Trade, energy, and global conflicts at top of agenda during PM's Norway visit

Trade and energy supplies will top the agenda as Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands here on Monday for the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 43 years to Norway, one of the world's major oil and gas exporters. 

Mr. Modi is scheduled to hold talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and the leaders will address a business summit as both countries seek new markets and new technological collaborations.

With ordinance, SC judge strength up from 33 to 37

President Droupadi Murmu has promulgated an ordinance increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court to 37 - excluding the Chief Justice of India. The May 16 Gazette notification says "Parliament is not in session and the President is satisfied that the circumstances exist which render it necessary for her to take immediate action [issue of ordinance]".

Ebola outbreak in Congo is a global emergency, says WHO

The World Health Organization on Sunday declared the Ebola disease outbreak caused by a rare virus in Congo and neighbouring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern, after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths. The WHO said the out-break did not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like COVID-19, and advised against the closure of International Borders.

Diversification gains

India's export performance in April 2026 has been commendable, underscoring the at-tempts by the government and industry to diversify in times of crisis. Despite the various trade disruptions, merchandise exports grew nearly 14% in April 2026 to $43.6 billion. Some of this, as even the Commerce Secretary has acknowledged, is due to the overall rise in prices. Another significant factor has been the increase in the number of markets served by Indian exporters. According to government data, at least 20 exporting sectors have added 17 or more new destinations in the last year. 

Stuttering Starmer

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing an unprecedented challenge to the tenability of his role after the Labour Party lost a series of elections across the country, ceding ground to both the left and the right. The mild-mannered Mr. Starmer is the fifth head of government, since the 2016 Brexit referendum, to face such a serious loss of confidence in his leadership. 

Oslo summit must mark India's northward turn

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Oslo on May 18-19 for the third India-Nordic Summit comes as the logic of India's engagement with Northern Europe has fundamentally changed. When India first met the Nordics - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland - in Stockholm in 2018, and again in Copenhagen in 2022, the relationship was anchored largely in climate cooperation, innovation, digitalisation and the blue economy. Those priorities remain important, but a transformed geopolitical landscape is giving the partnership strategic depth and economic purpose.

U.S., China, and the search for stability

Donald Trump, U.S. President, visited China during May 13-15 to meet with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, after a nine-year gap. The visit was dominated by symbolism and lacked immediate tangible deliverables. Nonetheless, there was a clear acknowledgment from both sides about the need to restore stability after a decade of trade war.

The predictability pandemic: how your keyboard is stealing the soul of language

Predictive keyboards, Al systems are not just helping us communicate faster; they may slowly shape how humans think and write; as people select rather than construct language, the diversity and unpredictability that give communication its human 'soul' risk shrinking into statistical averages

India, Netherlands upgrade bilateral ties, sign 17 pacts

India and the Netherlands upgraded bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country on Saturday and Sunday. The two sides signed 17 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in areas of "WAH" (water, agriculture, and health), renewable energy, critical minerals, and a semiconductor fabrication project between TATA Electronics and Dutch company ASML.

Return of Chola-era copper plates should spark efforts for further repatriations, say Indian archaeologists

The return of the Chola-era Anaimangalam copper plates charter from the Netherlands this week marks a watershed event in the history of the repatriation of India's invaluable bronzes, stone sculptures, and carved temple pilasters, according to historians and archaeologists.

The artefacts, which have been in the possession of Leiden University for almost two centuries and are popularly known as the Leiden copper plates, were presented in a ceremony at the Hague on Saturday, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart, Rob Jetten.

Hezbollah calls Israel-Lebanon talks 'dead end'

Israeli strikes targeted eastern and south-ern Lebanon on Sunday, state media re-ported, despite a fragile ceasefire, as a Hezbollah lawmaker called Lebanon's negotiations with Israel a "dead-end". Iran-backed Hezbollah has repeatedly denounced talks with Israel.