This Week in Explainers: Why PM Modi’s France visit was a big geopolitical win

It’s been a week of big geopolitical developments for India. Narendra Modi visited Slovakia, the first Indian PM to visit the country since it gained independence in 1993, and France, where he attended the G7 Summit.

At the gathering in the French town of Évian-les-Bains, PM Modi had a hectic schedule. He held several bilaterals, including the one with Donald Trump. The US president was all praise of the Indian leader, calling him a “tough trader” and repeatedly referring to their friendship. He also promised to work together with India to ensure the safety of seafarers. PM Modi and Trump agreed that the India-US trade deal should be concluded soon.

That’s not all. On the sidelines of the summit, two other key trade pacts were discussed – the India-UK FTA will be implemented from July 15, and the one with the EU will be formalised by the end of 2026. PM Modi also met Canada’s Mark Carney, with the two sides agreeing to conclude negotiations on the economic partnership agreement this year.

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The other good news is the end of the US-Iran war. The presidents of the two nations have signed an initial peace deal, which includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. India will be one of the big beneficiaries as the critical waterway becomes operational.

Back home, the country is preparing for the Neet retest tomorrow (June 21) after irregularities in an earlier exam. Ahead of this, the government has banned Telegram to avoid paper leaks.

Another controversy that grabbed headlines is the one linked to Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir donations. After former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav alleged that crores donated by devotees have been embezzled, the state government has formed a special investigation team.

We talk about all this and more in our weekly roundup of stories from and about India.

1. PM Narendra Modi had a hectic schedule in France. On the sidelines of the G-7 Summit, he got a lot done. The Indian PM held several bilateral meetings, including with US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Canada’s Mark Carney.

After tense India-US ties, there now seems to be a thaw. Modi and Trump discussed the trade deal, seafarers' safety and more. An announcement was made that India’s free trade agreement with the UK will come into force on July 15. The trade pacts with the EU and Canada were also in focus. Read the full analysis here.

PM Narendra Modi has a successful visit to France, where he attended the G7 Summit.  Here, he poses with other world leaders for a family photo before a cultural performance and concert at the gathering in Evian-les-Bains, on June 16, 2026. Reuters

2. After more than four months, the West Asia war has ended. The US and Iran have signed a peace deal. A 14-point Memorandum of Understanding aims to expand the ceasefire and open the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic flowing through the critical chokepoint comes as a relief to countries across the world. It’s a big economic advantage for India. We explain how the end of the conflict will affect your wallet.

3. Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir is one of the richest temples in India. Now, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has alleged financial irregularities in handling temple donations. While the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has strongly denied these accusations, the Yogi Adityanath-led government has constituted an SIT to carry out the probe.

A devotee prays near the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya. File photo/Reuters

4. The Neet paper leak in May prompted the cancellation of the exam, and now a retest has been ordered for Sunday (June 21). The Centre is taking every measure to ensure that there are no malpractices. Ahead of the crucial medical entrance reexam, Telegram has been banned. The National Testing Agency, which conducts Neet, said that the action was not triggered by any actual paper leak. Then why has the messaging app been restricted? We explain.

The Centre has banned Telegram temporarily ahead of the Neet reexam on Sunday. The government also told the Delhi High Court that the app is being widely exploited for a range of illegal activities, including terrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking, child exploitation, and financial fraud. Reuters

5. Maharashtra politics is facing another period of turbulence. There is speculation over a rift with Shiv Sena Uddhav Bal Thackeray (UBT). Reports indicate that six to seven of the Sena (UBT)’s nine Lok Sabha MPs are in touch with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. What happens if the rumours are real?

Six of the nine MPs of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) are likely to break away. File photo/Reuters

6. In a shocking case from Nagpur, the wife of an IAF personnel has alleged that she was raped, blackmailed, and forced to convert by a classmate and his associates. The video of a Muslim man holding a woman’s hand and chanting verses in Urdu (kalma) has gone viral. Amid recent cases of forced conversions, we look at which states have anti-conversion laws.

7. TCS is facing a big challenge in the US. The country’s top court refused to hear the Indian IT giant’s appeal in a long-running trade secrets dispute with DXC Technology. The company will now incur an additional charge of $70 million, in addition to the $150 million already set aside in the case. We tell you all about the legal dispute.

8. We are entering the last leg of June. The southwest monsoon onset over Kerala was on June 4. However, a fortnight later, it has made little progress. It advanced into Karnataka and Goa, but Maharashtra continues to wait for the rain, with Mumbai also facing a water crisis. So what’s causing the delay in the monsoon? Will the weekend bring some relief?

Beachgoers stand on a seaside promenade as clouds gathered over Arabian Sea in Kochi. File photo/Reuters

That’s all from us this week. If you like the way we explain the headlines, come back to this page for more.