News articles and essays on the Indian diplomacy at work around the world.
The meeting is being held under India’s 2026 BRICS presidency, whose theme is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The New Delhi programme includes multiple ministerial sessions at Bharat Mandapam, a joint call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a dinner hosted by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Gothenburg, Sweden, on May 17-18, 2026, as part
India’s Ambassador to Myanmar, Abhay Thakur, highlighted India’s long role in humanitarian and peacekeeping missions, linking the training initiative to the wider goal of global stability. He also underlined the historical, cultural and geographical closeness between India and Myanmar, noting that Myanmar sits at the intersection of India’s Neighbourhood First, Act East and Indo-Pacific policy priorities.
Multilateral cooperation will form another key part of the dialogue. India and Russia are expected to discuss coordination within the United Nations, BRICS and G20, where both countries have often advocated a more multipolar global order and reforms in international governance. The timing is significant because India is hosting the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting immediately after Lavrov’s bilateral engagement with Jaishankar.
The adoption of UPI is significant because it brings India’s globally recognised digital payment infrastructure to the Caribbean. UPI has transformed everyday transactions in India by enabling fast, seamless and low-cost payments, and its international expansion is increasingly becoming a part of India’s technology partnership with friendly nations. For Trinidad and Tobago, the rollout could support easier digital payments, strengthen financial connectivity and open new opportunities for fintech cooperation with India.
The inaugural batch includes 29 senior officials from Seychelles, including Directors General and officers from key sectors such as defence, information technology, finance, judiciary, education, public administration and the Office of the President. The delegation is led by Alex Henderson, Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Policy Affairs in the Cabinet Office, Office of the President of Seychelles.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the visiting delegates are also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their stay in India. The two-day meeting is expected to focus on global and regional issues of common interest, with discussions likely to reflect the priorities of emerging economies at a time of shifting geopolitical alignments, economic uncertainty and continuing debate over the future of multilateral institutions.
The newly introduced products include an AI-enabled “Forecast of Monsoon Advance over Different Parts of the Country” and a “High Spatial Resolution Rainfall Forecast for Uttar Pradesh” as a pilot service. These systems have been jointly developed by the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.
The meeting focused on exploring new ideas to strengthen India-Costa Rica ties, with both sides discussing ways to make the relationship more practical and future-oriented. Margherita said in a social media post that the discussions covered support for Indian businesses in Costa Rica, capacity building and Quick Impact Projects, reflecting a shared commitment to building a stronger and more meaningful bilateral partnership.
According to the survey, the overall Labour Force Participation Rate for persons aged 15 years and above stood at 55.5 percent in January–March 2026, compared with 55.8 percent in the previous quarter. Rural LFPR was recorded at 58.2 percent, while urban LFPR stood at 50.2 percent. The figures suggest that participation in the labour market remained largely steady across both rural and urban India despite minor quarter-on-quarter movements.
