NOVEMBER 20268TOP STORIESBharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) expects its Russian crude oil purchases to decline in November. Higher shipping costs and less attractive offers are making Middle Eastern crude more economical for the Indian oil refiner. Vetsa Ramakrishna Gupta, BPCL's head of finance, told analysts that Middle Eastern crude had become more commercially viable than Russian oil. He shared the update after the company's quarterly earnings announcement on Monday. Gupta said Russian cargoes for November had been "significantly reduced" because of higher freight costs. The shift comes as Indian refiners reassess their crude sourcing strategies based on prices, transportation expenses, and the availability of supplies. During the July-to-September quarter, Russian crude accounted for around 37% of BPCL's total crude sourcing mix. India has approved major defense deals worth around Rs 2.12 lakh crore to strengthen its armed forces. The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the capital acquisition proposals on Monday. Around 82 percent of the proposed procurements will come from Indian industry. The approvals cover the Army, Navy, and Air Force, with a focus on improving mobility, surveillance, firepower, and air defense capabilities.The latest defense deals approvals also highlight India's push to strengthen domestic defense manufacturing while upgrading military equipment. The proposals include advanced weapon systems, helicopters, surveillance platforms, and equipment designed to counter emerging threats. The Army received approvals for several systems intended to improve operational readiness, mobility, surveillance, and combat capabilities. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed a new system to advance smart manufacturing by connecting humanoid robots with computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools through physical AI. The technology aims to automate routine factory tasks and reduce dependence on manual labor. Announced on October 21, 2026, the system enables humanoid robots to handle equipment setup, cleaning, finished-product removal, transportation, inspection, and troubleshooting. Mitsubishi Electric describes it as the industry's first machining system designed to enable seamless collaboration between humanoid robots and CNC machine tools through physical AI. The development Solar manufacturing in India could gain an upstream boost as Jakson Group plans to invest Rs 6,863 crore in an integrated facility in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district. The proposed plant at Meedivemula village will produce 10 GW of silicon ingots and wafers and 5 GW of solar cells annually, with around 2,000 jobs expected. Blue Dart has launched an international parcel service to help Indian e-commerce businesses and exporters reach overseas customers. The service, called International Parcel Connect, will initially support eligible shipments from India to the United States. The new offering targets direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, marketplace sellers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and other businesses looking to expand beyond India. Powered by DHL eCommerce, it combines Blue Dart's domestic delivery network and customer support with an established international parcel network. The service offers Standard and Expedited delivery options. Businesses can choose between the two based on their delivery needs. Shipment tracking and support from Blue Dart in India are also included. WHY BPCL IS TURNING TO MIDDLE EASTERN CRUDE OVER RUSSIAN OILBLUE DART LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL PARCEL SERVICE FOR INDIAN EXPORTERSDEFENSE MINISTRY CLEARS RS 2.12 LAKH CRORE DEFENSE DEALSMITSUBISHI ELECTRIC BRINGS HUMANOID ROBOTS TO SMART MANUFACTURINGJAKSON SOLAR MANUFACTURING: RS 6,863 CR AP WAFER AND CELL PLANTPlanned across three phases, the first phase is targeted to begin commercial production in May 2028, with the remaining capacity scheduled by 2030.Beyond the investment, the project highlights Andhra Pradesh's ambitions to expand its solar manufacturing base and strengthen India's domestic solar supply chain. The proposed investment will extend Jakson Group's manufacturing operations beyond solar modules into the upstream stages of production. The company already operates a 1.2 GW module manufacturing facility in Greater Noida.
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