May 16, 2026
41 articles published on this date
Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agrawal Highlights Trade and Economic Cooperation at BRICS Meeting in Gandhinagar
The 2nd Meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Trade and Economic Issues (CGETI) for 2026 was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on May 15, 2026, under India's BRI...
Operation RAGEPILL: NCB Busts a Major International Drug Trafficking Network; Makes India’s First-Ever Seizure of Captagon, a Psychotropic Substance used in the Middle East Region
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), acting on intelligence from a foreign drug law enforcement agency, dismantled an international drug trafficking network i...
After duty hike, government curbs silver imports to aid rupee
The central government raised import duties on gold and silver from 6% to 15% effective May 13, 2026, comprising a 10% Basic Customs Duty (BCD) and a 5% Agri...
NEET-UG | Test in turmoil
The National Testing Agency cancelled NEET-UG 2026 on May 12 — nine days after it was conducted on May 3 for 22.79 lakh candidates — following confirmation b...
India invites Dutch firms to design and manufacture, says PM Modi at CEO roundtable
During an official bilateral visit to the Netherlands, a CEO roundtable was co-hosted by both Prime Ministers along with the Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade ...
Centre to roll out pilot programme for linking out-of-school adolescents to open school
The Union Ministry of Education convened a high-level meeting on May 16, 2026, chaired by the Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL),...
Chola-era Anaimangalam Plates, in possession of Leiden University since 1862, returned to India
The Chola-era Anaimangalam Copper Plates, held by Leiden University in the Netherlands since 1862, were formally handed over to India at a ceremony in The Ha...
NEET paper leak: CBI arrests Pune botany teacher who NTA appointed as expert
The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a botany teacher from Pune, in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak — bringing...
Netherlands returns 11th Century 'Chola Plates', PM Modi says 'joyous moment for every Indian'
The return of the 11th-century Anaimangalam Chola copper plates by the Netherlands marks the culmination of a diplomatic effort initiated in 2012 — spanning ...
Three old thermal power sites shortlisted for new nuclear power projects
Three decommissioned or ageing thermal (coal-based) power station sites have been shortlisted for setting up new nuclear power plants, as part of India's nuc...
Netherlands returns Chola-era copper plates to India during PM Modi’s visit
The Netherlands formally returned the Anaimangalam copper plates — approximately 1,000-year-old artefacts from the Chola dynasty — to India during an officia...
‘She was a very normal teacher’: CBI arrests another professor from Pune in NEET-UG paper leak case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a senior botany professor from Pune — who had been appointed as a domain expert by the National Testing Ag...
Amid PM visit, Netherlands returns Chola-era plates after 14-yr diplomatic effort
During an official bilateral visit, the Dutch government formally returned a set of 11th-century Chola copper plates that had been held by Leiden University ...
IWT: India rejects ‘so-called’ arbitration award as ‘null and void’
India rejected the 15 May 2026 award of the so-called Court of Arbitration on the Indus Waters Treaty, describing the tribunal as "illegally constituted" and...
Tata Electronics, ASML sign MoU to advance chip making ecosystem in India
Tata Electronics and ASML (Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment company) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 16, 2026 to advance the semiconduct...
India rejects Court of Arbitration’s pondage award on Indus Waters Treaty
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague issued an award on May 15, 2026, concerning maximum pondage limits on western rivers under the Indus Wa...
Iran will announce Strait of Hormuz mechanism, collect fees, Iranian MP says
A senior Iranian lawmaker and Chairman of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee announced that Iran will unveil a mechanism to coll...
BRICS is evolving with new members; differences will take time to resolve: Brazil FM Mauro Vieira
Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, attending the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, acknowledged that BRICS is evolving with its new and par...
Taiwan says is an ‘independent’ nation, after Trump’s warning
Taiwan's Presidential Office formally stated that "The Republic of China is a sovereign, independent democratic country; this is self-evident," hours after W...
BRICS members agree on ‘independent’ State of Palestine
The BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting, hosted by India in New Delhi under its 2026 chairship, concluded on 15 May 2026 after two days of deliberations. The me...
