U.S. to drop graft charges against Gautam Adani: NY TimesU.S. prosecutors are set to drop charges against billionaire Gautam Adani, who was accused of paying hundreds of millions of dollars of bribes and hiding the payments, The New York Times reported Thursday (May 14, 2026). With a business empire spanning coal, airports, cement and media, the chairman of Adani Group has been rocked in recent years by corporate fraud allegations and a stock crash.‘I refuse to be intimidated’, says Delhi High Court judge, initiates contempt proceedings against Kejriwal, AAP leadersThe Delhi High Court on Thursday (May 14, 2026) initiated criminal contempt proceedings against AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj and others over alleged defamatory and “vilifying” social media posts targeting Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in connection with the excise policy case.NEET-UG 2026 paper leak: CBI arrests two more accusedThe Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two more accused persons in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case and conducted searches at 14 locations to track down the suspects. The agency has not yet ruled out the role of any public servant. The arrested accused have been identified as ayurveda practitioner Dhananjay Lokhande from Ahilyanagar and beauty salon owner Manisha Waghmare from Pune in Maharashtra. The State police had detained the two accused and handed them over to the CBI.NTA casually ignored Supreme Court order to overhaul system after 2024 leak: FAIMA petitionThe Federation of Indian Medical Associations (FAIMA) has flagged the “recurring, systemic, and catastrophic” failure of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) and has urged the Supreme Court to take a “stricter approach”. The NTA “casually” ignored recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee and the top court’s directions after the 2024 leak. “Mechanism should be in place to ensure that any non-compliances will lead to exemplary penalties,” FAIMA said in a petition.Free and fair elections can happen only if there are independent Election Commissioners, SC saysThe Supreme Court on Thursday (May 14, 2026) nudged the Union Government to address concerns over its dominant role in the appointment of Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners, observing that free and fair elections depend on a truly independent Election Commission of India. The court highlighted the absence of even “one absolutely neutral person” on the Prime Minister-chaired selection committee. It questioned the presence of a Cabinet Minister on the panel, observing that such a Minister could not be expected to defy the Prime Minister. The top court also asked whether the presence of the Leader of the Opposition on the committee was merely “ornamental” as appointments could be made without a unanimous vote.Talks continue to free 44 hostages in Manipur; church leader killings ‘unprecedented’: Deputy CMManipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho said on Thursday (May 14, 2026) that negotiations are on to secure the release of at least 44 civilians who have been held hostage by Kuki and Naga groups in the Kangpokpi and Senapati districts. Those abducted include an infant and two Naga Catholic trainee priests, said Mr. Dikho, who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the State government. The civilians were abducted following the killing of three Thadou church leaders in the Kangpokpi district on May 13. Speaking with The Hindu, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the killing of church leaders who were returning from a religious convention in Churachandpur was “unprecedented” as such attacks did not occur even at the height of previous conflicts. A section of the Thadous say they are distinct from the Kuki group of tribes.Destroying Sanatana does not mean people should not go to temples, says Udhayanidhi StalinDMK youth wing leader and Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, on Thursday (May 14, 2026), said “destroying Sanatana” did not mean people should stop going to temples. Reacting to criticism of his speech in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, where he had said, “Sanatana that divides people should be destroyed”, Mr. Udhayanidhi insisted he would not be cowed down by such criticism. He said equal rights should be given to everyone, not only in temples but in society as a whole.Unseasonal storms leave 111 dead in Uttar PradeshAt least 111 people were killed after a powerful storm and heavy rain pounded several districts of Uttar Pradesh, uprooting trees and electric poles and damaging houses on Wednesday and Thursday. The U.P. Relief Commissioner’s office has been tracking the damage.EAM Jaishankar hits out at ‘unilateral’ sanctions days before expiry of U.S.’ Russian oil waiverAs India awaits the United States’ decision on extending its waiver on sanctions against the import of Russian oil, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday (May 14, 2026) hit out at unilateral non-United Nations sanctions, calling them “unjustified”. Delivering the national statement at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting chaired by India, Mr. Jaishankar called on the grouping of emerging economies to address the problem of such sanctions. Significantly, the meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, representing two of the U.S.’s most heavily sanctioned countries.P. Kumaran takes charge as India’s High Commissioner in LondonIndia’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.Sinner reaches Italian Open semis, breaks Masters 1000 winning streak recordJannik Sinner reached the semifinals of the Italian Open on Thursday (May 14, 2026) after seeing off Andrey Rublev and establishing a new record of consecutive wins in Masters 1000 tournaments. Another straight-sets victory, this time 6-2, 6-4 over Rublev, moved Sinner up to 32 straight wins in the ATP’s top-ranked events, one more than the previous record established by Novak Djokovic in 2011.