International Relations
Bilateral ties, multilateral forums, treaties and India's foreign policy
'Not good for Hinduism': Supreme Court flags risks of sect-based temple restrictions during Sabarimala hearing
A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court began hearing (from April 7, 2026) the reference arising from review petitions against the landmark 2018...
India has ample buffers to weather headwinds from Middle East conflict: World Bank
The World Bank assessed that India is well-positioned to handle the global energy shock triggered by the West Asia conflict, citing strong macro-economic buf...
Manohar Lal arrives in Bhutan on 4-day visit; focus on energy security, sustainable development
Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar arrived in Bhutan for a four-day visit, focused on energy security, hydropower cooper...
Guidelines to facilitate faster cross-border inward payments
The Reserve Bank of India issued notification RBI/2026-27/08 on April 9, 2026, establishing guidelines to accelerate the processing of cross-border inward pa...
Bangladesh Foreign Minister meets Jaishankar, seeks return of ex-PM Sheikh Hasina
Bangladesh's newly elected Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visited India on April 8–9, 2026, marking the highest-level bilateral engagement since the BNP-le...
Foreign Secretary Misri reviews defence, trade ties, West Asia with senior U.S. officials
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri undertook a three-day visit to Washington from April 8–10, 2026, for high-level meetings with senior US officials on defence, ...
India urges Iran to speed up oil cargo shipments amid ceasefire window
India formally urged Iran to accelerate the movement of India-bound oil and gas cargo ships following the fragile two-week US-Iran ceasefire announced on Apr...
W Asia conflict: Rajnath-led GoM reviews LPG availability, says facilitating supply of essentials
The Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held its third meeting to assess India's readiness in view of the ongoing We...
INDIAN ARMY CONTINGENT DEPARTS FOR INDIA – EGYPT JOINT SPECIAL FORCES EXERCISE CYCLONE
An Indian Army contingent of 25 Special Forces personnel has departed for Egypt to participate in the fourth edition of the India-Egypt Joint Special Forces ...
Bharat Steel 2026 Postponed Until Further Notice
The Ministry of Steel postponed the Bharat Steel 2026 conference — originally scheduled for April 16–17, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi — citing the ongo...
Raksha Mantri-led IGoM takes stock of India’s readiness in view of evolving West Asia situation
The Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM), chaired by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, held its third meeting on April 8, 2026 at Kartavya Bhawan-2, New Delhi, to r...
International Conference on Spacecraft Mission Operations, SMOPS-2026
The second edition of the International Conference on Spacecraft Mission Operations (SMOPS-2026) was held in Bengaluru from April 8–10, 2026, with the theme ...
Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia
Senior officers from four ministries — Petroleum and Natural Gas, External Affairs, Ports Shipping and Waterways, and Information and Broadcasting — held a j...
Ceasefire threatened as Israel expands Lebanon strikes, Iran closes strait again
The fragile US-Iran-Israel ceasefire announced in early April 2026 came under immediate threat as Israel expanded its military operations into Lebanon, targe...
NTPC inks MoU with Électricité de France for cooperation in nuclear power generation
NTPC Limited signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Électricité de France (EDF) on April 8, 2026, to explore cooperation in developing n...
Shippers seek clarity as Iran still controls Strait of Hormuz
Iran retained effective control over the Strait of Hormuz as of early April 2026, following the outbreak of conflict between the US-Israel coalition and Iran...
India withdraws bid to host COP33 climate summit in 2028
India has withdrawn its offer to host the COP33 climate summit in 2028, with an official communication sent to other parties on April 2, 2026, citing "a revi...
Trump weighs punishing certain NATO countries over lack of Iran war support, reports say
The Trump administration considered plans to penalise certain NATO allies viewed as insufficiently supportive of the US-Israel military campaign against Iran...
India-Turkiye talks hint at a thaw in bilateral relations
India and Turkiye held the 12th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FoC) in New Delhi on April 8, 2026 — the first such consultations since 2022, when the...
West Asia conflict deals a double whammy to India’s farm sector: pre-harvest cost pressures, post-harvest shipping delays
The ongoing West Asia conflict (US-Israel military action against Iran) is creating a "double whammy" for India's agricultural sector: pre-harvest cost press...