The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, has approved ₹93 crore power infrastructure projects for the summer capital, a spokesperson said on Friday (May 16, 2026).

The project aims to enhance transmission capacity and reduce power interruptions in the city.

India's first SME-led semiconductor chip manufacturing facility by Sahasra Semiconductors Pvt Ltd was inaugurated in Rajasthan's Bhiwadi on Friday, marking a major step in the country's push to strengthen domestic semiconductor and electronics manufacturing.

The Semiconductor ATMP/OSAT facility, located inside the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) developed by ELCINA at Salarpur, Khushkhera, was virtually inaugurated by Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav.

Addressing the gathering, Vaishnaw described the development as "a historic day for the state of Rajasthan as it enters the semiconductor industry - a strategically critical industry globally from a geopolitical perspective."

The Ministry of Ayush has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Digital India BHASHINI Division under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to accelerate transcription and translation of Ayush knowledge systems using advanced AI-powered language technology. The partnership aims to make traditional healthcare knowledge accessible in multiple Indian languages and strengthen digital outreach across the country.

The collaboration will integrate BHASHINI’s language technology across Ayush digital platforms, including Ayush Grid portals, mobile applications, and AI tools, ensuring multilingual accessibility and content standardization nationwide. The MoU was signed by Subodh Kumar, Director at the Ministry of Ayush, and Amitabh Nag, CEO of Digital India BHASHINI, in the presence of Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, and Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary.

Welcoming the initiative, the Ayush Secretary noted that the partnership will enable faster and more efficient translation, helping Ayush systems reach people in every language and region of India.

India’s new High Commissioner to the U.K., Periasamy Kumaran, formally stepped into his role on Thursday (May 14, 2026), presenting his credentials to Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, Scott Furssedonn-Wood.

The new High Commissioner paid tributes to the statues of Mahatma Gandhi in Tavistock Square and Parliament Square and to Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar at Ambedkar House in London upon assuming charge.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has begun operating the first hydrogen-powered shuttle bus service in the Centra Vista area, with services starting on 15 May. The announcement from the organisation comes following an appeal from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb fuel consumption amid rising global tension.

The shuttle services will provide last-mile connectivity between Central Secretariat and Seva Teerth metro stations and offer a cleaner alternative to fossil fuel-powered vehicles. The bus has been provided to DMRC by IOCL and is a product of Tata Motors. It was delivered to the oil company in 2023 as part of a fleet of buses to be assessed as a potential mass-transport solution.

Tripura has created history by becoming the first state in India to complete all Priority Areas under Deregulation Phase-II of the national Compliance Reduction and Deregulation initiative led by the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India.

With this achievement, the state has also become the first in the country to complete all 51 Priority Areas under both Phase-I and Phase-II of the reform programme, strengthening its position as a leader in regulatory reforms, Ease of Doing Business, and technology-driven governance.

The reforms, launched in January 2026, focused on reducing compliance burdens, removing unnecessary procedures, digitising approvals, and building a transparent and investor-friendly administrative system across sectors, including Revenue, Urban Development, Industries, Labour, Environment, Tourism, Health, Education, and Digital Governance.

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Thursday (May 14, 2026) inaugurated the high-altitude irrigation canal in Changthang region, constructed at an altitude of over 14,000 feet, and termed it a major step towards ensuring water security in the region.

During his first-ever visit to Changthang, the L-G also launched a plantation drive of 15,000 trees in the surrounding areas along with villagers, aimed at soil conservation, slope stabilisation and ecological sustainability, officials said.

Anthropic and ‌the Gates Foundation have pledged $200 million to back artificial intelligence-related public goods and areas including health and education, ⁠they said on Thursday.

Support from Anthropic’s technical staff and usage credits for its Claude AI will account for its half of ‌the financial commitment, while the Bill Gates co-founded Gates Foundation will provide grant funding, program design and expertise, officials ‌told Reuters.

The commitment will span four years.

The news ‌follows ⁠a $50 million pact that the Gates Foundation and ⁠OpenAI announced in January to support 1,000 African clinics and communities with AI by 2028.

As the world faces an energy crisis triggered by the war between Iran and the United States, backed by Israel, India signed a strategic deal with the United Arab Emirates for the supply for Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) to help ease the impact of the war.

India is the world's second largest LPG importer, making the deal a crucial one to ensure enough supply during global tensions. The deal was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's short two-hour trip to the UAE.

Apart from the LPG deal, both the countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strategic petroleum reserves. This deal comes just hours after petrol and diesel prices in India were raised by ₹3 each on Friday, May 15.

Africa’s top public health ‌agency said on Friday (May 15, 2026) that there was a confirmed ⁠Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province.

The Africa Centres for ‌Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that ‌it was convening an urgent ‌meeting ⁠with Congo, Uganda, South Sudan ⁠and global partners to reinforce cross-border surveillance, preparedness and response efforts.