Ganesha says you are a direct person who does not worry about the consequences, but you need to check your tendency to act in a self-righteous, domineering, or arrogant manner at times. At this time, your financial condition would have improved a lot. No matter how attractive new investment opportunities are, you should invest very carefully. If you do not pay attention to your expenses, then your budget can get a big blow.
July 15
Ganesha says that although you are well-mannered and your parents are proud of your work, you still need to learn to control your tendency to appear cynical, sad, and useless at times. You can work independently today, and this can go a long way in your career. Additionally, you may travel to distant places and make lasting connections. Your social life can be very vibrant, and there are chances that a casual encounter could turn into something more. You have the most time with this person.
July 16
Ganesha says you can put yourself in a better position financially and socially. Your income may increase, but you may also spend more on luxuries, which may make it very challenging for you to plan for savings. Your high expectations for your life partner can sometimes create problems. Your career can benefit from your high self-esteem and spirit. To maintain peace in the house, one should be aware of the needs of others. At the end of the day, property disputes or long-standing issues can be resolved amicably.
July 17
Ganesha says you are extremely enterprising and have a natural ability to charm others, but you need to control your tendency to be moody, reckless, and sometimes impatient. Businessmen can witness the implementation of their new endeavors and plans. Frequent trips throughout the year can be enjoyable and provide opportunities to make new, valuable contacts. When dealing with challenging issues, use tact and diplomacy and try to reach a compromise.
July 18
Ganesha says due to the investments made in the past, your financial condition can improve today. Health can be a concern, and preventive medicine should never be neglected. Starting a new business can be very profitable. With the improvement in the economic condition, your expenditure on amenities and other amenities may increase. Your understanding of love may change as you become more private and keep many things to yourself. Your relationship may not have the same level of trust that it used to have earlier, which can sometimes lead to issues.
July 19
Ganesha says looking at career prospects, can be a very beneficial time for you. The day can also prove to be very important for students who wish to pursue higher education abroad as they may be able to get admission to their preferred college or university despite stiff competition. An accomplished person can provide fresh suggestions and unwavering support for your endeavors. If you are ready to cut down on frivolous expenses, you can also increase your income and savings.
July 20
Ganesha says your fortune and prosperity are coming to you in abundance today. You may get new opportunities for growth if you attend lectures and seminars. However, speculation should be done with great caution as this appears to be a favorable time for new endeavors and alliances. You may get a lot of appreciation for your efforts and your original ideas may come to fruition. You may be more respected by colleagues because of your better skills and abilities.
The same dynamics that enabled the Emergency in India now threaten the U.S.; the lesson is that tyranny thrives when institutions become hollow
“Every generation must reclaim democracy for itself. The battles our forebears fought — against monarchy, against colonialism, against Emergency — are not relics. They are warnings. They are calls to vigilance. The Constitution is not an heirloom. It is a mandate. It must be re-defended, reinterpreted, and reaffirmed by each generation.
It is easy to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks and fanfare. But the revolution was not a party. It was an act of resistance against arbitrary rule. Thomas Paine wrote, “Let the law be king”. Not presidents. Not parties. Not mobs. But the law. And only when the people demand it. We must resist the normalization of revenge politics, the erosion of checks and balances, and the authoritarian cult of personality.”
By Sanjay Hegde
On July 4, the United States observed its Independence Day. A quarter of a millennium ago, the American people declared their resolve to live not under kings but under laws. They fought to build a government accountable to the people, not one that claimed to rule in their name. In their Declaration of Independence, the Founders wrote that “when a long train of abuses and usurpations” reveals a design to reduce the people “under absolute Despotism,” it is not only their right but also their duty to resist. In that tradition, a conservative Federal judge, Judge J. Michael Luttig marks the occasion with a solemn warning: the ideals of 1776 are not self-perpetuating. Judge Luttig’s modern “27 truths” remind Americans that self-government is not guaranteed by parchment or precedent. It must be defended daily, especially against those who seek to crown themselves in defiance of the Constitution. Tyranny, once foreign, now threatens from within.
India’s democratic backsliding
Luttig’s warning is not hyperbole. It is a reflection of global experience, including India’s democratic backsliding 50 years ago. India’s Emergency under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, on June 25, 1975, suspended civil liberties, censored the press, imprisoned over 1,00,000 citizens, and reduced Parliament and the courts to shadows of themselves. It did not come through violence or revolution. It came through law. Indira Gandhi claimed she was saving democracy. In fact, she was suffocating it.
