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Vegetable oils import down by bit in June 2022 over last year

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 More than a month after Indonesia lifted the ban on exports, India’s June import of vegetable oils was reported at 991,650 tonnes in June this year compared to 9,96,014 tonnes in June 2021, down by 0.44 per cent, data showed on Wednesday.

According to the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEAI), the 991,650 tonnes imports this year comprised 941,471 tonnes of edible oils and 50,179 tonnes of non-edible oils.

Indonesian palm oil exports had plummeted to a 10 years low due to restrictions imposed on April 28 by the government, resulting in very high stock and full tanks at factories there. Market reports suggest stock is over 8.5 million tonnes, SEAI Executive Director B.V. Mehta said.

Indonesia was compelled to lift the ban on May 23 to reduce its overburden stock. It also reduced the export tax & levy to $488 from $575, which is expected to further reduce to stimulate more exports.

“This has increased export from Indonesia which has had a dampening effect on price in the world market. This can be seen in the continuous downfall in the last few weeks in palm oil prices in the international market,” he said.

The overall import of vegetable oils during first eight months of oil year 2021-22, i.e. from November 2021 till June 2022 has been reported at 87,60,640 tonnes compared to 86,74,012 tonnes during the same period of last year, up by 1 per cent, data compiled by the SEAI said.

The total stock as on July 1 has increased by 7,000 tonnes to 22.56 lakh tonnes from 22.49 lakh tonnes as on June 1.

The import of RBD Palmolein jumped from 29,376 tonnes to 11,00,941 tonnes mainly due to high export levy on CPO ($575) and lower duty on RBD Palmolein ($408).

Indonesia and Malaysia are the major suppliers of palm oil to India. Between November 2021 and June 2022, Malaysia supplied 19,99,407 tonnes of CPO and 3,44,611 tonnes of RBD Palmolein. Indonesia supplied 6,43,199 tonnes of CPO and of 7,47,330 tonnes of RBD Palmolein.

In the case of crude soybean degummed oil, India mainly imported from Argentina (17,24,557 tonnes) and Brazil (7,20,313 tonnes), apart from about 1,59,815 tons from the US.

National

IAF to conduct large-scale combat drills near India-Pak border; NOTAM issued

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New Delhi, June 7: India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a major Indian Air Force (IAF) exercise scheduled to take place near the southern sector of the India-Pakistan International Border in Rajasthan from Saturday, June 7, to Sunday, June 8.

The exercise is part of the IAF’s regular operational preparedness and will be conducted in airspace near the border.

According to the NOTAM, the aerial drill will commence at 3:30 p.m. on June 7 and conclude at 9:30 p.m. the following day.

During this period, airspace over the designated region will be restricted to ensure the safe and seamless execution of air operations.

An official from the Indian Air Force confirmed that the combat exercises will feature a range of advanced air assets, including frontline fighter jets such as Rafale, Mirage 2000, and Sukhoi-30, in addition to surveillance platforms and other support systems.

Although the Ministry of Defence has not officially connected the exercise to ongoing geopolitical tensions, the timing and location of the drill carry notable implications.

This sector has become a focal point amid rising tensions following a deadly cross-border terror attack in Pahalgam. That incident triggered reciprocal airspace restrictions by both India and Pakistan, significantly straining bilateral relations.

India recently closed its airspace to all Pakistani-registered and military aircraft from April 30 to May 23.

This action followed Pakistan’s earlier decision to bar Indian flights from its airspace, marking an escalation in diplomatic and military frictions.

The situation remains tense along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, where frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops have prompted firm retaliatory responses from Indian forces.

This comes against the backdrop of India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, which was launched on May 7, in retaliation to the terror attack in Pahalgam, where terrorists killed 26 innocent people.

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International

Trump to sell his Tesla car as feud with Musk carries risks for both: Report

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Washington, June 7: US President Donald Trump planned to sell the red Tesla car he said he bought in March, according to local media reports.

Citing the New York Times, the media reported that Trump had bought the car to show his support for Elon Musk amid criticism of his role in the administration.

“Administration officials said Mr Trump showed little interest in engaging with Mr Musk, even after the billionaire signalled he would be open to de-escalating the fight” they currently have, the report added.

Late Thursday, Musk backed off a threat to “immediately” decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which transports NASA astronauts and supplies to and from the International Space Station.

A short time later, when Bill Ackman, the hedge-fund billionaire, posted on social media that the two men “should make peace for the benefit of our great country,” Musk responded, “You’re not wrong.”

“For Musk, a prolonged feud with Trump could be hugely expensive,” noted the report. His companies, including SpaceX, have benefited from billions of dollars in government contracts and were positioned to receive billions more.

On Thursday, Trump threatened to end those contracts.

The feud is risky for Trump as well, it added. Musk, the world’s richest person, who spent about 275 million US dollars to help elect Trump in 2024, had promised to give 100 million dollars to groups controlled by the president’s team before the 2026 midterms.

Those funds have yet to be delivered and are now very much in doubt.

This also comes against the backdrop of Elon Musk’s threat, which he later retracted, to cut off NASA’s use of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft would be a huge blow to NASA, depriving the space agency of the only American vehicle capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station and dramatically changing how NASA would access the $100 billion orbiting laboratory, The Washington Post has reported.

The threat, posted on X, came during an escalating fight between the wealthiest man in the world and President Donald Trump, after Trump had threatened to cancel all of Musk’s company’s federal contracts.

“Given SpaceX’s importance to multiple federal programs, severing those relationships could leave NASA as well as the Pentagon and intelligence agencies in a lurch,” noted the report.

Several hours after making the threat, Musk relented, saying in response to a post on X that he should cool off and reconsider: “Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”

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Crime

Man who issued death threat to Delhi CM Gupta, arrested from Ghaziabad

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New Delhi, June 7: A man who issued a death threat to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been arrested by a team from the North-West District Special Staff of the Delhi Police.

The accused was apprehended from Ghaziabad following swift investigative efforts after the threatening call was made late on Thursday night.

According to police officials, the threat call was made to the Ghaziabad Police Control Room (PCR) while the accused was allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

Shortly after the threat was received, the Delhi Police Control Room was alerted, and the matter was escalated due to the high-profile nature of the target.

Investigators identified the caller and tracked his location, but by the time authorities reached the source, the suspect had switched off his mobile phone.

After intensive tracing efforts, the Special Staff managed to arrest him from a hideout in Ghaziabad.

Preliminary interrogation has revealed that the accused is a law graduate (LLB), who had been facing personal turmoil due to a troubled marriage. His wife had recently left him, which reportedly pushed him into emotional distress.

Before making the death threat, he had placed another call in which he demanded to speak to his wife, police said.

Interestingly, the accused was found in possession of fake identification cards that appeared to be police credentials, raising suspicions that he may have attempted to impersonate law enforcement personnel.

Officers stated that he repeatedly tried to mislead the police during questioning.

“Assessment of the threat perception of VIPs or VVIPs is conducted by security agencies on the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),” a senior Delhi Police officer said.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is entitled to Z-category security under the standard protocol. Security agencies are expected to reassess her security cover following this incident, officials confirmed.

Police are continuing their investigation to determine whether the accused has any prior criminal history or links to other disruptive activities.

Authorities have also launched a separate enquiry into the use of forged police IDs found in his possession.

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