2026

RBI policy rate will remain unchanged at 5.25%; Developments in West Asia to widen Current Account Deficit (CAD), says RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra; the fundamentals of the Indian economy remain on a strong footing, RBI Guv says The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced that the central bank’s policy rate will remain unchanged at 5.25%. The decision was announced on Wednesday (April 8, 2026), following the RBI monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting, where the unchanged rate was decided unanimously. Citing elevated energy and other commodity prices coupled with supply shock due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the RBI said these will act as a drag on domestic production in 2026-27.  Real GDP growth for FY-27 has been projected at 6.9%, the RBI said, while it put the CPI inflation for FY27 at 4.6% as compared to the earlier projection of 4.5% for the year. Mr. Malhotra said that the fundamentals of the Indian economy remain on a strong footing, even as developments in West Asia are expected to widen the Current Account Deficit. 

The telephone call from the U.S. President came three days after the U.S. and Iran held a round of talks in Islamabad to resolve the West Asia crisis. Against the backdrop of continued tension in the Gulf region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump and discussed the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and secure”.

The confirmation has come days after U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor said on a social media post that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India “next month”, i.e. in May. India will host Foreign Ministers-level meeting of the BRICS grouping in May, official sources have confirmed. The meeting will be the first occasion when officials of Iran and the United Arab Emirates will be “face to face” since the conflict began with the U.S.-Israel attacking Iran on February 28, 2026. Diplomatic sources and officials have also confirmed that India is on track to host the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting in the last week of May. The confirmation has come days after U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor said on a social media post that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India “next month”, i.e. in May.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed in Tehran on Wednesday (April 15) a Pakistani delegation led by army chief Asim Munir that Iranian state television said was to relay a new U.S. message and discuss a second round of talks. Iran’s military threatened on Wednesday (April 15, 2026) to shut down the Red Sea trade unless the United States lifted its naval blockade on Tehran’s ports, saying the ceasefire was at risk. The warning came as a Pakistani delegation arrived in Tehran bearing a new message from Washington after a first attempt at a peace deal fell flat, with U.S. President Donald Trump indicating talks could resume this week.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi welcomes Pakistan army chief Asim Munir at an airport in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2026. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters.. Pakistan’s Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir reached Tehran on Wednesday (April 15, 2026) for talks with the Iranian leadership as part of his country’s efforts to resolve the conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Mr. Munir is part of a delegation that includes Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the military, said in a statement.

This attack on a Finchley synagogue comes amid rising antisemitic violence. A police forensics officer works during an investigation into an attack in the early hours of the morning, at the Finchley Reform Synagogue, in the North Finchley area of north London, on April 15, 2026. London police said on Wednesday (April 15, 2026) they were hunting two suspects after an “attempted arson attack” on a synagogue in the north of the capital, amid an upsurge in antisemitic incidents. The pair, dressed in dark clothing and balaclavas, approached the synagogue in Finchley shortly after midnight and “threw two bottles suspected to contain petrol” which did not ignite, the Metropolitan Police Force said in a statement.