Sep 14 – Sep 20
U.S. House advances Russia sanctions Bill that seeks 100% tariffs on India, others; set for final vote
The US House Rules Committee advanced a procedural resolution (H. Res. 1530) clearing the path for floor consideration of the Lindsey O. Gra...
'Narendra's Ongoing Trump Appeasement': Congress' dig at Prime Minister on UPI move
The government notified a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) merchant payments: a 0.4% charge on pe...
Modi raised India’s concerns with Xi, told Chinese President ‘3 mutuals’ should guide ties: MEA
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a readout stating that the Prime Minister conveyed India's concerns to Chinese President Xi Ji...
Govt sets 0.4% fee on UPI merchant payments above Rs 2,000; caps charge at Rs 300
The government notified a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) merchant payments: a 0.4% charge on pe...
Odisha to get Rs 3,406-cr silicon carbide semiconductor project
The Unit Approval Committee (UAC) of the Falta Special Economic Zone approved a silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor manufacturing facility t...
India, New Zealand trade pact may come into force from later half of October: Comm Secy
The Commerce Secretary stated that the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed on April 27, 2026, is expected to be operational...
AI cooperation: On Artificial Intelligence at a crossroads
The 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026 under India's chairmanship, adopted the New Delhi Declaration, which inclu...
CBAM: India working with the EU to secure recognition for accreditation body, verification agencies
India is engaging the European Union to secure formal recognition of Indian accreditation bodies and verification agencies under the EU's Ca...
‘India, China open to talks to address trade imbalance, supply chain issues’
Government officials indicated that India and China are open to continued engagement on addressing the structural trade imbalance between th...
Decoding India’s GDP base revision
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released a new GDP series with 2022-23 as the base year, replacing the earli...
WTO warns global output could fall up to 10% without stronger multilateral trade rules
The World Trade Organization's World Trade Report 2026 warns that global economic output could be up to 10% lower by 2050 if countries fail ...
India-U.S. armies begin ‘Yudh Abhyas’ with focus on technology, interoperability
The Indian Army and the United States Army began the 22nd edition of the joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas, held simultaneously at two loc...
Rural jobs scheme shows modest uptick in August, but trails 2025 MGNREGA levels
Persondays generated under the rural employment guarantee programme rose modestly in August compared with July, but cumulative persondays ge...
India deeply concerned about blockades in Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb, says govt.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India is deeply concerned about blockade-like conditions affecting both the Strait of Hormuz an...
Goods exports up 26% in August, trade deficit eases: Engineering, petroleum products, chemicals and textiles lead shipments; US remains top market
India's merchandise (goods) exports rose about 26% year-on-year in August to roughly $43.8 billion, up from about $34.7 billion a year earli...
India ramps up preparedness for European Union's carbon tax; verifiers begin EU registry access
India has set up a dedicated committee to help domestic exporters meet the compliance requirements of the European Union's carbon border tax...
‘Threatens freedom of navigation through Bab-el-Mandeb’: India condemns Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia
India strongly condemned Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabian territory, stating that such attacks are unacceptable and undermine regional stabil...
DRDO has developed indigenous GaN tech for next-gen radars, electronic warfare: Def min report
A Ministry of Defence report has confirmed that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has indigenously developed Gallium ...
August retail inflation raises chances of RBI rate hike in October, say economists
Retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose to about 4.8% in August, its highest reading in roughly 20 months, up fro...
Bharat Forge, Pratt & Whitney Canada team up for India’s HALE UAV programme
Bharat Forge Limited and Pratt & Whitney Canada announced a collaboration to evaluate turboprop engine integration for a High-Altitude Long-...
Merchants to be charged 0.4% for UPI transactions over ₹2,000; small vendors exempt
A 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) has been introduced on Person-to-Merchant (P2M) UPI transactions above ₹2,000, applicable from 15 Octobe...
Expect EU to sign FTA and India-Canada negotiations to be completed by year-end, govt says
The government has stated it expects the European Union to formally sign the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, and expects India-Canada trade n...
New legless amphibian species discovered in village backyard in Western Ghats
Researchers have formally described a new species of legless amphibian, Gegeneophis chandgadi, from Buzawade village, Chandgad taluka, Kolha...
India’s current account deficit more than doubles to $7 billion in July as trade gap expands
India's current account deficit (CAD) is estimated to have more than doubled to around $7 billion in July, driven mainly by a wider merchand...
UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 to attract 0.4% MDR; check key details
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is finalising a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of about 0.4% on person-to-merchant (P2M) UPI...
India-New Zealand trade pact likely to come into force from October 19: Official
The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is expected to enter into force from October 19, 2026, according to an official. The two co...
Himalaya approaching tipping point, report says
A new report finds the Himalayas are approaching a climatic tipping point, with glacier mass loss accelerating compared to a decade ago The ...
$3 trillion gain or a 10% GDP loss? WTO sounds a trade alarm
The World Trade Organization released its World Trade Report 2026, warning that the multilateral trading system is facing its most significa...
Trade fragmentation could hit poor economies much harder than rich ones, WTO warns
A World Trade Organization (WTO) report modelled the economic impact of global trade fragmenting into geopolitical blocs. Under a 'geo-fragm...
