TODAY NEWS ON May 20, 2026

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants
Source: The Hindu , Indian Express and others

President Putin to attend BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13: Kremlin aide

Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, according to a presidential aide. India, as the chair of BRICS, will host the grouping’s annual summit in September. President Putin will take part in the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, Kremlin aide for international affairs Yury Ushakov was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency. He also added that a bilateral meeting between President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping is planned on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.

Supreme Court allows for euthanasia of ‘rabid and dangerous dogs’

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) refused to modify its November 7, 2025, order directing all States and Union Territories to ensure the removal of stray dogs from high-footfall public institutions, including educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots, and railway stations, while clarifying that such dogs cannot be released back into these areas even after sterilisation. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria dismissed all applications seeking modification of its earlier directions and also rejected challenges to the 2025 standard operating procedure framed by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), pointing to the “alarming” rise in dog-bite incidents across the country.

PM Modi lands in Rome, to meet Italian PM Meloni

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) landed in Italy, where he will be meeting his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella, and discuss with them ways to boost India-Italy cooperation. Mr. Modi, who is on a four-nation European tour, arrived Rome from Norway.

Rubio to attend NATO talks, pay first visit to India

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet NATO counterparts following U.S. threats to pull troops and also pay his first visit to India following a chilly patch between the countries, it was announced Tuesday (May 19, 2026).

Commitment to democracy makes India, Nordic nations natural partners: Modi

India and the Nordic countries are committed to “democracy, rule of law and multilateralism”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Oslo on Tuesday (May 19, 2026), speaking after the Third India-Nordic Summit. The summit, where Mr. Modi met leaders of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, ended with a decision to upgrade ties between India and the five northernmost European countries to a ‘Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership’.

India, Vietnam deepen defence cooperation with focus on maritime security

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang in Hanoi on Tuesday (May 19, 2026), with both sides agreeing to further strengthen defence and strategic cooperation.

OCI status of foreigners who voted in Tamil Nadu Assembly election comes under scrutiny

The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status of foreign nationals who voted in the recent Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu has come under scrutiny, official sources said on Tuesday (May 19, 2026). The number of foreigners of Indian origin who voted in a fraudulent manner has increased to 30.

Recital of full version of Vande Mataram at UDF govt. swearing-in in Kerala kicks up a row

The recital of the full version of Vande Mataram at the swearing-in ceremony of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala on Monday (May 18, 2026) has kicked up a row with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] calling it a move that undermines secularism and pluralism and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)’s mouthpiece Organiser hailing it.

UN Security Council condemns attack on UAE nuclear plant

Russia joined other UN Security Council members on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) to condemn the drone strike on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant, which Abu Dhabi said originated from Iraq, where pro-Iranian proxies are active. The unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator on Sunday (May 17, 2026) near the Arab world’s first nuclear power plant in Barakah in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire but causing no injuries nor radiation leak.

Name a country that does not use nuke power for energy needs, asks Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) appeared wary about rocking the boat on a new nuclear law which caps liability at less than ₹4,000 crore even as the petitioner, a retired bureaucrat, reminded the court of its own 40-year-old judgment that held that the “larger and more prosperous” an enterprise carrying on a hazardous activity is, the greater must be the compensation for causing a mishap which may affect thousands of lives. “Name a single country that does not fulfil its energy needs through nuclear plants?” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a three-judge Bench, asked the petitioner, E.A.S Sarma, a retired IAS officer.

Supreme Court asks MeitY to examine PIL seeking recovery or destruction of stolen personal data of citizens on foreign servers

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to consider a PIL as a representation seeking a robust mechanism to recover or destroy the personal data of Indians allegedly stolen and stored on foreign servers. A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi was hearing a PIL filed by Nitish Kumar, a cybersecurity consultant. While refusing to entertain the PIL on grounds that it pertained to information technology and had hardly anything to do with legal aspects, the CJI asked the petitioner to approach the government with his grievances.

Rahul Gandhi takes dig at PM Modi on Norway pension fund dropping Adani shares from portfolio

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking if Norway agreed to his “personal request” to remove Adani from the pension fund black list. Mr. Gandhi posed his query after Norway’s sovereign wealth fund dropped Adani Green from its portfolio in February. “We get very good information these days. Modi ji, did Norway agree to your personal request to remove Adani from their pension fund black list?” Mr. Gandhi said in a post on X. He used a picture of news reports: one from February 27 saying, “Norway’s sovereign wealth fund drops Adani Green Energy from its portfolio” and another from May 18 saying “PM Modi begins historic Norway visit - the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 43 years”.

