Breaking News Live Updates, May 22: India-EU trade pact a tale of two giants in win-win situation: PM Modi

India successfully test-launches Agni-1 ballistic missile

India on Friday successfully test-fired short-range ballistic missile 'Agni-1' from the integrated test range at Odisha's Chandipur, the defence ministry said.

The launch validated all operational and technical parameters, it said.

"The test was carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command," the ministry said.

The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to 3,500 km and they have already been deployed.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi

Woman arrested for throwing child to death from speeding train in Jharkhand

A woman was arrested for allegedly throwing her child to death from a speeding train in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district, police said.

Further details are awaited.

SC modifies March 11 order against three academics in NCERT textbook row, leaves action to govt's independent decision

The Supreme Court on Friday modified its March 11 order that had directed the Centre, states and others to disassociate from three academics following a row over an NCERT book chapter containing "offending" contents on corruption in the judiciary.

The apex court left it open to the Centre, states, Union territories, public universities and institutions that receive government funds to take an independent decision on the issue, without being influenced by its observations made in the March 11 order.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi also recalled the part of the March 11 order that had recorded that the three academics — Professor Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar — had "deliberately and knowingly misrepresented the facts" to project a negative image of the Indian judiciary to Class 8 students.

The court observed that its comments were made in context of the contents and not the individuals.

The bench passed the order while hearing a plea moved by the three academics who explained that no individual had the sole say in the drafting of the content and it was a collective process.

On March 11, the court had directed the Centre and all states to disassociate from the three experts involved in drafting the controversial chapter and had imposed a "blanket ban" on further publication of the textbook, saying they had fired a "gunshot" and the judiciary was "bleeding."

Cyprus supports India's rightful place in reformed UN Security Council, says President Christodoulides

Cyprus supports India's growing global role, including its rightful place in a reformed United Nations Security Council, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday.

"I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate that Cyprus also supports India's growing global role, including its rightful place in reformed United Nations Security Council," Christodoulides said at a joint press meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He added that the two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to international law, the UN Charter, and effective multilateralism.

"We deeply value India's long-standing support for our efforts to reunify Cyprus, and I wanted to thank you for your steadfast support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Cyprus," he said.

Cyprus can serve as bridge between India and Europe, says President Christodoulides

Cyprus is uniquely positioned to serve as a trusted, stable and reliable bridge between India and Europe, as well as between the European Union, the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday.

"The European Union-India partnership is an integral part of the vision of the Cyprus presidency for a union that is more open to the world," Christodoulides said at a joint press meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He added that the two leaders continued their conversation on regional connectivity initiatives, including the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

India-EU free trade deal to create one of world's largest trade zones, says Cyprus President

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Friday welcomed the progress on the India-EU free trade agreement, stating that it will create one of the world's largest free trade zones in a market of 2 billion people.

"The progress on the milestone free trade agreement, creating one of the world's largest free trade zones in a market of 2 billion people, the Security and Defence Partnership, and the Joint Comprehensive Strategic Agenda sent a clear message — a message of confidence, ambition, and deeper cooperation across trade, security, technology, and global governance," Christodoulides said at a joint press meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"As the President of the Commission stated, this is a tale of two giants in partnership in a win-win fashion because cooperation between the world's two largest economies and democracies is the best asset to the global challenges we face," he added.

India, Cyprus elevate ties to strategic partnership; PM Modi says investments from Cyprus doubled in last decade

India and Cyprus have elevated their partnership to a strategic partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday while addressing a joint press meet with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

"Cyprus is one of India's top 10 investors. In the last decade, the investments from Cyprus in India have doubled. The India-EU FTA has opened up new opportunities. We aim to double this investment in the next 5 years," Modi said.

India, Cyprus to expand defence cooperation in cyber security, maritime security and counter-terrorism, says PM Modi

India and Cyprus have decided to expand cooperation in cyber security, maritime security and counter-terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced while addressing a joint press meet with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

"Our defence collaboration with Cyprus has also increased," Modi said.

India, Cyprus sign migration, social security agreements to strengthen ties, says PM Modi

India and Cyprus have formed a consensus on a migration and mobility agreement and a social security agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced while addressing a joint press meet with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

"We are also making agreements on higher studies and culture," Modi said.

