US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks in Mumbai on 20 and 21 October, his second visit to India in five months. He met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to discuss trade, defence, technology and energy security. Mr Rubio said the two countries are nearly done with the proposed trade agreement, with only a
Brazil’s presidential runoff on 25 October is now too close to call. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro finished first in the 4 October first round with 47.03 percent of valid votes against 45.16 percent for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the narrowest gap between the top two since the return to democracy, according to Latin Times.
European Union leaders ended a two-day summit in Brussels on 16 October with an agreement to take coordinated short-term action on energy prices, and with work still to do on the bloc’s next long-term budget and Ukraine’s finances for 2027. Council President Antonio Costa had called for “targeted and temporary measures”. On energy, leaders welcomed
On 9 October, President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, a sharp break from years of Western economic pressure on Moscow. He said President Vladimir Putin had agreed to supply more than 300,000 tonnes immediately, then 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes soon after, with a further 3 million tonnes
India’s merchandise exports rose 23 percent in September to 44.40 billion dollars, official data released on 15 October showed, giving the country’s trade balance a boost at a time when higher oil prices and global uncertainty are weighing on many economies. Exports were up 23.04 percent from 36.08 billion dollars in September last year, according
Israelis go to the polls on 27 October, in the first national election since the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023. Voters will elect the 120-seat Knesset, and the leader best able to form a coalition becomes prime minister. The most recent poll I could find is dated late July, so it should be read
The White House has set up a committee to investigate Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, in what news reports describe as the latest attempt to remove her. A White House notice dated 7 October said the panel will examine allegations that Cook made false statements in connection with mortgages, and will report to President Donald
The free trade agreement between India and New Zealand has come into force, reported on 20 October. It was signed on 27 April 2026, and New Zealand’s Parliament passed the implementing legislation on 16 September. The Global Trade Research Initiative called it India’s 17th operational trade agreement. Under the deal, New Zealand eliminates tariffs on
The French government has announced plans to introduce local, partial curfews across several regions following a weekend of widespread violence, looting, and civil unrest that has gripped major cities. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed the security measures following urgent crisis meetings, while officials refuse to rule out declaring a state of emergency. The nationwide demonstrations,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for Israel to broaden its international alliances, explicitly naming India and countries in Latin America as key potential partners, as he warned that a future US administration could adopt a less favourable approach toward the country. Unveiling a new security doctrine ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, Netanyahu