All-party meeting in Manipur discusses NRC, safeguarding indigenous identity
The Manipur state government convened an all-party meeting at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Imphal to discuss implementation and updat...
JD(U) won't oppose UCC if provisions are okay: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister
Discussion continued in Bihar over the provisions of a proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, with a state ruling coalition partner stating...
J&K: Police bust LeT-linked OGW network, arrest 3 for aiding terrorists
Rajouri Police in the Pir Panjal region of Jammu and Kashmir busted an Over Ground Worker (OGW) network allegedly linked to the Pakistan-bas...
More than 19,000 housing pockets have rooftop solar systems, benefits 9 lakh households
Official data shows rooftop solar systems have now been installed across more than 19,000 residential housing clusters nationwide, benefitin...
India, South American bloc MERCOSUR announce plan to expand trade pact
India and the MERCOSUR bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia) announced the start of negotiations to expand the scope of t...
U.S. lawmaker submits amendment naming India in Russia sanctions act
A member of the US House of Representatives submitted an amendment to the pending Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 ...
Merchant fee on UPI rolling out as transaction floor set at Rs 2,000
The Central Government has notified that UPI and RuPay debit card transactions up to Rs 2,000 will remain free of any Merchant Discount Rate...
Govt. bars bank charges on payments up to ₹2,000 via UPI, RuPay-powered debit cards
The Central Government notified changes under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, barring banks and payment system providers from ...
India’s Russian crude imports set to fall in September amid tighter supply, Iraq a key alternative
India's imports of Russian crude oil fell to about 1.42 million barrels per day (mbpd) in the first 14 days of September 2026, roughly 30% l...
India beats a hasty retreat from a crucial market reform
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had directed stock exchanges to determine the end-of-day closing price of roughly 200 deri...
China is now ready to address trade concerns with India
The Union Commerce and Industry Minister held talks with China's Commerce Minister on bilateral economic and trade relations. The discussion...
Banks cannot impose charges on UPI payments of up to Rs 2,000, govt says
The Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance notified that no bank or payment system provider may impose any direct or...
New Delhi summit boosts India-EAEU FTA negotiations
India and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) held discussions in New Delhi to fast-track negotiations for a proposed Free Trade Agreement (F...
DBT transfers reach Rs 2.08 lakh crore
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payouts across roughly 320 central welfare schemes and subsidies have reached Rs 2.08 lakh crore so far in the...
SBI Research, IDFC First expect rate hike in October as crude prices climb: Higher oil prices & inflation raise likelihood of policy tightening
Economists now expect the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to raise the policy repo rate at its early-October 2026 re...
JDU to meet Amit Shah on UCC; Chirag Paswan seeks stakeholder views
Coalition partners within the Union government have sought consultations on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), urging that the process include wi...
BRICS 2026: Key takeaways from the New Delhi Declaration
The 18th BRICS Summit was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 12–13 September 2026 under India's 2026 chairship, with the theme 'Building...
India’s eco-sensitive zones: Notified, filed, and forgotten
A recent report examined the implementation gap in India's Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) — buffer areas around national parks and wildlife sanc...
India, China agree to 'properly address' economic and trade concerns in a balanced manner
On the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi (September 12-13, 2026), the leaders of India and China held bilateral talks and...
Himalayas nearing tipping point: Glacier loss puts India at risk
A recent assessment finds Himalayan glaciers are losing mass faster than a decade ago, pushing the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region toward a...
Terror’s changing face, India’s counter-terror strategy
India's counter-terrorism posture has evolved over the past decade from a policy of 'strategic restraint' (absorbing cross-border terror att...
WPI inflation rises to 9.92% in Aug on costlier food, fuel, manufactured items
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation rose to 9.92% year-on-year in August 2026, up from 9.78% in July 2026. The reading is the second-highe...
India gains wider EU steel access, but carbon levy remains
Under the concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement, India has secured an additional preferential tariff-rate quota (TRQ) of 694,853 tonnes of...
India has found microplastics everywhere. So why are we still unsure how to regulate them?
Studies across India have detected microplastics in rivers, wetlands, packaged food, salt, sugar, and air, indicating widespread contaminati...
Wholesale price inflation nears double digits in August; next month may be worse
India's Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation for August 2026 rose to nearly 10% year-on-year, continuing an upward trend from July, with an...
India, Canada begin next round of talks on proposed trade pact: Official
India and Canada began the fourth round of negotiations for a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in New Delhi, wit...
UCC will be implemented in Maharashtra after committee report: CM Fadnavis
The Maharashtra state government confirmed that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in the state after a dedicated expert committ...
WPI inflation edges higher to 9.9% in August, fuel leads rise
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation rose to approximately 9.9% year-on-year in August 2026, up marginally from about 9.8% in July 2026. Fu...
Oil prices jump more than $3 after new strikes on Saudi, Strait of Hormuz
Global crude benchmarks surged after fresh strikes disrupted oil infrastructure and shipping near the Strait of Hormuz and inside Saudi Arab...
'As India leads, world listens': Rajnath Singh hails 18th Brics joint declaration
The 18th BRICS Summit was held on September 12–13, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, under India's presidency, with all 11 full BRICS memb...
Why the BRICS summit was a major diplomatic win for India
The 18th BRICS Summit was held on September 12–13, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, under India's presidency, with all 11 full BRICS memb...