Three months after the United States and Israel staged an attack on Iran, a US blockade and Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz have created a deadlock, with neither side bending, economic pain deepening and the risk of ​renewed war rising.A growing concern among policymakers is not whether a deal is near, but how ...more

In a historic political shift, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on the verge of forming its first-ever government in West Bengal. As of Monday afternoon (May 4, 2026), counting trends show the BJP leading in 194 seats, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 148 in the 294-seat assembly. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing ...more

Vote counting is in progress across 293 constituencies in the 2026 Assembly elections covering five Indian regions West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.Across the country, 823 seats are being contested in what is expected to reshape India’s political balance.West Bengal trendIn West Bengal, early counting trends show the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) moving ...more

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says the country will boost ties with Vietnam, with a focus on energy and critical minerals.Takaichi met her Vietnamese counterpart, Le Minh Hung, on Saturday in Hanoi, where they signed six agreements on issues ranging from infrastructure to agriculture to space cooperation.“The two sides identified economic security as a new ...more

President Donald Trump has sparked a constitutional firestorm by dismissing the need for congressional authorization to continue military operations against Iran, claiming the 1973 War Powers Resolution is "totally unconstitutional."As a critical 60-day deadline expired this past Friday, the administration argued that the clock has effectively "paused" due to a fragile ceasefire. However, legal experts ...more

It is not clear when exactly the call with Bartiromo took place. It was also not immediately clear what time Trump was referring to. Trump has warned that if a deal is not signed, he will blow up every power plant and bridge in Iran.Although Iran has not yet announced any decision on signing the ...more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday told a German broadcaster that US peace negotiators "have no time for Ukraine" because of the war in Iran, and bemoaned disruptions of deliveries of US arms.Zelensky told public broadcaster ZDF that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have helped broker talks with Moscow on ending Russia's war on ...more

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has cut down his cabinet and brought in new ministers, the government said on Wednesday, following his party's humiliating defeat at local polls.Muizzu introduced four new faces into a cabinet trimmed to 15 members from the previous 20. Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel was replaced by the Maldives High Commissioner in London, ...more

The death toll from a boiler blast at a power plant in central India has risen to 19, a police officer said on Wednesday, noting 17 others were injured.The explosion occurred Tuesday at a facility operated by Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of London-listed Vedanta Resources, in Chhattisgarh state's Sakti district."The death toll in the power ...more

Direct talks between Israel and Lebanon concluded in Washington on Tuesday, with Israel's envoy hailing a "wonderful exchange" and saying the two countries are "on the same side" in opposing Iran-backed Hezbollah."We enjoyed it together. We had a wonderful exchange of over two hours," Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter told reporters following the talks."We discovered today ...more