The US House of Representatives has passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by 262–159, sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature. The legislation expands sanctions against Russian officials, financial institutions, energy companies and its “shadow fleet” of tankers. It also gives the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, potentially including India and China. The measure does not automatically impose a 100% tariff on India; it creates the legal authority for such action under specified conditions. (PC: The Times of India)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, September 17, wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 76th birthday and praised his leadership. In a post on X, Netanyahu said Modi’s leadership had transformed India into a “world power.” He also described the relationship between India and Israel as an “unprecedented partnership” and said friendship between the two countries had never been stronger. Netanyahu expressed confidence that bilateral ties would reach greater heights and wished Modi continued leadership, good health and fulfilment. The message came as leaders and diplomatic representatives from several countries extended birthday greetings to the Indian Prime Minister.

A Pakistani naval vessel, PNS Hunain, collided with the Indian Navy’s INS Kolkata in the North Arabian Sea on September 15, according to reports. Indian officials described the Pakistani vessel’s manoeuvring as “unprofessional and unsafe,” saying it approached the Indian destroyer at high speed despite warnings. The Pakistani ship sustained damage and headed toward its home port, while INS Kolkata reportedly continued its surveillance mission without structural damage. Defence experts cited by India Today said the manoeuvre appeared similar to maritime intimidation tactics associated with Chinese naval and coast-guard encounters. India also said the incident violated the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement on maintaining safe separation between naval vessels. (PC: PTI)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 76th birthday, calling him her friend and wishing him health, energy and success. In a post on X, Meloni said Italy and India were strengthening their deep bond of friendship while building a future of cooperation and prosperity for both nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump also extended birthday wishes to Modi. Putin praised Modi’s contribution to strengthening the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership, while the US Embassy conveyed Trump’s wishes for health and happiness. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated Modi, praising his leadership and saying India-Israel friendship had never been stronger.

A Pakistani naval vessel, PNS Hunain, closed in at high speed on an Indian Navy Kolkata-class warship in the North Arabian Sea, raising questions over how the vessels ended up on a collision course despite radars, navigation systems and communications equipment. Indian officials said Hunain was manoeuvring in an “unprofessional and unsafe” manner. Senior journalist and defence expert Sandeep Unnithan told India Today Digital that he did not believe the incident was accidental. He described it as a form of maritime intimidation, a tactic he said is increasingly associated with China’s maritime forces in the South China Sea. The report suggests Pakistan may be adopting Chinese tactics alongside Chinese-built warships. (PC: PTI)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended birthday wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, praising his leadership and saying it had transformed India into a “world power.” Netanyahu said the friendship between Israel and India had “never been stronger” and highlighted what he called an unprecedented partnership between the two countries. He expressed confidence that the nations would take their partnership to “even greater heights” and wished Modi many more years of leadership, health and fulfillment. Modi turned 76 on Thursday, receiving birthday greetings from leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Droupadi Murmu. Putin praised Modi’s contribution to strengthening India-Russia’s “special and privileged strategic partnership,” while Murmu highlighted his public service and governance contributions.

The US House of Representatives has passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by 262–159, sending it to President Donald Trump for approval. The legislation would give Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China, although the bill does not automatically impose such tariffs. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal warned India and China to buy energy elsewhere. India’s External Affairs Ministry said it would protect the country’s trade and economic interests while maintaining energy security through diversified oil sourcing. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday, calling him her “friend” and extending wishes for his health, energy and success. In a post on X, Meloni said Italy and India would continue strengthening their “deep bond of friendship” and work together towards cooperation and prosperity. She also expressed hope that Modi would continue leading India towards a bright future. The message comes as India and Italy continue efforts to deepen their strategic partnership. Modi later thanked Meloni for her warm wishes and said he looked forward to further strengthening the friendship between the two countries. (PC: X)

India-US trade ties have faced repeated tariff changes since February 2025, largely linked to Washington’s concerns over India’s trade policies and Russian oil purchases. The US first announced reciprocal tariffs in February 2025, followed by a 26% tariff in April, later paused at 10%. In July, Trump raised duties on Indian imports to 25%, before increasing them to 50%. In February 2026, tariffs were lowered to 18% under a proposed trade framework linked to reducing Russian oil purchases. After further changes, the US House in September approved legislation allowing tariffs of up to 100% on major Russian oil buyers, including India. (PC: HT)

Around 80 Indian employees of US-based digital banking firm Bluevine were reportedly laid off during a five-minute Google Meet call, according to a post by an affected worker. The employee said the customer support team had been asked to work from home for “operational reasons” before management called them into the meeting at around 9.30 pm during their shift. They were then told that the entire Indian customer service team had been terminated. The employee said the company cited concerns over the team’s expected output. The claims were shared on Reddit and have not been independently verified. Bluevine has not been quoted in the report. (PC: NDTV)