Business
SPIEF 2022 Energy panel session: New global energy order
The severe sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine are causing dramatic changes in the global economy and the oil market.
Against all odds, Russia, one of the major energy-producing countries, continues to play a crucial role in the global energy market, while such unprecedented turbulence and disruption in the global economy can lead, among other things, to a shortage of energy.
The tectonic shifts in the hydrocarbon markets were addressed at the Energy panel session as part of the XXV St Petersburg International Economic Forum. This year’s anniversary edition of the Forum was titled “New World – New Opportunities” and traditionally addressed economic, social and technological issues. The Energy panel session was attended by the CEO of Rosneft Oil Company, Igor Sechin,
Managing Director and CEO of ONGC Videsh Alok Kumar Gupta, Chairman of CNPC Dai Houliang, CEO of OPHIR Pedro Aquino Jr. and former Executive Director of IEA Nobuo Tanaka.
The constant change of priorities of the US energy companies, national regulations and political targeting, with the advancement of the green agenda, the pandemic and energy shortages make shareholders distrustful of the changing agenda and reluctant to invest long term. As a result, short-term investments gain priority, and companies focus on increasing dividends while minimizing investments in development.
To address the oil shortage alone, by 2030, the world will need additional investments of $400 billion. This is both politically and financially impossible, noted Igor Sechin, head of Russian oil major Rosneft, while delivering his keynote speech at the SPIEF Energy panel session.
The anti-Russian sanctions have effectively ended the so-called ‘green transition’ which was seen as a way to manipulate the market. Western countries argue for accelerating the green transition and reducing carbon footprints but do the opposite in practice, increasing carbon footprints and eroding other countries’ economies.
But economic policy goals cannot be confined to the economy alone. The restoration of essential production chains disrupted by sanctions sparked a move toward technological sovereignty. A revised configuration of the oil market is already taking shape in Russia, where two price contours have been formed: a fair market price for ‘friendly countries’ and an added premium, which will be added to the price for ‘unfriendly countries’ to compensate for the violation of rules and obligations by the former partners.
With its energy potential and portfolio of top-flight projects, Russia is well-positioned to meet long-term global energy needs with affordable energy resources.
Take Russia’s Vostok Oil – the world’s largest oil project and the only ongoing project of such a scale.
Vostok Oil’s confirmed resource base amounts to 6.2 billion tons, and the oil from its fields has a sulphur content of 0.01 per cent to 0.1 per cent and a low density of approximately 40 API.
Clearly, Vostok Oil has one of the highest efficiency and stability levels in the industry, which will be highly beneficial to its shareholders. Now, the most important aspect of this project is that it can stabilize hydrocarbon markets during a hurricane.
Business
CBI books Reliance Commercial Finance, its promoters in Rs 57.47 crore bank fraud case

Mumbai, Dec 9: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said it has filed a criminal case against Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd (RCFL) and its promoters and directors over allegedly causing wrongful loss of Rs 57.47 crore to Bank of Maharashtra.
The case has been registered against RCFL — a company of Reliance ADA Group, its promoters/directors and unknown bank officials, on the allegations of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct and thereby, the CBI said in a statement.
According to the statement, the loan account of Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd was declared an NPA by the bank on March 25, 2020 and also as fraud on October 4, 2025, for causing wrongful loss of Rs 57.47 crore to Bank of Maharashtra.
“RCFL was availing loans to the tune of Rs 9,280 crore from 31 banks/ FIs/NBFCs/Corporate Bodies, etc., including Bank of Maharashtra. A thorough investigation will be conducted into the allegations of defrauding all the banks/FIs, etc. by the accused company,” said the CBI.
The probe agency obtained search warrants from the court of a Special CBI judge, Mumbai and commenced searches at the official premises of RCFL at Mumbai and the residential premises of Devang Pravin Mody, Director of the company, at Pune, on December 9.
“Several incriminating documents have been observed and are being taken into possession during searches. Searches are in progress,” the CBI said.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a supplementary charge sheet against Reliance Power Ltd and 10 others, in the case of fake bank guarantees of Rs 68 crore submitted by Reliance Power Limited to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for the purpose of securing a tender issued by it. ED attached the proceeds of crime worth Rs 5.15 crore as well.
Reliance Power Ltd said in a statement that “ED allegations have not yet passed through judicial scrutiny and the Company has not been held guilty of any wrongdoing”.
“As per law settled by the Supreme Court, the company will get an opportunity to put across its case and facts before the court, even before cognisance, so filing of this complaint does not affect the affairs of the company in any manner,” said the company in an exchange filing.
Business
IndiGo Crisis Day 8: Mumbai Hit Hard As Flight Chaos Enters Day 8; Over 30 Cancellations Snarl City’s Air Travel

