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KOLKATA: Engaged that it is in intra-party squabbles, West Bengal unit of BJP leadership does not appear to be in a mood to pull up its socks for 2026 Assembly elections. Things came to a head during Union home minister Amit Shah's trip to the state on May 31 and June 1 after BJP leaders claimed closer proximity to him while organisational issues remained unattended.

By any military measure, Ukraine’s 'Operation Spider Web' was an astonishing success. In a meticulously planned operation, Ukrainian drones struck deep into Russian territory, obliterating at least 40 military aircraft—including nuclear-capable Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers—in a single, devastating blow. The attack revealed not only meticulous Ukrainian planning over 18 months but also the glaring vulnerabilities of Russia’s so-called impenetrable airspace. It was a coup de main that will be studied in military academies for decades. But as history too often reminds us, tactical brilliance can be the prelude to strategic disaster. The world now holds its breath, waiting to see what comes next.

In a striking reflection, Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024 was “brain rot”—a term that encapsulates the impact of consuming excessive amounts of mind-numbing digital content. Interestingly, the phrase “brain rot” was first used by Henry David Thoreau in 1854 in Walden, where he criticised society’s inclination towards superficiality over depth. Today, it captures growing fears about the cognitive effects of compulsive endless social media scrolling, where algorithms reward emotional responses over rational discourse and fuel a cycle of distraction and intellectual decay.

WASHINGTON DC: Just in time for Pride month, President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have apparently decided it’s a good time to sentence more people to death in the future. That will be the result of the administration’s $258 million cut to HIV vaccine research, according to experts in the field.

The most vocal Hindutva face in the North-East India, the chief minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, having shown penchant for igniting communal fire in the past, now seems to have decided on playing with even more terrible fire of arms conflicts, if his new arms policy in the state is of any indication. The decision of the BJP-led Assam government under his leadership to put more arms into the hands of civilians would only accelerate insurgent and communal violence in the entire North-East, which has already been suffering from such menace for quite some time.

WASHINGTON: A never-ending dispute is on. Who is most powerful among the five pillars of democracy? The government, the executive, the judiciary, the legislature and the media. We can bunch the government and the executive in one group. The other three branches are important as the government.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The stage is set for a prestigious and no-holds barred contest in the by-election from Nilambur constituency to the Kerala Assembly. The by-election has been necessitated by the exit of PV Anvar from the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The last date for filing of nominations was June 2. Polling will be held on June 19 and the results announced on June 23.

The Supreme Court of India, in a catena of decisions spread over decades, has emphasised for the Witness Protection Scheme and the setbacks caused by the lack of it in offering a fair trial. However, the said plea has always been overlooked by the legislative wing of the state.

The World Economic Forum on June 3 Tuesday released from Geneva a new report examining how emerging technology combinations are reshaping industries and how business leaders can harness these insights to guide investment, build capabilities and position ecosystems strategically. It also offers valuable insights to policy-makers by highlighting how emerging technologies intersect and amplify one another, which can help break down regulatory silos and anticipate wider, system-level impacts.

NEW YORK: The U.S. House recently passed a massive Trump budget bill that will cut trillions in taxes for the ultra-wealthy while eviscerating Medicaid, SNAP, and other services for working Americans. It has now moved to the Senate.