May 18, 2026
76 articles published on this date
Bioenergy from Waste: Technologies Powering India's Energy Security Push
India's growing energy security concerns have intensified focus on bioenergy technologies that convert agricultural residue, food waste, sewage sludge, and...
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...
Indian Patent Office Rejects US Pharma's Patent Extension for Hepatitis C Combination Therapy
The Indian Patent Office rejected a patent application filed by US pharmaceutical company AbbVie for its hepatitis C combination therapy...
India Declared Free of Left Wing Extremism: End of a Five-Decade Insurgency
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 Rules Amended for Applicants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified amendments to the Citizenship Rules, 2009 through the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, introducing new procedural...
Judges Inquiry Committee Submits Report on Justice Varma to Lok Sabha 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...
Kuki-Zo Council Escalates Demand for Separate Union Territory Amid Continuing Manipur Crisis
The Kuki-Zo Council, representing Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, has formally taken its demand for a separate Union Territory (UT) with legislature...
UAPA Bail Jurisprudence: Supreme Court Affirms Liberty Rights Amid Bench Conflicts
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...
India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves: Capacity Gap and the Energy Security Deficit
With the West Asia crisis disrupting Strait of Hormuz transit and pushing global crude prices higher, India's inadequate strategic petroleum and gas...
Judges Inquiry Panel Report on Justice Varma to Be Presented Before Parliament
The Judges Inquiry Committee investigating Justice Yashwant Varma submitted its statutory report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on May 18, 2026, following a...
African Union Highlights India Collaboration as Ebola Outbreak Spreads Across Continent
The African Union has formally called for deeper collaboration with India in public health readiness, biotechnology, pharmaceutical production, and pandemic...
One Nation One Election: JPC Chairman on Mid-Term Poll Cut-Off and Unexpired Terms
The Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 stated on May 16, 2026 that the political...
Belarus and Russia Conduct Joint Tactical Nuclear Drills 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...
India-EU Free Trade Agreement: Conclusion and Path to Operationalisation
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...
RBI Monitors Supply Shock Transmission Into General Inflation as West Asia Conflict Elevates Oil Prices
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...
Judges Inquiry Committee Submits Report on Justice Varma to Lok Sabha Speaker
The three-member Judges Inquiry Committee, constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, submitted its report on Justice Yashwant Varma to Lok Sabha...
RBI Approves Record ₹2.69 Lakh Crore Surplus Transfer to the Centre for 2024-25
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...
India's Continued Russian Crude Imports Amid US Sanctions Framework
A senior government official confirmed that India has been purchasing Russian crude oil consistently, irrespective of whether a US sanctions waiver was in...
India-Netherlands Kalpasar Water Pact: Dutch Expertise for Gujarat's Gulf of Khambhat Project
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...
NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak: Chemistry Questions Found at Coaching Institute; CBI Makes Multiple Arrests
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a coaching institute owner from Latur, Maharashtra — Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar of RCC Coaching...
India Declared Free of Left Wing Extremism as Operation Kagar Concludes in Bastar
The Union Home Ministry declared India free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) following the successful conclusion of Operation Kagar, a large-scale...
CAA Citizenship Rules Tightened: Passport Declaration Mandatory for Applicants from Three Countries
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified an amendment to the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, introducing a new provision in Schedule IC of the...
India-Norway Green Strategic Partnership: Clean Energy, Arctic Research, and Blue Economy Ties
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...
India's Federalism Challenges: Fiscal Transfers, Consensus Mechanisms, and the Centre-State Balance
Experts have examined the structural tensions in India's federal arrangement, focusing on the gap between formal devolution percentages and effective...
India Will Continue Russian Oil Purchases on Commercial Merits Despite US Waiver Expiry
An official statement clarified that India will continue purchasing Russian crude oil 'as long as it makes commercial sense,' signalling that decisions will...
India Reaffirms Commitment to Russian Crude Imports Despite Evolving US Sanctions Landscape
India has formally stated it will continue purchasing Russian crude oil notwithstanding the evolving US sanctions framework, reaffirming that energy...
India's Russian Oil Purchases and Strategic Autonomy: Beyond Sanctions and 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...
India's Fertiliser Subsidy Bill for FY27 May Surge by ₹70,000 Crore Due to West Asia Crisis
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%...
Global Rice Prices Set to Rise: Supply Deficit, Geopolitical Disruption, and Climate Risks
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...
India and Norway Elevate Ties to Green Strategic Partnership at 3rd India-Nordic Summit
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...
Iran Formalizes Control Over Strait of Hormuz With New Regulatory Authority
Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced the establishment of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a formal regulatory body to manage transit...
India-Norway Green Strategic Partnership: Blue Economy, Arctic Science, and the EFTA Trade Pact
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...
India-EU Free Trade Agreement: Market Access, Digital Trade, and Investment Opportunities
India and the European Union formally concluded negotiations on a landmark Free Trade Agreement in January 2026, described by both sides as the largest...
Third India-Nordic Summit: Geopolitical Shifts, Energy Security, and the Russian Oil Question
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 Formalises Sovereign Control Over Strait of Hormuz With New Authority
Iran's Supreme National Security Council officially announced the creation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a dedicated regulatory body to...
India Condemns Drone Strike Near UAE's Barakah Nuclear Plant as Dangerous Escalation
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a strong statement expressing deep concern over a drone attack targeting the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant...
Indian Scientists Develop and Validate AI-Designed Gene-Editing Tool for Crop Improvement
Indian scientists have developed and validated a suite of plant genome-editing tools based on OpenCRISPR-1 (OC1), an AI-generated RNA-guided nuclease —...
