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NEWYORK: For nearly four months, President Donald Trump has projected confidence that America could sustain a military confrontation with Iran while simultaneously negotiating peace from a position of strength. This week, however, the strongest challenge to that assumption did not come from Tehran, Moscow, Beijing, or even America's traditional European allies.

Trinamool Congress has split. The handiwork of the BJP is discernible in wrecking the outfit to which it was once allied and later turned a bitter political adversary. Inarguably the most significant indication in this regard was accepting Mamata Banerjee as the leader of splinter group now led by Ritabrata Banerjee. But she has been given a hitherto unheard rank of "paramashwadata" or adviser.

The recent trend of growth in trade and economic exchange between India and China is a welcome development, particularly in the context of the deepening Hormuz Crisis consequent upon the US imperialist aggression against Iran and its bullying tactics against other countries. The US began arm-twisting others, particularly the weaker nations, using the tariff tools, aiming to shift its own economic crisis on to others in what has come to be known as the ‘Great Tariff Wars’.

When the country was struggling for independence, the world was grappling with World War II. The people of Bengal were suffering from the tragedy of famine. During that period, on May 25, 1943, writers and artists from various states and princely kingdoms came together in Mumbai to form the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). In an era marked by war, famine, and political repression, IPTA transformed theatre, music, dance, and cinema into instruments of resistance against fascism, communalism, and poverty. IPTA’s motto is: “The people are the heroes of IPTA.”

Despite strong legal provisions in India, river pollution remains a problem due to weak enforcement, poor coordination and inadequate infrastructure. The water quality of many rivers, such as the Ganga River, has deteriorated due to the increasing demand for water from rivers and other water bodies in the last few years. The situation is expected to be even more serious with the growing impact of climate change.

The preliminary version of the OECD Outlook released on June 3, 2026 has projected the real GDP of India to grow by 6.3% during the FY 2026-27, which is a sharp decline from the robust growth rate of 7.8 per cent year-on-year in the quarter ending in December 2025 (Q3 FY2025–26), easing from 8.4% in the previous quarter. However, it expects only a little improvement in the GDP growth in 2027-28 to 6.4 per cent.

The Supreme Court’s order in connection with petitions against Election Commission’s SIR orders in Bihar states that “the commission is empowered in the exercise of its constitutional mandate to undertake a limited enquiry into citizenship for the purpose of satisfying itself as to eligibility for inclusion in the electoral roll.” This came from a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The apex court held that ECI’s power flows from its constitutional responsibility to maintain accurate electoral rolls and ensure that only eligible persons are entitled to exercise their franchise.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three weeks are too short a period to evaluate the performance of a newly-elected Government. But the period throws up significant straws in the wind which show the direction in which the Government intends to move.

In India, where film stars command a level of public trust that often exceeds that enjoyed by politicians, doctors and even religious leaders, a familiar question has resurfaced: how much responsibility should celebrities bear for the products they endorse?

Geoeconomic fragmentation imposing an annual cost of $213–$307 billion on the global economy, according to a new World Economic Forum report release on June 4. Driven by geopolitical tensions, economic security concerns and shifting trade relationships across major economies, fragmentation accelerated through 2025 and 2026 and is increasingly affecting trade, finance and investment systems.