Author: Forelines

(Forelines) – Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan, met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Thimphu on Wednesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. On the occasion of the Fourth King’s 70th birthday, the Prime Minister expressed the warmest wishes and prayers of the Indian government and people for His Majesty’s ongoing health and well-being. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to His Majesty the Fourth King for his leadership, advice, and direction in enhancing the friendship between India and Bhutan. Discussions on bilateral relations and topics of shared interest were held between the two leaders.…

(Forelines) – At the invitation of Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar will travel to Ontario, Canada, on November 12, 2025, to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Outreach Partners, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. India’s ongoing dedication to collaborating with foreign partners to address global issues and strengthen the voice of the Global South in international fora is demonstrated by EAM’s attendance in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. On the fringes of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, EAM is also anticipated to undertake bilateral discussions.

(Forelines) – Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the fringes of the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), which took place on October 31, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The delegation-level discussions were followed by a one-on-one encounter, and the meeting was productive, Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the mutually advantageous collaboration across all of its pillars and expressed gratitude for the ongoing momentum in the bilateral defense cooperation. They discussed the continuing defense industry and technology partnerships and went over…

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reversed a Biden-era air pollution rule that had imposed stricter limits on emissions from copper smelters. The copper rule, finalized in May 2024, had required smelters to curb pollutants including lead, arsenic, mercury, benzene and dioxins under updated federal air standards. Trump’s proclamation grants a two-year exemption from compliance for affected stationary sources, which the White House said would help promote American mineral security by reducing regulatory burdens on domestic copper producers. “Imposing these requirements on such a limited and already strained domestic industry risks accelerating further closures, weakening the Nation’s industrial base, undermining…

(Forelines)- The Biodiversity Management Committees in Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh received ₹18.3 lakh from the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA). This sum is used for Access and Benefit Sharing in accordance with the Biological Diversity Act of 2002, Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a statement. The money was easily sent to two BMCs—the Biodiversity Management Committee in the Lampokhari Lake Area, Aritar, Sikkim, and the Narrau Village Biodiversity Management Committee in Akrabad Kaul Taluk, Aligarh District, Uttar Pradesh—through the corresponding State Biodiversity Boards. A business used the Narrau village’s agricultural resources to produce fermentable chemicals using…

(Forelines) – U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to South Korea for state visits when the nation hosts Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) activities next week, the country’s top security adviser announced Friday, according to Reuters report. Wi Sung-lac, South Korea’s presidential security adviser stated, Reuters quoted that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung intends to meet separately with Trump and Xi at the summit. “Through a series of summits between the leaders of South Korea and the United States, the United States and China, and South Korea and China, we will not only highlight South…

(Forelines) – The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released ₹1.36 crore to distribute the benefits of commercial use to local communities in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, demonstrating its strong commitment to fair and equitable benefit sharing, conservation, and sustainable use of biodiversity, Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in statement. Three Biodiversity Management Committees—Kasganj area, Etah District, Uttar Pradesh; Sakharwadi village, Phaltan Taluk, Satara District, Maharashtra; and Kunjirwadi village, Haveli Taluk, Pune—will receive this sizeable financial infusion from the State Biodiversity Boards of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. A total of Rs. 45.50 lakhs will be given to…

(Forelines) – On behalf of the Government of India, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan will travel to the Republic of Seychelles from October 26–27, 2025, at the invitation of the Government of Seychelles, to witness the swearing-in ceremony of Dr. Patrick Herminie, the country’s president-elect, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in statement. The Vice President will reaffirm the strong, enduring, and time-tested connections between India and Dr. Herminie while also extending India’s warmest congratulations to her. As part of India’s Vision Mahasgar and our dedication to the Global South, Seychelles is a crucial partner. India’s strong desire to deepen and…

(Forelines) – In a speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States is ready to negotiate with Iran when Tehran is ready, according to Reuters report. Prior to a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June, in which Washington intervened by attacking strategic Iranian nuclear sites, Tehran and Washington engaged in five rounds of nuclear negotiations, as per the report. The question of uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, which Tehran has refused, is one of the main obstacles to the discussions. Western nations want to eliminate it completely to reduce the…

(Forelines) – Under the auspices of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), the National Skills Qualifications Committee (NSQC) convened its 44th meeting yesterday. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and NCVET Chairperson, presided over the meeting, Indian Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said in a statement. Key stakeholders, including representatives from industry, central and state government departments, Awarding Bodies (ABs), and other institutions, convened for the session to discuss important issues pertaining to the alignment of skill qualifications with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). For review and approval, 210 skill credentials…