Breaking news live updates, May 12: Fire engulfs multi-storey building in Kolkata; 5 injured

The MP-MLA Court in Prayagraj has convicted former MLA Vijay Mishra in a 46-year-old murder case. Judge Yogesh Kumar found Mishra, along with Jeet Narayan, Santram and Balram, guilty in the case. Further details regarding the quantum of punishment are awaited.

At least five people were injured after a fire broke out at a multi-storey building in the Tiljala area of Kolkata, according to the police. The blaze erupted around 1.45 pm at the building on GJ Khan Road.

Four fire tenders took two hours to douse the flames, a senior police officer said.

"The five injured are undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital. The condition of two of them is stated to be critical," he said.

Prof Susan Elias to take charge as the XIV Principal of the St Stephen's College as its first lady Principal with effect from the 1st of June 2026.

National Testing Agency- "The Government of India has further decided to refer the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations therein. NTA will extend full cooperation to the Bureau and will provide all materials, records, and assistance the inquiry requires... No fresh registration will be required, and no additional examination fee will be levied. In addition, fees already paid, will be refunded to the students and the exam will be re-conducted using NTA’s internal resources. Further communications, including the re-conducted examination dates and the re-issued admit-card schedule, will be issued through the official channels of the Agency."

The National Testing Agency said the Government of India has decided to refer the NEET-UG 2026 matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations linked to the examination.

The NTA said it will fully cooperate with the probe and provide all required records and materials. It also clarified that candidates will not need to register again and no additional examination fee will be charged for the re-test. Fees already paid by students will be refunded, while the re-conducted exam will be held using NTA’s internal resources. Revised exam dates and fresh admit card details will be announced through official channels.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), with approval from the Government of India, has cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on May 3.

Authorities said the examination will now be re-conducted on dates that will be notified separately. No further details regarding the revised schedule or reasons behind the cancellation have been officially announced so far.

Ahead of his visit to China, US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he hopes to get “a lot” out of his meeting with President Xi Jinping.

The US President said that he had a “great relationship” with Xi, and noted that there had been no ships from Iran to China, despite the country’s reliance on Iranian oil.

“I have a great relationship with President Xi. We're doing a lot of business, but it's smart business,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about his hopes for the outcome of his visit to Beijing from May 13-15.

The two countries are also hoping to stabilise trade relations after the tit-for-tat sanctions last year.

A large business delegation of US CEOs is also expected to join Trump on his visit to Beijing.

US media reported that the White House has invited top CEOs, including Elon Musk (Tesla), Tim Cook (Apple), Larry Fink (BlackRock), and Kelly Ortberg (Boeing), to join Trump on his trip to China this week.

Also expected to join Trump’s delegation for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping are Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Cargill’s Brian Sikes, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, Cisco’s Chuck Robbins, Coherent’s Jim Anderson, GE Aerospace’s H Lawrence Culp Jr, Goldman Sachs’s David Solomon, Illumina’s Jacob Thaysen, Mastercard’s Michael Miebach, Meta Platforms executive Dina Powell McCormick, Micron Technology’s Sanjay Mehrotra, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon and Visa’s Ryan McInerney.

“We're making a lot of money with China. I have a great relationship with President Xi. And I think you can see that with the fact that Hormuz, they get a big percentage, 40 per cent of their oil from Hormuz,” Trump said.

“No ships coming in. Nasty ships coming in that we had been skirmishes with. He'd like to see it get done. He (Xi) doesn't want to see it. I'll tell you what, look, I respect him a lot. And hopefully he respects me,” Trump said.

On Sunday, US Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said Trump would arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for what she described as a visit of symbolic significance.

According to Kelly, the US leader will attend a welcome ceremony and a bilateral meeting with President Xi on Thursday, followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a state banquet.

The two leaders will meet again on Friday for a bilateral tea and working lunch, she said, adding that the US planned to host the Chinese leader for a reciprocal visit later this year.

US President Donald Trump will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to an announcement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday.


In a post on X, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said, "At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President of the United States of America Donald J. Trump will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15."


At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President of the United States of America Donald J. Trump will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15. pic.twitter.com/GmRO8XZY7F

— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) May 11, 2026


On Sunday (local time), senior US officials said that the discussions between the US and China are set to continue on the topic of Iran as the two countries gear up for the much-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.


Speaking about the engagements between the leaders, the senior US officials said that Trump and Xi had spoken multiple times about Iran and also about Russia and how Chinese revenue provides for not only components but also the potential of weapons exports to these two countries.


They said, "The President has spoken multiple times with General Secretary Xi Jinping about the topic of Iran and about the topic of Russia, to include the revenue that China provides for both those regimes and therefore as well as do use goods, components and parts, not to mention the potential of weapons exports."


Senior US officials also said that topics expected between the two sides include continued work on a US-China Board of Trade and Board of Investment. The two countries will focus on identifying mutual areas of interest in trade.


The two sides will also discuss additional agreements on industry, spanning aerospace, agriculture and energy, and following this productive visit, Trump looks forward to hosting President Xi and Madam Peng for a reciprocal visit in Washington DC later this year, the official said.


The official said that the two leaders have an ongoing conversation about Taiwan and that there has been no change in American policy.


