India

Cabinet Extends Agniveer Service, Iran Relaxes Hormuz Rules, US Congress Switched Hands

By HT News Desk

The Union cabinet has approved a two‑year extension for Agniveers, allowing them to remain in service beyond their initial four‑year term and to apply for absorption into the armed forces after the extension. Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani announced the decision on Wednesday.

Iran has exempted merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from restrictions on using the Strait of Hormuz. The move is intended to facilitate the procurement of medicines from India, according to an influential Iranian lawmaker. The deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee said ships from the four countries can “pass freely”.

In the United States, Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives from Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections, a shift that has cost President Donald Trump a narrow majority in Congress.

Sports: Virat Kohli became the first player to score 13,000 ODI runs at number three when India beat New Zealand in the first ODI at Eden Park.

Crime: A 30‑year‑old IT engineer from Bengaluru was arrested by the Mumbai police crime branch for sending extortion and threat messages to actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Tusshar Kapoor. The police said the accused sought quick money by exploiting recent threats and firing incidents linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The article is sourced from the Hindustan Times News Desk, which reports on politics, economics, science, technology, environment, law and order, infrastructure, education, climate, and geopolitics, among other subjects.