Daily Briefing: PM Modi, Meloni chart new India-Italy roadmap on trade, terror and technology
In today's edition: 2 murders, and more planned in Telangana?; NTA's failures; Kirti Sharma's upward curve; and more
Top news on May 21, 2026. Good morning,
A couple arrested by the police for the murder of two elderly women in Telangana’s Vikarabad district were allegedly operating out of a “borrowing spree,” and were planning to kill several others who had lent them money. The murder came into the light after missing complaints were lodged in the month of March, leading the police to connect the dots. The police said that the woman accused came up with the idea of “targeting” elderly women living alone on pensions or life savings. Officials have estimated that the couple borrowed from at least a dozen others. And after the case was cracked, eight people have approached the police accusing the couple of not returning their money either – up to Rs 50,000 each.
With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:
- India-Italy elevate ties
- NTA under scanner
- Kirti Sharma’s upward curve in archery
🚨 Big Story
Elevating their bilateral ties to a “special strategic partnership”, India and Italy on Wednesday set a trade target of 20 billion euros by 2029. The two countries also agreed on a defence industrial roadmap, and concluded pacts on critical minerals, countering money laundering and terror financing. The decisions were taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. His visit reaffirms a strategic partnership in motion, anchored by the Joint Strategic Plan of Action 2025-29 – the operational roadmap for the partnership.
Joint statement: A common position on terrorism, creation of INNOVIT India, an innovation hub; launch of a dialogue on maritime security to ‘Italy Calls India: A University-Enterprise Talent Bridge,’ and resumption of global flows through the Strait of Hormuz – these were among the key outcomes in the joint statement of India and Italy. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a human-centric, secure, trustworthy and robust Artificial Intelligence, agreeing to collaborate, including in “third countries”, the statement read. Expressing “deep concern” over the situation in West Asia, its impact in the region and the world, and over the war in Ukraine, the duo called for dialogue and diplomacy to sustain peace.
Criticism back home: Soon after Italy’s Prime Minister posted a video clip of PM Modi gifting her a bag of Melody toffees in Rome, Opposition parties hit out at Modi, saying he was busy “making reels” abroad when India was reeling under an “economic storm”. Speaking in Rae Bareli, Gandhi said the prime minister had asked people to use less petrol, not buy gold, spend less and avoid travelling abroad. “But just a day later, Narendra Modi boarded an aircraft worth Rs 3,000-4,000 crore and went to Italy carrying toffees in his pocket… Look at the kind of mockery being made of the people of this country.”
⚡ Only in Express
“Even with flawless execution, high-stakes national entrance tests, particularly for undergraduate admissions to State institutions, remain constitutionally undesirable, pedagogically unsound, socially inequitable, and harmful to student well-being. With a malfunctioning NTA, these risks are only magnified.”
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, in its report submitted to Parliament in 2025, preferred the pen-and-paper model for NEET examination, citing multiple models of such examinations which have been leak-proof for years, such as the CBSE exams and the UPSC exams. It asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) to carefully study those models and implement the same for NEET. The Committee also flagged several problems with the NTA’s operation, urging it to improve its functioning. Moreover, a high-level Tamil Nadu committee, set up by the then M K Stalin-led DMK government in April 2025, flagged several concerns, and recommended that the NTA be disbanded and exams be conducted once again through diverse agencies.
📰 From the Front Page
A high-powered US nuclear delegation has been informed of New Delhi’s two clear objectives in the nuclear space: scale up nuclear power to step up base-load capacity, and progressively enter the manufacturing value chain of small modular reactors (SMRs). The pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) are a technology India has mastered, however, it is increasingly out of sync with those dominant types such as light water reactors (LWRs). India’s problem with LWRs is their high project costs. Therefore, all foreign collaborations could largely be limited to SMRs for now, as the country explores possibilities on the fuel front.
In a major development on the protection of the fragile upper Ganga River basin and the Himalayan ecosystem in Uttarakhand, the Centre on Wednesday submitted to the Supreme Court that it is not in favour of permitting any new hydroelectric projects in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River basins, apart from the seven which are either commissioned or are in advanced stages of construction. Emphasising the requirement of special treatment for the region, the Centre stated that the geological and ecological integrity needs to be maintained for the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins, which harbour headstreams of the river Ganga.
📌 Must Read
Warmer nights can pose a greater health risk to human beings, as compared to day-time heatwaves, particularly for those living in low and middle-income housing units. Both day and nighttime average temperatures are on the rise in India, however, recent data show that nighttime temperatures could be increasing at a faster rate. A cooler evening and night allow the human body to recover from the heat experienced during daytime. But if nighttime temperatures also remain high, the body is unable to recoup, and exposure to heat becomes prolonged and sustained, without any relief in between. Amitabh Sinha explains.
In our Opinion section today, Surjit S Bhalla points out the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) poor handling of the Indian economy, even as the party secured a resounding victory in West Bengal Assembly elections. Bhalla writes: “The deeper danger of overwhelming political success is that it can encourage the belief that policy is already good enough. It is not. India still holds the advantages of stability, scale, and global relevance. The present West Asian crisis is a perfect storm – for economic reforms. Unless the government uses this moment to improve the investment climate, restore treaty credibility, and signal seriousness about reform, political dominance will begin to look less like strength and more like a substitute for it.”
⏳ And Finally…
An upward curve: Until a decade ago, Kirti Sharma, who topped the trials for the Indian women’s recurve team for Asian Games, had never heard of archery. She saw a bow for the first time when reputed coach Udham Singh visited the FS Convent school at nearby Pillukhera to spot talented archers and start an academy. Kirti, however, failed to go past the trials because the coaches thought she was too skinny for archery. But by 2019, she had managed to convince the academy to select her. And her mesmerizing career in archery began. Now, she avers: “I see Asian games as a challenge as well as one of the biggest platforms to show my talent. I believe I have the capability to win a medal.”
🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the significance of PM Modi’s five-day tour to Europe; the space mission SMILE that aims to study how Earth protects itself from the sun; as well as Supreme Court’s intervention to tackle large number of fatal road accidents in Bihar.
That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!
Until next time,
Ariba
Business As Usual by E P Unny
Share
