09012026-TTC-01.qxd 1/9/2026 AUSTRALIA WIN ASHES SERIES 4-1 SPORT /thetribunechd 12:31 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 10 NO. 9 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 friday | 9 january 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Trump approves Russia oil Bill proposing 500% tariff on India Will penalise nations ‘fuelling Putin’s war machine’ US pulls out of 66 global bodies; Int’l SolarAllianceonlist Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 8 In a move that could have significant trade and diplomatic implications for India, US President Donald Trump has approved a bipartisan sanctions Bill aimed at penalising countries that continue to buy Russian oil, with proposed tariffs of up to 500 per cent. The development was announced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who said the Bill — co-authored with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal — had been “greenlit” by the President following a “very productive meeting” at the White House. “This Bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil fuelling Putin’s war machine,” Graham said in a post on X. He added that the legislation would give Trump tremendous leverage over countries such as China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying discounted Russian oil, which he said was funding Putin’s “bloodbath against Ukraine”. The legislation, titled the Russia Sanctions Enforcement and Accountability Act, is expected to be tabled for a vote in the US Senate as early as next week. It seeks to impose sweeping financial and trade penalties on coun- Tribune News Service SENATE RESOLUTION TO CAP TRUMP’S WAR POWERS ■ The US Senate advanced a resolution on Thursday that would bar President Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorisation ■ It’ll be taken up for further consideration in the 100-member chamber ■ The vote on a procedural measure to advance the war powers resolution was 52 to 47, as five of Trump’s fellow Republicans voted in favour of moving ahead. One Republican senator did not vote tries and entities that undermine the price cap on Russian crude — a measure intended to limit Moscow’s oil revenues amid the Ukraine war. According to US media reports, the Bill could grant the US administration broad authority to impose tariffs of up to 500 per cent on imports from non-compliant nations, potentially impacting trade flows with major economies that have continued energy ties with Russia. India has emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian crude since Western sanctions were imposed on Moscow in 2022, taking advantage of discounted prices while maintaining that its energy imports are driven by national interests and global market conditions. New Delhi has consistently rejected linking its oil purchases to geopolitical considerations, arguing that energy security for its population remains paramount. Observers say the move signals Washington’s intent to tighten economic pressure on Moscow while also testing the diplomatic balance of emerging powers such as continued on page 9 DHAKA SUSPENDS INDIA VISA SERVICES BACK PAGE New Delhi, January 8 US President Donald Trump has announced the country’s withdrawal from 66 international organisations, including the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA), describing them as “wasteful, ineffective, or harmful” to American interests. The announcement was made through a statement released by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following the directives of an executive order. The order called for a comprehensive review of all global institutions that the US supports financially or participates in, to assess their alignment with national interests. “The Trump Administration has found these institutions to be redundant, mismanaged and often captured by actors advancing agendas contrary to our own. The days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over,” the State Department statement said. Among the bodies listed for withdrawal are key United Nations entities such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the continued on page 9 Minister Arora gets Local Govt berth in Punjab Cabinet rejig Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 8 Punjab’s Industry, Investment Promotion and Power Minister Sanjeev Arora gained more power today in a Cabinet rejig that gave him the Local Government portfolio. Till now held by Dr Ravjot, the department has been allocated to Arora, while the NRI Affairs portfolio, held by Arora, has been given to Dr Ravjot. The latter will now hold charge of NRI Affairs as well as Parliamentary Affairs. The changes in the Cabinet were reportedly discussed between CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal during his ongoing visit to the state. The proposed changes were sent to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria earlier today, who gave his nod later in the day. With these changes, Arora Sanjeev Arora has got powerful portfolios in the Mann government within just six months of his induction in the Cabinet. Initially, Arora got charge of the Industry, Investment Promotion and NRI Affairs departments. Within a month, he was given the Power Department in an apparent bid to align the Industry and Power portfolios. Arora, a businessman, was the AAP choice as the Rajya Sabha MP and represented the party in the Upper House till June last year. He was elected as the MLA during the Ludhiana West bypoll, held in June 2025. Sources said his performance in the departments held by him as well as his “urbane persona” helped him secure the important Local Government portfolio. “In an election year, good implementation of urban policies can help the party connect better with urban voters. At a time when the BJP which gets most trac, tion from urban Hindu voters, is trying to make political inroads, the allocation of the Local Government portfolio to him is a move to woo urban Hindu voters,” said a party leader, requesting anonymity. He said Arora might not have got the tag of being the Deputy Chief Minister, as was speculated earlier, but he had got similar power with “the departments he now holds”. BangladeshAirChief meets Pak’s Munir ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan met Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir on Thursday and discussed bilateral defence cooperation. During the meeting at General Headquarters, Rawalpindi, matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics and avenues for enhancing bilateral defence and military cooperation were discussed, the military said. INSIDE NotKhalid’sdisciple, Sharjeel tells court NEW DELHI: Activist Sharjeel Imam on Thursday rejected the Delhi Police’s claim that he was guided or influenced by former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid, telling a Delhi court that the suggestion of a mentor-protege relationship was unsupported by facts and does not emerge from the evidence on record. BACK PAGE Yoga cuts opioid recovery time by half: Study Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 8 In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers have discovered that yoga can dramatically speed up recovery from opioid withdrawal symptoms, cutting the recuperation period nearly by half. The study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found that patients who practised yoga alongside standard medication overcame with- c m y b drawal symptoms in just five days compared to nine days for those on medication alone. Patients also reported sleeping better, feeling less anxious and experiencing less pain. The study was conducted at the Centre for Addiction Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), under the supervision of Dr Pratima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS, and Dr Prabhat Chand, Head, Centre for Addiction Medicine, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, Boston, US. “Yoga helps calm the body’s stress response, which goes continued on page 9