India and U.S. Report Progress Toward Interim Trade Deal as Monsoon Triggers Heavy‑Rain Alerts

Overview

• On Friday negotiators reported significant movement toward an interim India–US trade agreement that officials hope will resolve key tariff and market‑access issues ahead of a late‑July timetable.
• The India Meteorological Department has issued heavy‑rain warnings for multiple states and placed Mumbai and Palghar under red alerts, causing waterlogging, road and local train disruption and prompting local contingency plans.
• More than two million candidates sat the NEET‑UG re‑examination under tightened security measures as authorities sought to safeguard exam integrity after earlier paper‑leak concerns.
• Google restored Telegram for Android users in India after a temporary restriction tied to examination‑security compliance, and a major fire at a Delhi data centre run by STT and Tata Communications disrupted cloud services for some businesses.
• A warehouse collapse in Kolkata has produced multiple fatalities and ongoing rescues, and officials say these domestic incidents and weather disruptions could strain relief, transport and communications while negotiators finalise trade text.