May 15, 2026
56 articles published on this date
Amid UAE-Iran rift, BRICS remains a divided house on West Asia; no joint statement after meeting
BRICS foreign ministers convened in New Delhi on May 14–15, 2026, as part of India's BRICS chairmanship, to prepare for the September annual summit. The meet...
Rajnath, CM Naidu lay stone for AMCA project in Andhra, minister calls it 'history chapter in defence history'; 8 cos to set up 'Drone City' in Kurnool
The foundation stone for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Aircraft Integration and Flight Testing Centre was laid at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, o...
CJI on panel to pick CEC not statutory need: Govt
The Central Government has taken the position before the Supreme Court that inclusion of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in the selection panel for appointi...
Petrol, diesel prices hiked by Rs 3 per litre, covers only part of losses incurred by oil PSUs
Public sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation...
BRICS foreign ministers condemn Pahalgam attack, voice concerns over rise of tariff measures ‘which distort trade’
BRICS foreign ministers at the New Delhi meeting (May 14–15, 2026) strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack — the April 2025 massacre in Jammu and Kashm...
Why reserved candidates availing relaxations are barred from open category recruitment
The Supreme Court has reaffirmed a settled principle in reservation jurisprudence: a reserved category candidate who avails category-specific relaxations (su...
Productivity, not just growth, for Viksit Bharat
A policy analysis published in May 2026 argues that India's high GDP growth rate is insufficient by itself to achieve Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047...
Superpower summit: On the Trump visit to China
US President Donald Trump visited Beijing (May 13–15, 2026) for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping — the first US presidential visit to China in nine...
Finance Ministry increases export levy on petrol, reduces that of diesel and ATF
The Finance Ministry, through the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), revised the Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) on exported petroleum...
Iran FM says U.S. willing to continue talks, open to China’s help
Iran's Foreign Minister stated that messages had been received from the United States indicating willingness to continue diplomatic talks, and that Iran welc...
BRICS members agree on ‘independent’ State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as capital
At the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi (May 14–15, 2026), member states collectively affirmed support for an independent State of Palestine wit...
Trade, supply chains and economic statecraft
A structural reset in the global trading order — driven by supply chain fragmentation, the retreat from hyper-globalisation, and the rise of geopolitical blo...
Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex declared as temple by Madhya Pradesh High Court
On 15 May 2026, the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court delivered a 242-page judgment declaring the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex in Dhar (Madhya P...
DMRC rolls out hydrogen buses in Central Vista
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), launched a hydrogen fuel cell-powered shuttle bus service in t...
Death toll in attack on Kyiv apartment building rises to 24
A cruise missile struck a nine-storey corner apartment block in Kyiv on 14 May 2026, causing the building to partially collapse and killing 24 people includi...
State to tighten groundwater governance to prevent over exploitation of resource
Telangana's Irrigation Minister directed officials to treat groundwater conservation as a state-wide mass movement, with immediate steps to enforce stricter ...
Israeli strikes wound dozens in Lebanon as talks in U.S. enter second day
Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon brokered by the United States (initially agreed April 16, 2026; extended on April 23 for three weeks; and exte...
GST Tribunal revamps appeal process: Division bench review now mandatory for appeals
The GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) has mandated that all appeals must undergo a screening by a Division Bench before any matter can be assigned to a Single B...
Govt imposes export duty on petrol, cuts levy on diesel, jet fuel exports
The government revised export levies on petroleum products effective May 16, 2026: a Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) of ₹3 per litre was imposed on pet...
Election Commission orders probe into voting by foreign nationals in Tamil Nadu Assembly elections
The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered an inquiry after foreign nationals — including Sri Lankan, British, Canadian, and Indonesian passport holders ...
Farmers from Punjab protest at Mohali-Chandigarh boundary against Centre Government
Thousands of farmers from Punjab marched from Mohali to Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh on 15 May 2026, under the banner of Sanyukt Kissan Morcha (SKM) and allied o...
Steel safeguard measure hits India-UK trade pact rollout
India and the UK concluded a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in July 2025 after 14 rounds of negotiations spanning three years; implementat...
Fuel price hike may push inflation up by 20 bps, say experts
State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — raised petrol and diesel...
Sri Lanka civil war: 17 years later, the imprints remain
18 May 2026 marks 17 years since the end of Sri Lanka's three-decade civil war, when the Sri Lankan Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eela...
Could e-Vikas solve India’s fertiliser distribution challenge? Nishant Warwade explains | Teaser
The e-Vikas portal, implemented by the Madhya Pradesh government, is emerging as a model for resolving the longstanding challenge of fertiliser hoarding, div...
Energy to defence, India, UAE deepen ties as PM Modi calls for open Hormuz
During a state visit to the UAE, India and the UAE signed multiple agreements covering energy supply, strategic petroleum reserves, defence, and maritime inf...
India issues chair statement after BRICS meeting amid ‘differing views’ over West Asia conflict
Following the May 14–15, 2026 BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, India as chair issued a "Chair's Statement and outcome document" covering 63 poi...
Chabahar a golden gateway, hope India continues to develop it: Iran FM Araghchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi (May 15, 2026), called Chabahar Port a "g...
PM Modi’s Europe trip begins today: What India hopes to gain from better ties with Nordic countries
The 3rd India-Nordic Summit was held in Oslo, Norway, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Norway in 43 years (since Indira Gandhi in 1983)...
