IREF pointed out that Indian rice shipments to the US are already levied with a 50% duty. (AI image)

India’s rice exports may bear the brunt of escalating tensions in Iran and US President Donald Trump’s latest move to impose 25% tariffs on any country doing trade with Iran. “Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social.Recent export figures show that India shipped Basmati rice worth $468.10 million to Iran during April to November of 2025–26, which is 5.99 lakh metric tonnes. Despite Iran remaining one of the most important overseas markets for Indian Basmati, the ongoing instability has increasingly strained order execution, delayed remittances and unsettled delivery schedules in the current fiscal year, according to Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF).

Trump tariffs & Iran tensions: What’s ahead for India’s rice exports?

Rising internal turmoil and large-scale demonstrations in Iran are starting to weigh on India’s rice export outlook to the country, disrupting trade flows and exerting downward pressure on basmati prices at home, says IREF. The uncertainty has spread across the export chain, affecting contracting, payments and shipment planning.These pressures are now clearly reflected in domestic markets. Prices of major basmati varieties have fallen sharply over the past week, driven by cautious buying, postponed deals and growing risk aversion among exporters.

India’s Rice Exports to US

Dr. Prem Garg, National President, Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF), said: “Iran has historically been a pillar market for Indian Basmati. However, the current internal turmoil has disrupted trade channels, slowed payments, and dented buyer confidence. The immediate fallout is evident in Indian mandis, where Basmati prices have softened sharply within days. Exporters must exercise heightened caution, particularly with respect to credit exposure and shipment timelines.”Dr. Garg noted that IREF has advised exporters to re-evaluate the risks tied to Iranian contracts, strengthen payment safeguards and refrain from excessive inventory build-up aimed solely at the Iran market. “We are not sounding an alarm, but urging prudence. In periods of geopolitical and internal instability, trade is often the first casualty. A calibrated approach is essential to protect both exporters and farmers. India’s rice sector is resilient, but it must be safeguarded through timely intelligence and responsible trade practices,” he said.The federation has also urged industry participants to expand their presence in alternative destinations across West Asia, Africa and Europe to mitigate the impact of any extended slowdown in shipments to Iran.Talking about Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs, IREF pointed out that Indian rice shipments to the US are already levied with a 50% duty, which is a steep jump from the earlier tariff rate of 10%.“Despite this substantial tariff escalation, Indian rice exports to the U.S. have not witnessed a corresponding decline in volume. This resilience is largely due to the fact that Indian rice—particularly Basmati—is not a like-for-like substitute for rice of Pakistani or U.S. origin. Additionally, Indian rice is deeply embedded in the culinary traditions of the Gulf region and the Indian subcontinent diaspora, ensuring sustained consumer demand despite price pressures,” says IREF.

India-Iran Trade Overview

There is currently little certainty on how the proposed 25% tariff would be implemented. Even in a scenario where the overall tariff load increases further, IREF does not anticipate a big drop in Indian rice shipments to the US. “The United States remains the 10th largest market for Indian rice globally and the fourth largest destination for Indian Basmati, underscoring its strategic importance,” IREF said.In contrast, IREF flagged more serious risks emerging from Iran, where disruptions at the local market level have started to interfere with trade payments. Exporters have been informed by importers that they are struggling to meet contractual obligations and transfer funds to India, injecting a high degree of uncertainty into ongoing transactions. Although such episodes have been witnessed earlier, the direction and duration of the current disruption remain uncertain and are likely to trigger additional volatility in prices, cash flows, and overall market confidence in the near term.“As global trade becomes increasingly intertwined with geopolitics, the situation in Iran serves as a reminder that food exports—particularly strategic commodities such as rice—are highly sensitive to regional stability. For India’s rice ecosystem, timely caution today may help prevent deeper distress tomorrow,” IREF concludes.

Google recently unveiled Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard for agentic commerce that the search giant claims works across the entire shopping journey — from discovery and buying to post-purchase support. UCP establishes a common language for agents and systems to operate together across consumer surfaces, businesses, and payment providers to enable commerce. So instead of requiring unique connections for every individual agent, UCP enables all agents to interact easily. The protocol has backing from some of the biggest American retailers and payment players including Walmart, Target, Shopify and Etsy.Announced at the National Retail Federation conference in New York, Google pitched UCP as a foundation for “agentic commerce,” a fast-emerging concept in which AI agents help shoppers carry out multi-step tasks on their behalf. “AI agents will be a big part of how we shop in the not-so-distant future,” wrote Google CEO Sundar Pichai on X, formerly Twitter.

