Delhi braces for first heatwave of the year

That’s all from New Delhi for today. I will be back tomorrow morning with fresh headlines and other things Indians are talking about. Take care, till then.

Temperatures across the capital, New Delhi, are expected to stay above the 40-degree Celsius mark for several days this week.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a continuous heatwave alert from April 21 to April 24.

That signals the first major heatwave of the season. 

A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature crosses 40 degrees.

The IMD also warned that conditions are likely to remain uncomfortable until well into the evening hours. 

Humidity levels are also predicted to rise, reaching up to 70% by the end of the week. 

How to protect Delhi’s informal workers from extreme heat

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

India’s Minister of Defense Rajanath Singh arrived in Berlin on Tuesday for a three-day visit focused on strengthening defense ties between the two nations. 

During the visit, Singh will hold bilateral talks with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

“Looking forward to have a fruitful meeting with my German counterpart and also interact with the key representatives of the German defence industry, with a view to promoting joint development and co-production under the Make-in-India initiative,” Singh said in a post on X along with pictures of him being welcomed on ground. 

Ahead of the trip, India’s Defense Ministry said talks will focus on strengthening “military-to-military engagements,” and exploring opportunities in areas like cyber security, artificial intellegence and drones.

They are also likely to sign an agreement for cooperation in UN Peacekeeping operations trainings. 

India and Germany have been growing security ties as India looks to diversify defense imports and boost defense manufacturing at home. 

Amid Singh’s visit, speculation grows that the two ministers may even finalize a critical defense contract for the supply of six advanced submarines to the Indian Navy. The deal involves building the submarines in India transfering their design and technology to India.

News outlet The Telegraph cited a ministry official saying that the deal was in its advanced stages.

Protestors from two tribal communities in India’s northeastern state of Manipur clashed on Tuesday over a call for shutdown to protest the killing of two men. This comes as the state is gripped in a new wave of protests and shutdowns amid distrust between different communities.

The latest violence took place when the local police were attempting to clear a roadblock set up by Naga protestors to enforce a three-day shutdown called by civil organization United Naga Council.

They were protesting the killing of two Naga men on a Manipur Highway after suspected extremists ambushed their vehicle on April 18. 

News agency PTI reported that the situation turned tense after villagers of the Kuki tribe — one of the largest hill tribes of the region — got involved. Officials said the two sides pelted stones at each other.

The clash comes amid a resurgence of violent protests in the state which has often been in the news for conflicts between its major ethnic communities— the majority, valley-dwelling Meteis, the minority Naga tribe and the hill-dwelling minority Kuki tribe. The Kuki community has a tense past with both Nagas and Meiteis while the latter two share a complex past with periods of peace and tensions.

On Monday, in a different part of the state, demonstrators protested the April 7 killing of two children. They died in bed after a suspected militant bomb hit their home, which is close to the region occupied by armed Kuki tribals. Protestors accused “Kuki militants” for the killings.

These demonstrations led to a five-day shutdown across Manipur imposed by the Meira Paibi Lup, a group of women torch bearers. 

Normal life has been disrupted in several parts of the state, news agency ANI reported, showing scenes of road blockades and hightened security. 

Tuesday is day three of the five-day shutdown by the torch bearers who demand the government arrest the perpetrators involved in the bomb attack by April 25.

Despite India’s efforts to isolate Pakistan on global stage, the country has emerged as a diplomatic darling, now even hosting major ceasefire talks between the US and Iran.

Over a year since India accused Pakistan of terrorism over the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 Indians, has India failed to control the narrative on Pakistan?

DW’s Shalu Yadav reports: 

Videos of Sikh men brandishing ceremonial knives and throwing punches at each other inside a gurudwara in western Germany made the rounds on social media on Tuesday.

The brawl took place in the the city of Moers on Sunday, but caught the attention of Indian media and social media users on Tuesday morning. 

Reports said the physical altercation, involving about 40 men from the Sikh community, broke out over the election of a new board of directors of the temple. The dispute involved various groups claiming the donation funds for themselves. 

German daily tabloid Bild cited a 56-year-old eyewitness as saying: “shortly before the service began, the attackers suddenly had pepper spray and sprayed their opponents. Then one of them fired a pistol. And I also saw knives.” 

The knives in question were “kirpans” — a ceremonial dagger some Sikh men and women carry on their persons. It is meant to represent their duty to uphold justice and righteousness. 

As per reports, at least 11 people were hurt, largely experiencing head injuries. No one died. 

Special law enforcement units were called in and a police helicopter was deployed on the day of the incident. Authorities later confirmed that no armed suspect was found but an investigation was ongoing to determine who instigated the attack.

