NEW DELHI, 10 November: On the evening of November 9, India was on the line to both capitals of Europe’s longest war.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by telephone. The same evening, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Few governments can make both calls on the same day and be heard by both sides.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, President Zelenskyy briefed the Prime Minister on the conflict. The Prime Minister restated India’s position that the conflict be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, said India was ready to contribute to efforts for peace, and the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation.
“Glad to have had a productive telephone conversation with President Zelenskyy,” the Prime Minister wrote on X afterwards.
From Moscow’s side of the line, Jaishankar wrote on X that his conversation with Lavrov “focused on the Ukraine conflict and ongoing diplomatic initiatives,”.
WHAT INDIA GAINS
India’s standing as a credible interlocutor rests on exactly this kind of evening. It cannot be claimed in a speech; it has to be shown in calls both sides accept. For Indians, a negotiated end to the war would mean steadier prices for fuel, fertiliser and edible oil. All three moved sharply when the conflict began.
BLITZ View
When the Abu Dhabi talks are scheduled, the Ministry of External Affairs could brief on the specific areas where India is ready to help, such as humanitarian supplies or food security. A named offer gives both sides something concrete to accept.
Cancer drugs get a major price cut
MUMBAI, 10 November: A family buying cancer medicine at a chemist from November 9 pays the new, lower price. Revised maximum retail prices of 1,364 formulations of 121 anti-cancer drugs, filed by 85 companies, came into effect that day, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said, according to DD India.
Patients will save an estimated ₹3,540.38 crore a year, NPPA said.
The deepest cuts are large. Prices of 679 brands fell by more than half, and one fell by 96.45%. The revisions follow an expert committee’s recommendations of October 17 and a cap on trade margins.
India’s Haj quota fixed at 1.75 lakh
MUMBAI. 10 November: Muslim pilgrims planning the Haj in 2027 now know how many will go. India and Saudi Arabia signed the bilateral Haj-2027 agreement in Jeddah on November 9, fixing India’s quota at 1,75,025 pilgrims, the Ministry of Minority Affairs said.
Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju signed after meeting Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah. During his visit, Rijiju also attended the opening of the 6th Hajj Conference and Exhibition.
The quota is the same as for the 2025 and 2026 pilgrimages. What changes is the calendar. Settling the number months ahead gives the Haj Committee of India and private tour operators time to plan flights, housing and the selection process.
19 Indian seafarers escape Yemen ordeal
MUMBAI, 10 NOVEMBER; Nineteen Indian seafarers held for about two weeks in Hodeidah and Sana’a are on their way home, the Embassy of India in Yemen said on November 8.
“All seafarers are safe, in good health, and on their way back to India,” the embassy wrote on X.
The evacuation came out of a country at war, where the embassy has to work through ports and authorities on more than one side. For the families of the 19, it ends two weeks of waiting.
The embassy has not said whether the group includes the 14 crew of a yacht held near Hodeidah in October.
India puts climate finance at heart of COP talks
ANTALYA, 10 November: The United Nations climate summit opened in Antalya, Türkiye, on November 9. On Day One, India stood with the G77 and China in pressing developed countries to deliver the finance they owe under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement.
India also pushed for climate-linked trade measures, such as the EU’s carbon border tax, to be discussed. Trade was not adopted as a separate agenda item, the paper reported.
The numbers behind the argument are stark. Developed countries provided and mobilised $136.7 billion in climate finance in 2024, according to OECD figures cited by Business Standard. The COP29 goal is $300 billion a year by 2035. Developing countries’ adaptation needs alone could reach $305 billion a year by 2035, UNEP’s latest Adaptation Gap Report estimates, The Week reported.
“We will be the voice of the Global South,” Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told ThePrint before the summit. He is expected to join the talks in the second week.
Food safety crackdown nets Rs 82 crore of unsafe stock
NEW DELHI: Food inspectors took about 3,280 tonnes of unsafe food off the market before Diwali. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) seized 3,279.57 tonnes worth ₹81.80 crore in a nationwide drive from September 1 to November 5.
Inspectors visited 56,431 establishments. FSSAI cancelled 52 licences, suspended 1,133, sealed 314 premises and issued 10,047 improvement notices.
Sweets, milk products and ghee are the festive foods most often adulterated, and the drive covered the weeks when Indian households buy the most of them. For families, it is the difference between a gift box and a hospital visit.