Amazon vs Perplexity over AI shopping agents

Notably, there was one e-commerce giant not included in Google’s announcement: Amazon. And incidentally, this AI-led shopping is similar to what Amazon last year sent a legal notice to Perplexity over. And the two companies have been fighting over. In November 2025, Amazon sued Perplexity over AI shopping agents.In a lawsuit filed in Northern California, Amazon sued Perplexity to stop its Comet AI agents from accessing Amazon’s e-commerce website in what it alleges to be a covert manner. The lawsuit followed a cease and desist letter in which Amazon alleged Perplexity is “disguising Comet as a Google Chrome browser” and refusing to identify Comet AI agents when operating in the Amazon Store, making purchases on behalf of users without authorization.In a blog post on sending Cease and Desist notice to Perplexity, Amazon wrote, “We think it’s fairly straightforward that third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions whether or not to participate. This helps ensure a positive customer experience and it is how others operate, including food delivery apps and the restaurants they take orders for, delivery service apps and the stores they shop from, and online travel agencies and the airlines they book tickets with for customers. Agentic third-party applications such as Perplexity’s Comet have the same obligations, and we’ve repeatedly requested that Perplexity remove Amazon from the Comet experience, particularly in light of the significantly degraded shopping and customer service experience it provides.”

Amazon sends Cease and Desist letter to PerplexityAI

“As a general matter, Amazon shares the industry’s excitement about AI innovations and sees significant potential for agentic AI to improve customer experiences in a range of areas. But to successfully deliver for customers, AI agents that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers must operate transparently when taking actions purportedly on a customer’s behalf. Such transparency is critical because it protects a service provider’s right to monitor AI agents and restrict conduct that degrades the customer shopping experience, erodes customer trust, and creates security risks for our customers’ private data. It also facilitates dialogue between service providers and AI agent providers, who should share a common interest in improving customer shopping experience. Without transparency, no such dialogue is possible, which is why Amazon invites discussions with AI providers about how they can improve the experiences of Amazon customers. Yet, Perplexity has refused to operate transparently and has instead taken affirmative steps to conceal its agentic activities in the Amazon Store. This refusal is particularly troubling given that Amazon has, on multiple occasions, asked Perplexity to stop undisclosed agentic activities, which are not authorized by Amazon and violate Amazon’s Conditions of Use,” said Amazon in its Cease and Desist letter.

Amazon on third-party AI shopping agents

Also what needs to be noted here is that Amazon’s legal notice to Perplexity is not being seen as a full indictment against third-party agentic commerce, but moreso an example of how Amazon wants to work with external agents on its own terms. Amazon has been experimenting with its own AI-powered shopping features, including its Rufus assistant and the “Buy for Me” initiative since sometime now. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy acknowledged on during the last earnings call that agentic commerce “has a chance to be really good for e-commerce” and said that he expects the company to partner with third-party agents over time. At the same time, Jessy said that agents “aren’t very good” at personalization and often display incorrect pricing and delivery estimates. Jassy also said that the company is not against external partnerships for Agentic Commerce. During the call, Jassy said, “We’re also having conversations with and expect over time to partner with third-party agents.” “And today, search engines are a very small part of our referral traffic, and third-party agents are a very small subset of that. But I do think that we will find ways to partner. We have to find a way, though, that makes the customer exp

