Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- India’s National Testing Agency sacks 50 people, to conduct exam audit
- Indian sailors’ union claims crew being forced to sail through the Strait of Hormuz
- US President Donald Trump cites India’s voter ID cards to make case for SAVE America Act
Here’s a roundup of the biggest headlines from India on Tuesday, August 18, 2026:
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Skip next section Seafarers’ union says crew being forced to transit Strait of Hormuz08/18/2026August 18, 2026
Seafarers’ union says crew being forced to transit Strait of Hormuz
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) has flagged an incident in which a commercial vessel’s captain is allegedly being pressured to force its crew to transit through the “high-risk” Strait of Hormuz.
“Managers of Marshall Islands-flagged vessel AM Pioneer are pressuring the Master to force its 16 Indian crew to transit the high-risk Strait of Hormuz,” the union said in a post on X. “The crew has clearly refused. They will not put their lives in danger,” it added.
The post included a video in which the vessel’s captain said that the company had initially directed him to transit through the strait once it was open and it was safe to navigate. “Now from last week the Company is forcing us to cross through Hormuz and go to Fujairah,” he said, referring to the port city in the UAE.
“They tried to arrange one security and requested the American defence to give us air support to pass through Hormuz. The company is trying to push us through Hormuz in a crooked way and put our lives in danger,” he said.
The crew “will not sail under dark conditions with communications switched off. No seafarer should risk death for owners’ profits or convenience,” the FSUI said, demanding immediate repatriation with full wages and dues.
The union also called on the Indian government to intervene. India’s foreign ministry or shipping ministry has not publicly commented on the matter so far. India has repeatedly condemned attacks on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz and said the safety of the seafaring community is a high priority.
Indian nationals make up around 12% of the global merchant shipping workforce, leaving them especially exposed to the risks of the conflict in the Middle East.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IzfnSkip next section NTA fires staff, seeks changes amid calls to be dissolved08/18/2026August 18, 2026
NTA fires staff, seeks changes amid calls to be dissolved
Facing a fresh wave of criticism over botched entrance exams, India’s National Testing Agency (NTA)sacked more staff and will undergo an audit in what could be one of the first steps toward widely called-for education reform.
The NTA will have to eventually submit a report to the education ministry on the corrective actions it has taken, India’s Education Ministry said in a statement.
The development came a day after the NTA canceled three national entrance exams it had already conducted because of substantial errors in the question papers. Those included factual errors, translation errors, misspelled names of key figures and a host of repeated questions from previous years. The agency said students would have to retake those exams in September.
The latest announcement served as a stark reminder of the canceled medical entrance exam in May after a question paper was leaked. The controversy set the stage for nationwide protests in July that led to the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Opposition leaders and prominent student bodies criticized the agency for its most recent failure and renewed calls for it to be dissolved.
In response, the NTA sacked additional staff members and began reviewing internal processes and protocols to help ensure future examinations are error-free.
On Monday, India’s newly appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi was was informed that ‘more than 50 staff have been removed from the NTA,’ the ministry said in a post on X..
“The minister directed that strict compliance be ensured of the established exam protocols and also directed that a Complete overhaul of Confidential Operations (CONOPS) architecture, secluded rooms, air-gapped systems, device-deposit protocols be implemented on war footing,” it said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IzRnSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/18/2026August 18, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Mahima Kapoor | Louis Oelofse Editor
Hello, and welcome to DW’s India news blog.
This is Mahima Kapoor reporting from New Delhi, where the air is heavy with humidity and the calls for reform are growing
“India’s National Testing Agency, which faced significant criticism over the recent NEET exam controversy, is looking to make changes after it botched another set of critical entrance exams. The agency will undergo an audit and implement reforms as critics call for it to be dissolved altogether.
Speaking of education and reform, student protesters in the eastern state of Jharkhand have proclaimed a victory after the state canceled key recruitment exams over alleged irregularities, a key demand of protesting students. At the same time, a new protest has emerged, led by those who were already in the recruitment process.
In other news, a national seafarers’ union said that Indian sailors on board a commercial vessel were being pressured to sail through the Strait of Hormuz despite dangers from the ongoing conflict.
Stay tuned for all of this and more!
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