US and Iran Sign 14-Point Deal; Rajya Sabha Polls Begin in 10 States
The United States and Iran have signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ending hostilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement, signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, requires Iran to dilute its enriched uranium stockpile in exchange for a waiver on US sanctions. A senior US official confirmed the deal is now in effect, though the timeline for normalising shipping through the strait remains unclear. At the G7 summit in France, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that the Global South cannot bear the economic burden of the war alone and called for financial support.
In India, voting has commenced for 24 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states, along with by-elections for one seat each in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The seats fall vacant through June and July as incumbents' terms end, including those of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda from Karnataka. The contest covers four seats in Andhra Pradesh, five in Gujarat, four in Karnataka, three in Madhya Pradesh, two in Jharkhand, and one each in Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.
In West Bengal, the security cover of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was withdrawn late at night, prompting the Trinamool Congress to allege a 'calculated move'. The party pointed fingers at BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari amid ongoing political turbulence in the state. Meanwhile, the political slugfest intensified as the BJP invoked 'Ram Rajya' after TMC leaders were paraded following their arrest, a remark that drew disapproval from the court overseeing the matter.
The Bombay High Court upheld the sacking of a driver, Nitin Jaywant Mhatre, for making insulting remarks against Koli fisherwomen. Justice Sandeep V Marne set aside a 2021 Industrial Court order that had reinstated the driver with back wages, restoring a Labour Court judgment that originally upheld the firing. The High Court emphasised that the driver's abusive conduct, occurring in the presence of those he was employed to support, was unpardonable.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court lifted an interim stay on an arrest warrant against TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee. The warrant was issued in a defamation case filed by former Indore MLA Akash Vijayvargiya, who alleged that Banerjee called him a 'goon' during a rally in November 2020. Banerjee is also facing investigation in an alleged money laundering case linked to the West Bengal teachers' recruitment scam.
In sports, Cristiano Ronaldo faced scrutiny after Portugal's 1-1 draw with Congo, though he insisted the team lacked nothing. Lionel Messi's hat-trick sparked spontaneous celebrations near Times Square in New York.