AMBERNATH: The Shiv Sena made a decisive backdoor entry in the Ambernath Municipal Council after days of intense negotiations, hotel politics and open confrontation with its state- and national-level ally, the BJP. With the support of four NCP councillors, Shiv Sena’s locally formed Mahayuti alliance succeeded in electing its candidate Sadamama Patil as deputy president, delivering a major political setback to the BJP.To prevent any last-minute defections, Shiv Sena kept its councillors in Thane, while the BJP housed its members at a hotel in Lonavla. On Monday, amid heavy sloganeering and heated exchanges between leaders and workers of both camps inside and outside the council premises, Shiv Sena MLA Shrikant Shinde personally led the Shiv Sena-led alliance to the council for voting. The strategy worked, as all councillors voted in unison, resulting in Sadamama Patil’s victory by a margin of four votes.Sadamama Patil secured 32 votes as the Shiv Sena Mahayuti candidate, while BJP-backed Ambernath Vikas Aghadi nominee Pradeep Patil managed 28 votes. The contest highlighted the sharp rivalry between Shiv Sena and BJP in Ambernath, despite their alliance elsewhere.Both parties had fought the municipal council elections against each other in the city and were now seen locked in a direct struggle for control of the civic body.Although the BJP had earlier won the directly elected post of municipal council president, its limited strength of just 15 councillors made it difficult to secure full control of the council. To overcome this, the BJP stitched together the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi by bringing along 12 Congress councillors, four from the NCP faction and one independent. This unexpected alignment with the Congress led to political embarrassment for both parties. The Congress later suspended its 12 councillors, who subsequently joined the BJP, giving the party confidence that its path to power had been cleared. Equations changed dramatically after intervention by Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Dyb CM Eknath Shinde. Acting swiftly, Shinde ensured that the four NCP councillors resigned from the BJP-backed group. Soon after, a new and legally constituted group named Shiv Sena Mahayuti Ambernath was formed, comprising 27 Shiv Sena councillors, four NCP councillors and one independent, taking the alliance’s tally to a decisive 32 members.Sensing the shifting ground, the BJP issued a group whip on Sunday, directing all councillors of its Aghadi-including the four NCP members-to remain present and vote in line during the deputy president election. Sena said that as per rules, councillors are allowed to leave a group within 30 days of its formation.

Priyanka Chopra proved once again that she will always be a desi girl at heart after she showed off a hack to get through the Golden Globe Awards in style. The actress, who was a presenter at the awards show, won hearts on social media after a candid pre-award moment caught the attention of her Indian fans. In a BTS clip, the actress was seen getting ready for the big show. While hubby Nick Jonas opted for a double-breasted suit, PeeCee rocked a stunning blue and black Dior gown. After getting her dress, hair and make-up done, the actress embraced her very ‘desi’ habit to get through the day with that flawless look.

Priyanka Chopra shows off her ‘desi’ hack

Speaking to the camera, she said , “My eyes will no stop watering.” She then dug into the top of her gown and fishing out a tissue she said, “But iI think it’s going to be good. Have my trusted tissue. ‘Humaare daadiyon ne achha sikhaya hai (Our grandmothers taught us well.)”Laughing at the hack, she then proceeded to her car.

Fans react to Priyanka Chopra’s tissue trick

Reacting to the actress’ very desi hack, one fan quipped, “DESI GIRL you will forever have my heart!”Another said, “The tissue, Priyanka is me!”

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ Golden Globes appearance

Chopra, who attended the Golden Globes as one of the presenters, had earlier walked the red carpet with husband Nick Jonas. The couple turned heads with their glamorous appearance and for their loved-up photos on the red carpet.Priyanka and Nick also stopped for interviews on the red carpet. While taking questions, the two shared updates on their film slate. While Nick revealed that his next film ‘Jumanji 2’ is in production and that his new music will be out this week, Priyanka shared that the first trailer of ‘The Bluff’ will drop on Wednesday and that the film will have a digital release on February 25. She also teased that the film will be rated ‘R’ and will see her in an action-packed avatar, even “cutting off heads,” she said.

In Match 23 of SA20 2025-26, the Paarl Royals host Durban’s Super Giants at Boland Park in a high-stakes encounter for playoff positioning. The Royals, currently fourth, seek to bounce back after a 21-run defeat to Pretoria Capitals. David Miller remains their batting mainstay with 161 runs, while Sikandar Raza, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps continues to be a game-changer with his elite spin.

Durban’s Super Giants arrive with renewed momentum following a thrilling two-wicket win over table-toppers Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Although they sit fifth, a victory today could propel Aiden Markram’s side into the top four. Jos Buttler leads their scoring with 166 runs, and the spin duo of Noor Ahmad and Sunil Narine will look to exploit a Boland Park surface that historically grips as the game progresses. With the head-to-head record tied at 3–3, this clash promises a tactical battle between Paarl’s disciplined bowling and Durban’s explosive middle order.

