live U.S., Iran reach preliminary peace deal, Friday signing expected
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a pre...
Last week U.S. authorities accused Adani, his nephew and executive director Sagar Adani and managing director of Adani Green (ADNA.NS), opens new tab, Vneet S. Jaain, of being part of a scheme to pay bribes of $265 million to secure Indian power supply contracts and misleading U.S. investors.
The ports-to-power conglomerate denied the charges as "baseless" and vowed to seek "all possible legal recourse".
India's opposition, especially the Congress party, accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of shielding Adani and blocking investigations against him in India, accusations that have been denied.
Parliament proceedings were disrupted for the second day since the winter session began this week, with MPs shouting slogans and demanding discussion of the Adani allegations.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been a vocal critic of Adani, said Gautam Adani should be arrested.
"The gentleman has been indicted in the United States ... and the government is protecting him," Gandhi told reporters outside parliament.
The government has made no comment on the indictment but the ruling BJP has distanced itself from the controversy.
The BJP had no reason to defend Gautam Adani, a spokesperson said, adding that the party was not against industrialists, but rather considered them partners in nation-building efforts.
"Let him defend himself," the spokesperson, Gopal Krishna Agarwal said on Tuesday, adding that the law would take its own course in case of wrong-doing.
On Wednesday, Adani Green, the company at the center of the indictment, said Gautam Adani had been charged in the United States for alleged violations of securities law and faced potential fines but had not been charged under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
In a stock exchange filing, Adani Green said a complaint by U.S. regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sought "an order directing the defendants to pay civil monetary penalties (but) it does not quantify the amount of penalty".
The civil action launched by the SEC runs in parallel to U.S. federal prosecutors' indictment against Adani and others.
STOCK REBOUND
Shares of 10 listed Adani Group firms recovered about $9 billion in market value on Wednesday, after having shed up to $34 billion since the indictments, up to Tuesday's close.
Adani Green, the hardest hit by the accusations, jumped 9%, but is still down some $8 billion in value.
The indictments are seen as the biggest setback for Gautam Adani, 62, and his conglomerate.
French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), opens new tab, which has a 20% stake in Adani Green, has said it will not make any more investments in the group, adding that it was not informed of the U.S. bribery allegations against Gautam Adani.
Kenya has also cancelled a procurement process of more than $2 billion that had been expected to give control of its main airport to the Adani Group.
Details of a reported draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offer the clearest picture yet of how both sides plan to end months of conflict and move towards a longer-term settlement.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Iran's nuclear program to further negotiations.
Switzerland on Sunday rejected a referendum proposal to cap its population at 10 million, a projection showed, as voters prioritised economic stability and the country's ties with the European Union over immigration concerns.
Spain has received around 900,000 applications from undocumented migrants seeking legal status under a government regularisation programme. The influx has far exceeded initial expectations, the Migration Ministry said on Monday.
A Ukrainian man has been found guilty of carrying out a series of arson attacks on properties linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after being recruited by a mystery figure known only as "EL Money".
British lawmakers look set to revisit assisted dying in the new parliamentary session after Labour MP Lauren Edwards said she would reintroduce legislation that failed to complete its passage through Parliament earlier this year.
Israel expects to secure new contracts for its air and missile defence systems from European countries within weeks, as governments across the continent continue to strengthen their militaries amid security concerns linked to Russia's war in Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on French wine and champagne unless France removes its digital services tax on major American technology companies.
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