Congress offers support to TVK but with a condition

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) reached out to the Congress and the CPI(M) — constituents of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance — seeking support to form the government in Tamil Nadu, after the party emerged as the single largest in the Assembly with 108 seats, short of a simple majority in the 234-member House. The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), after an online meeting with office-bearers, said it would extend support to the TVK subject to the condition that they should not seek the support of the lone BJP MLA-designate or any other alliance partners of the BJP. The Congress won five seats in the election.

Trump says pausing Hormuz operation in push for Iran deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) he was halting the U.S. military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after just one day in a bid to reach a deal with Iran to end the West Asia war. Mr. Trump’s so-called “Project Freedom” to help vessels leave the Strait of Hormuz began on Monday (May 4, 2026). But the U.S. leader said on Truth Social that he was now pausing it after a request by mediator Pakistan and other countries, saying that “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement” with Tehran. “We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom... will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalised and signed,” Mr. Trump said.

Manipur’s Zomi leaders to take late BJP MLA Valte’s body to Delhi, protest outside party office

Members of the Zomi community in Manipur are planning to bring the body of the late Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vungzagin Valte to the national capital to stage a protest outside the BJP headquarters. Valte had been physically assaulted by a mob in Imphal on May 4, 2023, resulting in paralysis, and died on February 21, 2026 in a hospital in Haryana’s Gurugram. His body is being preserved at the mortuary of the Churachandpur district hospital in Manipur.

Stalin accorded rousing reception in Kolathur

DMK president and outgoing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin received a rousing reception on Tuesday (May 5, 2026), when he visited the Kolathur constituency to thank voters. Mr. Stalin, who had advised party candidates to visit their constituencies to meet and thank voters, set an example by visiting Kolathur, where he lost to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate V.S. Babu, a former DMK leader and district secretary.`

Will strengthen INDIA bloc, says Mamata after Bengal election debacle

A day after her party suffered a humiliating defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) said that several leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Sonia Gandhi, reached out to her and added that she will work to “strengthen” the Opposition alliance. “Thankful to all INDIA bloc leaders. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh (Yadav), Hemant Soren, and Tejaswi (Yadav), leaders, called me. Akhilesh will come to meet me tomorrow. Now my target is clear. I am a free bird; I have made it clear what I will do with other INDIA bloc leaders. I will strengthen the INDIA bloc,” she said at a press conference at her residence.

Bombay High Court grants bail to Surendra Gadling in prison since 2018 in Elgar Parishad case

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to lawyer-activist Surendra Gadling, who has been in prison since June 6, 2018, in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case. The High Court found the period of incarceration and the possibility of the trial not commencing in the near future to be factors in his favour. Mr. Gadling, the last among the 16 accused in the 2017 case, will continue to be behind bars as his bail application in a separate 2016 arson case is pending before the Supreme Court.

Cabinet approves four more judges for Supreme Court

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) approved an increase in the number of judges of the Supreme Court from 34, which includes the Chief Justice of India, to a total of 38. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the top court currently has a sanctioned strength of 33 judges, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). A Bill would be brought in the next session of Parliament to raise this strength by four.

Consider Teesta water-sharing deal under ‘current circumstances’: Bangladesh FM post-BJP's Bengal win

In the wake of the BJP’s victory in the West Bengal Assembly election, Bangladesh has issued an urgent call to consider the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement under the “current circumstances.” Outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has long been seen as a hurdle in efforts to resolve the Teesta waters dispute between India and Bangladesh. In Dhaka’s first high-level response to the poll results in West Bengal, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) reiterated Bangladesh’s demand for a greater share of the Teesta’s waters. In case of any further “push in” from the Indian side, he said, Bangladesh will take “whatever measures are necessary”.

Israeli court extends Gaza flotilla activists’ detention by six days

An Israeli court on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) extended the detention of two foreign activists taken from a Gaza-bound flotilla by six days, a lawyer representing them said. Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the southern city of Ashkelon for their second hearing, after being brought to Israel for questioning last week.

Pakistan court declares PM Shehbaz’s daughter and her husband ‘innocent’ in corruption case

A Pakistani court has declared the daughter of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and her husband “innocent” and absolved them of all charges in a mega corruption and money laundering case in just “one hearing”. The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) told the Anti-Corruption Court on Monday (May 4, 2026) that the PM's daughter Rabia Imran and her husband Ali Imran Yousaf are not found involved in the Punjab Saaf Pani Company corruption and money laundering case, as no evidence is available against them.

Government specifies 12-week limit to process FDI applications under new rules

In a bid to expedite and bring transparency to foreign direct investments (FDI) coming into the country, the Ministry of Commerce has issued an updated Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document laying out the timeline and guidelines for processing investment applications by foreign companies. Apart from specifying heightened scrutiny by mandating approvals from the Ministry of Home Affairs on investments in sensitive sectors and from particular countries, the document also sets a maximum limit of 12 weeks for the processing of applications. Large investments would first have to be cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

IPL 2026: Samson’s sublime knock wins it for Super Kings

In years gone by, Chennai Super Kings’ tried-and-tested template for success manifested itself majestically on slow and sluggish surfaces. The IPL 2026 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, where chants of ‘CSK, CSK’ reverberated all along, was a throwback to that style. The five-time champion kept Delhi Capitals down to 155 for seven on a tricky strip before the batters in yellow adopted a measured approach to knock off the target in 17.3 overs with eight wickets in hand.