In his book, Emergency Chronicles: Indira Gandhi and Democracy’s Turning Point, historian Gyan Prakash exposed how democratic institutions can die not with a bang, but with a nod. There was no coup. No tanks.
The Army Chief, General T.N. Raina, a fellow Kashmiri, was asked for his support, but he refused to get into the politics of the day — rightly so. Indira Gandhi did not openly defy the Constitution but exploited its weaknesses. After a court found her guilty of electoral fraud and barred her from office, she declared an “internal disturbance” and triggered Article 352 of the Indian Constitution. Overnight, dissent became treason. Rights became privileges. And power became personal.
The real tragedy was not just what Indira Gandhi did. It was how effortlessly she did it. Judges, Ministers, civil servants, even journalists — people entrusted with guarding democracy — chose loyalty over law. The Supreme Court ruled that during the Emergency, even the right to life could be suspended. Only one judge, Justice H.R. Khanna, dissented. He was never appointed Chief Justice, punishment for his integrity.
H.V. Kamath saw it coming. The former civil servant-turned-freedom fighter and member of India’s Constituent Assembly, he had almost pleaded that the Emergency’s provisions being embedded in the Constitution were too dangerous. In 1949, he compared India’s draft provisions to Germany’s Weimar Constitution, which Hitler had exploited to build his dictatorship. H.V. Kamath said, “First, the grand affirmation… and surmounting that edifice is the arch of the great negation.” He begged for checks and balances. He begged for the Constitution to protect future generations but was ignored.
When Indira Gandhi declared internal Emergency 26 years later, the mechanism H.V. Kamath had feared came to life. Dissenters were detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), a preventive detention law. Police abducted students in broad daylight. Sanjay Gandhi, who was unelected and unaccountable, operated a parallel state, pushing brutal sterilization campaigns and slum demolitions. Entire neighborhoods in Delhi were razed. Protesters were shot. Families were displaced. Inmates were tortured. All of it was “legal”. None of it was democratic.
When the Emergency ended in 1977, India voted Indira Gandhi out in a landslide. The Janata government passed the 44th Amendment to prevent such abuses from recurring. But the deeper damage to political culture, to institutions, to the idea that constitutionalism alone can protect democracy remains. India moved on, but never fully reckoned with how close it came to authoritarian collapse.
Similar dynamics in the U.S.
Which brings us back to the United States. The parallels are unmistakable. U.S. President Donald Trump has not declared an Emergency. He does not need to. He has a majority in both Houses of Congress and a 6-3 conservative majority in the Supreme Court, which legalizes all his actions. He can weaponize the Justice Department to prosecute his opponents, threaten to strip immigrants of their citizenship and residency status, and even threaten to “terminate” parts of the Constitution. He seeks not to hold power, but to own it. As Judge Luttig notes, this is not reform. It is monarchy by another name.
And just like in India, the institutions meant to stop him have mostly failed. Congress hesitated. Republicans enabled. Courts delayed. Media rationalized. Many shrugged, waited, and hoped someone else would act. In this way, guardrails do not just erode under outside pressure. They rot from within.
Americans must confront a hard truth: the same dynamics that enabled the Emergency in India now threaten the American republic. As H.V. Kamath warned, Constitutions do not protect liberty on their own. They must be guarded by people with the courage to say no. If Congress (Parliament) refuses to assert its role; if courts bend under partisan pressure; if the press becomes passive; if law enforcement serves power instead of the public — then the law ceases to be king. And we begin the slow coronation of another.
There is a historical irony here too deep to ignore. Years after Indira Gandhi imprisoned her opponents and suffocated the Constitution, her grandson, Rahul Gandhi, now brandishes that very Constitution as a talisman against rising authoritarianism in India. At protest rallies, he holds up Ambedkar’s book, invoking the very document Indira Gandhi once bent to her will. Where once the Constitution was used to silence dissent, it is now Rahul Gandhi’s weapon to preserve it.
A call to be vigilant
There is a lesson here that transcends families and nations: every generation must reclaim democracy for itself. The battles our forebears fought — against monarchy, against colonialism, against Emergency — are not relics. They are warnings. They are calls to vigilance. The Constitution is not an heirloom. It is a mandate. It must be re-defended, reinterpreted, and reaffirmed by each generation.
