Free Trade Agreement negotiations: EU trade delegation visits India to advance talks ahead of the year end deadline.
A delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade will visit India to advance a bilateral Free Trade Agreement, aiming to finalise outstanding market access and regulatory issues by the negotiated year end deadline. The mission will engage ministerial and parliamentary officials, business groups, civil society and labour representatives to inform negotiations. Negotiations have closed 11 chapters and recently closed the SPS chapter; other concluded chapters include customs and trade facilitation, dispute settlement, digital trade, sustainable food systems, SMEs, competition and subsidies, and capital movements.

India-US trade negotiations are nearing agreement, focusing on tariffs, market access, and energy procurement pressures in a first tranche.
Negotiations between India and the United States are at an advanced stage toward a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement, with officials reporting convergence on most issues and pursuing an early, mutually beneficial conclusion to the first tranche. The talks address tariff barriers, market access, and energy procurement pressures arising from third-country sanctions, and proceed amid India's insistence that agreements not be concluded under duress and its interest in diversified markets.

India leather industry faces export decline from US tariffs but pivots to growing domestic market to offset losses.
India's leather exporters project a 7-8% export value decline in 2025-26 due to steep US tariff measures, including reciprocal and penal duties up to 58%, but expect continued demand from US buyers and plan to offset losses through a pivot to the expanding domestic market aided by central government free trade agreements, ongoing trade negotiations, and state-level retail and trade-fair support.

EU regulations such as CBAM and EUDR may impose tariffs and significant compliance burdens on Indian exports.
EU measures including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the EU Deforestation Regulation will impose compliance burdens and cost impacts on trade: CBAM may raise duties on Indian steel, aluminium and cement exports by about 20-35 percent, while EUDR will affect exports such as coffee, leather hides and paperboard (estimated USD 1.3 billion annually). The scope of some 73 EU regulations and extensive paperwork requirements are said to complicate trade and intersect non trade policy objectives during India-EU free trade negotiations.

Bharat International Rice Conference 2025 to drive Indian rice exports via market redirection, MoUs, agritech demos and trade facilitation.
BIRC 2025 creates a government backed platform to expand Indian rice exports by unlocking Rs.1.80 lakh crore in new markets and securing Rs.25,000 crore in export MoUs through product market demonstrations, buyer clinics, instant export onboarding, state and cooperative pavilions, and certification and traceability initiatives; it includes an AI based rice sorting technology launch, promotion of a unified Trade Connect portal for exporters, farmer training in sustainable practices, and the establishment of an Incubation and Agricultural Research Centre to support regenerative and climate resilient rice production.

Indian refiners shift from direct Russian crude to alternative suppliers and intermediary trades due to US sanctions and compliance risks.
US sanctions on major Russian crude producers require winding down transactions and create exposure to secondary sanctions, forcing Indian refiners to reduce direct purchases, rework contracts to comply with OFAC rules, and shift toward alternative suppliers and intermediary led trades; this will increase import costs and transactional, freight, and insurance complexity while preserving indirect Russian flows through more complex trading structures.

Narcotics seizure: customs intercepted and detained passengers after baggage screening found suspected ganja on international arrival.
Customs intercepted two passengers arriving from Bangkok, scanned their luggage, and found multiple polythene pouches of a green substance that diagnostic testing indicated was prima facie ganja; the substance was seized, weighed and inventoried and the passengers were arrested pending further forensic and legal action.

India scaling back Russian oil purchases amid sanctions and tariff pressure on imports following diplomatic pressure.
The executive announced substantial sanctions on two Russian oil companies and linked those measures to requests that India reduce Russian crude purchases, while also employing tariff increases on Indian goods-including an additional duty tied to purchases of Russian oil-as part of an economic pressure strategy to limit war financing through energy trade; India maintains its energy policy prioritizes domestic security and affordability.

Canada-US trade talks ended after an ad allegedly misused presidential remarks, prompting tariff and legal disputes affecting auto trade.
An executive declaration terminated bilateral trade negotiations with Canada after a televised ad was alleged to misrepresent a presidential address and to interfere with courts; the action was justified by invoking the national security importance of tariffs. The Reagan Foundation says the ad used and edited remarks without permission and is reviewing legal options. The dispute coincides with U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods and Canadian retaliatory levies with remission quotas for some automakers, affecting the auto sector and occurring amid a review of the regional trade agreement.

US-Canada trade talks ended after Canadian TV ads protested US tariffs; Canada aims to diversify exports in response.
President Trump announced the termination of all trade negotiations with Canada, citing Canadian television advertisements protesting U.S. tariffs as egregious behaviour intended to influence U.S. court decisions, while Canada seeks to double exports outside the United States in response to the threat posed by those tariffs.

