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India Detains Three Sanctioned Tankers Linked to Iran

India has detained three oil tankers tied to Iran and already under U.S. sanctions, marking a notable escalation in its maritime enforcement efforts. The vessels were intercepted in Indian waters earlier this month after authorities identified irregularities in their operations and documentation. Officials familiar with the situation say the tankers were suspected of participating in ship‑to‑ship transfers designed to obscure the origin of their cargo. Such practices have drawn increasing scrutiny as India strengthens monitoring of its coastal zones and aligns more closely with global efforts to curb sanctions evasion. The detentions also come at a moment of deepening strategic cooperation between New Delhi and Washington. While India maintains an independent foreign policy, the move signals a firmer stance on illicit maritime activity and a willingness to enforce international compliance standards within its jurisdiction.

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Markets Waver Despite Trump-Xi Trade Truce as Big Tech Earnings Loom

 


U.S. stock futures faltered Thursday morning as Wall Street digested a limited trade truce between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, while bracing for a wave of Big Tech earnings and mixed signals from the Federal Reserve.

Market Snapshot:

  • Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.2%
  • S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures hovered near flat
  • Meta shares dropped 8% in premarket trading
  • Bitcoin fell below $108,000

The Trump-Xi summit in Busan yielded a one-year trade dĂ©tente: the U.S. agreed to halve tariffs on fentanyl-related imports from China, while Beijing pledged to resume purchases of American soybeans and energy products and ease restrictions on rare earth exports. However, the deal lacked the sweeping breakthroughs investors had hoped for, leading to muted market enthusiasm.

Adding to the uncertainty, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that another interest rate cut in December is “not a foregone conclusion,” despite the central bank’s recent quarter-point reduction. His comments exposed divisions among policymakers and cooled expectations for further monetary easing.

Meanwhile, investors are closely watching earnings reports from tech giants including Apple and Amazon, which are expected to provide critical insight into the sector’s resilience amid global economic headwinds.

With geopolitical developments and monetary policy in flux, markets appear to be in a holding pattern—waiting for stronger catalysts to define the next move.


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