US Secretary of State Marco Rubio kick-started a three-day visit to India on Tuesday to advance bilateral ties in energy, trade and investment, defence, critical technologies, and exchange views on the West Asia crisis.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India's participation in the 2027 SAF Games in Pakistan will be guided by the sports ministry's policy, which permits Indian athletes to compete in events with Pakistani participants and vice-versa. Separately, the MEA also commented on the ongoing legal proceedings for seven foreign nationals, including a US citizen and six Ukrainians, who were recently chargesheeted by the NIA for illegal entry and movement, though not under UAPA at this stage.
The Indian stock market experienced a significant downturn, with the Sensex crashing over 1,000 points and the Nifty hitting a fresh 52-week low, driven by sustained selling from foreign institutional investors, the RBI's monetary policy tightening, and elevated Brent crude prices.
90 per cent of institutions recorded no improvement in international student metrics, despite government initiatives such as the Study in India programme, UGC regulations on internationalisation, and efforts to attract foreign students.
India and China are in what experts call 'a cooperation-versus-competition situation'.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said Indian firms, involved in the export of arms and equipment to Israel, may be sued for breach of contractual obligations if they are stopped by it from supplying.
If the new MDR regime is rolled out from the middle of this month, as scheduled, it should count as one of the boldest political actions by the Modi government on an economic-policy issue, and a signal that it is less worried about erosion of political capital it draws from one of its key constituencies, notes A K Bhattacharya.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, traded marginally higher in early trade despite the US Federal Reserve's recent rate hike and indications of further tightening, with the National Stock Exchange's much-anticipated Rs 22,569-crore IPO also opening for subscription.
The Finance Ministry has refuted allegations that US pressure influenced the decision to levy a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select UPI payments. The ministry clarified that the NPCI guidelines prioritise RuPay credit cards on UPI to promote domestic alternatives and ensure a self-sustaining revenue model for smaller domestic companies, countering claims of favouring foreign payment providers.
The CBSE has issued revised guidelines for its three-language policy, granting a one-time exemption to current Class 10 students from studying three languages. Class 9 students will still study three languages but can include two foreign languages and one Indian language, a significant shift from earlier mandates.
Indian benchmark equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, closed higher on Monday, driven by softer-than-expected US jobs data which reduced expectations of aggressive monetary tightening by the US Federal Reserve, boosting risk appetite across emerging markets.
Marco Rubio will visit Mumbai and Jamnagar to discuss energy cooperation as S Jaishankar says India-US trade talks are nearing a landing point, with a few issues unresolved.
Bangladesh has once again sought the extradition of former premier Sheikh Hasina from India during High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi's first meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka, amidst fresh strains in ties between the two countries following Hasina's controversial virtual media interaction in New Delhi.
Analysts predict that the Reserve Bank of India's interest rate decision, the evolving situation in West Asia involving the US-Iran conflict, and crude oil prices will be the primary factors influencing investor sentiment in the Indian stock market this week.
Analysts predict that developments in the West Asia conflict, crude oil prices, and upcoming US inflation data will be the primary factors influencing the Indian stock market next week, alongside foreign investor activity and global market trends.
Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty announced that India's private sector is projected to invest Rs 7.5 lakh crore and contribute 30 GW towards the nation's goal of achieving 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047. This marks a significant policy shift, facilitated by the SHANTI Act, encouraging private participation in nuclear energy beyond the traditional public sector model. The country is also exploring Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for industrial needs and advancing its three-stage nuclear power programme, leveraging its substantial thorium reserves.
The external affairs ministry's files, as distinct from those of the ministry of defence or the agencies, at least from before 1974 should be declassified. And if select files that are more than 40 years old are not to be declassified, the ministry should follow explicit guidelines to justify taking such a view, says Jaimini Bhagwat.
The Indian government has approved the sale of a 60.72 per cent stake in IDBI Bank Ltd to Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa's Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd for approximately 52,878 crore, a move that reflects improving India-Canada ties and marks a significant turning point for the bank.
Indian benchmark indices closed mixed, with the Sensex gaining 113.61 points to 78,079.96 and the Nifty falling 40.10 points to 24,395.85, as elevated crude prices and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East made investors cautious.
Indian benchmark indices closed mixed, with the Sensex gaining 113.61 points to 78,079.96 and the Nifty falling 40.10 points to 24,395.85, as elevated crude prices and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East made investors cautious.
