International Relations
Bilateral ties, multilateral forums, treaties and India's foreign policy
India’s exports to Australia double under ECTA in four years
India's exports to Australia more than doubled in the four years since the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) came into force, r...
Hormuz crisis chokes shipping, sends freight rates soaring fivefold
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, following Iran's closure of the waterway in response to US-Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026, has caused freight rat...
India agrees to longer WTO e-commerce moratorium, opposes plurilateral push without safeguards
At the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) held in Yaounde, Cameroon (March 2026), India agreed to an extended moratorium on customs duties on electroni...
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri represents India at UK-convened meet to discuss Strait of Hormuz
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri attended a UK-convened virtual summit of 35 countries on April 2, 2026, to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has b...
Over 6 lakh passengers return to India amid West Asia conflict, says govt
The Indian government announced that over 6 lakh (approximately 6,24,000) passengers have returned to India from West Asia since February 28, 2026, as the US...
Govt exceeds FY26 indirect tax collection estimates of ₹15.52 lakh cr
The Central Government has exceeded its FY26 Revised Estimate (RE) for indirect tax collections of ₹15.52 lakh crore, achieving approximately 101.2% of the r...
India sharpens foreign media outreach in post Op Sindoor world, new strategy in play
India is developing a new foreign media outreach strategy in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor (May 2025), the three-day Indian military operation against P...
Amid West Asia tensions, India leads 16-nation maritime initiative with IOS SAGAR
INS Sunayna set sail from Mumbai on April 2, 2026 as the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR, carrying naval personnel from India and sixteen friendly foreign coun...
India pushes China for balanced trade as Piyush Goyal, Wang Wentao interact in 1st such meet in 7 yrs
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on the sidelines of the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yao...
India’s Russian crude purchases hit 9-month high in March amid West Asia war, but discounts vanish
India's crude oil imports from Russia climbed to a 9-month high of approximately 1.96 million barrels per day (mbpd) in March 2026, sharply up from 1.04 mbpd...
LIC, New India Assurance, GIC continue to remain Domestic Systemically Important Insurers: IRDAI
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has continued to designate Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), The New India Assur...
India attends UK talks on Strait of Hormuz opening; MEA in 'touch with Iran' for safe passage
India participated in a UK-convened virtual summit of 35 countries focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut since late Febr...
As Telangana bans Paraquat, demands emerge for nationwide ban
The Telangana government issued a notification on March 31, 2026, imposing a 60-day ban on the sale, stocking, distribution, and manufacturing of Paraquat di...
Several measures announced to cushion exporters from Gulf conflict impact: DGFT
The government announced full customs duty exemption on 40 specified critical petrochemical feedstocks and polymers, effective April 2 to June 30, 2026, thro...
India ready to slash import duties, curb exports to secure domestic supply: Trade official
India's trade ministry signalled readiness to cut import duties and, where necessary, curb exports to ensure adequate domestic supply of essential goods amid...
Road ministry to compensate for price hike and volatility in commodity prices to contractors
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announced a temporary compensation mechanism for highway developers to offset commodity price volatility, effecti...
India's March palm oil imports fall to 3-month low as prices surge
India's palm oil imports fell to approximately 689,000 metric tonnes in March 2026, the lowest level since December 2025 and down nearly 19% from 847,689 ton...
India stood alone to oppose IFD pact at WTO meet, won't join crowd just to look better: Goyal
At the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) held in Yaoundé, Cameroon (March 30 – April 2, 2026), India was the sole dissenting voice against incorporating...
India, UK FTA may come into force in next 30 to 45 days, says Piyush Goyal
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced that the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), signed on July 24, 2025, is likely to come into...
West Asia crisis: Govt exempts import duty on key petrochemical products till June
The Ministry of Finance, effective April 2, 2026, granted a full customs duty exemption (Basic Customs Duty reduced to zero) on 40 critical petrochemical fee...