Donald Trump said the United States and India were close to finalising a trade agreement. The proposed pact is expected to differ significantly from earlier bilateral arrangements.Image used for representational purposes onlyNewdelhi,Oct 21, 2026 20:36 ISTThe United States and India are “pretty close” to finalising a trade deal that will be “much different” from earlier agreements, US President Donald Trump said in Washington, according to news agency Press Trust of India.In other international developments, India opposed the selective targeting of countries over human rights allegations at the United Nations, while Pakistan signed separate cooperation agreements with Turkiye, Qatar, Indonesia and the Maldives.Trump said the proposed US-India trade agreement would differ significantly from previous pacts.
He did not provide further details.At the United Nations, India said human rights should not be used as an instrument of political pressure or for the selective targeting of countries. It opposed attempts to use unverified allegations and incomplete statistics to create a “negative characterisation” of the world’s largest democracy, PTI reported.
India also said outer space should remain a realm for “cooperation, not conflict”. Addressing the UN General Assembly, MP Sudha Murty called for a legally binding international instrument to prevent an arms race in space.Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Indonesia signed an agreement in Doha on Wednesday to increase defence cooperation and strengthen their defensive capabilities.
Pakistan and the Maldives also signed 20 memorandums of understanding on Wednesday to strengthen cooperation in several fields, including defence, maritime security and artificial intelligence.Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will visit Germany and the Netherlands from October 22 to 27 to discuss ways to increase trade and investment between India and the two countries, an official statement said on Tuesday. He will be accompanied by about 100 business leaders.In Pakistan’s Punjab province, at least 11 passengers were killed and more than 30 injured after a speeding bus hit a divider and overturned on Wednesday, an official told PTI.A Pakistani high court on Wednesday directed the provincial police chief and senior government officials to submit reports within 10 days on the whereabouts and legal status of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi.
The order followed a petition alleging that he had been detained illegally.In the US, 105 lawmakers wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel seeking an investigation into an attempted mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois as a federal hate crime. They also sought details of steps taken to address online threats against Indian-Americans.Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday urged people to unite against corruption, poor governance, bureaucratic delays, inequality and political disorder.
He said collective efforts and changes in thinking and behaviour were essential to bring about meaningful change.The developments covered trade, diplomacy, defence cooperation, human rights, space security, law enforcement and governance across the US, India, Pakistan, Nepal and other countries.With PTI Inputs- Ends