Live | US seizes Iranian-flagged vessel; Iran vows swift response

TVK backs independent candidate in Edappadi constituency

Ahead of the April 23 assembly elections, actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK has officially extended its support to an independent candidate in the high-profile Edappadi constituency.

In a statement posted on social media platform X on Sunday, the TVK chief urged voters in the Salem district constituency to back K Premakumar, a former administrator of the actor’s fan club.

Vijay described Premakumar as "our own brother" and confirmed that the party has unanimously decided to support his candidacy.

Premakumar, contesting under the "television box" symbol, is being positioned as the TVK’s "candidate in spirit".

Vijay’s message carried a sharp political undertone, calling on supporters to ensure a victory that serves as a "right lesson" to those who allegedly tried to suppress the party’s symbol through "crooked means".

The nomination of the TVK candidate for the constituency, Arun Kumar, was rejected by the Election Commission on technical grounds.

The Edappadi Assembly constituency, a Vanniayar-dominated belt, is a traditional stronghold of AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. 

Ahead of US-Iran talks, Pak authorities take stringent security measures

Despite no official announcement about a second round of talks between the US and Iran, Pakistani authorities have begun taking stringent security measures for the safety of foreign delegates.

The US and Iran held rare direct talks in Pakistan on April 11 and 12 aimed at ending their conflict, but the talks ended without any agreement.

Pakistan re-launched its diplomatic efforts to facilitate another round of talks in Islamabad for a final agreement to end the war between Washington and Tehran.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye while Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir spent three days in Iran to create a consensus on contentious issues.

More than 10,000 police personnel have been deployed and over 600 checkpoints have been established across Rawalpindi, the sprawling city adjacent to Islamabad, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.

The security protocol is also being implemented in the capital city ahead of the possible talks.

Authorities have announced that from Sunday midnight, several sensitive areas surrounding Nur Khan Airbase and Islamabad International Airport will be sealed.

The Nur Khan Airbase is located in Rawalpindi while the Islamabad International Airport falls in the territorial jurisdiction of Attock district of Punjab but the passengers have to pass through the Rawalpindi district area to reach Islamabad.

Hence mega security arrangements in Rawalpindi make sense and authorities are not taking any chances after US President Donald Trump said he may visit Pakistan for the signing of the agreement with Iran.

PM's address violated Model Code of Conduct: CPI MP alleges in letter to CEC

CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) through his recent address to the nation, and sought immediate intervention by the poll panel.

In a letter dated April 19, Kumar said the prime minister's address, delivered at a time when the MCC is in force in five states, was "political in nature" and contained "partisan assertions" and "selective narratives" aimed at influencing public opinion on an issue under active political contestation.

He further said the broadcast of the address on public platforms such as Doordarshan and Sansad TV amounted to misuse of state resources.

"The use of publicly funded platforms for what is essentially a political speech constitutes a grave breach of electoral norms," Kumar said.

The CPI leader argued that such actions undermine the level playing field that the poll body is mandated to ensure during elections. He cautioned that failure to act could erode public confidence in the impartiality of the commission and signal "institutional complicity".

Kumar urged the commission to take "prompt and sincere action", initiate an inquiry into the matter, and ensure accountability to preserve the sanctity of the electoral process.

EC adds around 7 lakh new voters ahead of polls in West Bengal

Around seven lakh new voters have been added to the West Bengal electoral rolls ahead of the assembly polls, with the EC yet to disclose the age or gender break-up of this additional electorate, officials said.

Around 3.22 lakh of these new electors will vote in the first phase, while the remaining nearly 3.88 lakh voters will exercise their franchise in the second phase, a senior official of the poll body said on Saturday.

The commission, however, has not specified how many among these new entrants are first-time voters who have just turned 18, nor has it given a detailed gender break up of these voters.

The commission has also not disclosed the number of Form-6 applications received for inclusion in the rolls or how many of them were rejected.

"The aggregate figures have been released in line with norms. Detailed data is maintained separately and may be shared later if required," the senior EC official said.

The total electorate in the state now stands at 6,82,51,008, which may increase if names are added following tribunal orders, the EC said. 

Iran says progress made in US peace talks but final deal still far as truce nears end

Iran has said that there has been "progress" in peace talks with the United States, but a final deal remained "far" off, with the two-week ceasefire set to end on Wednesday.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address on Saturday that "there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain."

"We are still far from the final discussion," said Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation during the first round of talks in Pakistan last Saturday.