CBI arrests ‘mastermind’ linked to NEET-UG 2026 biology paper leak
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a Pune-based botany teacher — appointed by the National Testing Agency as a subject-matter expert and dire...
Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, India rejects latest arbitration award as ‘null & void’
On 15 May 2026, the Court of Arbitration constituted under the Indus Waters Treaty issued an award related to the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric project...
Trump warns against Taiwan independence after China visit
Following a US presidential state visit to Beijing — the first such visit since 2017 — Washington publicly warned against any formal declaration of independe...
Netherlands to return Chola-era copper plates during Modi visit. It’s culmination of a 14-yr effort
The Netherlands' return of the Anaimangalam Chola copper plates — held at Leiden University for over 300 years — illustrates the complex legal and diplomatic...
NEET-UG paper leak: Doctors’ body moves Supreme Court to make NTA a statutory body accountable to Parliament
Following the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 after a confirmed paper leak, the United Doctors Front (UDF) filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court under Arti...
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announces incentives for third and fourth children under new population management policy
The Andhra Pradesh government announced financial incentives of ₹30,000 for the birth of a third child and ₹40,000 for the birth of a fourth child, as part o...
The week in charts: PM Modi’s austerity call, MSP hike, sugar export ban
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved an increase in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 14 kharif crops for the marketing season 2026-27, m...
After Trump trip, Putin to visit China on May 19
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China from May 19–20, 2026, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping — the visit coming days ...
European countries in talks with Tehran for Hormuz transit: Report
Several European nations are reported to be in diplomatic talks with Iran to secure transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping. Ira...
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Pakistani minister arrives in Tehran to 'facilitate' U.S.-Iran peace talks: media
Pakistan's Interior Minister arrived in Tehran on an official two-day visit, continuing the country's active role as a back-channel mediator between the Unit...
NTA ‘structurally incapacitated’, NEET-UG shift to computer mode won’t fix integrity, says doctors’ body
The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) filed a petition in the Supreme Court on May 13, 2026, arguing that the National Testing Agency is "s...
PM Modi in Netherlands LIVE: Netherlands hands back Chola dynasty copper plates to India
The Netherlands formally returned 21 copper plates dating to the 11th-century Chola dynasty to India during a state visit, marking one of the most significan...
Gravity of a crime must not dictate decision on premature release of a convict: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of India, in Rohit Chaturvedi v. State of Uttarakhand & Ors. (2026 INSC 490), ruled that the heinousness or gravity of a crime cannot, by i...
Kuki-Zo protestors rally in Manipur, demanding justice for slain church leaders, release of hostages
Kuki-Zo tribal organisations, led by Kuki Inpi Manipur (the apex body of Kuki tribes), held mass rallies and protests across Kuki-Zo inhabited hill districts...
Average of 53% MPs attend meetings of 16 Parliamentary Standing Committees, PAC: data
Data compiled by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that Members of Parliament attended, on average, only 53% of meetings held by the 16 Department...
Oil price shock to widen current account deficit, push inflation higher as US-Iran war continues: Expert
Experts have warned that the continued oil price shock stemming from the US-Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is simultaneously widening India...
Govt imposes import curbs on silver
The government reclassified silver imports from the "free" category to the "restricted" category under India's import policy, effective immediately, requirin...
'Illegally constituted': MEA rejects Pakistan-backed Court of Arbitration ruling on Indus Waters Treaty
The Ministry of External Affairs rejected the latest award issued on 15 May 2026 by the Court of Arbitration convened under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), ca...
‘One Nation, One Election’ will strengthen India for next 100 years: JPC Chairman Chaudhary
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) overseeing the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 contin...
Rising oil prices, gold imports to widen trade deficit, CAD may touch 1.5-2% of GDP: ICICI Securities
Analysts have warned that the twin pressures of elevated crude oil prices — driven by the ongoing US-Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — ...
India's April exports jump 13.8%, trade gap widens to 3-month high
India's merchandise exports in April 2026 rose 13.78% year-on-year to $43.56 billion (from $38.28 billion in April 2025), marking a five-month high in export...