It is easy to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks and fanfare. But the revolution was not a party. It was an act of resistance against arbitrary rule. Thomas Paine wrote, “Let the law be king”. Not presidents. Not parties. Not mobs. But the law. And only when the people demand it. We must resist the normalization of revenge politics, the erosion of checks and balances, and the authoritarian cult of personality. Democracy is not just a system of rules. It is a culture of restraint. Of limits. Of humility before power. The Emergency in India failed because the people ultimately remembered what had been stolen from them. History never repeats exactly as it happened. But it does echo. The Emergency’s lesson is not that tyranny is foreign. It is that tyranny is familiar, legal and welcomed when institutions go hollow.
Today, both India and America are democracies by form. But their futures depend on substance. On how citizens, courts, journalists, legislators and civil servants act when faced with leaders who believe they are above the law. The difference between a republic and a monarchy is not just procedure. It is accountability. When a king breaks the law, it becomes policy. When a President or Prime Minister does, it becomes a test.
India failed that test in 1975. We cannot afford to fail it again. We must defend the law as if it were our crown. Because if we do not, someone else will wear it. And they will not take it off.
(Sanjay Hegde is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India)
The 12-day conflict has not destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities; this is a war that is far from over
“In Game of Thrones, the Red Wedding was not the end of House Stark. When Arya Stark, the younger sister of Robb Stark, extracts revenge for the Red Wedding by orchestrating a massacre at House Frey, she declares: “You didn’t slaughter every one of the Starks. That was your mistake. You should have ripped them all out, root and stem.” The 12-day war did not destroy the Iranian regime. Nor did it tear out the Iranian nuclear programme, root and stem. Beneath its rhetoric of victory, Israel, which is now asking the international community to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, knows this all too well. It will only grow more paranoid, closely monitoring Iran’s every move, while Tehran replenishes its arsenal, readying itself to fight another day. This war is far from over.”
By Stanly Johny
The wedding of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey at The Twins in the northern riverlands is one of the most consequential events in Game of Thrones. Known as the Red Wedding, it is the setting for the massacre of Robb Stark, King in the North and Lord of Winterfell, along with his pregnant wife, his mother, and most of his banner-men. This brutal betrayal shattered the Starks’ military power and ended their bid for independence from the Iron Throne, reshaping the political landscape of Westeros, the fictional continent in the series. When Israeli fighter jets began bombing Iran, in the early hours of June 13, 2025, Israeli generals reportedly dubbed a part of the operation as the ‘Red Wedding’ — a pointed reference to what they wanted to achieve in the strike.
Israel’s primary target was Iran’s nuclear facilities. But Israel knew that if it started a war, Iran — a country many times its size and armed with thousands of ballistic missiles — would strike back. So there were three targets — Iran’s nuclear facilities, nuclear scientists and the leadership of Iran’s armed forces. Much like House Frey slaughtered the banner-men and the leaders of House Stark, Israel had the aim of wiping out Iran’s military command, believing that it would cripple Tehran’s military response. Israel had pulled off a similar strategy in the past. On June 5, 1967, it launched a massive air strike against Egypt’s air force, causing much damage to it on the ground. Egypt never recovered from the initial blow, and Israel claimed a sweeping victory over Egypt, Jordan and Syria in just six days. But in June 2025, the outcome was different.
Operational success
From an operational standpoint, Israel’s attack can be seen as a success. Israel had been preparing for a strike on Iran’s nuclear programs for years, a plan that gained momentum after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. Israel, which immediately launched a war against Hamas in Gaza, eventually expanded it to a mini-regional war that was aimed squarely at Iran. It dealt a blow to Hezbollah. It bombed the Iranian embassy in Damascus in April 2024, and killed several Iranian commanders in Syria. Its relentless bombings in Syria expedited the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The return of Donald Trump to the White House further hardened Israel’s resolve to test the military option.
On June 13, while Tehran was still engaged in talks with the Trump administration, Israel struck Iran’s Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, killed at least 10 nuclear scientists, and assassinated many top commanders. Executing such a complex operation in a vast country about 2,000 kilometers away was no small feat. Yet, the problem for Israel was that this operational success failed to deliver the desired strategic outcome. For Israel, which has established credible deterrence against the surrounding conventional Arab armies, Iran has always remained a puzzle. Despite its sanctions-hit economy and enduring hostility from the West, Iran managed to build a wide network of influence in the region through non-state actors, while developing an advanced ballistic missile programme and pursuing its nuclear ambitions.