When asked if there was a potential shift in the stance of the United States towards Taiwan ahead of the meeting, the officials said, "There is an ongoing conversation between President Trump and General Secretary Xi Jinping about Taiwan. Certainly, the last couple of times they've interacted, it has been a point of discussion. There's been no change of US policy coming out of those. We don't expect to see any changes in US policy going forward."


The remarks come after the US last week announced a new wave of sanctions targeting Iran's financial and energy networks, escalating pressure on Tehran's oil revenues and its commercial links with China.


In a post on X, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Iran as "the head of the snake for global terrorism", adding that under the leadership of US President Donald Trump, the Treasury was acting "aggressively" through the initiative titled "Economic Fury".


He said, "Iran is the head of the snake for global terrorism, and under @POTUS' leadership, Treasury is moving aggressively, through Economic Fury, to sever the Iranian military's financial lifelines. We will relentlessly target the regime's ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds, and pursue anyone enabling Tehran's attempts to evade sanctions."

The United States on Monday issued sanctions against 12 individuals and entities that it said facilitated the sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China, days ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing.

In a statement, the US Treasury alleged that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "relies on front companies in permissive economic jurisdictions to obfuscate its role in oil sales and funnel the revenue to the Iranian regime."

It listed three Iran-based individuals and nine companies -- based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates -- as being subject to the new sanctions.

Sanctioned entities will see any US-based assets blocked, with all transactions with them by US entities and individuals also banned.

As part of its war on Iran, the United States has tightened sanctions against Tehran's government and the IRGC in an attempt to economically stifle them.

"As Iran’s military desperately tries to regroup, Economic Fury will continue to deprive the regime of funding for its weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, referring to the economic measures the US is imposing on Iran alongside its military pressure.

The war has roiled global energy markets, with Tehran having virtually blocked the key Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly a fifth of the world's oil and gas normally flows.

Washington eased some sanctions on Iranian oil in March in an attempt to address global supply shortages, but it has since tightened restrictions again.

Much of Iran's oil is bound for Asia, with China a major importer. Beijing is one of Tehran's biggest trading partners overall.

US President Trump is due in Beijing later this week for key talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with a full slate of trade disputes on the agenda.

The US-Israeli war on Iran will also top the agenda, with Washington seeking greater pressure on Tehran from Beijing.

The US State Department sanctioned three China-based satellite firms on Friday for enabling Iran's military operations.

The US Treasury Department earlier sanctioned several mainland China- and Hong Kong-based firms for aiding Iran's weapons supply.

The last two evacuation planes carrying passengers and crew from the hantavirus-hit ship MV Hondius landed in the Netherlands Tuesday, according to an AFP journalist.

Travelling in the two planes were 28 evacuees from the ship, according to the Dutch foreign ministry, including passengers, crew, and medical staff.

The first plane to land was transporting six former guests of the Hondius, four from Australia, one from New Zealand, and one British person who lives in Australia.

These six are expected to stay in a quarantine facility close to the airport before being repatriated towards Australia.

Wearing white medical overalls and facemasks, they disembarked from the air ambulance, clutching white bags of their belongings, and walked into the terminal.

The other plane was carrying 19 crew members, one British doctor and two epidemiologists (one from the World Health Organization and one from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control).

These crew members disembarked without medical gear but still wearing masks, also carrying large white sacks of their belongings.

The Hondius is already steaming its way from Tenerife to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where it will dock for disinfection.

Still onboard are 25 crew and two medical staff, operator Oceanwide Expeditions said on Monday.

The vessel is also carrying the body of a German passenger who died during the voyage.

Brazilian activist ?Thiago Avila returned to Sao Paulo on Monday following his detention and deportation from Israel, where he alleged he was tortured and witnessed abuses of Palestinian prisoners during 10 days in custody. Avila ?and Spanish ?national Abu ?Keshek were part of the second Global Sumud Flotilla that launched from Spain on April ?12 attempting to break Israel's blockade of Gaza by delivering aid. The two men were arrested ?and taken to Israel after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla, while more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists were taken to Crete.


under suspicion of offences including aiding ?the enemy and contact with a terrorist group. Both ?denied the ?allegations. They were released on Saturday and handed to immigration authorities ?for deportation.


"My ?return was simply a correction of a serious violation. ?I was kidnapped by Israel, I wasn't imprisoned," Avila told reporters ?after his arrival at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport.


Avila claimed that ?he and Abu Keshek suffered "all kinds of violations" during their detention, adding that Palestinian prisoners in nearby cells experienced worse treatment. Israel dismissed claims by human rights group Adalah, which represented the men in a court hearing in Israel, that the men had been tortured in custody, and said all measures taken ?were in accordance with the law.


The governments of Spain and Brazil have said the detention was unlawful.


"We need to defeat (Israeli Prime Minister) ?Netanyahu and (U.S. ?President) Donald Trump, ?we need to defeat the war criminals," Avila said as supporters held signs calling for Brazil to cut ties with Israel.


Gaza is largely run by Palestinian militant ?group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by Israel and much of the West.


The group's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel started the Gaza war that has left much of the enclave's population homeless and dependent on aid - that humanitarian agencies say is arriving too slowly.