International

The UN General Assembly has adopted the “Correct the Map” resolution, an African-led initiative encouraging greater use of map projections that accurately preserve the relative sizes of continents, particularly Africa. The debate centres on the centuries-old Mercator projection, whose area distortion increases sharply towards the poles, and on alternatives such as the Equal Earth projection. India voted for the resolution but clarified that it supports the principle of equal-area cartography rather than endorsing any single map projection.

India and Belgium have significantly expanded their bilateral partnership during Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s official visit to India, the first by a Belgian Prime Minister in nearly two decades. The two sides launched an Investment Fast-Track Mechanism, set a target to double bilateral trade in five years, institutionalised defence cooperation, signed a renewable-energy MoU, expanded cooperation in semiconductors and critical minerals, and strengthened maritime, counter-terrorism and law-enforcement ties. The visit also connects India-Belgium relations with the wider India-EU strategic partnership and the recently concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

The 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek marked the grouping’s 25th anniversary and placed regional security, terrorism, transnational crime, drug trafficking, connectivity and global governance at the centre of discussions. Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the SCO to make security a key objective, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged members to dismantle the terrorism ecosystem without “double standards”. The summit adopted the Bishkek Declaration and approved important institutional measures covering security threats, narcotics, climate, artificial intelligence and other areas.

India has rejected a new award of the Hague-based Court of Arbitration concerning the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, maintaining that the arbitral body was improperly constituted and has no jurisdiction over India's sovereign decision to keep the Treaty in abeyance. The Court, however, has unanimously held that the Treaty remains in force and has also ordered temporary restrictions on specified construction works at India's Ratle Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab River. The episode brings together India-Pakistan relations, transboundary river governance, treaty law, hydropower development and international dispute settlement.

Iran's Chabahar port has been struck during the ongoing US military campaign against Iran, with the maritime control tower destroyed and adjoining piers damaged. The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that the Shahid Beheshti terminal, operated by India until April, was not damaged, and reiterated that civilian infrastructure should not be targeted in armed conflict. The strikes come after the US sanctions waiver for Chabahar expired on 26 April 2026 and the Union Budget 2026-27 made no allocation for the project. This article explains Chabahar's geography and history, India's contractual and financial commitments, how US sanctions law operates, the role of the International North-South Transport Corridor, and what the setback means for India's Afghanistan and Central Asia policy.

The debate over the future of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), 1960 has intensified, with India keeping the treaty in abeyance since the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan raising the issue at international forums, and Pakistan yet to respond to India's formal notices of 2023 and 2024 seeking modification and renegotiation. Analysts argue that river systems are dynamic and the 1960 treaty is inadequate for contemporary challenges like climate change, groundwater, and water quality. This article explains the treaty's allocation design, the abeyance and arbitration developments, global treaty practices, the Mekong comparison, and the case for and against renegotiation for UPSC Prelims and Mains.

The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the companion Double Contribution Convention (DCC) entered into force on 15 July 2026, operationalising India's first comprehensive free trade agreement with a major developed economy. The UK has eliminated tariffs on 99% of Indian tariff lines, while India has cut duties on around 90% of products, including first-ever FTA concessions on cars and Scotch whisky. This article explains what CETA is, its negotiation journey, sector-wise gains and concessions, the DCC for professionals, the new self-declaration rules of origin, the steel quota arrangement, the CBAM concern, and CETA's place in India's FTA strategy.

US President Donald Trump has reversed his plan to charge a 20 per cent fee on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, replacing it with trade and investment deals by Gulf states, days after announcing the levy amid the ongoing US–Iran conflict over control of the strait. The proposal had drawn scepticism over its legality and calculation, with the International Maritime Organization opposing tolls on straits used for international navigation. This article explains the episode, the geography and law of the Strait of Hormuz, UNCLOS and transit passage, the US–Iran standoff, and the implications for India's energy security, for UPSC Prelims and Mains.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held the Third India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne, where both sides advanced defence cooperation, maritime security, energy security, uranium supply arrangements and trade negotiations. The summit is important for UPSC because it links India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Indo-Pacific geopolitics, civil nuclear cooperation, CECA, critical minerals and India’s clean-energy transition.

NATO leaders met in Ankara amid major defence-industry announcements, renewed support for Ukraine, debate over Article 5, U.S. President Donald Trump’s push over Greenland, tensions with Spain and Iran, and a possible U.S. policy shift on Turkey’s F-35 access. For UPSC, the summit is important because it connects NATO expansion, transatlantic security, Russia-Ukraine war, Arctic geopolitics, defence spending, and India’s strategic interests.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to Indonesia has produced a major upgrade in India-Indonesia ties, with outcomes on BrahMos Missile System, Astra air-to-air missile cooperation, critical minerals, rare earth magnets, Sabang Port, maritime security, digital connectivity, space cooperation and cultural diplomacy. The visit is important for UPSC because it links India’s Act East Policy, Indo-Pacific strategy, defence exports, maritime chokepoints, critical-mineral security and ASEAN centrality.

Following a framework agreement with the United States in mid-June 2026 that reopened the Strait of Hormuz and lifted a US naval blockade, Iran has dropped its wartime toll but continues to levy a navigation fee and an environmental protection charge on ships using the waterway. This has triggered a sharp legal dispute over whether a coastal state can charge vessels passing through an international strait. This article explains the news event, the geography and energy significance of Hormuz, the UNCLOS framework, the difference between transit passage and innocent passage, the competing legal arguments, and the stakes for India's energy security.