Israel had long nurtured the idea of regime change in Iran — if the Islamic Republic falls, Israel’s last remaining conventional threat in West Asia would vanish. Israel prefers a weaker, broken-up Iran, much like today’s Iraq, Libya, Syria or Lebanon, which would set the stage for a unipolar West Asia that is dominated by Israel and the U.S. The post-October 7 wars substantially weakened Iran’s allies in the region. Still, Iran, with its ballistic missiles and nuclear programme, remained a rebel counterweight to Israel.
In the early days of the 12-day war, Mr. Netanyahu declared that Israel’s operation “could certainly” lead to regime change, insisting that “Iran is very weak”. He also urged the Iranians to “to act, to rise up” against the “evil regime”. During the war, Israel killed at least 30 Iranian security chiefs, threatening to disrupt the entire chain of command. But the Iranian government and the military recovered with remarkable speed, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps taking the lead in mounting a counter-attack. Iran launched a sustained campaign of drones and ballistic missile strikes that exposed vulnerabilities in Israel’s much-vaunted, multi-layered, American-assisted defense systems. Within days, Mr. Netanyahu was forced to turn to Washington for help.
That help came on June 21 when U.S. President Donald Trump ordered U.S. air strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, the most heavily fortified facility. Mr. Trump, however, was not interested in a long war with Iran. After the strikes, he claimed that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “obliterated”, declared victory and announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Mr. Netanyahu had no choice but to accept the ceasefire, with the Iranian government still standing with much of its capabilities.
Strategic labyrinth
Early assessments by the U.S. intelligence community claimed that Iran’s nuclear programme had not been destroyed by U.S. strikes, but set back by “a few months”. Even if the nuclear facilities were destroyed, there is no certainty that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and all advanced centrifuges have been destroyed. There were reports, based on European intelligence assessments, that Iran had dispersed its enriched uranium well before the Israeli-American strikes. According to Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has the industrial and technological capacity to resume enriching uranium in a few months.
This leaves Israel in a strategic labyrinth. The Iranian state refused to flinch throughout the war despite the heavy blows it suffered. The air strikes failed to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, let alone its nuclear capabilities. Third, the war exposed Israel’s over-reliance on the U.S., in both defense and offence, which was not the case in 1967 when Israel claimed its biggest victory.
Survival of the weak
Even though Mr. Trump joined the war on behalf of Israel, there is a clear distinction between the American and the Israeli approaches towards the Persian puzzle. Israel’s ultimate objective is regime change but it does not have the resources or the capabilities to achieve regime change. The U.S. does not want a nuclear Iran, but it does not want to get entangled in another prolonged war in West Asia either. Mr. Trump’s own MAGA (Make America Great Again) base was revolting against America’s intervention in Iran.
For Iran, the Israeli-American attack was another Mosaddegh moment — a reminder of the 1953 Central Intelligence Agency-backed coup that toppled its elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Iran once made a deal with the U.S. and other world powers over its nuclear programme, only to see it torn up by President Trump in his first term. When Tehran returned to talks with Washington again, it ended up facing an Israeli-American war instead. Iran is now racing to rebuild its military capabilities and restore deterrence. Iran’s leaders will also find a greater incentive than ever to pursue a nuclear weapon as many in Iran today argue that if Tehran had possessed a bomb, like North Korea, Israel and the U.S. would not have dared launch this war.
In Game of Thrones, the Red Wedding was not the end of House Stark. When Arya Stark, the younger sister of Robb Stark, extracts revenge for the Red Wedding by orchestrating a massacre at House Frey, she declares: “You didn’t slaughter every one of the Starks. That was your mistake. You should have ripped them all out, root and stem.” The 12-day war did not destroy the Iranian regime. Nor did it tear out the Iranian nuclear programme, root and stem. Beneath its rhetoric of victory, Israel, which is now asking the international community to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, knows this all too well. It will only grow more paranoid, closely monitoring Iran’s every move, while Tehran replenishes its arsenal, readying itself to fight another day. This war is far from over.
(Stanly Johny is the international affairs editor at The Hindu)
Karachi (TIP)- Insurgents shot and killed nine passengers from Punjab after offloading them from a passenger bus in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Friday, July 11, according to authorities.
The incident took place on the national highway in Zhob area of the province, said Zhob Assistant Commissioner Naveed Alam. The armed insurgents checked ID cards of passengers and offloaded nine of them from the bus going from Quetta to Lahore, and shot them dead.