Mumbai: air travel operations remained disrupted on Tuesday as IndiGo’s nationwide aviation crisis stretched into its eighth consecutive day, causing large-scale cancellations and commuter chaos across the country. But Mumbai, one of IndiGo’s busiest and most critical hubs, continued to bear a brunt of the meltdown, with passengers facing uncertain schedules and repeated last-minute cancellations.
By 9:30 am, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had already logged 31 IndiGo cancellations, including 14 inbound flights and 17 outbound departures. Long queues, anxious passengers and repeated rescheduling announcements dominated Terminal 2 through the morning peak hours, leaving thousands scrambling to adjust their plans.
Across India, more than 200 IndiGo flights were cancelled today. Bengaluru topped the list with 121 cancellations, followed by Hyderabad (58), Chennai (41) and Kerala with four. But for Mumbai passengers, many of whom rely on IndiGo for frequent business and leisure travel, the interruptions continued to be especially disruptive.
The turmoil, which began last Tuesday, has snowballed into a full-blown operational crisis. Over 4,500 flights have been cancelled between last week and Monday. Even though IndiGo claimed on Sunday that operations were ‘stabilising,’ the airline saw over 500 fresh cancellations on Monday alone, leaving passengers stranded overnight at multiple airports, including Mumbai.
The root of IndiGo’s meltdown has been linked to the airline’s inability to implement the second phase of India’s updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which came into effect in November. The revised norms, aimed at cutting pilot fatigue and extending rest periods, required IndiGo to restructure crew rosters. However, the airline has reportedly been struggling with a pilot shortage, leading to a mismatch between the new regulations and its available manpower.
To reduce pressure on airlines and mitigate the ongoing disruption, aviation regulator DGCA temporarily relaxed certain night-duty and weekly rest requirements for pilots. This relaxation is expected to help airlines stabilise operations through emergency rostering flexibility.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told Parliament that IndiGo did not raise any concerns during a crucial meeting on December 1, just a day before the cancellations spiralled. He attributed the chaos to the airline’s internal system rather than regulatory pressure.
The government has now decided to sharply cut IndiGo’s winter schedule. The airline, which operates 2,200 flights a day and commands nearly 60 per cent of the domestic market, will see its schedule curtailed, with several routes handed to other carriers to prevent further passenger inconvenience.
Business
LT Foods drops over 6.5 pc, other Indian rice stocks also slide

Mumbai, Dec 9: Shares of leading Indian rice companies fell sharply on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump hinted that he may impose fresh tariffs on agricultural imports, specifically targeting Indian rice and Canadian fertilisers.
The statement triggered immediate selling in stocks linked to the rice trade. LT Foods was the biggest loser, with its share price slipping 6.85 per cent to Rs 366.55.
Shares of KRBL also declined, falling 1.14 per cent, while GRM Overseas dropped 4.46 per cent.
The sudden slide reflected investor concerns that any new US tariffs could hurt export demand and impact earnings for these companies.
Trump made his remarks during a White House event where he announced new support measures for US farmers.
His comments come at a time when trade tensions between the United States and India continue to resurface.
India remains the world’s largest rice producer, with an output of 150 million tonnes and a 28 per cent share in global production.
It is also the top exporter, accounting for 30.3 per cent of global rice exports in 2024–2025, data from the Indian Rice Exporters Federation showed.
Despite this large global presence, India’s rice exports to the US are relatively small.
According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, India shipped around 234,000 tonnes of rice to the US in the 2024 financial year, which is less than 5 per cent of its total global basmati exports of 5.24 million tonnes.
West Asian countries remain the biggest buyers of Indian rice. Among the varieties exported worldwide, the Sona Masoori variety is especially popular in markets like the US and Australia.
The US, under Trump’s leadership, has already imposed steep tariffs on India, including a 50 per cent tariff — its highest — along with a 25 per cent levy on India’s Russian oil imports.
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