WHO Faces 15% Budget Shortfall and 7,000 Workforce Cut After US Withdrawal

UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Preparedness: India Stresses Resilient Health Systems, Pathogen Access Benefit Sharing

India, represented by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, affirmed its commitment to global pandemic preparedness at a UN high-level meeting, emphasizing resilient health systems, digital public infrastructure, and fair access to health products. The article is crucial for aspirants as it ties India's COVID-19 experience to global health security frameworks like the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system.

India Chairs 18th BRICS Summit 2026 in New Delhi; Focus on Trade, Cross-Border Payments, Governance Reform

India assumes chairmanship of BRICS for the fourth time, hosting leaders from 11+ nations including Xi Jinping and Putin at Bharat Mandapam. Key agenda includes promoting cross-border payments in national currencies and strengthening supply chains—a move that balances India’s ties with both the West and the Global South. For exams, this is a critical fact for IR Mains and Prelims (summit details, membership, India’s chairmanship years).

India Revises 2015 Model BIT Amid Calls for Public Consultation and Parliamentary Scrutiny

India is revising its 2015 Model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) after it yielded only a handful of treaties, with the revised text likely to go to the Union Cabinet. The op-ed by Prabhash Ranjan argues that the process must include public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny to overcome the 'democratic deficit' in treaty-making. For aspirants, this connects investment protection, state regulatory autonomy, and participatory democracy.

PM Modi Proposes Seafarers' Emergency Support Network at BRICS Summit; India Supplies 12% Global Workforce

PM Modi proposed a 'Seafarers' Emergency Support Network' at the BRICS Summit to ensure safety of maritime workers amid global conflicts. With India providing over 12% of the world's trained seafarers and 15 already killed in West Asia/Black Sea, this proposal has direct implications for India's workforce and trade security.

Govt Dilutes FDI Norms for China, E-Commerce; Anti-Dumping Rejection Rate Hits 41.5%

India is gradually relaxing FDI rules for Chinese-owned companies and e-commerce inventory norms to attract investment and boost exports, while simultaneously rejecting a record share of anti-dumping duty recommendations — a strategic shift to balance economic interests with geopolitical tensions.

Google, Meta Agree to Report Child Abuse Material Directly to Indian Authorities; Break from NCMEC Practice

Google and Meta have agreed to report child sexual abuse material (CSAM) directly to Indian authorities, bypassing the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). This follows Indian government pressure citing delays in the existing global routing system, which received over 21.3 million reports in 2025. The move signals a shift towards data sovereignty and faster law enforcement action in child protection.

Jaishankar at 81st UNGA: Global South Front Row in Crises but Back Row in Decision-Making

EAM Jaishankar highlighted that the Global South faces the brunt of global crises but is excluded from decision-making structures. He called for reformed multilateralism, especially UNSC expansion, at the High-Level Meeting on the sidelines of the 81st UNGA.

France, UK Back Voluntary UNSC Veto Restraint as 128 States Endorse 2015 Initiative

France and the UK have backed voluntary regulation of the UNSC veto in mass atrocity situations, reviving the 2015 French-Mexican initiative now backed by 128 states. For aspirants, this is a high-yield IR topic linking UNSC reform, P5 veto politics, multilateralism, and India's push for global governance change — important for Prelims factual questions and Mains analytical answers.