gun salute. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the relationship between the two countries as a "steady North Star," based on "deep trust and respect that has stood the test of time." Both leaders agreed to further strengthen this relationship, expanding and diversifying trade beyond oil and defense, despite pressure from the United States for India to reduce its ties with Moscow.

Vladimir Putin had not traveled to India for four years. Before the invasion of Ukraine, he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged annual visits to strengthen the alliance between their two countries, but the war reshaped this friendship. Moscow found a new buyer in New Delhi for its sanctioned oil and, in turn, had to reduce arms exports. Now Donald Trump's new restrictions on Russian crude oil This forces the Kremlin leader, who increasingly dislikes leaving Russia, to make an exception and fly to India for two days to once again seduce his Asian partner and prove to the West, once again, that he is not alone.

The industrial company Grudiva has filed for a workforce reduction plan (ERE) to lay off 37 workers from one of its plants in Granollers (Vallès Oriental). The company has belonged to the Indian group Sanjeev since 2012, and members of the works council told ARA that their plan is to transfer the machinery and operations of this Catalan factory—it has two located on the same avenue—to India. This decision represents the dismissal of a third of Grudiva's workforce, a company founded 70 years ago in Granollers. In justifying the ERE, the company cites organizational, production, and economic reasons. Sources explain that 90% of Grudiva's revenue comes from the leading American manufacturer of tractors and agricultural machinery, John Deere. Specifically, the employees affected by the layoffs are dedicated to producing the gears necessary for these vehicles to function. The unions suspect, therefore, that the American group—which this year filed for temporary layoffs (ERTE) at its Spanish subsidiary in Madrid—wants to take advantage of the fact that Sanjeev also has factories in India to relocate its production and thus reduce labor and operating costs. "They've already moved the machines there," the works council reports. The ERTE was registered on November 7th, and since then the clock has started ticking for negotiations during the one-month consultation period. The unions—CGT and CCOO—want to reach an agreement to minimize layoffs, relocate workers to other divisions of the group, and guarantee early retirement plans so that departures are "as painless as possible." "There are people who started at the factory as apprentices and have been here for over 30 years," they emphasize. Closure in two stages

But what the works council fears most is that this first round of layoffs is the prelude to a two-stage closure of Grudiva's factories in the Vallès region, which has seen a drop in revenue in recent years. ARA has contacted the company for comment, but has not yet received a response. "We're afraid the other machines have already been sold. We've asked for a viability plan, but who's to say they aren't planning to do the same?" ask the workers' representatives, who have also met with the Granollers City Council to convey their concerns and seek their support.

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In 2013, in a small village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a confrontation between two Hindu cousins from the Jati caste and a Muslim boy ended with all three young men dead: the Muslim from a stab wound and the Hindus at the hands of a vengeful mob. The incident triggered a chain reaction of altercations and violent clashes between the Muslim and Hindu communities, which the cartoonist Joe Sacco (Malta, 1960) analyzes in The once and future riot (The eternal disturbance (in the Spanish edition from Reservoir Books), a new and extraordinary work by the father of journalistic comics. With patience, tenacity, and empathy, Sacco draws a complex web of hatred, xenophobia, corruption, sexism, and electoral interests—a cycle of violence and death that, despite the distance that separates us from India, feels disturbingly familiar.

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Indian police are investigating a car explosion this Monday in New Delhi as a possible suicide attack. This is how the local news agency ANI reported, citing government sources, after authorities activated an "anti-terrorism" law on Tuesday.

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The lines of people dressed mostly in white stretch to the corners of the Granollers Sports Palace. It could be any other day for a match for the city's handball team, but it isn't. At a gate, security officers ask for permission, and a corridor of fans forms, applauding, shouting, taking photos, and some crying with emotion as a spotless white Mercedes passes by, led and preceded by two other vehicles. And then the runners arrive to take their places in a show that begins when their star—the one in the white Mercedes—takes the stage. A song starts, and the audience turns on their phone flashlights, waves, some close their eyes and just listen, others get excited again. It could be a concert by an octopus star, but it isn't either.

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On the day of his mother's funeral, Writer Arundhati Roy was devastated. Not surprising, until she explains that she was also bewildered and somewhat embarrassed to find herself in that state. Her brother, LKC, told her, "I don't understand your reaction. You're the person I treated the worst." Roy writes, "Perhaps he was right, but it seems to me that the one who got the credit was him." She explains all this in the first chapter of'My refuge and my storm (Ara Llibres, translated by Imma Falcó), a kind of memoir that she recommends reading like a novel, as there is a constant mix of fiction and reality, filtered through memories.

