International Relations
Bilateral ties, multilateral forums, treaties and India's foreign policy
Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, India rejects latest arbitration award as ‘null & void’
On 15 May 2026, the Court of Arbitration constituted under the Indus Waters Treaty issued an award related to the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric project...
Trump warns against Taiwan independence after China visit
Following a US presidential state visit to Beijing — the first such visit since 2017 — Washington publicly warned against any formal declaration of independe...
Netherlands to return Chola-era copper plates during Modi visit. It’s culmination of a 14-yr effort
The Netherlands' return of the Anaimangalam Chola copper plates — held at Leiden University for over 300 years — illustrates the complex legal and diplomatic...
After Trump trip, Putin to visit China on May 19
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China from May 19–20, 2026, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping — the visit coming days ...
European countries in talks with Tehran for Hormuz transit: Report
Several European nations are reported to be in diplomatic talks with Iran to secure transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping. Ira...
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Pakistani minister arrives in Tehran to 'facilitate' U.S.-Iran peace talks: media
Pakistan's Interior Minister arrived in Tehran on an official two-day visit, continuing the country's active role as a back-channel mediator between the Unit...
PM Modi in Netherlands LIVE: Netherlands hands back Chola dynasty copper plates to India
The Netherlands formally returned 21 copper plates dating to the 11th-century Chola dynasty to India during a state visit, marking one of the most significan...
'Illegally constituted': MEA rejects Pakistan-backed Court of Arbitration ruling on Indus Waters Treaty
The Ministry of External Affairs rejected the latest award issued on 15 May 2026 by the Court of Arbitration convened under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), ca...
BRICS foreign ministers condemn Pahalgam attack, voice concerns over rise of tariff measures ‘which distort trade’
BRICS foreign ministers at the New Delhi meeting (May 14–15, 2026) strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack — the April 2025 massacre in Jammu and Kashm...
Superpower summit: On the Trump visit to China
US President Donald Trump visited Beijing (May 13–15, 2026) for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping — the first US presidential visit to China in nine...
Iran FM says U.S. willing to continue talks, open to China’s help
Iran's Foreign Minister stated that messages had been received from the United States indicating willingness to continue diplomatic talks, and that Iran welc...
BRICS members agree on ‘independent’ State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as capital
At the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi (May 14–15, 2026), member states collectively affirmed support for an independent State of Palestine wit...
Trade, supply chains and economic statecraft
A structural reset in the global trading order — driven by supply chain fragmentation, the retreat from hyper-globalisation, and the rise of geopolitical blo...
Govt imposes export duty on petrol, cuts levy on diesel, jet fuel exports
The government revised export levies on petroleum products effective May 16, 2026: a Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) of ₹3 per litre was imposed on pet...
Steel safeguard measure hits India-UK trade pact rollout
India and the UK concluded a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in July 2025 after 14 rounds of negotiations spanning three years; implementat...
India issues chair statement after BRICS meeting amid ‘differing views’ over West Asia conflict
Following the May 14–15, 2026 BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, India as chair issued a "Chair's Statement and outcome document" covering 63 poi...
Chabahar a golden gateway, hope India continues to develop it: Iran FM Araghchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi (May 15, 2026), called Chabahar Port a "g...
BRICS Foreign Ministers: No joint statement amid differing views on West Asia
The two-day BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in New Delhi (May 14–15, 2026) — the first major ministerial engagement under India's 2026 BRICS chairmansh...
BRICS ministers fail to issue a joint statement over differences on West Asia conflict
The two-day BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in New Delhi on May 14–15, 2026 under India's 2026 chairship concluded without a joint communiqué. Differen...
‘We condemn attacks on UAE’, says PM Modi, signs defence cooperation pact
During a brief Abu Dhabi stopover on May 15, 2026, India and the UAE signed a defence cooperation framework agreement and an MoU on strategic petroleum reser...