It is important to understand that the rupee's appreciation, driven by the 2013 special swap scheme, reduced India's import costs for petroleum, oil, and gold, points out Dr Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convenor, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a report from jail authorities regarding the non-appearance of separatist leader Yasin Malik for a virtual hearing in a terror funding case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is seeking the death penalty for Malik, who is currently serving a life term, arguing that his guilty plea should not preclude capital punishment for a terrorist. Malik had previously expressed a desire to argue in-person against the NIA's plea.
India's economy is projected to lose momentum in the second half of fiscal 2026-27, with tighter financial conditions, elevated energy prices, and broadening inflation pressures posing significant risks, according to DBS Bank economist Radhika Rao.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded on Wednesday, driven by value buying in banking stocks and select heavyweight counters, with the Sensex climbing 332.63 points and the Nifty ending above 23,200.
After four consecutive months of withdrawals, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) injected Rs 20,200 crore into Indian equities in July, driven by attractive valuations, improving corporate earnings, and a more favourable global environment.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended flat on Tuesday, with the Sensex dipping nearly 70 points, as investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of crucial global central bank policy meetings and a significant sell-off in Asian markets.
The Indian rupee experienced its sharpest single-day decline in eight weeks, settling at 94.83 per dollar, primarily due to escalating crude oil prices and persistent risk-off sentiment driven by heightened geopolitical tensions and limited foreign inflows.
The FCNR (B) stratagem relies on using public money to defend the rupee. The State subsidises foreign borrowing to attract dollars. This tool requires large-scale borrowing to make a material difference against a gross external flow of $11 billion a day. A commensurately large fiscal cost falls upon the exchequer. The ministry of finance will choose how much it is willing to spend in exchange for this round number, points out Ajay Shah.
It is time the political leaderships in this country arrived at a common ground over issues of foreign and security policy concerns. There has to be a greater communication between the government and the Opposition leaderships for the nation to present a unified face against the rest of the world, advises N Sathiya Moorthy.
The United States and the European Union have strongly criticised India's trade policies at the World Trade Organization review, highlighting concerns over high tariffs, quality-control orders (QCOs), and restrictions on digital trade and services, which they argue undermine India's economic openness.
Analysts predict that the Indian stock market's sentiment this week will be primarily influenced by the domestic GDP data announcement, crude oil prices, and the crucial US non-farm payrolls report.
Narendra Modi's promise to allow states a bigger say in strategising and building foreign policy is unexceptionable, says TP Sreenivasan.
In the first-ever separate resolution on foreign policy brought in its National Executive in Bengaluru, BJP attacked the previous Congress-led Government, saying "a cursory glance at the 'lost decade' of the UPA, reveals retreat and a loss of direction in engaging with neighbours, ham-handed diplomacy vis--vis Pakistan and a blind-spot in our foreign policy to the Indian Ocean island states."
'India is trying to project that it can engage with the world in a different way too.'
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar raised India's concerns with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding changes to US visa and immigration policies, emphasising that legal mobility should not be negatively affected. Rubio acknowledged potential 'bumps' during the transition as the US aims to improve its immigration system.
The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has begun deliberations on significant reforms, including decriminalising nine offences, softening provisions for 24, and raising the threshold for criminal prosecution to Rs 5 crore. The proposed changes also include scrapping the arrest powers of GST officers and introducing an 'invoice matching system' to combat fake input tax credit claims, aiming for a trust-based taxation approach and enhanced ease of doing business.
Indian benchmark indices closed marginally higher, with the Sensex gaining over 43 points and the Nifty remaining flat, as a spike in crude oil prices due to geopolitical uncertainties tempered risk appetite.
In recent years, China and Russia have pushed for de-dollarisation within BRICS, which India has resisted. One reason is that India does not want to hurt its relationship with the United States, and another is the fear of China controlling trade because the renminbi is considered the strongest currency in the bloc today.
If the decade gone by was one that redefined the contours of global politics in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, it was also a decade that witnessed Indian foreign policy coming into its own, writes Harsh V Pant
Analysts predict that the US-Iran geopolitical conflict, upcoming quarterly earnings announcements, and fluctuations in crude oil prices will be the primary drivers of investor sentiment in the Indian equity markets.