He also said that Iran had been "victorious in the field" during weeks of war and had only agreed to a temporary truce with Washington because its demands had been met. "If we accepted the ceasefire, it was because they accepted our demands," he said, referring to the United States.

Ghalibaf said the US had not achieved its goals and Iran controlled the strategic Strait of Hormuz maritime transit route. “The enemy's every effort was to impose its demands on us and it is important that we register our rights, so this is where negotiation is a method of struggle,” he said.

Ghalibaf and his delegation held closed-door talks in Islamabad with US Vice President JD Vance on April 11, in the highest-level Iran-US contacts since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The negotiations did not result in a final deal.

Meanwhile, Iran's deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has said that no date has been set for the next round of negotiations with the US.

Pope Leo XIV says not interested in debating Trump, reaffirms peace message

Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate US President Donald Trump about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace. He spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola.

He addressed the spiralling back-and-forth saga of Trump's critiques of his peace message, which have dominated news headlines this week. But the American pope also sought to set the record straight, insisting that his preaching isn't directed at Trump, but reflects the broader Gospel message of peace.

“There's been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself,” he said. 

Hezbollah leader dismisses ceasefire paper published by US

Naim Kassem, head of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, in a statement read on the group's al-Manar TV said a paper published by the US State Department that it described as the text of a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel “means nothing at the practical level, but it is an insult to our country”.

“Everyone knows that the government of Lebanon has not met or approved this statement,” he said.

The text published by the US described the 10-day truce as a gesture by Israel “to enable good-faith negotiations” toward a permanent peace agreement with Lebanon.

The text gives Israel the “right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”. It does not mention any similar right for Lebanon or Hezbollah.

Kassem said the truce should entail “a complete cessation of all hostilities” and that Hezbollah “will respond to enemy violations”. 

US 'plans' global seizure of Iran-linked vessels amid escalation over Strait of Hormuz

The US is reportedly planning to board and seize vessels linked to Iran in international waters in the coming days. The move, if implemented, would let the US navy expand its blockade beyond the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal said in a report on Saturday.

Citing unnamed US officials, the publication said that the move aims to put economic pressure on Iran and to force open the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil transit, central to the ongoing negotiations.

The WSJ report further said that expanding the campaign against Iran would let the US “take control of Iran-linked vessels around the world”, including those outside the Persian Gulf.

Earlier, General Dan Cane, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a media interaction that the US had so far not had to board any ships. The US will enforce the blockade “inside Iran’s territorial seas and in international waters,” Caine said, as quoted in a Bloomberg report on Friday.

He reportedly also said US-led forces in the Pacific Ocean will also “actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran.”

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the key sticking points in the ongoing Iran-US negotiations. Iran recently announced its closure citing the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, a development that came as a big setback with just days left for the shaky ceasefire between both countries to expire.

Trump warns Iran against ‘blackmail’ over Strait of Hormuz as tensions rise

US President Donald Trump warned Iran not to "blackmail" the United States with its flip-flopping on the fate of the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran declared the strategic waterway once again closed.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said, "We're talking to them. They wanted to close up the strait again -- you know, as they've been doing for years -- and they can't blackmail us."

However, Trump also showed optimism about a deal with Iran and said, "They [Iran] got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years".

"It's going actually along very well, and we'll see, but we'll have some information by the end of the day", he said.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the country was reviewing "new proposals" received from the United States, even as it warned that its negotiators would cut no compromises with Washington.

“In recent days, with the presence of the commander of the Pakistani army in Tehran as an intermediary and mediator in the negotiations, new proposals have been put forward by the Americans, which the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently reviewing and has not yet responded to,” the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

It went on to say that Iran's negotiating delegation "will not make even the slightest compromise, retreat or leniency, and will defend with all its strength the interests of the Iranian nation".

Pakistan pushes for progress toward a new deal

The renewed standoff over the strait came hours after Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country was working to "bridge" differences between the US and Iran. Pakistan is expected to host a second round of negotiations early next week.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council said "new proposals" from the US had been put forward during a visit to Iran by Pakistan's army chief and were being reviewed.

But Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Iranians were not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks because the Americans "have not abandoned their maximalist position." He also said Iran will not hand over its stock of 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium to the United States, calling the idea "a non-starter." Khatibzadeh did not address other proposals for the enriched uranium, saying only that "we are ready to address any concerns." Trump said Saturday that Iran "got a little cute" but that "very good" conversations were happening, and more information would come by day's end. "They can't blackmail us," he added.

On Friday, Trump said the US will go into Iran and "get all the nuclear dust," referring to the enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried under nuclear sites badly damaged by US military strikes last year.