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Donald Trump's anti-green energy policies in the United States are beginning to have a global impact. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has revised downward its forecasts for renewable electricity growth. This agency has cut its estimates for 2030 by 5% compared to the previous forecast. This modification is essentially related to the restrictive policies of the US administration, according to this organization's annual report. In its analysis, the agency highlights that projections for the world's leading power have been cut by almost 50% compared to those made last year.

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Jaume Sanllorente (Barcelona, ​​1976) is a journalist and writer. He is the founder and director of Sonrisas de Bombay, an NGO that focuses on the peaceful fight against human trafficking and respect for human rights.

He grew up in Plaza Tetuán, Barcelona, ​​but went to school in Sarrià. "In Santa Isabel, where my mother was a teacher. This has advantages and disadvantages," he admits. "It deprived you of a bit of freedom and privacy since everyone knows who your mother is. Sometimes it's really good to be the one who's the best." son of, but others, not so much," he explains.

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The creation of a new international order based on multilateralism and pivoting toward Asia has shaken the world stage. However, it remains to be seen whether Asia has the capacity to replace the military, economic, and political power that the West has so far enjoyed. Asia's emergence is driven by China. Its president, Xi Jinping, proposes himself as the leader of the so-called Global South—that is, of developing countries—and advocates for a new one. reset of the international order that emerged after World War II.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping defended the need to safeguard regional peace and stability during the welcome dinner offered to the twenty world leaders participating in the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which began this Sunday. The city of Tianjin, considered Beijing's port, has rolled out the red carpet and extensive security measures to host this two-day forum that ends on Monday. The spotlight will focus, in particular, on three protagonists: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi. The meeting comes at a key moment: Russia is seeking new markets for its oil and gas, India is trying to avoid retaliation from the United States and China wants to consolidate itself as an alternative to Western leadership while keeping a close eye on the situation. Donald Trump's erratic movements, changes of heart, and threats.

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Since Wednesday, India has been the country most affected by the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump. While Indian exports previously faced 25% tariffs, the US administration has doubled this rate to 50% in retaliation for the Asian country's purchases of Russian oil. Only Brazil has such high tariffs, a measure that also seeks to penalize the country presided over by Lula da Silva in his case for the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a political ally of Trump.

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A landslide caused by torrential rains left at least five dead and more than a hundred missing yesterday in the Indian Himalayas. A phenomenon called cloud burst It brought intense rainfall in a short period of time to the state of Uttarakhand, where the flash floods devastated a small village.

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After a nine-and-a-half-hour flight from Mumbai, India's economic capital, an IndiGo Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (chartered by Norse Atlantic Airways) landed at Manchester Airport at 9:28 a.m. local time on July 1. With this flight, India's leading airline made its debut in European skies. The following day, July 2, the second route to the Old Continent opened, this time between Mumbai and Amsterdam, also with three weekly frequencies, like the one to Manchester. Before the end of the year, IndiGo plans to launch direct connections to Athens, Copenhagen, and London.

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Traffic on the outskirts of the Indian city of Ahmedabad prevented Bhoomi Chauhan from arriving at the airport on time. This caused her to be ten minutes late for her flight and miss her flight to London. But those ten minutes saved her life. The Air India plane crashed shortly after takeoff: everyone died, except for one man.

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A British citizen is the only known survivor of the Air India flight that crashed Thursday, just seconds after takeoff. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, of London, described from his hospital bed seeing bodies everywhere after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plummeted 190 meters into a densely populated suburb of Ahmedabad. Police reported that the survivor was in seat 11A. They also said that between the 241 passengers who died and the casualties caused by the accident on the ground, there were more than 290 deaths. "Everything happened very fast," explained Ramesh, who suffered injuries to his face, chest, and feet. It is still unclear how he survived, but some parts of the plane appeared to have remained intact after the impact.

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After weeks of rising tensions in Kashmir, President Donald Trump surprised everyone this Saturday with the announcement that India and Pakistan have agreed to a complete and immediate ceasefire. The gesture offers a respite from a long-running conflict, marked by multiple armed clashes and a death toll numbering in the thousands over the decades. The announcement also reveals a deeper shift, as the role of the great powers has changed and, with it, the logic of regional containment.

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