Breaking news live updates, May 15: US team likely to visit India next month for trade talks

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Centre will procure onions at rate of Rs 12.35 per kg. According to him, onion exports have been affected due to West Asia crisis, leading to sharp drop in prices.

At least six people were killed and nine others injured after a lorry allegedly collided with a tractor near a bridge in Koppal district on Friday, police said.

The impact caused the tractor to lose control and plunge off the bridge, resulting in the casualties.

The accident occurred on the Tungabhadra bridge, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Munirabad police station.

According to police, the tractor, carrying 15 passengers, was headed to the Hulige temple when the accident took place.

Citing preliminary findings, Koppal Superintendent of Police Ram L Arasiddi said the lorry allegedly rammed into the tractor, causing it to veer off the bridge.

The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Further investigation is underway.

West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the Nandigram Assembly seat, choosing to retain Bhabanipur constituency.

Adhikari had submitted his resignation to Speaker Rathindra Bose within the mandatory 14-day period prescribed under Assembly rules, PTI reported.

The BJP leader contested from both Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district and Bhabanipur in south Kolkata in the recently concluded assembly elections.

He won Nandigram by defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Pabitra Kar by 9,665 votes.

In Bhabanipur, he beat TMC chief Mamata Banerjee by a margin of 15,105 votes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday began his high-profile visit to the United Arab Emirates with a rare diplomatic gesture from UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who personally received him at Abu Dhabi airport, underlining the growing strategic and personal ties between the two leaders.

The visit also resulted in major agreements and investment announcements across defence, energy, infrastructure and banking sectors, as both countries moved to deepen their expanding strategic partnership.

In a post on X, Modi said, “I thank my brother HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for the special gesture of receiving me at Abu Dhabi airport. I look forward to our discussions towards furthering India-UAE ties across key sectors like energy, investment, supply chains and more.”

According to the outcomes announced after delegation-level talks between the two sides, India and the UAE signed an Agreement on Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership, aimed at strengthening bilateral strategic and security cooperation.

The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Petroleum Reserves and an agreement related to supplies of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), boosting cooperation in the energy sector at a time of global uncertainty in oil and gas markets.

In the maritime sector, both sides signed an MoU for setting up a Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar, while investments worth USD 5 billion were announced in Indian infrastructure projects as well as in RBL Bank and Samman Capital.

Modi was also accorded a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi before holding delegation-level talks with the UAE leadership.

The UAE visit marks the first leg of Modi’s five-nation tour from May 15 to May 20, covering the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy, with a focus on trade, technology, energy, innovation and green growth.

Ahead of the visit, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations described the tour as coming at a “crucial juncture” for India’s economic and strategic engagement with Europe and the Gulf region.

FIEO President S. C. Ralhan said, “The Prime Minister's high-level engagements with the leadership of the UAE and major European nations underline India's growing stature as a trusted economic partner and a key driver of global growth. The visit is expected to create substantial opportunities for Indian exporters across sectors, including engineering, clean energy, technology, pharmaceuticals, food processing, textiles, logistics and digital trade.”

The exporters’ body said the UAE remained one of India’s most important trade and investment partners and continued to serve as a major gateway for Indian exports to West Asia and Africa.

UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy also praised Modi ahead of the visit, calling him a “true treasure” for the leadership and people of the Emirates.

Speaking to ANI, Al Hashimy said the bilateral relationship was poised to scale “new mountaintops” in trade and technology and noted that Modi’s visit would build upon recent high-level engagements between the two countries, including the UAE President’s visit to India in January and the Crown Prince’s participation in the AI Summit in February.

After concluding the UAE leg, Modi will travel to the Netherlands from May 15 to May 17, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and meet King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. Discussions there are expected to focus on semiconductors, green hydrogen, innovation, defence and water management.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday resulted in major agreements and investment announcements across defence, energy, infrastructure and banking sectors.

According to the announced outcomes of the visit, India and the UAE signed an Agreement on Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership, further strengthening bilateral strategic and security cooperation.

The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Petroleum Reserves and an agreement on supplies of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), boosting cooperation in the energy sector.

In the maritime sector, both sides signed an MoU on setting up a Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar.

In a major investment announcement, investments worth USD 5 billion were announced in Indian infrastructure as well as in RBL Bank and Samman Capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held delegation-level talks with the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. On his arrival, he was accorded a guard of honour as he landed in Abu Dhabi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday emplaned for Abu Dhabi as part of his five-nation tour from May 15-20, covering the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy, aimed at deepening India's strategic partnerships across trade, technology, energy, innovation and green growth, while reinforcing New Delhi's expanding engagement with Europe and the Gulf region.