India’s drug regulators seized over 260 pens of the diabetes and weight-loss drug Mounjaro, suspecting them to be counterfeits made with raw materials sourced from Chinese e-commerce platfrom Alibaba.

Authorities in the North Indian state of Haryana caught hold of a vehicle carrying the alleged fake drugs on the outskirts of the national capital, Haryana Food and Drug Control Administration said in a ⁠statement. Two people were also arrested under suspicion of making and selling the drugs.

Mounjaro, approved for diabetes and weight-loss in India, was launched here in 2025 by US-based drugmaker Eli Lilly. 

Obesity and weight loss drugs have found a booming market in India. Between branded products like Mounjaro, Danish drugmaker ​Novo Nordisk’s WeGovy and several cheaper generic alternatives, the obesity drug market is expected to be valued at Rs 80 Billion (€730 million, $859.38 million) by 2030. 

The primary accused did not have a pharmaceutical licence and ​made the products at a private property, Drug Control Officer Amandeep Chauhan told Reuters. He added that they sold the drugs at a discount to the original pens on an online marketplace.

Chauhan said the siezed pens were not stored under the required temperatures and showed difference in the label’s Details, raising suspicion.

Samples have been sent to government-run laboratories for confirmation, he said. 

India’s fertilizer manufacturing fell nearly a quarter in March, official data showed, as natural gas imports used in its production took a hit amid the conflict in the Middle East.

“Fertiliser production declined by 24.6% in March 2026, over March 2025,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Monday night. The drop came after a 3.4% rise in the month of February and 3.7% rise in January.

A third of the world’s fertilizers passes through the Strait of Hormuz under normal conditions. The key waterway’s effective closure during the US-Isarel war on Iran led to a shortage of several critical raw materials and fuel gases used by Indian fertiliser manufacturers. 

Fertilizers are critical to India’s agricultural sector. While the sector accounts for less than 20% of the nation’s GDP, it is still the largest source of employment in India. 

Demand for fertilizers peaks during June to July — the monsoon-sowing season.

Analysts had previously warned that a shortage of fertilizers coupled with prediction of below-normal rainfall will put pressure on the sector and India’s rural consumption. In March, the World Trade Organization warned that disruptions to fertilizer supples amid the Iran war could threaten global food security.

India’s Petroleum Minitsry has consistently insisted that there is no shortage of fertilizers as the government has adequate stockpiles at its disposal. 

Washington and New Delhi are nearing the completion of a formalized trade deal, news agency ANI reported citing senior US officials. The report comes as an Indian delegation began a fresh round of negotiations in Washington on Monday.

“The Trump Administration and India continue to have positive and productive discussions towards a finalised trade deal,” a Senior US official said. Another unnamed official said that “most of it is almost done,” adding that there weren’t many “loose ends left.”

The latest round of talks is being led by Darpan Jain from the Indian side, additional secretary of the Department of Commerce and is accompanied by about a dozen Indian officials.

The American negotiators are being led by Brendan Lynch from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the agency responsible for developing and coordinating US trade policy.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor welcomed the development in a post on X on Monday, saying: “The Indian trade delegation will be arriving in Washington this week. A great step to finalise our bilateral trade deal. A win-win for both nations,” 

India and the US agreed to an interim trade deal in February under which India would reduce tariffs on US industrial and agricultural products. In exchange, the US dropped trade tariffs on India from a peak of 50% to 18%. 

US Secreatry of State Marco Rubio is also expected in New Delhi for a state visit in May, likely to dicsuss trade, security and energy. 

Good morning! and welcome to DW’s India news blog. 

This is Mahima Kapoor from the New Delhi Bureau and I will bring to you the day’s biggest headlines and talking points.

Residents of the capital are facing heatwave-like conditions with temperatures expected to hit 39 degrees Celsius over the day. The heat feels especially brutal after over a month of pleasant winds and showers due to a western disturbance over the subcontinent. 

A recent study by environmental research firm EnviroCatalysts found that parts of Delhi have become much hotter with ground temperatures rising up to 6 degrees Celsius in some areas.

The heat is on in Indian politics as well.

Social media platforms are full of video snippets of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s contoversial address to the nation on Saturday, after his party failed to pass a Women’s Reservation bill amendment.

India’s opposition stood united against the bill because it involved increasing the seats of the lower house of the parliament based on the population of India’s states. Opposition leaders criticized Modi for using a formal platform for partisan ends, days ahead of elections in two key states. 

On the global front, New Delhi is still hosting a South Korean business delegation along with President Lee Jae Myung who is on the last day of his three-day state visit. Both nations re-committed to ensure the stable supply of energy resources and key raw materials as the they seek closer ties amid geopolitical uncertainties.

Meanwhile, India and the US seem to be nearing a formal trade deal amid negotiations in Washington.

Stick with us as we break down all of this, and more.