India’s push for energy conservation is a refusal to be ‘extorted’ for Hormuz passage: govt sources
Amid a disruption to the Strait of Hormuz passage for tanker traffic, government sources described India's domestic energy conservation push as a refusal to ...
BRICS Foreign Ministers: No joint statement amid differing views on West Asia
The two-day BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in New Delhi (May 14–15, 2026) — the first major ministerial engagement under India's 2026 BRICS chairmansh...
Permitted use of fresh borrowings for InvITs where Net Borrowings exceeds forty-nine percent of the value of InvIT assets
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a circular on May 15, 2026 (Ref: SEBI/HO/DDHS/DDHS-PoD-2/I/11700/2026) clarifying the permitted uses...
BRICS ministers fail to issue a joint statement over differences on West Asia conflict
The two-day BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in New Delhi on May 14–15, 2026 under India's 2026 chairship concluded without a joint communiqué. Differen...
‘We condemn attacks on UAE’, says PM Modi, signs defence cooperation pact
During a brief Abu Dhabi stopover on May 15, 2026, India and the UAE signed a defence cooperation framework agreement and an MoU on strategic petroleum reser...
India-U.K. trade deal hits late-stage ‘sticking points’ just before implementation date
The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed on July 24, 2025, has encountered late-stage "sticking points" just before its planned implementation date. T...
India can play ‘greater role’ for peace in West Asia, says Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in India for a three-day visit (May 13–15, 2026) to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Araghchi hel...
Drones are no more eyes in the sky, they are claws in the sky, says IAF Chief
At a defence seminar focused on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Counter-UAS capabilities, the Chief of Air Staff articulated a fundamental shift in how Ind...
Centre extends bid submissions to June 29 for EV Magnet Manufacturing Scheme
The Centre extended the bid submission deadline to June 29, 2026, for the Rare Earth Permanent Magnet (REPM) Manufacturing Scheme — India's first structured ...
India’s first satellite-tagged Ganges soft-shell turtle released in Kaziranga
India's first satellite-tagged Ganges softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica) was released into the Brahmaputra river system at Kaziranga National Park and Ti...
Drones no longer enablers, they’re replacing manned aircraft roles—CISC Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit
At a seminar organized by an Indian Air Force think-tank, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit stated that unmanned aerial sys...
28 Naga, Kuki civilians released in Manipur; slain church leaders buried
On May 15, 2026, 28 hostages — 14 Naga and 14 Kuki civilians — were released in Manipur following mediation by civil society organisations (CSOs), the United...
PM Modi’s quick dash to UAE fetches agreements on defence, LPG & strategic petroleum reserves
A brief, last-minute stopover in Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2026 (approximately three hours) yielded three significant agreements between India and the UAE: a Stra...
India fails to achieve consensus at BRICS foreign ministers meet as Iran dissents on Palestine, Red Sea
Iran was the sole dissenter at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi (May 14–15, 2026) that prevented adoption of a joint statement. Iranian Fore...
‘Xi asked me if the U.S. will defend Taiwan’, says Trump
During the May 2026 Beijing summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping directly asked US President Trump whether the United States would defend Taiwan in the event...
ECI orders probe into voting by foreign nationals in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered an investigation after foreign nationals were found to have voted in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Leg...
Xi, Trump reach series of new common understandings: China's foreign ministry
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held a two-day state summit in Beijing (May 14–15, 2026), described by China as "historic" and a "...
Trump concludes China visit hailing ‘fantastic deals’
A two-day US-China summit concluded in Beijing on May 15, 2026, with both sides claiming positive outcomes while analysts noted limited concrete deliverables...
Hormuz disruption hits 18.4 million barrels daily oil flow, 110 bcm of annual LNG trade
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since late February 2026 following a US-Israel military conflict with Iran, with the Iranian Revolutionary G...
US team likely to visit India next month for trade talks
A US trade delegation is expected to visit India in June 2026 for trade negotiations, following an Indian delegation's visit to Washington in April 2026. Bot...
West Asia crisis: Russia backs India over Pakistan for 'long-term diplomatic role' in US-Iran conflict
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi (May 14–15, 2026), stated that India could serve as a l...
Exports clock 5-month high growth of 13.48 pc in April; trade deficit widens to three-month high
India's merchandise exports rose 13.78% year-on-year to USD 43.56 billion in April 2026 — the highest monthly export value in over four years. The surge was ...
India's BRICS trade surges to $416 billion, but widening deficit raises policy imperative ahead of 2026 Summit
India's total trade with BRICS nations reached $416 billion in CY2025, a substantial increase from prior years driven by a surge in imports. However, the goo...
Economists warn fuel, milk price hikes may raise retail inflation by up to 0.42%
State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — raised petrol and diesel...
PM Modi in UAE: India signs defence, gas supply and strategic oil reserves pacts with Abu Dhabi
During a bilateral visit to Abu Dhabi, a series of landmark agreements were signed between India and the UAE spanning defence cooperation, energy security, a...
'India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with UAE': PM Modi in Abu Dhabi, condemns attacks, signs strategic defence pact
During a brief May 15, 2026 visit to Abu Dhabi, India formalised an "Agreement on Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership" with the UAE, building on ...
Census: 1.34 lakh submit self enumeration in Delhi; 50,000 deployed for houselisting visits
The self-enumeration phase of Census 2027 concluded in Delhi on May 15, 2026, with 1.34 lakh (134,000) individuals submitting census data online across 250 w...