Source: THE HINDU

Russia, Ukraine agree to swap prisoners, fail to reach truce

Russia and Ukraine agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange, said they would trade ideas on a possible ceasefire and discussed a potential meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in their first direct talks in over three years on Friday (May 16, 2025).

Neeraj Chopra finally breaches 90m but finishes 2nd in Doha DL in ‘bitter-sweet’ contest

Neeraj Chopra finally breached the elusive 90m frontier with a 90.23m throw but the trailblazing Indian had to settle for a second place behind Germany’s Julian Weber in a dramatic men’s javelin contest at the Doha leg of the prestigious Diamond League Meeting series here on Friday.

Pakistan Foreign Minister calls for ‘composite dialogue’ with India to address contentious issues

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called for a “composite dialogue” with India to address the contentious issues between the two sides. India made it clear that it will have a dialogue with Pakistan only on the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the issue of terrorism.

Supreme Court’s three-month timeline in Tamil Nadu Governor verdict was adopted from Centre’s own guidelines

The Centre, through the means of a Presidential Reference, has questioned the Supreme Court’s decision in the Tamil Nadu Governor case to “impose” a three-month timeline for the President to decide on State legislations reserved for consideration under Article 201 by State Governors. However, the Supreme Court’s April 8, 2025 judgment made it clear that it was merely adopting guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) through two back-to-back Office Memorandums (OMs) issued in 2016 fixing a three-month timeline for the President.

Nagpur woman goes missing in village along LoC in Kargil

Police in Ladakh have intensified search for a 36-year-old woman from Nagpur who went missing from one of the last villages in Kargil along the Line of Control (LoC) on May 14. Though her whereabouts were not known yet, police officials said that the woman had tried to cross over to Pakistan near Amritsar border in Punjab in March this year. She was stopped by the Border Security Force (BSF) then, the officials said.

Turkish firm Celebi moves Delhi HC against revoking of security clearance

Turkish company Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd on Friday (May 16, 2025) moved the Delhi High Court against the decision of aviation watchdog BCAS revoking its security clearance in the “interest of national security”.

NIA conducts searches at 15 locations linked to Babbar Khalsa International in Punjab

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday (May 16, 2025) conducted searches on 15 locations linked to banned Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in different parts of Punjab, in connection with the grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur last December.

India to do whatever is necessary to build ties with Afghanistan: officials

A day after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a telephone conversation with the “acting Afghan Foreign Minister,” Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, officials in New Delhi asserted that India will undertake “bold moves” on Afghanistan and “do whatever is necessary” in the near future to establish stronger relations with the Taliban-ruled state.

Omar, Mehbooba spar over Tulbul navigation issue

A war of words broke out on Friday between Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti over the former’s call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Barrage project on Wullar Lake in view of the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). While Ms. Mufti termed Mr. Abdullah’s remarks as “irresponsible” and “dangerously provocative”, the chief minister hit back saying she refuses to acknowledge that the IWT was a “historic betrayal” with the people of J&K because of her “blind lust” to score “cheap” publicity points, and please some people across the border.

IIT Roorkee withdraws from MoU with Turkish university amid rising diplomatic sensitivities

Joining a growing chorus of Indian private companies and institutions distancing themselves from Türkiye over its perceived support for Pakistan, the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee has announced the cancellation of a research collaboration with Inonu University, a Turkish institution. “IIT Roorkee remains committed to aligning its international engagements with the national interest,” the university said in a statement issued on Friday.

Six terrorists killed in two major operations in south Kashmir

After the April 22 Pahalgam attack, security forces turned the focus of their anti-terror operations to specific areas in south Kashmir and eliminated six terrorists in the past three days, officials said on Friday.“The security agencies reviewed their strategy according to the situation in the wake of terror activities in the last one month and our intensified focus was on operations,” said V.K. Birdi, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir.

Bombay High Court sets up Special Bench to hear pleas against Maratha reservation

The Bombay High Court on Friday constituted a three-judge special Bench to hear the pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the law providing Maratha reservation following a Supreme Court directive. The 2024 law, which provided 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community that constitutes nearly one-third of Maharashtra’s population, had been at the forefront of political discourse last year during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Kremlin says a Putin-Trump meeting is essential but needs advance preparation and must yield results

The Kremlin said on Friday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump was essential but required considerable advance preparation and had to yield results when it happened. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was commenting after Mr. Trump said he would meet Mr. Putin “as soon as we can set it up”. “...Such a meeting is certainly necessary. It is necessary both primarily from the point of view of bilateral Russian-U.S. relations and from the point of view of having a serious conversation at the highest level about international affairs and on regional problems, including, of course, about the crisis over Ukraine,” Mr. Peskov said.

U.N. cuts India’s 2025 growth forecast to 6.3% from 6.6%, in line with slowing global growth

The United Nations has lowered its growth projections for India for this year and the next, to 6.3% and 6.4%, respectively. These are both 0.3 percentage points lower than its earlier projections. This is also in line with the slower growth projected for the global economy due to heightened trade tensions and policy uncertainty. The U.N.’s mid-year update of its World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025 report, released on Friday (May 16, 2025) has projected global growth to slow to 2.4% in calendar year 2025 and to 2.5% in 2026, both of which are lower by 0.4 percentage points than the projections made in January.

Air India lobbies government to axe IndiGo lease with Turkish carrier, source says

Air India has lobbied with the government officials to halt rival IndiGo’s leasing tie-up with Turkish Airlines, citing business impact as well as security concerns sparked by Istanbul’s support for Pakistan, according to a source and a document seen by Reuters. Air India has asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to disallow repeated extensions of the leasing deal, which must be renewed every six months, arguing it is benefiting Turkiye and hurting the country’s aviation sector, according to the source and a document Air India submitted to some government departments, seen by Reuters.

Hyundai Q4 Profit After Tax slips 4% to ₹1,614 crore on lower sales in domestic market

Hyundai Motor India on Friday reported a 4% dip in its consolidated Profit After Tax (PAT) to ₹1,614 crore for the fourth quarter ended on March 31, 2025, on account of lower sales in the domestic market. The automaker had posted a PAT of ₹1,677 crore in the January-March period of 2023-24. “Total revenue from operations rose to ₹17,940 crore for the period under review as compared with ₹17,671 crore in the year-ago period,” Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) said in a regulatory filing.

Death toll in Gaza rises 120 as Hamas says aid entry ‘minimum requirement’ for talks

Palestinian rescuers reported 120 people killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes on blockaded Gaza, where a U.S.-backed organisation said it intends to begin distributing aid by the end of the month. Aid to Gaza has been cut off since March 2, a tactic Israel has said is intended to force concessions from Hamas, but the group insisted on Thursday that the restoration of humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged territory was “the minimum requirement” for talks.

Starc, Ferreira skip IPL return; Will Jacks back for MI, Stoinis too set to fly back

Delhi Capitals’ Mitchell Starc and Donovan Ferreira have opted not to return for the remainder of the IPL, while England all-rounder Will Jacks will rejoin Mumbai Indians for their final two league fixtures. Australian pacer Starc and South African batter Ferreira have communicated their decision to the Delhi Capitals management. Starc has been a pivotal figure in DC’s campaign, emerging as their leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps in 11 matches at an average of 26.14. His absence is a significant setback to Delhi’s already slim playoff hopes.