All nine belonged to different parts of the Punjab province, Alam said.
“We have moved the nine bodies to the hospital for post-mortem and burial procedures,” he said.
This is not the first time that insurgents have targeted people belonging to the Punjab province and passenger buses plying on different highways in Balochistan.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but in the past, ethnic Baloch terrorist groups carried out such targeted attacks against the people of Punjab.
Meanwhile, insurgents also carried out three other terrorist attacks in Quetta, Loralai and Mastung, but spokesperson for the Balochistan government Shahid Rind claimed security forces repulsed these attacks.
Unconfirmed reports in the Balochistan media claimed that insurgents had struck at several places in the province during the night and engaged security forces by attacking check posts, government installations, police stations, banks and communication towers. While Rind confirmed the attacks, he said there were no reports of casualties in any of them. Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, Balochistan is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects in this oil- and mineral-rich province. In March, five people working on long body trailers were shot dead in the Kalmat area near Gwadar port, while in February, insurgents offloaded seven passengers belonging to the Punjab province and killed them on the spot in the Barkhan area.
Dhaka (TIP)- Bangladesh’s interim government on Thursday, July 10, officially revoked a long-standing directive from the Sheikh Hasina administration that required public officials to address her and other senior women officials as “sir.” The order, in effect for nearly 16 years, was deemed ‘inappropriate’ by the Yunus- led government. The decision was announced by chief adviser of the government of Bangladesh in a post on X, following a meeting of the advisory council in Dhaka. “During Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 16-year-long autocratic rule, a directive was reportedly issued requiring public officials to address her as ‘sir,’” the post read.
“This practice extended to other high-ranking women officials, who were and still are being called ‘sir,’ which is clearly odd,” it added. The rule had drawn criticism over the years for undermining gender norms and appearing out of touch with social conventions.
To establish a more respectful and culturally appropriate form of address for senior officials, the government has formed a review committee. The panel will be co-led by energy, road and railway adviser Dr M Fouzul Kabir Khan and environment and water resources adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.
Alongside the cancellation of this directive, the interim government also discussed scrapping several other outdated protocol rules issued by the previous cabinet.
The deadly flood in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi River that killed at least nine people and left more than two dozen missing this week was triggered by the draining of a supraglacial lake in the Tibet region of China, a regional climate monitoring body said on July 9. At least 19 people, including six Chinese workers at the Beijing-aided Inland Container Depot, remain missing in Nepal after the July 8 floods that also washed away the ‘Friendship Bridge’ that links Nepal and China.
China’s official Xinhua news agency has said 11 people were unaccounted for on the Chinese side of the mountainous border region. The Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said satellite imagery showed the flood originated from the draining of the lake north of Nepal’s Langtang Himal range.
“This is based on the preliminary analysis based on the available satellite images,” Mr Sudan Maharjan, a remote sensing analyst and expert of glaciers at ICIMOD, told Reuters.
A supraglacial lake is formed on the surface of glaciers, particularly in debris-covered areas. It often begins as small meltwater ponds that gradually expand and sometimes merge to form a larger supraglacial lake, experts say.
Dhaka (TIP)- Bangladesh witnessed 2,442 incidents of communal violence over a span of 330 days from August 4 last year, when political unrest peaked, leading to the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, a minority advocacy group in the country said on Thursday.
“Most of these violent incidents happened between August 4 and August 20 last year,” the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said in a statement released at a press conference at the National Press Club here. The minority communities faced 2,442 incidents of communal violence over a span of 330 days from August 4, 2024, it said. The nature of violence ranged from murders and sexual assaults, including gang rapes, to attacks on places of worship, seizing homes and businesses, arrests on charges of alleged defamation of religion, and forced removals of minorities from organisations, the statement said.
Victims included men, women, and adolescents belonging to minority groups.
The perpetrators have largely evaded justice, with the interim government “refusing to acknowledge” the incidents and “dismissing them as politically motivated,” the statement said.
A senior Council leader, Narmal Rosario, said the ongoing reform initiatives by the interim government have repeatedly excluded minority communities, “which is the most frustrating factor for us”.
“We want to walk together with all,” he emphasised.
Another leader, Nimchandra Bhoumik, said, “The division (within the society) was not a pleasant matter for anyone.”
“The government, in fact, ignores the incidents of repression of minorities. We demand proper justice,” acting general secretary of the council, Manindra Kumar Nath, said.
