India faces energy squeeze as US ends oil waivers

With the cricket done for the day, it's now past 11 p.m. in Delhi and we'll sign off until Friday. 

Thanks for joining us and rest assured the Delhi crew will be back bright and early tomorrow with updates on whatever's making the news in India. 

The Punjab Kings made relatively light work of the Mumbai Indians' target of 195, reaching a total of 198/3 with 21 balls still to spare.

It was a game for the wicketkeepers: with Punjab's opener Prabhsimrang Singh putting up big numbers with the bat just like Quinton de Kock did for Mumbai. 

Singh knocked an aggressive 80 not out off 39 balls, propeling Punjab past the required run rate in the early going. 

Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly were both dismissed before they could really hit their stride, but captain Shreyas Iyer came in at fifth in the order and formed a solid partnership with Singh. He secured a rapid 66 alongside the Kings' opener, with both batsmen averaging in the region of two runs every ball. 

Even Mumbai's star bowler Jasprit Bumrah couldn't really make any inroads, claiming no wickets and conceding 41 runs in his four overs.

The Kings are unbeaten this season in the IPL. They have won four of five matches, with their previous encounter in Kolkatta rained off and declared a draw.

Those nine points from five matches suffice to claim the overall lead in the standings, ahead of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Rajasthan Royals, both on eight points. 

Mumbai sit ninth out of 10 teams, with just one win from five. 

The high-scoring pitch at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is once again providing fireworks in Thursday's IPL match between the Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings. 

Punjab, seeking to take the lead in the overall IPL standings, won the toss and elected to bowl.

South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock put on a show with the bat for Mumbai, knocking Punjab's bowlers all over the ground for 112 runs not out, off 60 balls. 

A rapid 50 from Naman Dhir provided support for de Kock as Mumbai racked up a total of 195/6. 

Fellow South African opener Ryan Rickelton had less joy at the crease, scoring just 2 runs, while Indian international Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed on his very first ball for nothing, immediately after Rickleton. Captain Hardik Pandya only managed 14.

Left-arm pace bowler Arshdeep Singh excelled with the ball for the Kings, claiming three wickets and only giving up 22 runs in his four allotted overs.

The Kings have just started their innings, chasing a target of 196. 

India on Thursday formally started work trying to compile an accurate population count, part of an overdue census that was delayed for years, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Officials started surveys across five states and three federal territories, in the first phase of an exercise set to take years. 

More than 3 million people, mostly school teachers, are involved in the count, physically door knocking all over the country, visiting every house to try to log the number of inhabitants. 

The once-in-a-decade population survey was originally scheduled for 2021. 

It is expected to confirm what is already taken as a statistical certainty — that India's population has overtaken China's in recent years, making the country the most populous on the planet. 

The process is trying to incorporate more modern methodology for the first time, with a window for citizens to register themselves on a government website available in 16 languages, as well as making use of a mobile app to collect and collate the data. 

Findings are expected to be made available online as they become available for local areas, rather than waiting until the entire process is complete.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had received a call from French President Emmanuel Macron in an online post late on Thursday. 

"We discussed the situation in West Asia and agreed on the need to urgently restore safety and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," Modi said. 

He said the two countries would continue "our close cooperation" to advance peace and stability in the region and beyond. 

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has hailed its progress trying to reduce doping cases in India, the most frequent international offender in each of the last three years, at an event in New Delhi.

"Performance-enhancing drugs and steroids are readily available in India — it is one of the biggest producers. It is a serious problem," WADA president Witold Banka told reporters at a press conference for its global anti-doping intelligence and investigations network. But he also noted the progress made to start to combat this. 

"At the same time I have had fruitful conversations with different stakeholders here — from the sports minister [Mansukh Mandaviya], to NADA [India's National Anti-Doping Agency], and the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) to enhance cooperation in cracking down on the doping networks," Banka said. 

WADA has launched a major multinational sting in Asia called "Operation Upstream," seeking to tackle the problem at the supply side, more than simply testing and punishing athletes. 

