May 18, 2026
76 articles published on this date
Can India’s waste solve its energy crisis? Diving into bioenergy technologies
India's growing energy security concerns have intensified focus on bioenergy technologies that convert agricultural residue, food waste, sewage sludge, and o...
The warning signs in India’s import bill
India's total imports in FY26 stood at approximately $775 billion, with crude oil alone costing over $134 billion — the single largest import item. Gold impo...
US pharma co denied patent on hepatitis C combo therapy
The Indian Patent Office rejected a patent application filed by US pharmaceutical company AbbVie for its hepatitis C combination therapy glecaprevir/pibrenta...
India now Naxal-free: HM
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has officially communicated to nine state governments that no district in India is now classified as Left Wing Extremism (...
Citizenship rule tweak for Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan applicants
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified amendments to the Citizenship Rules, 2009 through the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, introducing new procedural r...
Inquiry panel probing allegations against Justice Varma submits report to Speaker
A three-member Judges Inquiry Committee constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 submitted its report to the Lok Sabha Speaker on May 18, 2026, concl...
‘Unavoidable’: Why Kuki-Zo Council is taking demand for separate Union Territory to PM Modi
The Kuki-Zo Council, representing Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, has formally taken its demand for a separate Union Territory (UT) with legislature t...
Bail under UAPA: How different Supreme Court benches have delivered different rulings in the past
A Supreme Court bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, while granting bail to a Jammu & Kashmir accused in a narco-terror funding case (*Syed If...
Unlearnt lessons: On India’s inadequate strategic petroleum and gas reserves
With the West Asia crisis disrupting Strait of Hormuz transit and pushing global crude prices higher, India's inadequate strategic petroleum and gas reserves...
Inquiry committee probing allegations against Justice Varma submits report to Speaker
The Judges Inquiry Committee investigating Justice Yashwant Varma submitted its statutory report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on May 18, 2026, following a p...
Collaboration with India will help counter ‘future pandemics’, says African Union as Ebola outbreak spreads
The African Union has formally called for deeper collaboration with India in public health readiness, biotechnology, pharmaceutical production, and pandemic ...
Politicial decision must on cut-off for mid-term polls under the simultaneous election system: Joint Parliamentary Committee chairman
The Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 stated on May 16, 2026 that the political dec...
Belarus Starts Nuclear Drills With Russia Amid Kyiv Warnings
Belarus announced on May 18, 2026 that its armed forces would conduct snap nuclear exercises alongside Russian forces, involving Belarusian missile units and...
Free trade pact by year-end: EU Chief
The India-EU Free Trade Agreement, whose negotiations concluded on 27 January 2026, is targeted for formal signing by the end of 2026, with an operationalisa...
Keeping close watch on supply shock, impact on inflation: RBI Guv Sanjay Malhotra
The RBI Governor stated that the central bank is "keeping a close vigil" on whether the ongoing West Asia conflict-induced supply shock — particularly the oi...
Cash recovery row: Inquiry committee submits report on Justice Yashwant Varma to LS speaker
The three-member Judges Inquiry Committee, constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, submitted its report on Justice Yashwant Varma to Lok Sabha Spea...
RBI likely to pay a big dividend to Centre
The Reserve Bank of India's Central Board approved a record surplus transfer of ₹2.69 lakh crore (₹2.69 trillion) to the central government for the financial...
Regularly bought Russian oil irrespective of US sanctions waiver, will continue importing: Govt official
A senior government official confirmed that India has been purchasing Russian crude oil consistently, irrespective of whether a US sanctions waiver was in pl...
PM Modi visits Dutch water management project Afsluitdijk as India, Netherlands sign Kalpasar pact
India's Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Netherlands' Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management signed a Letter of Intent on May 17, 2026, for technical ...
Leaked NEET Chemistry question bank found at arrested Maharashtra teacher’s home
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a coaching institute owner from Latur, Maharashtra — Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar of RCC Coaching Institu...
‘I proudly declare — India is now Naxal-free’: Amit Shah in Bastar on first visit after his March 31 deadline
The Union Home Ministry declared India free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) following the successful conclusion of Operation Kagar, a large-scale anti-insurgenc...
Citizenship rule change: Applicants have to declare, surrender passports issued by Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified an amendment to the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, introducing a new provision in Schedule IC of the Citizens...
India, Norway elevate ties to Green Strategic Partnership, ink pacts on space, health, digital development
India and Norway elevated their bilateral relationship to a "Green Strategic Partnership" on May 18, 2026, during a state visit to Oslo. A Memorandum of Unde...
Experts Explain | India’s federalism challenges, and how consensus building is the way forward
Experts have examined the structural tensions in India's federal arrangement, focusing on the gap between formal devolution percentages and effective transfe...
