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BJP shuts door on Trinamool defectors
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya has ruled out large-scale entry of former Trinamool Congress leaders into the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying the organisation will not admit “tainted” figures or allow what he described as the “trinamoolisation” of the BJP. Bhattacharya’s remarks in Kolkata on Tuesday sought to draw...
TMC strains under widening revolt
Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress is battling its sharpest internal crisis in years after its West Bengal election defeat left the party confronting absentee legislators, expulsions, allegations of forged signatures and open speculation over a possible split. The turmoil has deepened as Banerjee tries to reassert control over a party...
Sibal remark deepens Bengal violence row
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal’s remark that he was “ashamed” to live in a country where elected representatives could be attacked has triggered a political confrontation after two Trinamool Congress MPs were targeted in separate incidents in West Bengal within 24 hours. The comment came after Trinamool’s national general...
Low turnout deepens Mamata’s post-poll troubles
Mamata Banerjee’s effort to steady the Trinamool Congress after its Assembly election setback ran into fresh turbulence after a legislative party meeting at her Kalighat residence was called off when only about 20 of the party’s 80 MLAs turned up. The poor attendance has intensified questions over discipline, morale...
CID summons deepens Trinamool turmoil
Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has been summoned by West Bengal’s Criminal Investigation Department for questioning on Monday, June 1, in a forged-signature probe that has sharpened the party’s crisis after its crushing defeat in the state Assembly election. The notice was served at Banerjee’s Kalighat Road...
Bengal border drive sharpens migrant debate
Amit Shah has offered an exit window to Bangladeshis living illegally in Bengal, saying those who return voluntarily will not face prosecution, as the new Suvendu Adhikari government moves to accelerate border fencing and migration enforcement. The Union Home Minister’s remarks have pushed illegal immigration, border security and citizenship...
Exam scrutiny widens as panel summons officials
Senior officials from the Union Education Ministry, the National Testing Agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation have been called before a parliamentary panel as scrutiny intensifies over the integrity of national entrance examinations and the handling of paper-leak investigations. The Committee on Government Assurances is scheduled to hear...
Iran says US base hit after Bandar Abbas strike
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck a US air base early Thursday after American forces carried out an attack near Bandar Abbas airport, raising pressure on a fragile ceasefire around the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said the base used to launch the operation against Iran’s southern...
Border queues test Bengal migration crackdown
Hundreds of Bangladeshi nationals without valid stay documents have gathered near the Hakimpur border point in North 24 Parganas, seeking to cross back into Bangladesh after West Bengal’s new BJP government moved to intensify action against illegal infiltration. The movement at the Bithari-Hakimpur crossing, about 90km from Kolkata, has...
Doha talks face new military strain
Washington’s strikes on targets in southern Iran and Israel’s pledge to intensify operations against Hizbollah have injected fresh uncertainty into delicate Doha negotiations aimed at extending a fragile ceasefire and easing the wider West Asia conflict.US forces struck Iranian military assets near the Strait of Hormuz after identifying what...
Fuel shock pushes Delhi petrol past ₹100
Petrol crossed ₹100 a litre in Delhi on Monday after state-run fuel retailers raised pump prices for the fourth time in 11 days, passing part of the global oil shock from the Iran war to consumers and transport operators. Petrol was increased by ₹2.61 a litre and diesel by...
US-Iran framework advances as Hormuz pressure rises
Washington and Tehran moved closer to a possible framework aimed at lowering military tensions and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said a peace understanding had been “largely negotiated” while Iran indicated that major gaps still needed to be closed.The diplomatic push gathered pace over the...
Fuel prices rise as crude shock deepens
Petrol and diesel prices rose by up to 91 paise a litre on Saturday, the third increase in less than 10 days, as state-owned fuel retailers moved to recover part of the losses caused by elevated crude costs linked to the West Asia conflict. Delhi’s petrol price climbed by...
Hormuz crossings signal cautious diplomatic opening
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has coordinated safe passage for 26 vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, offering the clearest sign yet of a controlled easing in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints since the Gulf conflict began on February 28. The passage, completed within a 24-hour window, included...
Rupee slide squeezes household budgets
Household budgets across India face a fresh strain as the rupee’s slide to record lows threatens to raise the cost of fuel, imported electronics, overseas education, foreign travel and daily essentials over the coming months. The currency weakened to around 96.96 against the US dollar on May 20 before...
Trump holds fire as Tehran pivots east
US President Donald Trump has halted a planned military strike on Iran, saying negotiations with Tehran had become “serious”, while warning that force could return swiftly if talks fail to produce an agreement. The decision has temporarily eased fears of a wider regional escalation, but it has not removed...
Fuel price rise deepens household strain
Petrol and diesel prices have climbed for the second time in less than a week, adding fresh pressure on households, transporters and small businesses already facing higher energy costs linked to global crude volatility. The latest revision raised fuel rates by about 90 paise a litre across major markets...
Gwadar offer exposes Pakistan’s deterrence dilemma
Pakistan’s reported attempt to seek Chinese help for a survivable nuclear second-strike capability in return for expanded military access to Gwadar has sharpened scrutiny of Islamabad’s strategic calculations after last year’s four-day confrontation with New Delhi. The claim, contained in an investigative account based on alleged confidential exchanges, says...