PM Modi holds bilateral talks with Finland PM Petteri Orpo

The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday (May 18, 2026) said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Norway marked a significant milestone in India-Norway ties, with both countries elevating their relationship to a green strategic partnership. Addressing reporters after the Prime Minister’s engagements in Oslo, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George said the new partnership would add a strategic dimension to bilateral cooperation in climate action, renewable energy, resilient supply chains, green technologies and the blue economy.

Israel military issues fresh evacuation warnings for south Lebanon

The Israeli military on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) warned residents of 12 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate ahead of expected attacks against Hezbollah, the latest despite a ceasefire. “Hezbollah’s continued violations of the ceasefire compel the IDF to operate against it. The IDF does not intend to harm you. For your safety, we urge you to distance yourself from the area and immediately move at least 1,000 metres away,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.

European Union prepares to cut U.S. import duties to avoid Trump tariff hike

European Union (EU) negotiators were expected ​to agree on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) to scrap import duties on ⁠U.S. goods to comply with the trade deal struck with the United States last year and ward off U.S. President Donald Trump‘s threat of much higher tariffs. Under ‌the terms of the deal struck at Mr. Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last July, the EU agreed to ‌remove import duties on U.S. industrial goods and grant preferential access ‌to U.S. ⁠farm and sea produce. In exchange, the United States ⁠would impose tariffs of 15% on most EU goods.

WHO worried about ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organisation (WHO) chief voiced concern on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) about the “scale and speed” of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRO), which has killed an estimated 131 people. The WHO has declared the surge of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever an international health emergency and will hold an emergency meeting on the crisis on Tuesday (May 19, 2026). No vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the latest outbreak of the disease, which has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa in the past half century.

New Zealand’s government plans to cut 14% of public sector jobs to slash spending

New Zealand‘s government will lay off nearly 9,000 workers, amounting to 14% of public sector jobs, by mid-2029 as part of a bid to slash billions in spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Tuesday (May 19, 2026). Ms Willis said her administration would also implement three consecutive years of budget cuts for most public agencies, “significantly reduce” the number of departments, and demand faster adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology across the sector. The cutbacks would save 2.4 billion New Zealand dollars (US $1.4 billion) during that period, the Minister told a business audience in New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland.

Delhi Police seek larger Bench reference on UAPA bail

The Delhi Police on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) told the Supreme Court that the question of whether prolonged incarceration and trial delays can override the statutory restrictions on bail under anti-terror laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, warrants consideration by a larger Bench in view of two “conflicting” judgments rendered by coordinate Benches. The submission was made before a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P.B. Varale during the hearing of a bail plea filed by 2020 Delhi riots accused Abdul Khalid Saifi, founder of the United Against Hate campaign, challenging the September 2, 2025, order of the Delhi High Court denying him bail along with Jawaharlal Nehru University scholars Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.

Delhi court rejects Umar Khalid’s interim bail plea

A Delhi court on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) dismissed the bail plea of jailed activist Umar Khalid, accused in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing Mr. Khalid’s application seeking 15 days of interim bail to attend the 40-day post-death ritual (Chehlum) of his uncle and take care of his mother, who has to undergo surgery. Mr. Khalid and others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), an anti-terror law, and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the 2020 riots that left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured in northeast Delhi.

India vs Afghanistan series: Rishabh Pant dropped from ODI squad, loses Test vice-captaincy to Rahul

Flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) removed as vice-captain of the Indian Test squad for the upcoming one-off match against Afghanistan and dropped from the ODI line-up for the ensuing three-match series against the same opponents. K.L. Rahul replaced Pant as the vice-captain of the Indian Test team that is being led by Shubman Gill. Senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been rested from the Test match.

IPL 2026 RR vs LSG: Sooryavanshi’s stunning knock takes Royals closer to playoffs

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came up with another sensational innings to power Rajasthan Royals to a seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in a must-win IPL 2026 tie at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on a warm Tuesday night. His 93 off 38 balls (7x4, 10x6) helped the Royals chase down the target of 221 with five balls to spare.

Arsenal wins Premier League title for first time in 22 years

Arsenal ​ended their 22-year wait to win the Premier League title on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) when they were confirmed ‌as champions following second-placed Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. Leaders for almost ​the entire season, Mikel Arteta's side are now four points clear with ⁠one game remaining and Sunday's clash at Crystal Palace will now be a coronation.