Morning Digest: PM Modi, U.S. Vice-President Vance see progress in bilateral trade talks; Pope Francis died of stroke and heart failure, Vatican doctor says, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on April 22, 2025

Welcoming “significant progress” in talks for a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance met in Delhi on Monday (April 21, 2025), and reviewed plans for India-U.S. cooperation, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. According to Mr. Vance’s office, the two leaders also “formally announced the finalisation of the Terms of Reference for the negotiations”, even as Indian and U.S. officials were set to begin another round of BTA talks in Washington this week.

Pope Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure, according to his death certificate released by the Vatican on Monday (April 21, 2025). The 88-year-old Catholic leader died on Monday morning, almost a month after having been discharged from five weeks in hospital, where he nearly succumbed to double pneumonia.

The health condition of West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who was admitted to the Eastern Command Hospital here on Monday (April 21, 2025) morning with chest congestion, was “stable,” a senior Raj Bhavan official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to flag off Bihar’s second Amrit Bharat train, connecting the State to Maharashtra, and inaugurate a new Namo Bharat train service between Jaynagar and Patna on April 24.

Jailed 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana has moved a court seeking the permission to talk to his family members.

Core sector growth came in at 3.8% as electricity output increased due to early onset of summer in March. This compared with 3.4% rise in February, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella organisation of several farmers’ outfits, gave a call on Monday (April 21, 2025) to burn the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance at all district headquarters as a mark of protest against alleged attempts by the U.S. to “coerce” the Union government to “impose unfair trade terms and to dump U.S. agricultural products” on India.