The United States in January imposed the toughest sanctions yet on Venezuela's oil industry. The move has scared away some global customers, but with few alternative suppliers of heavy oil, Indian refiner Reliance Industries Ltd has been buying Venezuelan crude from Russian major Rosneft. Sitharaman said the Indian government has expressed its view to the United States. The International Monetary Fund earlier on Tuesday lowered its outlook for Indian growth in 2019, citing weaker-than-expected domestic demand. India stripped the Muslim-majority portion of the state, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan, of autonomy on Aug 5.

Source: bd News24 October 15, 2019 23:26 UTC