After the UAE, PM Modi will travel to the Netherlands from May 15-17, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and meet King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The visit is expected to focus on sectors such as semiconductors, green hydrogen, innovation, defence and water management.

The Prime Minister will then visit Sweden on May 17-18 and hold bilateral talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. The two leaders are also expected to jointly address the European Round Table for Industry along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Discussions are expected around AI, emerging technologies, green transition and resilient supply chains.In Norway, PM Modi will participate in the 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo on May 19 and hold bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The summit will also see participation from leaders of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden.

PM Modi said the impact of the conflict in West Asia was being felt globally and stressed that dialogue and diplomacy remain the best way to resolve issues.

Speaking during delegation-level talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, Modi said it was important that the Strait of Hormuz remains “free and open” and added that international laws must be respected.

“India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with UAE in every situation, and it will continue to do so. For the restoration of peace and stability, India will extend all possible cooperation,” the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi thanked UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for expressing condolences to families affected by the recent natural disaster in India.

Speaking during delegation-level talks in Abu Dhabi, PM Modi said, “You expressed condolences to the families affected by the natural disaster in the past few days in India. I express gratitude to you for this.”

The meeting took place during Modi’s visit to the UAE as part of his ongoing five-nation tour.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday strongly condemned the recent attacks on the United Arab Emirates during delegation-level talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

“We strongly condemn the attacks launched on the UAE. The manner in which UAE has been targetted is not acceptable in any form,” PM Modi said.

He also welcomed the steps taken by the UAE leadership to uphold “national unity, security and regional integrity.”

The Prime Minister further thanked the UAE government and the royal family for supporting the Indian diaspora during difficult times, saying Indians in the UAE were treated “as members of one’s own family.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief visit to the United Arab Emirates on Friday saw several major agreements and investment announcements aimed at boosting bilateral ties.

India and the UAE signed an agreement on a Strategic Defence Partnership, along with an MoU on Strategic Petroleum Reserves and an agreement on Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) supplies. The two sides also signed an MoU to set up a Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar.

In a major investment push, announcements worth $5 billion were made for Indian infrastructure projects as well as investments in RBL Bank and Samman Capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Abu Dhabi on Friday, beginning the first leg of his five-nation visit.

During the visit, PM Modi will hold talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral ties, particularly cooperation in the energy sector, along with regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the NEET- UG re-examination will be held on June 21, saying the government decided to act after confirming that actual exam questions had been leaked under the guise of a "guess paper."

"The new dates of the re-examination have been declared for June 21st... The exam took place on 3rd May and on 7th May, NTA received a complaint that the guess paper had some questions that were present in the Question sheets this time. The Higher Education Department initiated an immediate inquiry and handed it over to the government agency... They contacted the state agencies and by May 12th, we were confirmed that, under the guise of a guess paper, the actual examination questions had indeed been leaked..." he said.

Pradhan said the government did not want deserving students to suffer because of unfair practices and promised to address concerns raised over the controversy.

"We did not want any deserving student to be deprived of their rights due to the machinations of fraudulent candidates or the conspiracies of the education mafia... this decision elicited two distinct sets of opinions across the country—particularly within the student community. We acknowledge and respect both these viewpoints. We consider it our responsibility to find a resolution to this situation..." he added.

National Testing Agency (NTA), with approval from the Government of India, has scheduled the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination for Sunday, June 21, 2026.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed from Delhi for a five-nation visit covering the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy.

In the first leg of the tour, PM Modi will arrive in the UAE later today and hold talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral ties, with a focus on energy cooperation, along with regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The Justice Department is challenging efforts to sanction attorneys from the first and second Trump administrations, asserting in a lawsuit that the District of Columbia Bar is unfairly playing politics with the legal disciplinary process. The lawsuit represents a direct challenge to the authority of the office that enforces ethics standards for attorneys in the nation’s capital, where several high-profile investigations of Trump-allied lawyers are playing out.

South Korea's benchmark Kospi index topped 8,000 points for the first time Friday, buoyed by an artificial intelligence-driven boom in the country's semiconductor industry.

Solomon Islands lawmakers elected opposition leader Matthew Wale as prime minister after ousting Jeremiah Manele in a no-confidence vote. Wale won 26 of 49 votes, vowing change, unity and ambition for youth, while noting global geopolitical pressures affecting the strategically important South Pacific nation.

A 22-year-old Indian national has pleaded guilty to involvement in a scheme to smuggle Indian nationals from Canada into the United States across the northern border. Shivam, whose surname is unknown, coordinated operations from October 2024 to June 2025, arranging illegal crossings into New York, according to the US Department of Justice. He organised drivers, arranged transport from the border, and directed individuals to stash houses in northern New York and hotels in Plattsburgh, while paying associates per person smuggled.