India, Cyprus elevate ties to strategic partnership; PM Modi says investments from Cyprus doubled in last decade

India and Cyprus have elevated their partnership to a strategic partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced while addressing a joint press meet with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

"Cyprus is one of India's top 10 investors. In the last decade, the investments from Cyprus in India have doubled. The India-EU FTA has opened up new opportunities. We aim to double this investment in the next 5 years," Modi said.

Kamal Haasan backs PM Modi's energy conservation appeal, says 'moment calls for national spirit'

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Friday voiced support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to save energy amid the ongoing global crisis.

"India has overcome wars, shortages, and global crises before - through unity and shared sacrifice. This moment calls for the same national spirit again," Haasan posted on X.

US raises threat of military action against Cuba, Rubio calls island a national security threat

The United States has raised the threat of military action against Cuba, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters that the island nation poses a national security threat because of its ties to Russia and China.

President Donald Trump said US presidents have considered intervening in Cuba for decades, but that it looks like he will be "the one that does it," adding that he would be "happy" to do so.

The Trump administration has been ramping up pressure on the communist-led island, including a fuel blockade that has pushed the Cuban economy to the edge of collapse. The US has also indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro and gathered military forces in the Caribbean.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez responded by saying Rubio "lies once again to instigate a military aggression that would provoke the shedding of Cuban and American blood."

Bomb threat at Coimbatore District Collectorate; BDDS, K9 Unit arrive for security check

The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and K9 Unit have arrived at the Coimbatore District Collectorate after a bomb threat mail was received, officials said.

A security check is underway. More details are awaited.

Russia's FSB says it thwarted Ukrainian plot to attack energy facility, detains agent

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted "a terrorist attack" planned by a Ukrainian intelligence agent on an energy facility in the Krasnodar region, the RIA news agency reported, citing the FSB.

"A Ukrainian intelligence agent, a Russian citizen born in 2003, has been detained in the city of Novorossiysk," RIA reported.

Six people killed, four others injured in autorickshaw-bus collision in Odisha's Ganjam district: Police

Umar Khalid to be released on interim bail from June 1 to June 3 in view of his mother's surgery: HC

Two Indians have died while descending from Everest summit, say officials.

SC indicates interim bail likely for Delhi riots accused Tasleem Ahmed, Khalid Saifi; order expected Monday

The Supreme Court on Friday indicated that it may grant interim bail to Delhi riots accused Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi, with the order likely to come on Monday.

Further details are awaited.

Tiger kills four women collecting tendu leaves in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district

Four women were killed in a tiger attack while collecting tendu leaves in the Gunjevahi forest area of Sindewahi taluka in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district on Friday morning, officials said.

Fire breaks out at plastic waste plant in Gurugram's Sector 112 near Dwarka Expressway

A fire broke out at a plastic waste plant in Sector 112, near the Dwarka Expressway, officials said. Fire department teams are trying to control the blaze. Police and Civil Defence teams are present at the scene.

Further details are awaited.

Supreme Court grants bail to accused Suhail Ahmad Thokar, booked by NIA under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act

Delhi court defers order on charges in LARA money laundering case against Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi to June 9

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court has deferred the order on charges in the LARA projects money laundering case, listing the matter for June 9.

Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, and others are named as accused in the case.

Quad foreign ministers to meet in New Delhi on May 26

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong, Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US secretary of state Marco Rubio will undertake an official visit to New Delhi at the invitation of external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting on May 26.

The three ministers are also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

EC announces Rajya Sabha polls for 24 seats on June 18

The Election Commission on Friday announced polls for 24 Rajya Sabha seats on June 18.
In a statement, the EC said the elections for the Rajya Sabha seats will be held in 10 states where the incumbents are retiring on different dates beginning June 21 to July 19.

The Rajya Sabha elections will be held in four seats each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, three seats each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two seats in Jharkhand and one seat each in Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.

The last date for filing nominations is June 8.

Red alert issued as heatwave sweeps Uttar Pradesh; 10 districts on 'severe' warning

The Meteorological Centre in Lucknow has issued a red alert for 10 districts in the state, warning of "severe" to "very severe" heatwave conditions on Friday.

The red alert districts include Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Bhadohi and Jaunpur.

