CURRENT AFFAIRS

India and Malaysia signed multiple agreements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kuala Lumpur in February 2026, marking a significant deepening of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and expanding cooperation across defence, technology, energy, and economic domains.

The formal expiration of the New START Treaty on February 5, 2026, marks a significant turning point in the history of global security. The end of the legal obligations that had limited nuclear weapons between the United States and Russia for the past five decades has raised the threat of a new nuclear race.

India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in New Delhi, formally launching negotiations for a comprehensive trade pact.

US President Donald Trump announced a sharp reduction in tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18%, claiming that India has agreed to stop buying Russian crude oil and instead increase purchases from the US and Venezuela. While India welcomed the trade deal, it has not confirmed any commitment to halt Russian oil imports, signalling that energy security remains its top priority.

The expiry of the New START Treaty marks the end of nearly five decades of legally binding nuclear arms control between the United States and Russia. With no successor agreement in place, global concerns have intensified over strategic instability, reduced transparency, and the risk of a renewed nuclear arms race among major powers.

Gold prices have surged past the $5,000 per ounce mark for the first time, even as the US dollar slid to a four-month low. The rally is being driven not only by households but by aggressive buying from central banks worldwide.

India has chosen, for now, to stay away from US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adopting a cautious “wait and watch” approach despite an invitation extended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India has recently welcomed Spain’s decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), marking the expansion of this India-led maritime cooperation framework and reinforcing growing international engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will commemorate its 80th anniversary with a special event on 23 January 2026, marking eight decades of its role as the UN’s principal body for coordinating global economic, social, humanitarian, and development cooperation.

The U.S. President Donald Trump has invited India to join the proposed Board of Peace for Gaza, a new governance and conflict-management mechanism.