International

Jan. 16: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Trump, during a White House meeting.

Jan. 16: India withdrew from the Chabahar port agreement with Iran, after the US imposed a 25% tariff on countries doing business with Tehran.

Jan. 16: A South Korean judge sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for obstructing justice and other crimes linked to his disastrous martial law declaration.

Jan. 16: Canada and China reached a preliminary but “landmark” trade agreement to remove trade barriers and reduce tariffs.

Jan. 16: The prime minister of Yemen, Salim Saleh Bin Buriek, submitted resignation.

Jan. 16: Yemen's foreign minister Dr Shaya Mohsen Zindani was appointed the prime minister of the country.

Jan. 17: The 27-nation EU and Mercosur bloc members Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay signed a major trade deal which creates one of the world's largest free trade areas.

Jan. 17: US forces withdrew from Iraq's Ain al-Asad Airbase, which housed US-led forces in Western Iraq.

Jan. 17: Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title.

Jan. 17: Yoweri Museveni won a seventh election as the president of Uganda.

Jan. 17: The UN High Seas Treaty, also known as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), came into effect.

Jan. 19: World-famous Italian designer Valentino Garavani died at 93.

Jan. 19: India signed a $3 billion deal to buy LNG from the UAE, becoming the latter's top customer.

Jan. 19: With just 7.92 million births recorded last year, China's birth rate plunged to its lowest level on record, official data showed.

Jan. 19: Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations defeating hosts Morocco in the final.

Jan. 21: The ICC rejected Bangladesh's request to relocate its ICC World Cup T20 matches from India to Sri Lanka.

Jan. 21: Former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison for aiding and abetting a declaration of martial law.

Jan. 22: Vampire period horror film “Sinners” smashed the all-time Oscars record with 16 nominations.

Jan. 22: The US officially withdrew from the WHO.

Jan. 23: Ukrainian and Russian negotiators started their two-day talks in Abu Dhabi.

Jan. 24: The ICC announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the 20-team Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Jan. 24: Record-shattering Novak Djokovic became the first player to win 400 Grand Slam matches.

Jan. 25: An American climber Alex Honnold took on Taiwan´s tallest building, Taipei 101, which towers 1,667 feet into the air, without ropes or safety gear.

Jan. 25: Veteran BBC correspondent Mark Tully, known as the broadcaster's “voice of India” for covering defining moments across the subcontinent, died.

Jan. 25: American Josh Hoey clocked 1min 42.50sec to break the 800m indoor world record.

Jan. 26: India and the EU finalized a massive free trade deal, about two decades after negotiations were first launched.

Jan. 27: The EU's top court ruled that Hungary breached EU principles by voting against the bloc´s common position on the classification of cannabis during a UN meeting.

Jan. 27: French lawmakers passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s.

Jan. 30: Emmy-winning actress Catherine O' Hara died at the age of 71.

Jan. 30: Syria's government and Kurdish forces reached a comprehensive deal to gradually integrate the Kurds' military and civilian institutions into the state.

Jan. 30: South Africa ordered Israel's top diplomat to leave the country.

Jan. 30: President Trump nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to be the next US central bank chief.

Jan. 31: Elena Rybakina won the Australian Open, her second Grand Slam title.

Jan. 31: The US approved multibillion-dollar weapons sales to both Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Feb. 01: India unveiled a record $85bn defence budget.

Feb. 01: Iran declared European countries' armies “terrorist groups”, following the EU´s decision to apply the same designation to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Feb. 01: Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final to become the youngest man to win all four majors.

Feb. 02: A court in China sentenced Tang Yijun, a former justice minister, to life in prison after finding him guilty of accepting bribes totalling almost $20 million over more than a decade.

Feb. 03: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi, was killed.

Feb. 04: Iran formally allowed women to ride motorcycles.

Feb. 04: Representatives from more than 50 countries gathered in Washington where the US outlined plans to establish price floors for critical minerals and form a preferential trading arrangement among participating countries.

Feb. 05: New START, the 2010 treaty that imposed the last restrictions on the two largest nuclear powers after decades of agreements dating from the Cold War, expired.

Feb. 05: The UN unveiled a 40-member independent panel on AI.