An orange alert has been sounded for 34 districts, including Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra. A yellow alert has been issued for 17 districts, including Lucknow, Barabanki and Ayodhya.

The MeT said maximum temperatures are likely to rise gradually by 2-3 degrees Celsius in eastern Uttar Pradesh over the next 48 hours.

Two vehicles gutted as fire breaks out in south Delhi's Sangam Vihar

A fire broke out in a parked car and soon spread to a truck standing next to it in south Delhi's Sangam Vihar on Friday, an official said.

No casualties have been reported. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

The incident took place on Bandh Road, where many vehicles are usually parked along the roadside. Both vehicles were gutted before firefighting teams reached the spot. Visuals from the area showed thick smoke billowing from the vehicles.

ED conducts searches at 9 premises in Kolkata, Murshidabad in Sona Pappu, Santanu Sinha Biswas case

The Enforcement Directorate is conducting searches at nine premises linked to the case of Sona Pappu and Santanu Sinha Biswas in Kolkata and Murshidabad, officials said.

The premises covered include those of Md Ali alias Max Raju, Saurav Adhikari (nephew of Santanu Sinha Biswas), and the Murshidabad premises of Santanu Sinha Biswas.

The searches are being conducted in pursuance of the findings unearthed during custodial interrogation of accused and other persons, officials added.

IUML leader AM Shahjahan and VCK leader Vanni Arasu will be inducted as Ministers in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet today

Chopped body of woman found in box on moving train in UP's Kushinagar, head missing

The chopped body parts of a woman were found inside a box kept in the S1 coach of the Chapra-Gomti Nagar Express train on May 17, police said.

On examining CCTV footage, police found that two men and a woman kept the box at Tamkuhi Road railway station.

SP GRP Lucknow Rohit Mishra said a man identified as Ansari revealed that the body was that of his daughter. He stated that his daughter used to speak to a boy against his wishes, and due to this reason, he committed the crime.

The weapons used in the crime have been recovered. The head of the deceased is yet to be found. The accused are being sent to jail.

Main accused in Berhampur assault case arrested after encounter, shot 4 times

The main accused in the Giriroad assault case on youth Umesh Rath and his friend was apprehended by Berhampur Police following an encounter, officials said.

The accused, identified as Muftes Sahu alias Mukesh, sustained four bullet injuries during the operation. He was admitted in critical condition to MKCG Medical College and Hospital and is currently undergoing treatment in the ICU.

Notorious criminal shot in leg during encounter in Bihar's Jehanabad, arrested

A notorious criminal wanted in a murder case was shot in the leg during an encounter with police in Jehanabad and arrested, officials said.

SP Aparajit Lohan said accused Bikku Singh had been arrested in connection with the murder of Deepak Kumar that took place two days ago. Based on his disclosure, police took him near a canal close to Dhuriyari village to recover the weapon.

During the operation, Singh allegedly opened fire at the police and tried to escape. In retaliatory action, he sustained a bullet injury in his left leg.

He is currently undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital under tight security. Further action is being taken.

Massive fire destroys several shops in Hardoi; no casualty.

Private sleeper bus collides with tanker on Agra-Lucknow Expressway, catches fire; driver, conductor dead, two dozen injured

A private sleeper bus travelling from Kanpur to Gurugram collided with a tanker near pillar number 46 on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in the Matsena police station area of Firozabad, officials said.

The impact was so severe that the bus caught fire. The bus driver and conductor died in the accident, while around two dozen passengers were injured.

City Magistrate Vinod Kumar Pandey said about 15-20 people were injured. Five have been admitted to the Trauma Centre, while others have been referred to Shikohabad and Saifai.

At least 19 killed in massacre at palm farm in northern Honduras

At least 19 people were killed at a palm plantation in northern Honduras, authorities said Thursday, in one of the deadliest attacks in the Central American nation in recent years.

The killings took place overnight in Rigores, in the restive Bajo Aguan region, where rival gangs have fought for control over palm plantations and drug trafficking routes.

Security Minister Gerzon Velasquez described the scene as "Dante-esque," with bodies scattered across the vast plantation, apparently executed with high-caliber weapons including rifles and shotguns.

The attack comes shortly after Honduras's legislature approved reforms authorizing the military to participate in public security tasks and creating a new anti-organized crime unit, with provisions to classify gangs and drug cartels as terrorist groups.