Banka hailed this project's "remarkable success," saying that 88 illicit laboratories had been dismantled and almost 90 tons of performance-enhancing drugs had been seized. 

"This represents 1.8 billion doses of drugs prevented from reaching the global market," he said. 

India's most popular sport, cricket, returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. When asked if WADA and India's NADA would test more cricketers, Banka said "We are not here just to focus on one sport." 

"The focus is more on high-risk sports," NADA's head Anant Kumar said. "Cricket is immensely popular but within its framework it still remains a low-risk sport." 

Cricket is not a sport that demands high levels of physical stamina, and even in areas where strength plays a meaningful role — like batting and pace bowling — technique remains a more decisive factor than power.

India has quietly abandoned its bid to host the UN's top-tier climate conference COP33, marking a shift from PM Narendra Modi's pledge in 2023. Experts and analysts explore what's behind the decision.

Read more here

The CEO of French carmaker Renault, Francois Provost, visited Chennai on Thursday trying to drum up interest in its expansion efforts in the world's rapidly expanding third-largest car market. 

Renault aims to capture about 5% of market share in India by the end of the decade, and Provost told reporters it was betting on electric or partly electric vehicles to achieve this. 

"Our ambition goes beyond 'India for India' in growth and product," Provost said, saying he saw the country as a future export and tech hub, "a strategic asset on a global scale" from which Renault would develop products and technologies for the world.

The company is in the process of downsizing in Europe, and announced job cuts on Wednesday. 

Unusually for major European carmakers, Renault does not have a presence in either of the world's biggest two markets, the US and China. 

The recent trade deal between the EU and India will further ease access to India for European carmakers.

Although new European cars still price most Indian consumers out of the market, this situation is changing rapidly in the world's fourth-largest economy and the trend looks likely to continue. New car sales are set to reach 6 million by 2030, an increase of more than a third compared to 2025.

By comparison, roughly 2.86 million new cars were sold in Germany last year. 

Provost said he expected electric vehicles and hybrids to account for about half of Renault's sales in India by 2030. 

This strategic direction bucks the trend of several other European carmakers, notably Porsche and Japanese giant Honda, that have recently sought to put the brakes on their plans to move towards more electric production. 

The war in Iran has provided a reminder of India's dependence on oil imports and exposure to supply shortages, particularly given US sanctions on importing from Russia and Iran.

The evening's drawing in in India, and so it's time for Dharvi to enjoy a well-deserved evening to herself. 

We'll pick up the slack from Bonn for a few more hours, in case any later headlines roll in, including but not limited to the Punjab Kings trying to retake the lead in the IPL standings later on, as they take on the struggling Mumbai Indians in the Wankhede Stadium. 

A SpiceJet plane hit an Akasa Air's aircraft while it was taxiing at the Delhi airport on Thursday, reports said, adding that there was damage to the wings of both jets.

The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. local time at Terminal 1 of the airport, reports said. 

The SpiceJet aircraft, which had arrived from Leh, was pulling towards its gate when it made contact with the Akasa Air plane, which was preparing to depart for Hyderabad, reports said.

Akasa Air said in a statement that preliminary information indicated its aircraft "was stationary when another airline's aircraft made contact with it."

No injuries were reported in the incident.

"All passengers and crew were safely disembarked, and our ground teams are making alternative arrangements to fly our passengers to Hyderabad at the earliest," news agency ANI quoted an Akasa Air spokesperson as saying. 

There was no immediate statement from the Delhi airport or the civil aviation authority. 

South Korea'sPresident Lee Jae-myung is set to make a state visit to India from April 19-21 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lee's trip marks the first visit by a South Korean leader in eight years. It will also be his maiden visit to the country.

Modi and Lee are scheduled to hold talks on April 20, focusing on cooperation in areas including trade, shipbuilding and artificial intelligence.

The South Korean leader will also meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

According to South Korea's Blue House, Lee will attend a roundtable accompanied by business leaders from the two nations.

