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Fuel prices hit fresh record high, increase for 6th straight day

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Petrol and diesel prices rose again on Sunday for the sixth consecutive day, hitting a fresh record high.

In the national capital, petrol price rose by 30 paise per litre and diesel was hiked by 35 paise per litre. The prices of petrol and diesel have crossed the Rs 100 per litre mark in many states, pinching the common man’s pocket.

In Delhi, petrol is retailing at Rs 104.14 per litre and diesel is available at Rs 92.82 per litre after the latest price revision. On the other hand, in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, petrol became costlier by 29 paise per litre and its rate stands at Rs 110.12 per litre, the highest across all four metro cities. Diesel costs Rs 100.66 for one litre in Mumbai, a hike of 37 paise.

There has been a constant rise in the prices of petrol and diesel for the past six days and the rates are soaring all-time high. The prices of petrol and diesel remained steady on October 4, 2021 but saw a daily hike after that.

Diesel prices have now increased on 14 out of the last 17 days taking up its retail price by Rs 4.20 per litre in Delhi. The price of diesel earlier increased by 20-30 paise per litre but since Wednesday it has been increasing by 35 paise per litre.

With diesel price rising sharply, the fuel is now available at over Rs 100 a litre in several parts of the country. This dubious distinction was earlier with petrol that had crossed Rs 100 a litre mark across the country a few months earlier.

Petrol prices had maintained stability since September 5 but oil companies finally raised its pump prices since last week given a spurt in the crude prices lately. Petrol prices have also risen on 11 of the previous 13 days taking up its pump price by Rs 2.95 per litre.

OMCs had preferred to maintain their watch on prices on global oil situation before making any revision in prices. This is the reason why petrol prices were not revised for the last three weeks. But extreme volatility in global oil price movement has now pushed OMCs to effect the increase.

Across the country as well petrol and diesel prices increased by 30-40 paise per litre but their retail rates varied depending on the level of local taxes in the state.

Fuel prices in the country have been hovering at record levels on account of 41 increases in its retail rates since April this year. It fell on few occasions but largely remained stable.

Crude price has been on a surge, rising over three year high level of over $82 a barrel now. Since September 5, when both petrol and diesel prices were revised, the price of petrol and diesel in the international market is higher by around $9-10 per barrel as compared to average prices during August.

Under the pricing formula adopted by oil companies, rates of petrol and diesel are to be reviewed and revised by them on a daily basis. The new prices becomes effective from morning at 6 a.m.

The daily review and revision of prices is based on the average price of benchmark fuel in the international market in the preceding 15-days, and foreign exchange rates.

Business

Govt asks Meta to review Facebook and Instagram recommendation systems

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The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has asked technology giant firm Meta to review the content recommendation and ranking systems that power Facebook and Instagram, stepping up regulatory scrutiny of how social media algorithms amplify information in India, according to multiple reports.

In an advisory issued to the company, the ministry had asked Meta to ensure that its recommendation systems do not lead to the disproportionate exposure of users to a single or limited set of narratives and instead provide greater access to diverse, relevant and credible information, according to them.

The ministry also directed Meta to strengthen mechanisms for rapidly identifying, reviewing and escalating content that gains significant reach through recommendation systems when such material has the potential to contribute to public confusion, violence or disruption of public order.

Apart from that, the US-based company has been asked to implement the measures immediately and inform the government of the action taken.

The advisory specifically highlights photographs, videos and graphics related to ongoing public events where the authenticity, timing, location or surrounding circumstances may be unclear.

It calls for additional context where old or unrelated visuals are presented as current, where footage has been selectively edited or where unverified claims are made regarding emergencies, police action or other official measures.

Additionally, this marks the latest escalation in the government’s scrutiny of Meta’s moderation and recommendation systems.

Earlier in August, government officials questioned Meta executives over content recommendation algorithms, deepfakes, synthetic media and safeguards against unlawful content.

Meta has separately tightened content and advertising safeguards following concerns related to child sexual exploitation material.

The company said earlier this month it deployed new AI-driven advertising review systems and removed 5.3 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content in India during January-June 2026, with more than 98% detected proactively.

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Business

Sensex, Nifty open flat amid mixed global cues

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Domestic equity benchmarks opened on a flat note on Monday tracking mixed global cues and momentum from last week’s gains.

Sensex opened at 74,849.30, up 120.03 points or 0.16 per cent, while Nifty began trading at 23,150.85, up 4.70 points or 0.02 per cent.

Sectorally, Nifty PSU Bank led gains and rose over 1 per cent, followed by Nifty Oil & Gas which surged 0.6 per cent.

In contrast, Nifty Private Bank, Nifty IT and Nifty Chemicals dropped up to 1 per cent.

Market experts said momentum from Nifty’s 2.8 per cent surge last week and good results from banking majors after better-than-expected IT earnings could keep the market resilient.

“However, escalation of tensions in Hormuz and consequent surge in Brent crude to $109 will act as a strong headwind,” according to them.

They further said that attractive large-cap valuations and rupee appreciation turned FII stance slightly positive, though unlikely to sustain at high crude prices. Large-caps outperforming mid and small-caps is likely to continue, with stock-specific action on Q2 results.

For Nifty, immediate support is placed at 22,950–23,000, while resistance is seen at 23,250–23,300, the experts said and added that RSI strengthened to 52.81 above its average of 34.70, while PCR stood at 1.08.

In the previous session on October 16, FIIs turned net buyers after 15 straight sessions of selling, buying equities worth about Rs 1,166 crore, while DIIs ended their 45-session buying streak with net sales of around Rs 3,661 crore.

On commodities, Brent crude traded nearly 2 per cent lower at around $107.76 per barrel, while US WTI declined about 1 per cent to $100.43.

In Asia, markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei traded 0.84 per cent lower, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and South Korea’s KOSPI rose up to 0.83 per cent. Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite fell over 5 per cent.

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Business

India-EFTA trade pact opens new opportunities for Norwegian investment across key sectors

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India’s strong economic growth trajectory and the implementation of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) are creating significant opportunities for Norwegian investors, particularly in manufacturing, renewable energy, infrastructure, financial services and the digital economy, according to industry insights.

With GDP growth projected to remain around 6.5 per cent annually through 2030, India is widely expected to become the world’s third-largest economy by the end of the decade, according to EY India report.

Analysts attribute this outlook to strong domestic consumption, rising investments, ongoing infrastructure development and reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business.

The India-EFTA TEPA, which came into effect in October 2025, is being viewed as a major milestone in India-Norway economic relations.

The agreement seeks to promote trade liberalisation, facilitate investment flows and deepen cooperation in areas such as innovation, sustainability and advanced technologies.

The pact includes investment commitments of $100 billion over 15 years and is expected to support the creation of one million direct jobs in India, aligning with the country’s broader goals of expanding manufacturing capacity and strengthening its position in global value chains.

Industry experts believe the agreement creates a strong framework for Norwegian companies to expand their presence in India by combining Norway’s expertise in technology, sustainability and capital-intensive industries with India’s large market and growth ambitions.

Several sectors have been identified as priority areas for collaboration, including manufacturing, renewable energy, oil and gas, maritime services, seafood processing, information and communication technology (ICT), fintech and financial services. These industries are expected to benefit from increasing bilateral cooperation under the TEPA framework.

The rapid expansion of India’s digital economy and digital payments ecosystem is also creating opportunities for Norwegian companies seeking exposure to one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing consumer markets.

At the same time, India’s policy measures aimed at attracting foreign investment are expected to provide a supportive environment for long-term investors, as per the report.

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