The US government has proposed ending work permits for some H-4 visa holders, who are spouses of H-1B workers. The move could affect thousands of families, especially Indians.   The proposal would reverse a 2015 rule that allowed eligible H-4 spouses to work with an Employment Authorisation Document. Between 2014 and 2017, about 93% of approved H-4 work permits went to Indian nationals.   The proposal is not yet a final rule. DHS must first publish it, allow public comments and issue a final decision. Until then, valid H-4 EAD holders can continue working under current rules.  

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use India’s “extensive contacts” with various countries to help pull warring sides away from conflict and towards dialogue and agreement. Speaking during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Pezeshkian thanked India for its support and cooperation during the recent war and called for stronger diplomatic efforts to restore regional peace and security. He criticised the United States for choosing “the path of war” instead of diplomatic mechanisms and said Iran had never welcomed war. Pezeshkian stressed that continued conflict serves neither Iran, the region nor humanity, and urged greater international efforts to strengthen peace, stability and security. (PC: X)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that India would continue supporting peaceful efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, stressing the need to move from “endless wars to the end of war.” Meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Modi said every day of war sets humanity back and called for efforts to end hostilities. He said India and Russia could move forward while keeping their respective interests in mind. Modi also said he carried a message of peace from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Gautam Buddha. Putin said Russia-India relations were strengthening with Modi’s personal attention, while tourist exchanges between the two countries grew 16% in 2025, according to Sputnik.

India on Monday rejected the latest award by the Court of Arbitration concerning the Indus Waters Treaty, calling the body “illegally constituted” and saying the 1960 treaty remains in abeyance. The Ministry of External Affairs said the tribunal was established by the World Bank in “patent breach” of the treaty’s terms and reiterated that India has never recognised its legal existence or participated in its proceedings. New Delhi said the tribunal has no jurisdiction over India’s sovereign decisions and that its current or future pronouncements would have no impact on projects being undertaken by India. The tribunal, meanwhile, ruled that India must continue observing its treaty obligations and imposed interim measures on the Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project. (PC: ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The meeting marked their first bilateral talks since the US-Iran war began in February. The talks took place just hours after the US and Iran engaged in direct military exchanges for the first time in several weeks. Details of the Modi-Pezeshkian meeting were not immediately released. The Iranian Embassy in India confirmed the meeting in a post on X, saying Pezeshkian met and held talks with Modi during the first leg of his visit to Kyrgyzstan to attend and address the SCO Summit and the Shanghai Plus Summit.

India has stepped up rescue efforts in Nepal as the death toll from the devastating floods crossed 900 and thousands remain missing. Indian rescue teams and technical experts are assisting Nepali authorities, particularly in efforts to reach workers trapped inside hydropower tunnels. The disaster, triggered by a massive glacier collapse and flash floods, has left large areas devastated and rescue operations difficult. Indian teams have also helped evacuate stranded citizens as Nepal battles one of its worst natural disasters in years. Search and relief operations continue across the affected region amid fears that the toll could rise further. (PC: X)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, marking a key engagement between the two leaders amid tensions in West Asia. The meeting came months after Modi and Pezeshkian spoke by phone following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Earlier, Modi also held bilateral talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later and attend the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games. The SCO summit will focus on regional and global issues and strengthening cooperation among member states.

The bodies of two women from Kerala, who were found dead at their home in California, are set to be brought back to India after Union Minister Suresh Gopi intervened. The victims were identified as Ranjitha and Rekha. US authorities are investigating the deaths, while details about the motive and allegations remain unclear. Following appeals from their families, Gopi coordinated with officials to help complete the process of repatriating the bodies to Kerala. (PC: The Indian Express)

The family of American mercenary and former prisoner of war Matthew VanDyke has appealed for urgent US diplomatic intervention to secure his release from Delhi’s Tihar Jail. VanDyke was arrested by the NIA in March after investigators alleged he entered Mizoram without a required permit, illegally crossed into Myanmar and contacted ethnic armed groups. The agency also accused him of helping train rebel groups in weapons handling and drone warfare. In a post from VanDyke’s verified X account, his family alleged that he remains in solitary confinement and is being denied basic detainee rights. The case is under investigation. (PC: India Today)

Senior officials from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are set to hold their first meeting in Istanbul on Monday under the newly signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. Signed on August 7, the pact brings together three Sunni-majority US allies amid the Iran war and wider regional instability. It states that an armed attack on any one member would be treated as an attack on all, similar to NATO’s collective-defence principle. Foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs are expected to attend. India is watching the arrangement cautiously over its potential implications for regional security, Pakistan’s influence and Gulf ties, while Bangladesh’s possible participation is also a concern. However, the pact is not yet considered a direct military threat to India. (PC: AP)