Will buy Russian oil despite U.S. waiver expiry provided it makes commercial sense: Official
An official statement clarified that India will continue purchasing Russian crude oil "as long as it makes commercial sense," signalling that decisions will ...
India to continue purchasing Russian crude notwithstanding US sanctions
India has formally stated it will continue purchasing Russian crude oil notwithstanding the evolving US sanctions framework, reaffirming that energy security...
‘India buys Russian oil irrespective of US sanctions or waivers’
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas stated publicly on May 18, 2026 that India's purchases of Russian crude oil are driven entirely by commercial logic...
Fertiliser subsidy bill for FY27 may rise by ₹70,000 crore on West Asia crisis: Official
The Department of Fertilisers has indicated that India's fertiliser subsidy bill for FY 2026-27 may rise by approximately ₹70,000 crore — a roughly 20% incre...
Global rice prices poised to gain on deficit, geopolitical crisis and weather concerns
Global rice prices are projected to rise after a period of post-ban correction, as a confluence of factors — a 5 million tonne projected production deficit, ...
PM Modi lands in Norway; to hold talks on trade, technology
India's Prime Minister conducted an official visit to Norway on 18–19 May 2026, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Norway in approximatel...
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Iran officially announces new body to manage Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced the establishment of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a formal regulatory body to manage transit ...
Modi in Norway highlights: PM holds interaction with Norwegian business leaders
During a state visit to Oslo on May 18, 2026, India and Norway elevated their bilateral relationship to a "Green Strategic Partnership", the first such frame...
India-EU FTA to create new opportunities for industries, investors, innovators: Modi
India and the European Union formally concluded negotiations on a landmark Free Trade Agreement in January 2026, described by both sides as the largest trade...
Geopolitics has changed since last India-Nordic Summit, conflicts on agenda for talks: Norwegian envoy
The third India-Nordic Summit convened in Oslo on May 19, 2026, bringing together India and the five Nordic nations — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and ...
Iran officially announces new body to manage Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Supreme National Security Council officially announced the creation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a dedicated regulatory body to govern...
Deeply concerned: India on drone strike near UAE's Barakah nuclear plant
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a strong statement expressing deep concern over a drone attack targeting the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant i...
Indian scientists create world’s first AI-designed gene editor for crops
Indian scientists have developed and validated a suite of plant genome-editing tools based on OpenCRISPR-1 (OC1), an AI-generated RNA-guided nuclease — marki...
How India-UAE oil and LPG MoUs could strengthen New Delhi’s energy security
During a bilateral visit to Abu Dhabi in May 2026, India and the UAE signed several energy Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering strategic petroleum res...
Why Agroforestry is key to India’s twin goals of carbon reduction and farmer income growth
Agroforestry — the deliberate integration of trees and shrubs into crop and livestock systems — is gaining renewed policy attention as a tool to simultaneous...
Govt imposes ₹3 per litre duty on petrol exports, cuts levies on diesel and ATF
Effective 16 May 2026, the government imposed a Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) of Rs 3 per litre on exports of petrol — the first such levy on petrol ...
From queues to QR codes: A state in India may have found the fix for India’s fertiliser distribution woes
Madhya Pradesh has piloted a QR-code-based fertiliser distribution system aimed at eliminating queues, preventing diversion of subsidised fertilisers, and en...
Australia orders China-linked investors to sell stakes in rare earths firm
Australia's government directed six investors with ties to China and Hong Kong to divest their combined holdings in Northern Minerals Ltd., a rare earths min...
China committed to not providing material support to Iran: U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer publicly confirmed that China has committed not to provide "material support" to Iran, a pledge secured during the hig...
U.S. has shown flexibility on Iran maintaining limited nuclear activities, source says
According to a diplomatic source, the United States has shown flexibility in ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, moving away from its earlier insistence ...
IISc study says Namma Metro Blue Line can run entirely on solar power
A techno-economic study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), conducted in collaboration with the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limite...
Freedom of speech 'not an absolute right', Hong Kong trial of Tiananmen activists hears
In May 2026, closing arguments were heard in the national security trial of three prominent civil society figures — Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Albert...
EU’s Ursula von der Leyen wants to seal investment agreement with India, calls it ‘missing puzzle’
Following the conclusion of the landmark India-EU Free Trade Agreement in January 2026, the European Commission President called for swift finalisation of a ...
Palm oil is turning into fuel—and India’s import bill could rise
Indonesia and Malaysia — the world's two largest palm oil producers, together accounting for over 85% of global palm oil supply — are expanding their biodies...
Parliament standing Committee to review the reforms of National Testing Agency
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports summoned the NTA Chairperson and senior officials from the Ministry of E...
The evolution of BRICS, an odd grouping born out of a 2001 Goldman Sachs paper
BRICS — now spanning 10+ member states — marks over two decades of evolution from a purely theoretical economic concept to one of the world's most politicall...
