International Relations
Bilateral ties, multilateral forums, treaties and India's foreign policy
US ends oil waivers but Russian crude flows to India ‘likely to remain steady’ amid Hormuz disruption
The United States has ended waivers that had allowed India to continue purchasing Russian crude oil without attracting secondary sanctions. The specific waiv...
Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees dead, missing in shipwrecks in 2025: UN
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on April 17, 2026 that nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were dead or missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Ben...
EU in talks with Anthropic over risks of AI model Mythos
The European Union entered into talks with Anthropic over the risks posed by its Mythos AI model — an advanced AI system capable of identifying and exploitin...
Pakistan-based LeT's co-founder injured in attack in Lahore
Amir Hamza, a co-founder and senior leader of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was shot by unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen in the ...
China calls passage of Japanese warship through Taiwan Strait a 'provocation'
Japan's destroyer JS Ikazuchi transited the Taiwan Strait, and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and Air Force tracked and monitored the vessel thr...
Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan to visit Sri Lanka on April 19 and 20
Vice President of India C.P. Radhakrishnan is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on April 19–20, 2026, in what the Ministry of External Affairs described as "the f...
West Asia crisis: Govt expands export insurance scheme
The central government expanded coverage of the RELIEF scheme (Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation) to include Jordan and Egypt, two ...
India explores FTA full use with Norway, sets up fast-track investment system with Austria
India and Norway are actively exploring mechanisms to fully utilise the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), which entered into force ...
India to continue buying Russian crude, LPG despite end of US sanctions waiver
The US did not renew the 30-day sanctions waiver it had granted India in early March 2026 to purchase Russian crude oil and LPG; the waiver expired around Ap...
US expands crackdown on Iran-linked ships, warns of seizures worldwide
The United States has significantly expanded its crackdown on Iran-linked shipping, warning of vessel seizures across global maritime routes — not just the M...
India, Austria ink 12+ pacts on defence, counterterrorism & tech
Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker's official visit to India (April 2026) — the first by an Austrian Chancellor in 40 years — produced 15 formal o...
Have ratified ILO treaties on forced labour: India on USTR probe charges
The US Trade Representative (USTR) initiated Section 301 investigations against 60 trading partners — including India — over alleged failures to prevent impo...
India’s rural models are shaping development diplomacy
A growing number of African governments are exploring India's Self-Help Group (SHG)-based livelihoods framework as a development model. India's DAY-NRLM (Dee...
Trump says Iran deal 'very close,' may go to Pakistan to sign
US President Trump stated that a deal with Iran is "very close," with Iran reportedly agreeing to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium. Trump praised ...
EU planning to include 180 more products under CBAM
The European Commission proposed expanding its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to cover approximately 180 additional downstream products, primarily...
Modi calls for ‘lasting peace’ in West Asia
Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker visited New Delhi on April 16, 2026 — the first visit by an Austrian Chancellor to India in four decades (since...
South Korean President’s maiden India visit: trade, semiconductors on agenda
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is scheduled to make a State Visit to India from April 19–21, 2026, accompanied by a 200-member business delegation incl...
US Russian crude waiver expires: What it could mean for India’s oil imports from Russia
A temporary 30-day sanctions waiver granted by the US Treasury to India on March 5, 2026 — permitting purchases of Russian crude despite existing Ukraine-rel...
Column | Lost in rhetoric
A recent opinion column examined the widening gap between political rhetoric and substantive policy action in Indian governance, noting that electoral discou...
Why is the Strait of Hormuz critical to global energy flows? | Explained
The 2026 blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — first by Iran (since February 28, 2026) and then compounded by a US naval blockade targeting Iranian ports — has ...