HT Evening Brief Nov 4: Cabinet clears 2-year Agniveer extension, Iran exempts Indian ships from Hormuz curbs, Democrats flip US Congress

Here's a quick recap of the day's top headlines from India, the world and the field of sports and entertainment.

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Good evening! Here's your 5-minute wrap of the day's top headlines from across the country, the world and the field of sports and entertainment.

Cabinet gives Agniveers two-year service extension, announces CDS

The Union cabinet has decided to give Agniveers an option to continue in service for two more years beyond their four-year tenure and apply for absorption into the armed forces at the end of this extended period, chief of defence staff General NS Raja Subramani announced on Wednesday. Read more here.

Iran exempts ships from India, China, Iraq, Qatar from Hormuz restrictions

Iran has exempted merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from restrictions on using the Strait of Hormuz, and the measure is aimed at facilitating the procurement of medicines from India, an influential Iranian lawmaker has said. Deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said ships from these four countries can “pass freely”. Read more here.

The races that flipped Congress: Key contests that cost Trump’s Republicans the House and Senate

Democrats have snatched control of the US House of Representatives from Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. President Donald Trump suffered a major blow as voters turned out to challenge his party's narrow majority in Congress. Read more about key contests here.

Virat Kohli becomes first player to amass 13000 ODI runs at No. 3 as remarkable batting legacy grows even richer

Each time Virat Kohli walks out to bat nowadays, there is a record that he could toppled or extended. During the first ODI between India and New Zealand at Eden Park, the Indian maestro became the first batter ever to score 13,000 runs at No. 3 in the format. Read more here.

Bengaluru-based IT engineer arrested for sending extortion threats to Ayushmann Khurrana, Tusshar Kapoor

A 30-year-old IT engineer from Bengaluru has been arrested by the Mumbai police crime branch for allegedly sending threat and extortion messages to several actors, including Ayushmann Khurrana and Tusshar Kapoor. The police said the accused thought of making a quick buck, taking advantage of the recent threats and firing incidents, allegedly undertaken by Lawrence Bishnoi gang to terrorise Bollywood celebrities. Read more here.

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