As per the 2022 census, Hindus are the largest minority community in Bangladesh at 7.95% of the total population, followed by Buddhists (0.61%), Christians (0.30%), and others (0.12%).
Actor Jennifer Aniston seems to have found a new connection. The 56-year-old ‘Friends’ actor was recently seen vacationing with well-known hypnotist and mindset coach Jim Curtis on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The two were joined by Aniston’s close friends, actor Jason Bateman and his wife Amanda Anka, during the Fourth of July weekend.
Photographs obtained by the Daily Mail show the group spending time together, including boarding a sprinter van and later celebrating aboard a yacht. Aniston reportedly introduced Curtis to her friends, further fuelling dating rumors.
Curtis, who describes himself as a transformation coach, has long advocated for healing and self-love through affirmations. His Instagram account, followed by more than 5,00,000 users, features posts about manifestation and emotional growth, according to Page Six. Aniston has liked several of Curtis’ posts, including a video where he encourages viewers to repeat, “I trust that love can be kind, consistent, and true.” She has also shown support for his message around emotional recovery from past relationships.
Actor Scarlett Johansson has once again achieved a new feat with the worldwide success of ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’. Four years post her exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with ‘Black Widow’, she is breaking new grounds with her recent box office milestone.
Johansson has surpassed her MCU co-stars Samuel L Jackson and Robert Downey Jr as the highest-grossing Hollywood actor, as reported by The Wrap. ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ earned $318 million globally, within the first six days of its theatrical release.
According to The Numbers, the opening collection of the film has given the actor a lifetime career box office gross of $14.8 billion among films where she plays the lead role. ‘The Avengers’ franchise and ‘Captain America: Civil War’ have contributed to more than $8.7 billion of her box office earnings. Her other ensemble roles include her MCU debut ‘Iron Man 2’ and two animated ‘Sing’ films where she did the voiceover for the rock-loving porcupine Ash.
In the data by The Numbers about highhest-grossing actors, the only one who hasn’t acted in an MCU film is Tom Hanks. Others mentioned in the list include Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Jackson (Nick Fury) and Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord). Downey Jr has $14.2 billion in leading roles, with approximately $11.8 billion coming from his nine Marvel movies.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ shows Johannson taking over from Chris Pratt as the lead star of the dinosaur franchise. She plays an ex-military operative Zora Bennett in a mission to one of the few remaining islands where dinosaurs still live following the events of the ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy.
The sci-fi action-thriller is directed by Gareth Edwards, alongside Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein. The film is backed by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment.
‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ released on Jul 4, 2025, worldwide.
Rumor has it that Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie are rekindling something special. After years of undeniable chemistry and quiet speculation, the two are said to be reconnecting behind closed doors, with meetups in London and Los Angeles, Star Magazine reported. What’s turning heads even more? This alleged renewed closeness began not long after Jolie’s legal tensions with ex-husband Brad Pitt intensified. While nothing’s confirmed, the idea of two of Hollywood’s most private stars finding solace in each other is enough to spark headlines.
The two Hollywood icons have been keeping their connection under wraps. While Depp is open to where it might lead, Jolie is said to be more guarded, taking things slowly, the Star Magazine report added.
According to a source, Depp has “carried a torch” for Angelina Jolie for six years.“Many people believe that Angie is the reason Johnny fell so deeply for estranged ex-wife Amber Heard. She resembled Angie in certain ways,” an insider was quoted as saying in the report.
Whether it’s timing or fate, their alleged affair seems to be stirring up emotions that may have never truly faded.
The report claims that things are “stuck in first gear.” Depp may be all in, but Jolie is keeping a gentle emotional distance.
They have been close friends over the years. Angeline Jolie had hired Depp’s divorce lawyer Laura Wasser during her troubles with Brad Pitt, according to The Sun.
Jolie has never hidden her admiration, she once confessed she had a crush on his Edward Scissorhands character and called him the “coolest thing” long before they worked together.
The two Hollywood biggies worked together in the 2010 film The Tourist where Depp plays a con artist pretending to be an American traveler and Jolie took up the role of his love interest.