New fuel-efficiency rules, global testing systems could raise car prices, lower mileage
Starting April 1, 2027, India will replace the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) testing method with the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure...
China agrees to boost trade for U.S. agricultural products following Trump-Xi summit
Following a high-stakes bilateral summit in Beijing, China committed to purchasing at least $17 billion worth of US agricultural goods annually through 2028 ...
U.S. Treasury to extend sanction waiver on Russian seaborne oil, source says
The US Treasury Department is considering a 30-day extension of the sanction waiver that previously allowed countries to purchase Russian seaborne oil, accor...
U.S. nuclear industry delegation meets Jitendra Singh, explores private investment avenues in India
A high-level US industry delegation comprising representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) ...
From green shipping to blue economy: Modi hails India-Norway partnership
India and Norway elevated their bilateral relationship to a "Green Strategic Partnership" during a state visit — the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Nor...
Why has the WHO declared a PHEIC over the Ebola outbreak in Africa ?
On 16 May 2026, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola Disease Virus epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Hea...
Chandrababu Naidu asks Centre to resolve crises faced by aqua, tobacco farmers
Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister urged the Centre to intervene on two simultaneous agricultural crises: a collapse in aquaculture export revenues due to US ta...
38 million full-time jobs may fall if war in West Asia continues, warns ILO
The International Labour Organization (ILO) released its "Employment and Social Trends May 2026 Update," warning that if the West Asia conflict continues and...
Finance ministry asks banks, insurance companies for cost cutting, move to EVs
The Department of Financial Services (DFS), under the Ministry of Finance, issued a circular to all public sector banks (PSBs), regional rural banks (RRBs), ...
Iran submits new proposal, says U.S. open to sanctions relief
Iran established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) on May 5, 2026, creating a new regulatory body to oversee transit through the Strait of Hormuz — th...
Revisiting India’s entry onto the nuclear stage
May 18, 1974 marked the 52nd anniversary of India's first nuclear test — codenamed Operation Smiling Buddha — conducted at the Pokhran Test Range in Rajastha...
Bail is the rule is not an empty slogan, even in UAPA and ‘terror’ cases: Supreme Court
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and B.V. Nagarathna granted bail to a Jammu and Kashmir national accused in a narco-terror case investigated b...
WPI inflation crossing 10% mark not a tail risk but a near-term base case: Report
State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — raised petrol and diesel...
India to keep buying Russian oil regardless of US sanctions waivers, says official
A senior official from India's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas stated that India will continue purchasing Russian crude oil irrespective of whether US ...
Current account deficit to widen to 2.3 per cent of GDP in FY27 from 0.9 pc in FY26: Report
India's current account deficit (CAD) is projected to widen to approximately 2.3% of GDP in FY27, up sharply from an estimated 0.9% of GDP in FY26, according...
India's fertiliser subsidy bill for FY27 may rise by Rs 70,000 cr on West Asia crisis, official says
The fertiliser subsidy bill for FY27 is projected to rise by approximately Rs 70,000 crore—or about 20%—over the budgeted estimate of Rs 1.71 lakh crore, dri...
India should increase investment in R&D to 2 per cent of GDP: Niti Aayog
Niti Aayog released a report titled "Ease of Doing Research & Development in India — Removing Obstacles, Promoting Enablers," recommending that India raise i...
FinMin asks PSU banks, insurers to adopt austerity measures, shift to EV
The Department of Financial Services (DFS), on May 18, 2026, issued a circular directing all public sector banks (PSBs), regional rural banks (RRBs), public ...
JPC open to changes in ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill, says panel chief
The chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 stated that the com...
El Nino spells trouble for kharif harvests across India
A study by scientists at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research (ICAR-IIFSR), led by Subash N. Pillai, finds that El Niño events have consiste...
'Track imports, manufacture in India': Piyush Goyal pushes swadeshi production
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has directed Indian businesses to systematically track imports and identify specific product categories where domestic ...
Parliamentry panel summons NTA chief after NEET paper leak; reform in focus
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports summoned the Chairperson of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Se...
Suvendu govt ends religion-based schemes in Bengal, scraps state OBC list
The West Bengal state government has decided to discontinue all welfare schemes introduced by the previous administration that were based on religious catego...
RBI publishes Payment System Report, December 2025
The Reserve Bank of India published the half-yearly Payment System Report for December 2025, covering five calendar years of payment transaction trends throu...
Why Iran war, monsoon worries could make 2026 India’s Year of Millets
The convergence of the West Asia (Iran) conflict, fears of a below-normal monsoon, and fertiliser supply disruptions is driving Indian farmers toward millets...
PM Modi pitches bold investment vision to Europe's top CEOs at historic ERT roundtable in Gothenburg
On May 17, 2026, an Indian head of government addressed the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) in Gothenburg, Sweden — the first time an Indian Prime Mi...