FirstUp: Vance to travel to Pakistan for Iran talks, Rajnath Singh in Germany… The news today

Good morning.

This is Firstpost’s FirstUp edition for April 21, 2026. Here are the big news developments you should watch out for today.

The second round of the US-Iran talks was stalled on Monday. Now, there is a possiblity that the negotiations could be held today.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will begin his three-day visit to Germany to boost India's strategic defence partnership with the European country.

United States Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh is set to have his confirmation hearing on Tuesday in Washington. This comes less than a month before current Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s tenure ends on May 15.

We take a look at these stories and more.

Second round of Iran-US talks likely

Uncertainty looms ahead of Wednesday's ceasefire deadline between the US and Iran. The next phase of peace talks could be held today in Islamabad.

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An Iranian delegation was preparing to travel to Islamabad for talks with the US, the New York Times reported, citing two senior Iranian officials. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will attend if US Vice President JD Vance also attends. However, Iran has not yet confirmed its participation.

A US delegation led by Vance is expected to travel to Pakistan, a source familiar told the BBC, but no timings were confirmed.

Rajnath Singh in Germany

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will kick off his visit to Germany to finalise a bilateral defence industrial roadmap, which will pave the way for the two countries to initiate co-development and co-production of various military hardware.

Singh is also slated to hold bilateral talks with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, and other senior leaders of the German government. As per the defence ministry, these discussions will focus on defence industrial collaboration, bolstering military-to-military ties and exploring opportunities in emerging domains such as AI and drones.

During the three-day visit, an arrangement for cooperation in UN peacekeeping operations is likely to be signed between India and Germany.

US Fed chief nominee's Senate hearing

Kevin Warsh, US President Donald Trump’s pick to helm the Federal Reserve, will appear before the Senate for his confirmation hearing today.

US lawmakers are likely to push the Fed chief nominee on his monetary policy, economic ideas, as well as the Fed’s independence.

Kevin Warsh, Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution and lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, speaks during the Sohn Investment Conference in New York City, US, May 8, 2017. File Photo/Reuters

The hearing before ​the Senate Banking Committee comes amid pressure from President Trump to lower interest rates.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell is facing a Justice Department investigation. Key Republicans on the committee have threatened to block Warsh's confirmation until the Trump administration drops the criminal probe against Powell and the central bank.

EU foreign ministers’ meeting

The European Union (EU) foreign ministers' meeting will be held in Luxembourg to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and the conflict in West Asia.

At least five EU foreign ministers are reported to call for sanctions against Israel.

Irish, Slovenian, and Spanish ministers are likely to lead the move and could be supported by Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, and Sweden. Germany is, however, expected to ask for keeping the sanction option “on the table”, citing Israel's ceasefire in Lebanon.

Queen Elizabeth’s 100th birth anniversary

It is the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birth anniversary. She died in September 2022 ​at the age of 96 after 70 years on the throne.

The British royals are marking the day with a series of events. King Charles and his wife, Camilla, visited an exhibition honouring his late mother's fashion on April 20.

Charles and other royals are scheduled to visit the British Museum to inspect the final designs for a national ​memorial to his mother. The British monarch's sister, Princess Anne, will officially open the ​Queen Elizabeth ⁠II Garden in London's Regent’s Park.

In the evening, Charles and Camilla will host a reception, which will include representatives from charities his mother supported and people who will be celebrating their 100th ⁠birthday.

With inputs from agencies