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), the biggest Indian film festival outside of India, is set to pay a heartfelt tribute to one of the greatest pioneers of Hindi cinema, the legendary Guru Dutt. As part of its 2025 edition, IFFM will host special screenings of two of his most iconic masterpieces, ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’. Guru Dutt, whose visionary storytelling and deeply human narratives forever changed the language of Indian cinema, continues to inspire generations of filmmakers and cinephiles around the globe. His films, marked by poetic intensity, aesthetic brilliance, and social relevance, remain timeless in their appeal and artistic impact. With this homage, the festival aims to celebrate not just the man but the legacy of the actor who gave Indian cinema some of its most memorable moments. Festival Director, Mitu Bhowmick Lange, shared her thoughts on this special tribute “Guru Dutt was far ahead of his time, both in terms of cinematic technique and the emotional depth of his narratives. His films, like ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ are not just classics, they are cultural treasures that speak to the soul of Indian cinema. At IFFM, we believe it is essential to honor those who shaped our cinematic heritage. This tribute is our humble way of remembering his genius and introducing his timeless work to new global audiences.” The screenings will be part of a curated retrospective celebrating Indian cinema’s golden age and its enduring influence. Audiences in Melbourne will get a rare opportunity to experience the visual poetry of Guru Dutt’s work on the big screen.
IFFM 2025 continues its legacy of showcasing the depth and diversity of Indian storytelling, honouring the icons of the past while embracing the voices of the future.
The anticipation around ‘Don 3’ has been piquing up as fans await to see Ranveer Singh stepping into Shah Rukh Khan’s shoes. While the news of Singh taking over received a mixed response, it seems like the makers are planning to surprise the audience with a dramatic twist. According to close sources from the film, Shah Rukh Khan is set to make a grand cameo in ‘Don 3’.
A source shared with India Today that the makers are planning to add some drama by including Shah Rukh Khan’s character. While they are keeping the plotline under wraps, the superstar will have a pivotal cameo in the new film.
“Not much is known about the part. However, Farhan Akhtar reportedly reached out to SRK, and narrated the character and the story around him. While the superstar is busy with ‘King’ at the moment, given their close association, he’s agreed to do it,” the source added. If all goes well, then Ranveer Singh and Shah Rukh Khan will appear together on the screen for the first time. And this could very well become an audience puller for the film.
Actor Ranveer Singh has left the internet amazed with his new look in the upcoming spy action-thriller ‘Dhurandhar’. Social media users have been speculating about him playing National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval in the movie. However, there are possibilities that Singh will play a lesser-known, yet crucial, real-life spy in the film. A section of Reddit users claimed that Singh plays the younger version of Doval, while Madhavan portrays the mature version, while narrating the backstory. The NSA chief himself, alongside media reports, have mentioned about him staying in Pakistan as part of a cover-up mission.
In covert operations carried out by intelligence agencies, there could often be more than one agent involved in espionage. Is Doval the only official who was involved with an espionage-related mission in Pakistan? The visuals from the film depict the time period of 2000s. While Doval’s speculated spy missions fall along the timeline of the 1980s-1990s.
Going by the first look, ‘Dhurandhar’ is possibly the story of an Indian spy, told from the viewpoint of the current NSA chief. Reddit has indicated at Singh’s character actually being Sena Medal and Ashoka Chakra recipient Major Mohit Sharma from the elite 1st Para (Special Forces).
Major Sharma was an Indian Army Officer who was awarded two gallantry decorations earlier in his career. The first was the COAS Commendation card for exemplary counter-terrorism duties during Operation Rakshak. It was followed by a Sena Medal for gallantry after a covert operation in 2005.
Major Sharma was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peace-time military decoration, in 2009. The 31-year-old, died during an encounter with terrorists in the Hafruda forest of the Kupwara sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
Since Singh is shown in a youthful, bearded appearance which has a close resemblance to Sharma, it is likely that the actor is playing the Para SF officer. Considered as India’s most daring military legends, the army Major had infiltrated terror networks in Pakistan under the alias “Iqbal” and gained the trust of militants, as reported by Zee News.
New Delhi (TIP)- In a landmark moment for Indian agri-innovation, ATGC Biotech Pvt. Ltd. was honored with the Innovation Leadership Award 2025 by Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, during the 16th Agriculture Leadership Conclave organized by Agriculture Today in New Delhi.
The award, conferred under the prestigious Agriculture Leadership Awards 2025, recognizes ATGC Biotech’s groundbreaking contributions to sustainable pest management through its cutting-edge pheromone-based technologies. Selected by the National Awards Committee chaired by Former Chief Justice of India, Justice P. Sathasivam, the accolade underscores ATGC’s pioneering work in IP-led, BioE3-aligned biomanufacturing-a new frontier in ultra-low-dose, waterless, and residue-free crop protection rooted in synthetic biology and materials science.
