Russia has come out in support of India’s bid to become one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – the all-powerful global body which is responsible for taking key decisions about maintaining peace and security in the world.

At present, it comprises the United States, France, Russia, China, and Great Britain.

During his speech at the UNGA, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov called for wider representation of Asian, African, and Latin American countries in the Security Council, making particular mention of New Delhi and Brazil.

China and India have called for a negotiated end to the Ukraine war, stopping short of robust support for traditional ally Russia.

After a week of pressure at the United Nations general assembly, Russia’s foreign minister took the general assembly rostrum to deliver a fiery rebuke to western nations for what he termed a “grotesque” campaign against Russians.

The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to tech giant and Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine promoter Bill Gates, along with others, after a petition was filed by the father of a woman who allegedly died after getting vaccinated.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says “all hell will break loose” if his flood-ravaged country is not provided with debt relief by rich nations.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Friday morning, Sharif sought a moratorium on Pakistan’s debt repayment from the Paris Club (a group of rich creditor countries) and others, saying there is a “yawning gap” between what is being asked for and what is available.

Pakistan has a young and growing entrepreneurial population, with English as the main language for business, but inflation, as well as the recent political turmoil and devastating floods, are making it difficult for industries to flourish.

Tension among Pakistan’s business community is on the rise following unprecedented inflation caused by multiple factors, including COVID-19, monsoon floods and political instability.

Saudi Arabia ranked as India’s fourth biggest trading partner in the previous financial year, as the bilateral trade exceeded $42 billion. Riyadh also re-emerged as New Delhi’s second biggest oil supplier last month, after its position was briefly challenged by Moscow which has ramped up its energy exports to India this year.

India and Saudi Arabia are negotiating the “feasibility” of carrying out bilateral trade in national currencies, a statement from the Indian Commerce Ministry said.

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India is scrambling to replace canceled Russian gas deliveries, causing one gas company to pay for the nation's most expensive liquefied natural gas cargo in history.