FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Monday, 18 May 2026 SPORTS EDITORIAL NATION NORTH-EAST RCB seal playoff berth with 23-run victory against Punjab Kings VD Satheesan to take oath as new Kerala CM today The unfinished afterlife of identity politics in Assam Page 12 Imperial signals Page 6 Page 4 BRIEFLY Indian killed in Ukrainian drone strike in Moscow: New Delhi: An Indian worker was among four killed as Ukraine launched one of its largest drone strikes on Russia on Sunday, the Indian Embassy in Moscow said. While one Indian worker was killed in the drone attack, three others sustained injuries in the attack in Moscow. The identity of the deceased or those injured in the overnight drone attack is not yet known. “One Indian worker has lost his life and three others have been injured in a drone attack in Moscow region earlier today. Embassy officials have visited the location and met the injured workers in the hospital,” the Indian Embassy said on social media. “The Embassy condoles the loss of life and is working with the company management and local authorities to provide necessary assistance to the workers,” the post read. Page 11 India, Netherlands elevate ties to strategic partnership STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 May P rime Minister Narendra Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten have unveiled an expansive five-year roadmap to elevate India-Netherlands relations into a full-fledged Strategic Partnership, signalling a major deepening of cooperation across semiconductors, critical minerals, defence, clean energy, maritime connectivity, water management, healthcare, education, and emerging technologies. The “Roadmap of India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership 2026-2030,” adopted on Saturday (Netherlands time) during Mr Modi’s visit to The Hague, lays out time-bound initiatives and institutional mechanisms aimed at transforming bilateral engagement into a comprehensive strategic framework at a time of shifting global supply chains and growing geopolitical focus on resilient economic and technological partnerships. The roadmap institutionalises annual reviews by the two countries’ foreign ministers and calls for regular high-level political engagement between heads of government, cabinet ministers, and senior officials. Both countries also agreed to intensify coordination across ministries to expand cooperation in sectors identified as strategically important. A major focus of the partnership is economic cooperation and technology collaboration, particularly in semiconductors and high-tech manufacturing. In one of the most significant announcements of the visit, India’s Tata Electronics and Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML signed an agreement to support India’s first front-end semiconductor fabrication facility in Dholera, Gujarat. The two sides described the semiconductor partnership as central to building “trusted and resilient supply chains” and pledged to strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence, photonics, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, and advanced electronics. The roadmap also seeks to connect the Dutch Semicon Competence Centre with the Indian Semiconductor Mission to support industries, startups, SMEs, and suppliers through talent development and research collaboration. PM Modi, while interacting with leading Dutch business executives alongside Mr Jetten, welcomed the growing interest of Dutch firms in India’s economic expansion and manufacturing ambitions. “We are very happy that companies like ASML, NXP and Philips are creating world-leading solutions with Indian talent,” Mr Modi said, according to official statements released after the meeting. The roadmap reflects a wider strategic effort by both nations to diversify global value chains amid rising geopolitical uncertainty. India and the Netherlands agreed to deepen cooperation in critical minerals through a dedicated memorandum of understanding covering exploration, research, supply chain resilience, recycling, ESG standards, and industrial collaboration. The two countries also committed themselves to expanding bilateral trade and investment through the Joint Trade and Investment Committee while encouraging business forums, industrial partnerships, technology collaboration, and SME participation. Sectors identified for priority cooperation include renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, medtech, agriculture, infrastructure, telecommunications, urban development, chemicals, textiles, and metals. • More reports: Page 5 PM arrives in Sweden; focus on trade, green transition, strategic tech cooperation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 May Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden on Sunday for a two-day official visit, marking the third leg of his ongoing five-nation tour across Europe and the Gulf region after concluding his engagements in the Netherlands. The visit, undertaken at the invitation of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, is expected to further strengthen India-Sweden ties with a strong focus on trade, green transition, innovation, advanced technologies and strategic cooperation amid rapidly evolving global economic and geopolitical dynamics. “Landed in Gothenburg, Sweden. I will be meeting PM Kristersson with the aim of advancing the India-Sweden friendship in trade, investments, innovation, defence and more,” Mr Modi said in a post on social media platform X. “With PM Kristersson and President of the European Commission, Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, I will be meeting European business leaders at the European Business Round Table for Industry. This will also deepen investment linkages between India and Europe,” he added. In a separate post on X, he also thanked PM Ulf Kristersson for receiving him at the airport. “I’m grateful to Prime Minister Kristersson for the special gesture of coming to receive me at Gothenburg airport. Looking forward to boosting India-Sweden friendship in this important visit,” Modi said. The PM’s visit came at a time when India is intensifying engagement with European partners to diversify supply chains, accelerate clean energy collaboration and deepen technological partnerships. Mr Modi’s Sweden trip also assumes significance as it is his first visit to Europe since the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement came into effect in January 2026, opening new avenues for trade and investment cooperation between India and European economies.