US-Venezuela Standoff Escalates

1 December 2025National

The US sharply escalated pressure on Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, declaring airspace around Venezuela closed; Venezuela wrote to the UN Security Council on 17 December citing 'US aggression'.

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk Begins Three-Day India Visit; Bilateral Talks with Modi Held in New Delhi

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in New Delhi on 21 October 2026 for a three-day official visit at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation - his second visit to India as Prime Minister after 2010. He is accompanied by Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domanski and a large business delegation. Bilateral talks with Modi were held in New Delhi on 22 October, followed by India-Poland Business Forums in New Delhi (22 October) and Bengaluru (23 October). The agenda covers trade and investment, defence, emerging technologies, renewable energy, and education. Ties were elevated to a Strategic Partnership during Modi's Poland visit in August 2024.

GK BytePoland's capital is Warsaw and its currency is the Polish Zloty | Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004 | Poland is India's largest trading partner in Central Europe, and the India-Poland Joint Action Plan covers 2024-28

📅 21 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

Marco Rubio Says India-US Trade Deal Is Nearly Done After Mumbai Talks with Jaishankar

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on 20 October 2026 and said the two sides were 'about as close as you can be without having executed the agreement' on a bilateral trade deal, with only a few items left to settle. The two also held a US-India-UAE trilateral with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan covering regional energy security, trade, technology and connectivity. Rubio visited Jamnagar, Gujarat, on 21 October. A February 2026 framework had already cut the US tariff on most Indian goods from 50% to 18%.

GK ByteThe United Arab Emirates' capital is Abu Dhabi and its currency is the Dirham; the India-UAE CEPA came into force in May 2022 | The United States is India's largest trading partner in goods | The US Department of State, headed by the Secretary of State, was founded in 1789 and is housed in Foggy Bottom, Washington DC

📅 20 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

India to Host the First SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum by End-2026, Rajnath Singh Announces at Dushanbe

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced at the 25th SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 20 October 2026 that India will host the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum by the end of 2026. The forum, proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2025 SCO Summit in Tianjin, will deepen people-to-people ties and showcase the shared heritage, art and literature of ancient civilisations. The Dushanbe meeting adopted a joint communique approving the SCO budget for 2027 and the PMTEC Action Plan for 2026-2030. Singh also highlighted Mission LiFE and the Global Biofuel Alliance.

GK ByteThe SCO was founded in 2001 at Shanghai and now has ten members, with Belarus joining in 2024 | The SCO Secretariat is at Beijing and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Executive Committee is at Tashkent | The Council of Heads of State is the SCO's supreme body, while the Council of Heads of Government is its second-highest body and approves the budget

📅 20 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

India and Canada Sign 34 Commercial Agreements Worth Nearly CAD 300 Million; CEPA Targeted for December 2026

34 commercial agreements and MoUs worth nearly CAD 300 million (about Rs 1,800 crore) were signed at the Canada-India Business Ceremony during the Team Canada Trade Mission, led by Canada's International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu. Nearly 300 Canadian delegates visited Mumbai and Bengaluru in Canada's largest trade mission to India in 30 years, spanning aerospace, clean energy, ICT, life sciences, agri-food and AI. Both sides aim to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by end-December 2026. The fifth negotiating round was held at Ottawa from 5-9 October 2026, with the next due at New Delhi in early November.

GK ByteCanada's capital is Ottawa and its currency is the Canadian dollar; it is a federal parliamentary democracy with King Charles III as head of state | Canada is a member of the G7, NATO, the Commonwealth and the USMCA trade bloc | A CEPA covers goods, services, investment and economic cooperation, going wider than a goods-only FTA

📅 19 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

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