"The visit of President Lee underscores the shared aspiration of both countries to further strengthen the existing areas of cooperation while expanding collaboration in new and emerging areas of mutual interest," India's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed the Indian parliament as it convened for a special session featuring a high-powered debate on constitutional amendments. The proposals include an early implementation of the women's reservation bill and an expansion of the overall size of parliament by two-fifths.

The rollout of women's reservation is linked to the Delimitation Bill, which would change electoral boundaries.

The women's quota has broad cross-party support. However, opposition parties have voiced concerns that a population-based redistribution of seats would tip the balance in favor of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which draws much of its support from the densely populated northern states.

Modi said the bills were aimed at boosting women's participation in governance.

"We are providing a new direction to the country. We are trying to create a positive impact. This will shape a new direction in the political sphere. I feel fortunate to be part of a moment that brings half of the population into policy-making," Modi said.

"Women have not forgotten those who have stood against their rights," he added.

Women currently account for 14 percent of India's 543-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.

Modi went on to allay concerns over the delimitation exercise, saying the process would not do any injustice to any state or discriminate against anyone.

The vote on passage of the bills is slated for Friday at 4 p.m. local time.

At least eight pilgrims were killed in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district after the vehicle they were traveling in collided with a truck in the early hours of Thursday.

Twelve others were injured in the accident.

The victims were traveling from Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka to a temple in Mantralayam, Andhra Pradesh.

According to reports, five people died on the spot, while three later succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.

Five women and a 3-year-old girl were among the dead.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over the accident and announced compensation of Rs 200,000 (about 1,800 euros) for the families of the victims.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in New Delhi, with a focus on deepening cooperation in trade, investment, technology, green energy and other key sectors.

Stocker arrived in India on Wednesday for a four-day trip, marking his first official visit to the country.

At their meeting at Hyderabad House on Thursday, Modi and Stocker reviewed what India's foreign ministry called "the full spectrum" of bilateral ties between the two countries.

"Both sides identified high-technology cooperation as a central pillar of the Enhanced India-Austria Partnership," Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X.

The ministry said the two leaders also discussed regional and global issues.

At a joint press briefing following the meeting, Modi urged "stable, sustainable, lasting peace" in ongoing global conflicts, particularly in Ukraine and the Middle East.

He said India and Austria share the view that military confrontations will not yield solutions.

"We are also unanimous that reform of the global institution is necessary to address the growing global challenges, and it is our shared commitment to eradicate terrorism from its roots," Modi added.

During his visit, Stocker hailed a new chapter in a friendship that has strengthened over seven decades.

"In times of increasing geopolitical uncertainty, reliable partners connected by shared values are more important than ever," he said.

The chancellor stressed that the India-Austria relationship will be bolstered by the future implementation of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement.

The debate in the Indian Parliament on three key pieces of legislation (see earlier entry) had a fiery start, quite literally, on Thursday morning as M K Stalin, the chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, burned a copy of the delimitation bill to protest the central government's proposal.

The BJP has drawn flak from leaders of India's southern states, who say that population-based delimitation would unfairly tilt political representation in favor of the northern states, where population growth has been higher.

Southern leaders have also questioned whether their states are being penalized for better population control and economic development.

Meanwhile, parties in the opposition INDIA bloc said they had taken a unanimous decision to vote against the delimitation provisions.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the parties support the women's reservation bill, but the way the Modi government has introduced it was "politically motivated".

"The Opposition will not allow Parliament to be hijacked by flawed delimitation bills disguised as Women's Reservation. We stand united and will fight this devious assault on our Democracy with all our strength," Kharge wrote on X.

Critics and opposition parties have denounced the government's move to link women's reservation with delimitation, accusing the Modi government of "playing tricks" on the issue.

Earlier in the week, senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi accused the government of using the bill as a political instrument, arguing that the move was more about the BJP expanding the size of Parliament for electoral advantage than focusing on women's representation.

Prime Minister Modi has urged all political parties to support the women's reservation bill, saying it was the "wish of every sister and daughter" in the country.