Feb. 05: Ukraine and Russia swapped over 300 prisoners following talks in Abu Dhabi.

Feb. 05: The US and Russia agreed to re-establish high-level military-to-military dialogue after the expiration of the New START treaty.

Feb. 06: India defeated England to win the Under-19 World Cup for a sixth time.

Feb. 06: Thailand held a general election, wherein PM Anutin Charnvirakul's Bhumjaithai Party won a clear victory.

Feb. 06: Canada and France announced to open consulates in Greenland's capital.

Feb. 06: Australia and Indonesia signed a security treaty.

Feb. 07: The US and India unveiled an interim framework that would lower tariffs, reshape energy ties and deepen bilateral economic cooperation.

Feb. 07: Syria and Saudi Arabia signed deals including a joint airline and a $1-billion project to develop telecommunications.

Feb. 08: An Iranian court sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi to a six-year prison term.

Feb. 09: A Hong Kong court sentenced prodemocracy media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison.

Feb. 09: Somalia and Saudi Arabia signed a defence agreement.

Feb. 09: The United States announced to reduce its reciprocal tariff rate to 19 percent on imports from Bangladesh under a trade agreement reached between the two countries.

Feb. 10: The European Parliament definitively adopted two flagship texts that tighten EU migration policy.

Feb. 11: Nato launched Arctic Sentry, a mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic.

Feb. 11: The EU parliament approved a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine.

Feb. 12: India cleared the proposed purchase of $39 billion worth of defence equipment, including more Rafale jets.

Feb. 12: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a landmark parliamentary election.

Feb. 14: An Indian national named Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty in a US federal court to plotting the assassination of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.

The Commonwealth

It is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries, primarily consisting of former territories of the British Empire.

As of January 2026, 15 Commonwealth countries recognize King Charles III (who succeeded Queen Elizabeth II in 2022) as their head of state, e.g., Canada, New Zealand.

Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state in 2021 and became a republic.

Genesis: It evolved from the equality principles of the 1926 Imperial Conference (London) to the 1949 London Declaration, which established the modern Commonwealth by admitting republics and non-British monarchies. Gabon and Togo joined in 2022.

Values and Governance: It is guided by the Commonwealth Charter, promoting development, democracy and peace, with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London supporting member states in achieving these goals.

Key Provisions of India-EU FTA

a. Goods Trade Tariff Cuts: Over 99% of India's exports will get preferential EU market access. Immediate zero-duty entry for key labour-intensive products. Phased tariff cuts with special quotas for autos, steel, and agriculture.

b. EU Exports to India:

Market Access: India offers tariff relief on 92.1% of tariff lines covering 97.5% EU exports. Š Industrial Goods: Gradual tariff elimination over 5-10 years for sensitive items.

Agricultural Quotas: Limited fruit imports through Tariff Rate Quotas.

Technology Access: Easier import of high-tech EU inputs lowers Indian production costs.

c. Rules of Origin: The agreement includes strict Product-Specific Rules of Origin (PSRs) to ensure that only goods with substantial processing in India or the EU benefit from the tax breaks, preventing third-country trade deflection. Aligns with global value chains and helps small businesses. Exporters can certify origin themselves to save costs.

d. Agricultural Trade: The agreement ensures favorable access for Indian tea, coffee, spices, fruits, and processed foods. India has adopted a highly calibrated approach in the agricultural sector by not granting market access in sensitive areas such as dairy, cereals, poultry, and soymeal. These sectors are considered critical for domestic food security and rural employment.

e. Services Sector: The FTA opens 144 service sub-sectors to Indian IT, professional, and education services. Opens 102 subsectors to EU service providers.

f. Professional Mobility:

Work Categories: Covers company transfers, business visitors, contract workers, and professionals.

Family Support: EU allows ICT dependents and family members to work and study.

AYUSH Access: Traditional Indian practitioners can work in EU countries without local rules.

Social Security: Five-year plan to reduce double social security payments.

g. Non-Tariff Barriers: EU simplifies customs, safety standards, and SPS measures for Indian goods. Joint work on customs, trade facilitation, and technical standards.

f. Carbon Border Adjustment: India gets the same CBAM flexibilities given to other countries. Cooperative approach protects India's development priorities.