India-UAE Energy MoUs: Strategic Petroleum Reserves, LPG Supply, and Long-Term 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...
Agroforestry as a Pathway to India's Carbon Sink Targets and Farmer Income Goals
Agroforestry — the deliberate integration of trees and shrubs into crop and livestock systems — is gaining renewed policy attention as a tool to...
Government Imposes Rs 3 per Litre Export Duty on Petrol, 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: Madhya Pradesh's Bid to Digitise Fertiliser Distribution
Madhya Pradesh has piloted a QR-code-based fertiliser distribution system aimed at eliminating queues, preventing diversion of subsidised fertilisers, and...
Australia Orders Divestment of China-Linked Stakes in Rare Earths Miner on National Security Grounds
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...
China's Commitment to Withhold Support to Iran Emerges From US-China Trade Summit
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer publicly confirmed that China has committed not to provide 'material support' to Iran, a pledge secured during the...
US-Iran Nuclear Diplomacy: Flexibility on Enrichment, Deadlock on Frozen Assets
According to a diplomatic source, the United States has shown flexibility in ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, moving away from its earlier insistence...
Bengaluru Metro's Blue Line Could Run Entirely on Solar Power, IISc Study Finds
A techno-economic study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), conducted in collaboration with the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation...
Hong Kong's Tiananmen Trial: Freedom of Expression Under National Security Laws
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...
EU-India Investment Agreement: The Unfinished Piece of the Historic Trade Deal
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 Diverted to Biodiesel: Rising Supply Squeeze and India's Edible Oil Exposure
Indonesia and Malaysia — the world's two largest palm oil producers, together accounting for over 85% of global palm oil supply — are expanding their...
Parliamentary Oversight of NTA Reforms: K. Radhakrishnan Committee Under Scrutiny
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports summoned the NTA Chairperson and senior officials from the Ministry of...
BRICS at 25: From a Goldman Sachs Acronym to a Rival World Order Grouping
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...
CAFE III Regulations: Stricter Fuel Efficiency Norms and the Shift to Global Testing Standards
Starting April 1, 2027, India will replace the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) testing method with the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test...
US–China Agricultural Trade Commitments After Beijing 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...
US Treasury Weighs Extension of Russian Seaborne Oil Sanction Waiver Amid Hormuz Supply Crisis
The US Treasury Department is considering a 30-day extension of the sanction waiver that previously allowed countries to purchase Russian seaborne oil...
India Opens Nuclear Sector to Private Investment: The SHANTI Act and the Road to 100 GW
A high-level US industry delegation comprising representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF)...
India-Norway Green Strategic Partnership: Blue Economy and Sustainable Development
India and Norway elevated their bilateral relationship to a 'Green Strategic Partnership' during a state visit — the first by an Indian Prime Minister to...
WHO Declares Ebola a Global Health Emergency as Bundibugyo Strain Spreads to Uganda
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...
Aquaculture and Tobacco Sectors Under Strain: US Tariffs, GST Hike, and the Policy Response
Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister urged the Centre to intervene on two simultaneous agricultural crises: a collapse in aquaculture export revenues due to US...
ILO Warns West Asia Conflict Could Erase 38 Million Full-Time Jobs; India's Farm Inputs at Risk
The International Labour Organization (ILO) released its 'Employment and Social Trends May 2026 Update,' warning that if the West Asia conflict continues...
Finance Ministry Directs Public Sector Banks and Insurers Toward Austerity and EV Adoption
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's Persian Gulf Strait Authority and Nuclear Negotiations with the US
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 —...
India's Nuclear Journey: From Operation Smiling Buddha to the Strategic Triad
May 18, 1974 marked the 52nd anniversary of India's first nuclear test — codenamed Operation Smiling Buddha — conducted at the Pokhran Test Range in...
Supreme Court Reaffirms Bail as the Rule Even in UAPA and Terror Cases
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...
WPI Inflation Approaching 10%: Fuel Price Hikes and Wholesale Cost Pressures
State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — raised petrol and...
India Affirms Continued Russian Crude Purchases on Commercial and Energy Security Grounds
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...
India's Current Account Deficit Projected to Widen to 2.3% of GDP in FY27
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...
Fertiliser Subsidy Bill for FY27 Projected to Rise by Rs 70,000 Crore Amid West Asia Conflict
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...
Niti Aayog Calls for Raising India's R&D Investment to 2% of GDP
Niti Aayog released a report titled 'Ease of Doing Research & Development in India — Removing Obstacles, Promoting Enablers,' recommending that India raise...
Finance Ministry Directs PSU Banks and Insurers to Adopt Austerity Measures and Shift to EVs
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 Signals Openness to Constitutional Revisions in One Nation One Election Bill
The chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 stated that the...
El Niño Events Consistently Reduce Kharif Crop Yields Across India: ICAR Study
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...
Import Tracking Push and Swadeshi Manufacturing Drive: Strengthening India's Industrial Self-Reliance
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has directed Indian businesses to systematically track imports and identify specific product categories where domestic...
Parliamentary Committee Summons NTA Chief Over NEET-UG Paper Leak and Exam Reforms
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports summoned the Chairperson of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the...
West Bengal Government Scraps Religion-Based Welfare Schemes and Withdraws Contested OBC List
The West Bengal state government has decided to discontinue all welfare schemes introduced by the previous administration that were based on religious...
RBI Payment System Report, December 2025: UPI Dominance and Digital Payment Trends
The Reserve Bank of India published the half-yearly Payment System Report for December 2025, covering five calendar years of payment transaction trends...
Why Iran War and 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...
India Pitches Investment Vision to European Industry Leaders at Historic ERT Roundtable
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...