PR vs DSG, SA20 2026: Match details

• Date and Time: January 13; 9:00 pm IST / 03:30 am GMT / 5:30 pm Local
• Venue: Boland Park, Paarl

PR vs DSG Head-to-Head Record in SA20

Matches played: 06 | Paarl Royals won: 03| Durban’s Super Giants won: 03 | No result/Tied: 00

Boland Park Pitch Report

Boland Park is known for its sluggish surface, often favouring spinners and bowlers who rely on variations rather than sheer pace. Scoring tends to become challenging through the middle overs, making a strong powerplay and smart strike rotation crucial. With hot weather expected in Paarl, the dry conditions are likely to bring the spinners even more into play as the game wears on.

Also WATCH: Matthew Breetzke plucks a screamer to dismiss Dewald Brevis in SA20 2026

Squads

Paarl Royals: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Asa Tribe, David Miller (c), Sikandar Raza, Delano Potgieter, Rubin Hermann, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman, Vishen Halambage, Dan Lawrence, Hardus Viljoen, Gudakesh Motie, Okuhle Cele, Nqabayomzi Peter, Eshan Malinga, Thomas Rew, Keagan Lion Cachet

Durban’s Super Giants: Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Jos Buttler, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Evan Jones, David Wiese, Eathan Bosch, Simon Harmer, Kwena Maphaka, Noor Ahmad, Sunil Narine, Taijul Islam, Dayyaan Galiem, Daryn Dupavillon, Tony de Zorzi, Marques Ackerman, Gerald Coetzee, David Bedingham, Andile Simelane, Gysbert Wege

PR vs DSG, SA20 2026: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• Paarl Royals wins the toss and bats first
• Paarl Royals’ powerplay score: 50-60
• Paarl Royals’ total score: 170-180

Case 2:

• Durban’s Super Giants wins the toss and bats first
• Durban’s Super Giants’ powerplay score: 40-50
• Durban’s Super Giants’ total score: 160-170

Match result: Team batting first to win the contest.

Also WATCH: Dewald Brevis and Sherfane Rutherford unleash a flurry of sixes on MI Cape Town bowlers in SA20 2025-26

General Upendra Dwivedi (ANI photo)

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday reflected on Operation Sindoor, describing the counterterror military action as “ongoing” and warning Pakistan, that any “future misadventure will be resolutely responded.”General Dwivedi issued a direct warning to Islamabad, saying, “At least 6 terror camps still active across the LoC & 2 across the International Border after Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Will act, if any (nefarious) attempts are carried out.”Addressing the annual Army Day press conference, General Dwivedi said a “clear decision to respond decisively was taken at the highest level.” He added, “Operation Sindoor was conceptualised and executed with precision. Through 22 minutes of initiation on 7th May and an orchestration that lasted 88 hours up to 10th May, the operation reset strategic assumptions by striking deep, dismantling terror infrastructure, and puncturing the longstanding nuclear rhetoric. The Army successfully destroyed seven out of the nine targets and thereafter played a pivotal role in ensuring a calibrated response to Pak actions.”Upendra Dwivedi highlighted the heavy losses suffered by the Pakistan Army, saying that about 100 of their personnel were killed in firing along the LoC and IB during heightened military tensions.The Army chief stressed that the counterterror operation, launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, remains “ongoing,” and reiterated the warning of a “resolute response” to any future misadventures. He also acknowledged the coordinated national effort behind the operation, saying, “I must acknowledge the proactive role of all stakeholders at the national level, including CAPFs, Intelligences, civic bodies, state administration and other ministries, whether it’s MHA, Railways and many more…”Also read: Project-75I; How India’s $8 billion submarine upgrade reshapes the Pakistan, China equationCalling the mission a benchmark in joint operations, General Dwivedi said, “Operation Sindoor was the best example of tri-service synergy under clear-cut political directive and full freedom to act or respond.”He also added that military responses in future will be a combined action and reflected on PM Modi’s vision, General Dwivedi said, “Now the battle of the future will not be won by a single arm or even a single service. It will be a national level enterprise. The Prime Minister captured this vision through the mantra of ‘Jai’ where jointness integrates our effort, Atmanirbharta empowers our capability and accelerated innovation drives ideas into action. So, based on the lessons drawn during Operation Sindoor and in line with the Indian Army‘s belief that change must come at the velocity of relevance. We prefix the verb acceleration to all our nouns, that is initiatives.”Commenting on the broader security situation in the North, the Army chief said, “The situation along the Northern Front remains stable, but needs constant vigil. Apex-level interactions, renewed contact, and confidence-building measures are contributing to the gradual normalisation of the situation that has also enabled grazing, hydrotherapy camps, and other activities along the Northern Borders.” On India-China border, he said “With our continued strategic orientation on this front, our deployment along the Line of Actual Control remains balanced and robust. Concurrently, capability development and infrastructure enhancement are progressing through a whole-of-government approach.”The Army chief also responded to and rejected China’s repeated claims on Jammu and Kashmir’s Shaksgam Valley, reiterating India’s position: “India considers the 1963 agreement between Pakistan and China on Shaksgam Valley.”In the intervening nights of May 6 and May 7, Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, destroying nine major terror hideouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and mainland Pakistan. The strikes targeted headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke.Following the operation, India clarified that the strikes were aimed solely at terror infrastructure and not Pakistan’s state machinery. However, Islamabad attempted retaliatory missile and drone attacks, all of which were intercepted and neutralised by India’s air defence systems, preventing any loss of life or property.India then launched retaliatory strikes on Pakistan’s military installations, destroying key airbases, including Rahim Yar Khan and the Nur Khan airbase.