Canada limits tariff-free vehicle imports from Stellantis and GM after production cuts, cutting their exemption quotas.
Canada is reducing conditional tariff-free import allocations after Stellantis and General Motors ended or shifted Canadian production. The government's remission quota that exempts certain autos and parts from countertariff duties required maintenance of Canadian jobs and investment; Ottawa is cutting GM's quota by 24% and Stellantis's by 50%, thereby limiting their ability to import vehicles duty free under the exemption.

Sanctions on Russian energy expand to oil, LNG, payment systems and tech exports, tightening economic pressure.
Western measures expand legal constraints on Russian energy revenue and sanction-evading channels: targeting major oil firms, banning certain LNG imports into the EU, imposing port bans on shadow-fleet vessels, and creating U.S. secondary-penalty exposure for third-party purchasers. The package also restricts cryptocurrency transactions used to evade sanctions, prohibits operations with Russian payment systems, limits AI and high-performance computing services to Russian entities, and widens export controls on components and materials linked to military manufacturing, while introducing diplomatic movement limits within the EU.

Criminal investigation intensifies as searches, seizures and voter list probe proceed alongside procurement approvals and legal challenge dismissal.
Criminal investigative activity includes CBI searches at a suspended senior police officer's residence with seizures on bribery allegations, and a Special Investigation Team probing attempts to delete names from electoral rolls and identifying suspects; concurrently, administrative procurement approvals for defence hardware were authorised, and a court declined to reopen a prior high profile judgment, underscoring concurrent investigative, procurement and judicial processes.

India-US trade talks progressing on a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement to address tariffs and boost bilateral trade to $500bn.
Negotiations for a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement between India and the United States are advancing with multiple delegation meetings and a target to conclude a first tranche by October-November 2025. Talks resumed after a pause caused by steep US tariff measures-including duties described as 50% and an additional 25% linked to Russian crude-that affected Indian exports; both sides intend to pursue an early, mutually beneficial agreement aimed at expanding bilateral trade toward a USD 500 billion objective by 2030.

Consolidation of party leadership strengthens central authority as senior military officials removed and a multi-year economic plan endorsed.
The party reaffirmed the president's core leadership and the guiding role of his political thought, ordered closer unity behind the Party Central Committee, and emphasized internal consolidation. The plenum reported expulsions and removals of senior military officers for corruption and disciplinary breaches, promoted a replacement to the Central Military Commission, and signalled intensified anti graft enforcement in the armed forces. It also endorsed a new multi year plan to bolster domestic market resilience, pursue self reliance in science and technology, and accelerate development amid external trade tensions.

Narcotics seizure at airport leads to arrest after international arrival following customs inspection and diagnostic testing.
Customs intercepted a passenger arriving from Bangkok, seized a brown trolley bag containing six polythene pouches of a green substance that diagnostic testing indicated was prima facie ganja/marijuana weighing 2495.5 grams (net), valued at Rs 2.49 crore, and arrested the passenger pending further investigation.

Reliance Industries to cut Russian crude imports after sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, citing compliance and export risks.
Sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil bar commercial dealings and require winding down transactions by November 21, prompting Reliance and other direct purchasers to recalibrate or curtail Russian crude imports to avoid penalties, while state refiners buying via intermediary traders assess contracts for sanctioned footprints; an EU ban on fuels refined from Russian crude effective January 21 further constrains exports and may reduce Russian oil purchases.

Diplomatic distancing: Prime Minister to attend ASEAN summit virtually amid claims he avoids meeting US President.
Prime Minister Modi will attend the ASEAN and ASEAN India summits virtually due to scheduling constraints; opposition leaders allege the decision reflects diplomatic distancing to avoid a physical encounter with a visiting former US president, citing political and reputational risk and circulating his public claims about India's energy purchases and regional mediation as supporting evidence.

American e-waste is being exported to Southeast Asia, often mislabeled and processed under hazardous conditions.
A two year investigation identifies at least ten US exporters sending over 10,000 containers of potential electronic waste valued at more than USD 1 billion to Southeast Asia and other destinations; shipments are often declared under non e waste trade codes, many exporters hold industry recycling certifications, and the exports overwhelm recipient countries, expose workers to toxic metals, and reveal gaps in export controls, certification integrity, trade code enforcement and downstream verification.

Trade and climate finance: call to honour Paris commitments and prevent unilateral environmental measures that impede developing countries' trade.
India urged fulfilment of developed countries' climate finance and technology transfer commitments and warned that unilateral environmental measures and restrictive technology controls undermine the rules-based trading system and disproportionately harm developing countries. It promoted South-South cooperation on critical minerals, fertilizers, and supply-chain resilience, and emphasised strengthening domestic transport, manufacturing and pharmaceutical capacity to build inclusive, resilient supply chains while preserving special and differential treatment and advancing equitable technology and capacity-building through multilateral cooperation.