Category: International

Export control regimes are international agreements among supplier countries aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) by regulating the export of sensitive goods and technologies. The Wassenaar Arrangement The Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), established in 1996, is a multilateral export control regime focusing on conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies. It is not a legally binding treaty but a political commitment where participating states exchange information Read More …

Senegal’s Health Minister Ibrahima Sy has confirmed that a Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreak in the northern Saint-Louis region has led to seven deaths. Health authorities are monitoring the situation closely, as the disease continues to pose a serious public health concern in West Africa. About Rift Valley Fever (RVF) Transmission and Risks Symptoms and Treatment Repeated Threat in West Africa In recent decades, RVF has re-emerged repeatedly in West Read More …

India and Bhutan signed an Inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of cross-border railway links, marking a historic step in enhancing bilateral connectivity and cooperation. First-Ever Railway Links Between India and Bhutan The MoU envisages the creation of the first set of railway connections between the two countries: These projects are expected to boost trade, tourism, and people-to-people ties, while also strengthening the strategic partnership. Milestone in Energy Read More …

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on branded and patented pharmaceutical imports, effective October 1, 2025, unless foreign companies establish manufacturing facilities in the United States. Impact on India Market Distortions The move is seen as part of Trump’s “America First” industrial push, but it risks unsettling the $20 billion India–U.S. pharmaceutical trade and reshaping the U.S. drug pricing landscape.

The United Arab Emirates has unveiled its first Sovereign Mobility Cloud at the Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport, marking a significant milestone in the country’s autonomous mobility strategy. Platform and Technology The platform is enabled by Core42’s Sovereign Public Cloud and powered by Microsoft Azure, providing a secure digital infrastructure for next-generation transportation systems. All data will be hosted within the UAE and governed under national regulations, ensuring sovereignty Read More …

A reanalysis of a 30-year-old fossil skull from Hubei Province in China is challenging existing theories of human evolution. The skull, known as Yunxian 2, was unearthed in 1990 but had been so badly deformed during fossilization that its significance remained unclear. New Findings on Yunxian 2 Recent studies indicate that the skull belonged to an early branch of a sister lineage to Homo sapiens, rather than the previously assumed Read More …

India will host the World Seafood Congress (WSC) 2026 in Chennai, marking the first time the biennial event will be held in the country.

Iran announced it has resumed uranium enrichment following a coordinated series of air attacks on its nuclear facilities earlier this year, but its supreme leader said the country would limit enrichment to 60% and would not pursue the roughly 90%+ enrichment typically associated with nuclear‑weapon manufacture. Attack set the stage Iran’s announcement follows a set of strikes in June that targeted key nuclear sites — including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan Read More …

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. About FIPIC The Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) was established in 2014 as a strategic initiative by India to strengthen diplomatic, economic, and cultural engagement with the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Member Nations FIPIC comprises Read More …

On September 23, 2025, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Moroccan counterpart Abdelatif Loudyi jointly inaugurated Tata Advanced Systems Limited’s (TASL) new defence manufacturing facility in Berrechid, Morocco. This marks the first overseas plant set up by an Indian defence firm. State-of-the-Art Facility Spread over 20,000 square metres, the facility will manufacture the indigenously developed Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8×8, designed jointly by TASL and the Defence Research and Development Read More …

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has launched the second edition of the Brazil–India Cross-Incubation Programme in Agritech (Maitri 2.0), aimed at strengthening innovation-driven growth and fostering deeper collaboration between the agritech ecosystems of India and Brazil. Objectives of Maitri 2.0 Strategic Significance By connecting innovators, startups, and institutions from both nations, Maitri 2.0 aims to:

Brazil is set to become the first country to announce an investment in the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), a multilateral funding mechanism it has proposed to support the conservation of endangered forests worldwide. Brazil’s COP30 Vision The Brazilian government envisions the TFFF as its flagship deliverable at the upcoming U.N. Climate Summit (COP30), scheduled to be hosted in Belém, Amazonia, in November 2025. Structure of the Facility Initial Funding Read More …