India, U.S. looking at firming up trade deal soon

India and the U.S. are poised to soon firm up the much-awaited trade agreement that will be both “beneficial” and “sustainable” and will advance the mutual interests of both nations, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday (May 24, 2026) while asserting that the overall bilateral ties are set to witness an upward trajectory. “We’ve made tremendous progress, and I think we’re going to wind up with a trade agreement between the U.S. and India that is going to be enduring and is going to be beneficial to both sides and sustainable in a way that addresses national interests that we have,” Mr. Rubio said at a joint media briefing with Mr. Jaishankar.

BJP’s Debangshu Panda wins Bengal’s Falta Assembly seat by over 1.09 lakh votes

BJP candidate Debangshu Panda won the Falta Assembly seat on Sunday (May 24, 2026) by a 1.09 lakh votes, breaching the stronghold of the Trinamool Congress, whose nominee Jahangir Khan slipped to fourth position. Mr. Panda secured 1,49,666 votes, while CPI(M)’s Sambhu Nath Kurmi came second with 40,645 votes cast in his favour. Congress candidate Abdur Razzak Molla stood third with 10,084 votes. The repoll was conducted on May 21 in all 285 booths under heavy central force deployment after the Election Commission ordered fresh voting following allegations of large-scale irregularities during the April 29 polling.

U.S., Iran seek to finalise ‘largely negotiated’ deal to end war

The United States and Iran sought on Sunday (May 24, 2026) to finalise an agreement to formally end the war in West Asia after President Donald Trump said a proposal that included opening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz was “largely negotiated”. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an announcement was possible later on Sunday (May 24, 2026) on a deal with Iran that could formally end the war. “I do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news,” Mr. Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.

Congress will not rest till Education Minister Pradhan resigns: Rahul Gandhi on NEET paper leak row

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (May 24, 2026) said his party will not rest until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns and a foolproof system is put in place to prevent paper leaks like in NEET. He shared a video of students protesting in Hyderabad, highlighting the NEET paper leak and demanding Mr. Pradhan’s resignation. They also raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Pradhan. “When millions of youth are on the streets, the future of 22 lakh children is at stake and the PM remains silent, then the government is not focused on responding but is busy evading,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

Rahul Gandhi trying to create ‘anarchy’ to topple Modi Government: BJP

The BJP on Sunday (May 24, 2026) accused the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of being part of a “conspiracy”, along with various other Opposition parties and the “Toolkit Gang”, to spread anarchy and destabilise the country. In a post on X, Union Minister Piyush Goyal quoted a news report claiming that Mr. Gandhi, at a Congress minority advisory committee meeting on Saturday (May 23), purportedly said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government would fall within a year owing to a “growing economic discontent”.

Government expands verification of CNG, LNG, Hydrogen dispensers with new fees

In a bid to improve efficiency and support the growing adoption of cleaner fuels across the country, the government on Sunday (May 24, 2026) said it has amended the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013, to further strengthen India’s legal metrology ecosystem and expand the country’s verification infrastructure for weights and measures. A key feature of the amendment is the expansion of the scope of government-approved test centres (GATCs) to include verification and re-verification of additional fuel dispensing systems. The move is expected to enhance the availability of verification services.

Twisha Sharma cremated in Bhopal after second autopsy

Former model-turned-actor Twisha Sharma, a Noida woman who died at her marital home in Bhopal on May 12 due to alleged dowry harassment, was cremated on Sunday (May 24, 2026) after a team of doctors from AIIMS Delhi completed the second postmortem of her body. Emotional scenes unfolded at Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat in Bhopal, where the last rites were performed after 5 p.m. Twisha’s mother and other members of the family were inconsolable as the funeral pyre was lit after performing rituals.

CBSE to issue refunds to students overcharged due to glitches in class 12 post-result process

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday (May 24, 2026) said it will issue refunds to students who were overcharged during the class 12 post-result process due to technical issues. This comes a day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan sought a detailed report from the CBSE over complaints of technical glitches faced by students during the re-evaluation process. In a notice, the CBSE said that on May 21 and 22, certain technical issues led to incorrect fee deductions in some cases while students were applying for scanned copies of evaluated answer books, it said.

‘Every country in world has stupid people’: Rubio on racist remarks against Indians in U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Sunday (May 24, 2026), described the United States as a “welcoming country” and termed the racist comments made against Indians as the actions of “stupid” people. Addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi, Mr. Rubio stated that he takes such comments very seriously. On being asked about racist remarks against Indians in the U.S., he responded: “I don’t know how to address that, but I’ll take that very seriously about the comments. Look, I’m sure that there are people who have made comments online and other places because every country in the world has stupid people. I’m sure there are stupid people here. There are stupid people in the United States who make dumb comments all the time.”

‘Attempt to distort realities’: Iranian Embassy in India rejects Rubio’s remarks over Tehran’s nuclear programme

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India on Sunday (May 24, 2026) rejected the recent remarks made by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and emphasised that such allegations constitute a clear attempt to distort the realities of the region and to deflect attention from destabilising policies of the U.S. and the Zionist regime. The statement was issued by Iran’s Embassy in India in response to Mr. Rubio’s remarks on talks with Iran.

India issues advisory against non-essential travel to Congo, Uganda and South Sudan amid Ebola outbreak

The Indian government has advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan in view of the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa. The Ministry of Health’s advisory, issued on Saturday (May 23, 2026), follows the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the Ebola outbreak in central Africa a “global public health emergency”. As of Saturday (May 23, 2026), the total reported death toll from the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has risen to 216. The total number of cases, including suspected and confirmed, stands at 968.

China lowers death toll in Shanxi coal mine disaster to 82

The chaos in the aftermath of China’s worst mine disaster in 17 years led ​to a revision in the death toll to 82 killed, local ‌officials said at a press conference. The people died in a gas explosion ⁠at the Liushenyu coal mine in China’s northern province of Shanxi late on Friday (May 22, 2026). Initially state media reports said at least ‌90 people were killed. Even at the lower number, the incident remains China’s deadliest mining accident ‌since 2009, when a gas explosion at the ‌Xinxing Mine ⁠in Heilongjiang province killed 108 people.

24 killed, many injured in blast near railway track in Pakistan’s Balochistan

At least 24 people were killed on Sunday (May 24, 2026) in a blast targeting a train carrying military personnel in Pakistan’s turbulent southwestern province of Balochistan, a senior official said. A train suffered partial damage in the blast, while 10 vehicles parked in the area were also damaged, police said. The impact of the explosion shattered the windows and glass panels of nearby buildings, Geo News reported. At least 20 people sustained injuries in the blast, rescue officials said.