India's Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a Sovereign Maritime Fund on Saturday to provide insurance coverage for Indian-flagged vessels and ships bound for or originating from India. The decision targets three categories of maritime exposure simultaneously, signaling a structural shift in how India manages shipping risk at the sovereign level. The fund addresses a persistent vulnerability in Indian trade logistics: dependence on foreign insurers for marine coverage. Global disruptions, from Red Sea attacks to sanctions-driven exclusion zones, have exposed the cost and fragility of routing marine insurance through external underwriters, particularly for state-linked cargo. By internalizing insurance capacity, India reduces its exposure to foreign policy decisions and premium volatility embedded in global reinsurance markets. The mechanism also gives Indian operators access to coverage that may otherwise be withheld or priced prohibitively during geopolitical stress events. The immediate watch item is fund capitalization and governance structure, details that will determine whether the instrument can credibly backstop large-vessel or high-value cargo claims. Execution depth, not policy intent, will define the fund's real impact on Indian shipping competitiveness.
India's Expenditure Finance Committee has cleared a Rs 1.25 lakh crore outlay for India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, up 64 percent from ISM 1.0's Rs 76,000 crore. The proposal now goes to the Cabinet, as two chip plants begin commercial output and a third, CG Semi, is set to open July 4, 2026.
The Supreme Court blocked Trump from firing Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, preserving the Fed's independence from presidential removal power. A separate ruling the same day gave Trump broader authority to dismiss leaders of other independent federal agencies.
The US Supreme Court has blocked President Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, who faced unproven mortgage fraud allegations. The ruling preserves Fed independence for now and keeps a politically charged removal case alive in the courts.
The US Supreme Court, splitting along ideological lines, has allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants.