India news Live Updates, 14 July 2026

One worker was killed and eight injured after a boiler explosion triggered a massive fire at a metal smelting factory in Tiruvallur's Gummidipoondi SIPCOT. (ANI Screengrab/ AI Enhanced)

A boiler explosion triggered a massive fire at a private metal smelting factory in the Gummidipoondi SIPCOT complex near Partha Palayam village in Tiruvallur, killing 24-year-old Bihar native Ravi Ranjan on the spot. Eight other workers, mostly from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, were injured and admitted across the Gummidipoondi Government Hospital and private hospitals in Chennai, with one, Prince Kumar, in serious condition. Police led by Gummidipoondi DSP Sasitharan are  at the spot, searching the debris amid fears that more workers may be trapped.

If you are just joining us, this is The Indian Express Realtime breaking news blog – where we bring you the latest news updates of the day in real time. Scan the top headlines of the day here, or keep scrolling to see the latest updates stream in. This blog is curated by Sudhakar Singh, Sneha and Aditi Anand

Wangchuk, day 17: ‘PM should be sensitive’

Activist Sonam Wangchuk entered the 17th day of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak. In an interview with The Indian Express, Wangchuk said the Prime Minister should be sensitive to students’ concerns, and called for the issue to be debated in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. “A resignation is merely the starting point,” he said.

Story continues below this ad

India-US trade deal: Framework agreed, signing at ‘right moment’

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has confirmed that India and the US have agreed on the framework of a trade deal that is expected to shield Indian exporters from additional US tariffs under a Section 301 investigation. The deal will be signed at the “right moment,” he said — language that signals progress while leaving the timing deliberately open.

Ahmedabad blasts: Gujarat HC upholds death penalty for 38

The Gujarat High Court has upheld death sentences for 38 convicts in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, observing that the accused “had no remorse” for an attack that killed 56 people across the city. The ruling is one of the largest mass death-penalty confirmations in Indian judicial history.

UK to designate Iran’s IRGC a terror organisation

The United Kingdom has announced it will declare Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation, citing a rise in antisemitic attacks linked to IRGC networks on British soil — a significant diplomatic escalation that aligns London more closely with Washington’s position on Tehran.

Man claiming to be US citizen held trying to cross into Nepal with Chinese passport

A 36-year-old man claiming to be a US citizen was arrested by a joint SSB and Uttar Pradesh Police team in Maharajganj district while attempting to cross into Nepal through an unofficial footpath, with a Chinese passport, Nepalese currency and an AI-powered translation device recovered from his possession. He identified himself as Jordan Brown, a California resident with no documents to confirm his identity, prompting police to inform the US embassy, said Maharajganj SP Shakti Mohan Awasthi. During questioning, the man reportedly claimed he had served in the US Navy and had travelled through Thailand, Sri Lanka, Goa and Noida after losing his documents, before arriving at the border town in a bid to cross into Nepal.

France vs Spain: A World Cup semifinal between football’s two great philosophies

France and Spain meet in the World Cup semifinal carrying contrasting ideas about how the game should be played — Spanish connection and flow against French organisation and firepower. It is, as much as any match this tournament, a philosophical argument conducted in football.

Live Updates