May 15, 2026
56 articles published on this date
BRICS Foreign Ministers Fail to Issue Joint Statement on West Asia Conflict
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...
AMCA Flight Test Centre and Drone City: India's Defence Manufacturing Push in Andhra Pradesh
The foundation stone for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Aircraft Integration and Flight Testing Centre was laid at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh...
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...
Petrol and Diesel Retail Price Hike: OMC Under-Recovery and the Limits of Deregulated Pricing
Public sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum...
BRICS Condemns Pahalgam Terror Attack, Flags Concerns Over Distortionary Tariffs
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...
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...
Productivity as the Missing Link in India's Viksit Bharat Strategy
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...
US-China Summit Renegotiation and the Challenge to India's Strategic Autonomy
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...
Finance Ministry Revises Petroleum Export Levies: Differential Rates Signal Margin-Based Policy
The Finance Ministry, through the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), revised the Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) on exported...
Strait of Hormuz Crisis: US-Iran Talks, China's Mediation Role, and Global Energy Security
Iran's Foreign Minister stated that messages had been received from the United States indicating willingness to continue diplomatic talks, and that Iran...
BRICS Affirms Palestinian Statehood 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...
Economic Statecraft and India's Trade Strategy in a Fragmented Global Order
A structural reset in the global trading order — driven by supply chain fragmentation, the retreat from hyper-globalisation, and the rise of geopolitical...
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...
DMRC Launches Hydrogen Fuel Cell Shuttle Buses at 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...
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...
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...
West Asia in Conflict: Israel-Lebanon Strikes, Hezbollah, and Regional Instability
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...
GST Appellate Tribunal Makes Division Bench Screening Mandatory for All 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...
Export Levies on Petroleum Products: The SAED Mechanism and Domestic Availability Objective
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...
ECI Orders Probe into Voting by Foreign Nationals in Tamil Nadu 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...
India-UK Free Trade Agreement: Steel Safeguard Hurdle and the Road to Implementation
India and the UK concluded a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in July 2025 after 14 rounds of negotiations spanning three years...
Fuel Price Hike of ₹3/Litre May Add Up to 20 Basis Points to CPI Inflation
State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — raised petrol and...
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...
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...
India-UAE Strategic Deepening: Energy Security, Defence Pacts, and the Hormuz Calculus
During a state visit to the UAE, India and the UAE signed multiple agreements covering energy supply, strategic petroleum reserves, defence, and maritime...
India Issues Chair Statement at BRICS Amid Divergent Views on West Asia
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...
Iran FM Calls Chabahar a "Golden Gateway," Urges India to Continue Development
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...
India-Nordic Strategic Partnership: Green Technology, Arctic, and Multi-Polar Diplomacy
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...
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 Meet Ends Without Joint Statement Over West Asia Divisions
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...
SEBI Clarifies Permitted Uses of Fresh Borrowings for InvITs Above the 49% Limit
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...
BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting Ends Without Joint Statement Over 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....
India-UAE Sign Defence Pact and Petroleum Reserve MoU as Modi Stops in Abu Dhabi
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...
India-UK Free Trade Agreement: Steel Safeguard Dispute Delays Implementation
The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed on July 24, 2025, has encountered late-stage 'sticking points' just before its planned implementation date....
India's Role in West Asia Peace: Iran's Foreign Minister Visit and the Strait of Hormuz
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...
India Redefines Drone Warfare Doctrine: From Surveillance to Strike Capability
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...
India's EV Magnet Manufacturing Scheme: Breaking China's Rare Earth Stranglehold
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 Softshell 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...
Drones as "Claws in the Sky": India's Shift Toward Autonomous Warfare
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...
Naga-Kuki Hostage Exchange in Manipur: Ethnic Violence and Fragile Peace
On May 15, 2026, 28 hostages — 14 Naga and 14 Kuki civilians — were released in Manipur following mediation by civil society organisations (CSOs), the...
Modi's UAE Visit Yields Defence, LPG, and Strategic Petroleum Reserve Agreements
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...
Iran's Dissent Blocks BRICS Consensus: Palestine, Red Sea, and the UAE Factor
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...
Taiwan Question at the Centre: Xi-Trump Summit and US Strategic Ambiguity
During the May 2026 Beijing summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping directly asked US President Trump whether the United States would defend Taiwan in the...
ECI Orders Probe After Foreign Nationals Found to Have Voted in 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...
Xi-Trump Beijing Summit: New Common Understandings on China-US Relations
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's China Visit: Trade Commitments and Limits of Summit Diplomacy
A two-day US-China summit concluded in Beijing on May 15, 2026, with both sides claiming positive outcomes while analysts noted limited concrete...
Strait of Hormuz Closure Disrupts 18.4 Million Barrels Daily, 110 bcm LNG
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since late February 2026 following a US-Israel military conflict with Iran, with the Iranian Revolutionary...
US Team to Visit India for Trade Talks; Interim Pact and Broad BTA Under Negotiation
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....
Russia Endorses India as Long-Term Diplomatic Mediator 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...
India's April Exports Hit 5-Month High; 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 Demands Policy Response
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...
Fuel and Milk Price Hikes Set to Push Retail Inflation Up by 0.42%
State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — raised petrol and...
India-UAE Strategic Partnership: Defence, Energy Security, and Infrastructure Investment Pacts
During a bilateral visit to Abu Dhabi, a series of landmark agreements were signed between India and the UAE spanning defence cooperation, energy security...
India and UAE Sign Strategic Defence Partnership Framework at Abu Dhabi Summit
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 2027 Begins: Delhi's Digital Pilot and India's First Self-Enumeration Exercise
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...