Iran pledges no bomb; U.S. promises sanctions relief, $300 billion financing; agreement’s leaked text showsThe draft, published by Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya network, states that Iran has pledged never to produce nuclear weapons, while U.S. would lift sanctions on the sale of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products and other services, including banking, during the negotiation period, and commits itself to lifting all sanctions as part of a final agreement. The memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed in Geneva by top American and Iranian officials on June 19, 2026.‘Operation Tiger’: Shiv Sena (UBT) claims ₹50-crore offer to MPs, unsure of their whereaboutsAmid growing speculation that six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs may quit the party, the party has convened a meeting of its parliamentary board on June 18 and written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking exclusive recognition as the party’s authorised faction in Parliament. This comes even as senior leaders on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) claimed that they have no confirmed information about the whereabouts or intentions of the MPs at the centre of the rumours.G7 Summit: Modi suggests global Skilled Mobility Partnership, Economic Corridor for Global SouthPrime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a global skills mobility mechanism and an economic corridor, like the India Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC), for the Global South. His proposal was made at the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, in France at an outreach session with G7 partners, titled ‘Reviving a Balanced, Shared and Sustainable Economic Growth for All.’ The Prime Minister wrote, on social media site X, “Like the vision of IMEC, can we work on connectivity projects with countries in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific Islands?”Telegram challenges Centre’s order that temporarily blocks its useMessaging app ​Telegram has filed a ‌petition in court ​challenging the Centre’s order that has temporarily blocked use ‌of the platform in ‌an effort to prevent NEET UG ‌exam ⁠fraud. The court agreed to hear the matter on an urgent basis after the advocate raised the same matter during another hearing. Justice Tejas Karia is scheduled to hear the matter. The blocking ​of the ‌app, which began on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) and will run until June ‌22, was put ​in place to stop candidates ⁠for NEET exam cheating from on ‌exams.Samajwadi Party thrashes U.P. Minister Rajbhar’s claims on split in partyDismissing the claim of an impending split, Akhilesh Yadav said the Samajwadi Party remained strong, and it was the BJP which had a history of “engineering” defections through inducements and pressure. Responding to a query at a presser on possible discontent within the SP, Mr. Yadav, its chief, said the BJP previously succeeded in breaking several parties, including taking away legislators and leaders from the SP.Strike at paper leak mafia, not students: Rahul Gandhi to PM Modi on Telegram curbsCongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) slammed the government after it temporarily restricted access to Telegram, saying the “new trick” was akin to putting a lock on the victim’s house instead of catching the thief. Telegram has stopped working for existing users in India after the Centre temporarily restricted access to the messaging app ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG re-examination, but it continues to remain operational through the Virtual Protocol Network (VPN).Posters for Rahul Gandhi’s Kota event removed, locals pressured not to attend: PilotSenior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) alleged that local authorities had removed banners and posters related to Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Kota, a major coaching hub, and that there was pressure on people not to attend the programme. Mr. Gandhi is set to interact with students in Kota on Wednesday (June 17) evening as part of his party’s campaign on paper leaks and youth issues, an event that has triggered a political row in Rajasthan over its timing ahead of the NEET re-exam and criticised by the ruling BJP as “political tourism”.Kerala Budget: Fiscal health, welfare, growth in focus as Congress-led UDF govt to present Revised Budget on June 19The Congress-led UDF government’s Revised Budget for 2026-27, to be presented by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday (June 19, 2026), faces the challenge of finding the middle ground between re-aligning Kerala’s fiscal space for tackling the concerns raised in the White Paper on State finances and mobilising additional revenue for development and welfare, notably the Indira Guarantees and the ‘dream projects.’White Paper addresses adverse impact of ‘revenue collapse’ on people of Tamil NaduExpressing concern over what the State government’s White Paper termed a “revenue collapse” in Tamil Nadu, the document is of the view that the trend is hurting the people of the State in three ways. “As the State’s revenue effort has declined, there is no natural growth in fiscal space from economic expansion. A State, whose tax-to-GSDP [Gross State Domestic Product] ratio is rising, can fund new programmes from the revenue dividend of growth. A State, whose ratio is falling, must borrow for every new commitment, compounding the debt dynamics,” the White Paper observed.T. Veena, daughter of ex-Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, appears before ED for questioning in CMRL pay-off caseT. Veena, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, appeared at the zonal office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) for questioning in connection with the probe into the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) pay-off case. She turned up at the office around 10:25 a.m. P.A. Mohamed Riyas, her husband and Beypore MLA, accompanied her in a vehicle and left the premises after she entered the ED office.Maoist woman with ₹10-lakh bounty surrenders before Kolkata PoliceA Maoist woman cadre, who goes by the names of Sakuntala and Pushpa, has surrendered before the Kolkata Police. Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) said that she surrendered with one gun and 40 rounds of bullets. “She is a native of Mechua in Belpahari, Jhargram district. She was a member of Dalma Squad’s general committee, CPI Maoist Party... She had joined in 2001 as a cultural member,” Mr. Nand said. She surrendered to the police in February, 2026.Lionel Messi equals World Cup goals record as Argentina beats AlgeriaLionel Messi opened his record-breaking sixth World Cup with a hat-trick to become the tournament’s joint all-time top scorer on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) as holders Argentina launched their bid for back-to-back titles with a dazzling 3-0 rout of Algeria. On a magical night at Kansas City’s 69,045-capacity Arrowhead Stadium, Messi delivered an electrifying individual display to join Miroslav Klose at the top of the World Cup scorers charts with 16 goals.