In a separate incident Thursday near the border with Guatemala, four police officers and a civilian died in a shootout when an elite anti-gang squad attempted to enter a home belonging to suspected narcotraffickers.

Trump rolls back Biden-era restrictions on greenhouse gases

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the easing of restrictions on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a group of potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners.

Trump criticised the regulations introduced under former president Joe Biden, calling them “ridiculous”, unnecessary and expensive.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he was “officially terminating the Biden administration’s ridiculous regulations imposing costly requirements on refrigerators and air conditioners”.

He argued that the rollback would help reduce costs for American consumers and claimed the rules made cooling equipment less effective.

Russia, Belarus conclude joint nuclear drills amid Ukraine war tensions

Russia and neighbouring Belarus carried out the final stage of their joint nuclear drills on Thursday, with missile convoys moving through forest roads, nuclear-powered submarines departing Arctic and Pacific ports, and military crews mobilising strategic warplanes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the exercises in a video call with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

“The use of nuclear weapons is an extreme, exceptional measure for ensuring the national security of our states,” Putin said.

Earlier, Lukashenko inspected Russian Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads and said, “I dreamed about this machine a long time ago.”

The three-day drills, which began on Tuesday, come amid an increase in Ukrainian drone attacks, including strikes near Moscow that killed three people and damaged buildings and industrial facilities.

The exercises involve a broad range of Russia’s nuclear capabilities and come as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year.

Punjab man arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan using CCTV camera

A man from Punjab’s Pathankot district has been arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan-based handlers, police said on Thursday.

According to investigators, Baljit Singh, a resident of Chakk Dhariwal village, allegedly installed an internet-enabled CCTV camera at a shop near a bridge on National Highway-44 to monitor the movement of army and paramilitary personnel.

Police said the live footage was being transmitted to handlers based in Pakistan.

During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to installing the camera on the Pathankot-Jammu highway in January. Investigators also claimed he was receiving instructions from an unidentified person based in Dubai and had been paid Rs 40,000.

The CCTV camera has been recovered from his possession, police added.

Two killed, one injured in firing incident in Maharashtra’s Ulhasnagar

Two people were shot dead and another critically injured after unidentified attackers opened fire in Maharashtra’s Ulhasnagar township in Thane district on Thursday night, police said.

The incident occurred around 8.30pm in Kailash Colony, sparking panic among local residents.

According to the Ulhasnagar police control room, the assailants allegedly fired around 15 rounds before fleeing the scene.

Police said two victims died on the spot from multiple gunshot wounds, while a third person sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a hospital in Thane for emergency treatment.

The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination, officials added.

India-US trade agreement may be finalised within months, says envoy Gor

The United States is optimistic about finalising a proposed bilateral trade agreement with India in the coming months, US Ambassador Sergio Gor said on Thursday.

Speaking at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce, Gor said the agreement is expected to expand market access, reduce trade barriers and provide greater certainty for businesses in both countries.

He added that the proposed deal would strengthen supply chains, encourage fresh investments and support sustained inclusive economic growth.

Referring to India’s free trade agreement negotiations with the European Union, which took nearly 19 years, Gor said the India-US trade pact could be concluded within about one-and-a-half years from the start of negotiations.

US President Donald Trump aims to promote bilateral trade in a way that creates new opportunities for American businesses and workers, the envoy added.

Drunk SUV driver crashes into car in west Delhi, three injured

Three people were injured after an allegedly drunk driver rammed his SUV into another vehicle in west Delhi’s Moti Nagar area early on Thursday, police said.

The crash occurred around 3.15am on Shivaji Road when a black Scorpio SUV with a Haryana registration allegedly broke through the central verge grill and collided with a Delhi-registered car, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar.

The injured victims were identified as Harbir Singh, Gurdeep Singh and Sukhvinder Singh.

Police said a case has been registered at Moti Nagar police station under sections related to rash driving and endangering public safety under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

During the investigation, officers identified the SUV driver as 22-year-old Kanishk Yadav, a resident of Khyala village, along with three associates — Aryan Malik, Priyansh Lamba and Jagdish. Police said all four were found to be under the influence of alcohol after medical examination.