Stray dogs issue: Activists, citizens protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday continued hearing the case on stray dogs, warning that states will likely pay a compensation for ‘not doing anything’ for every bite that leads to death or injury to either children or the elderly.The apex court also asked for accountability from those claiming to be dog feeders, telling them to continue their activity from their house. The hearing took place in front of three-judge special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. AnjariaAccording to LiveLaw, Justice Nath said, “For every dog bite, death or injury caused to children or elderly, we are likely going to fix heavy compensation by state, for not doing anything. Also, liability and accountability on those who are saying we are feedings dogs. Do it, take them to your house. Why should dogs be littering around, biting, scaring people?”

The case so far

The SC had refused to examine allegations of harassment of women dog feeders and caregivers, reiterating that such complaints fall under law and order issues and that affected individuals can lodge FIRs. Hearing arguments in the stray dogs case, the apex court also declined to consider claims that derogatory remarks were being made against women in the course of the debate.The three-judge special bench observed that some of the submissions made before it were ‘far from reality’ and pointed to several videos showing stray dogs attacking children and elderly persons.The court was hearing a batch of pleas, including those filed by dog lovers, seeking modification of its earlier orders as well as petitions demanding strict enforcement of existing directions.The bench clarified that it had never ordered the removal of all stray dogs from the streets and that its directions were limited to the treatment of stray canines in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. It also flagged widespread non-compliance by civic bodies, noting that people were dying not only due to dog bites but also because of road accidents caused by stray animals.Citing an “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents in institutional areas such as schools, hospitals and railway stations, the Supreme Court on November 7 directed that stray dogs be relocated to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination. It also ordered that dogs picked up should not be released back at the places from where they were removed.The court further directed authorities to ensure the removal of cattle and other stray animals from state highways, national highways and expressways.The Supreme Court is hearing the matter as a suo motu case initiated on July 28 last year following media reports on stray dog attacks leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday formally launched the logo and official website for its Brics Presidency 2026, setting the tone for its upcoming chairmanship of the multilateral grouping. The launch took place in New Delhi, where external affairs minister S Jaishankar attended the event and outlined India’s priorities for the year ahead.The logo reflects Indian identity and the collective nature of BRICS. Its overall shape is inspired by the lotus, India’s national flower. At the centre of the design, the inner petals form two hands joined in a Namaste, a gesture commonly associated with greeting and respect. The five petals are coloured to represent the founding BRICS members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, highlighting unity among diverse nations.

Referring to the logo and the website, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said at the event that the theme underscored the need to strengthen capacities, promote innovation and ensure sustainable development for the benefit of all. He said the logo reflects unity and diversity among Brics members, while the Brics India website would serve as a common platform during India’s chairship, providing information on meetings, initiatives and outcomes, and enabling timely dissemination of information and greater engagement.The external affairs misniter said India’s Brics chairship would seek to “bring together the potential of Brics countries for greater global welfare”. He said India would assume the chair in 2026 at “an important moment in the grouping’s journey”, as Brics completes 20 years since its inception. Over the years, he said, Brics has “steadily evolved into a significant platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing economies”, expanding its agenda and membership while remaining focused on people-centric development, dialogue and practical cooperation.Outlining the roadmap for India’s chairship, Jaishankar said the four broad priorities would be “resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability”. He said these priorities would “provide a coherent and balanced framework across the three foundational pillars of Brics, political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges”.