With a portfolio of 26 patents and 50+ commercial-stage products, ATGC is positioning India as a rising force in global agri-biotechnology and climate-resilient agriculture. Backed by BIRAC and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the company is driving the nation’s shift from volume-based agrochemicals to precision, carbon-smart crop protection systems.
Accepting the award, Dr. Markandeya Gorantla, Chairman & Managing Director, and Dr. V.B. Reddy, Executive Director, of ATGC Biotech, remarked: “This award is a celebration of Indian science and its capacity to lead with purpose. We thank Agriculture Today for honoring deep-tech innovation and express our gratitude to BIRAC, DBT, and DST for enabling our platform to go from bench to field, from grams to global. This recognition reinforces the critical role of agri-innovation in advancing India’s strategic priorities-where food security, climate resilience, and global competitiveness converge through science and sustainability.”
For decades, agriculture has relied on chemical pesticides to protect crops. ATGC is reshaping this paradigm by introducing pheromone-based solutions that shift the approach from control to communication, enabling preventive pest management.
Among its flagship innovations are CREMIT PBW, a pheromone solution for managing pink bollworm in cotton, and Akarsh ME, which targets fruit flies in horticultural crops. Deployed across 200,000+ acres, these technologies significantly reduce chemical use and water consumption, while supporting residue-free, export-compliant farming.
In 2024, ATGC was featured as a global case study by the World Economic Forum for its pioneering work in scaling pheromone technology in row crops. It is also the only non-U.S. supplier to the USDA’s “Slow the Spread” program and has 44 new molecules under registration across 20+ countries.
About ATGC Biotech Pvt. Ltd.
Founded in 2011 and based in Genome Valley, Hyderabad, ATGC is India’s only commercial-scale manufacturer of pheromone biosimilars. Focused on building a greener, healthier planet, ATGC offers high-quality insect pheromones, semiochemicals, and advanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools that minimize the need for harmful chemical pesticides. The company’s products are designed to protect crops, boost yields, and promote eco-friendly agriculture, ensuring the well-being of both farmers and the environment.
The death toll in the collapse of a bridge over the Mahisagar river in Gujarat’s Vadodara district climbed to 17 on Thursday, July 10, while the search for missing persons is still underway, officials said. Meanwhile, the Congress lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi led-BJP government, saying it was “incompetent” and marred with “corruption”.
In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Gujarat bridge collapse incident was a result of “leadership crisis and corruption”. As many as six vehicles had plunged into the Mahi river after a key section of a 39-year-old bridge caved in near Mujpur village, 27 km from Vadodara. Built in 1986, the bridge near Mujpur links central Gujarat to Saurashtra and is heavily used by trucks and tankers from industrial zones in Padra and Ankleshwar. Many commuters favor it to avoid tolls on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway.
Chandigarh (TIP)- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday, July 10, launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), questioning the Centre’s stance on foreign policy and the recent row over a Pakistani actor’s role in Diljit Dosanjh’s film.
Responding to the MEA’s criticism, Mann said, “Don’t we have the right to ask the PM what foreign policy is? Who has supported us? Then why are you moving around?” He accused the Prime Minister of frequently visiting countries without clear diplomatic reasons or outcomes. “PM is going to nations that we don’t even know the names. Taking honours from such small nations. Same number of people gather here while a JCB is on work here,” he said mockingly.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday strongly criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over his recent remarks ridiculing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits, calling them “irresponsible and regrettable”.
Without naming Mann, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen some comments made by a high state authority about India’s relations with friendly countries from the Global South. These remarks are irresponsible and regrettable and do not behove the state authority.”
Mann further ridiculed the government’s publicity around such visits, saying, “Ads coming that Modi has stopped a war between two nations. Then why can’t the PM resolve issues between Punjab and Haryana?”
Referring to PM Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan in 2015, Mann said, “The PM goes to countries at times without even invitation he landed in Pakistan to eat Biryani. We can’t go to Pakistan, but the PM can go.”
Addressing the controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh’s upcoming film, which features a Pakistani actor, Mann questioned the selective outrage. “Now there is a controversy about Diljit Dosanjh film a Pakistani actor worked in this was made much before and now they are saying ‘Gaddar’. At times, they say Gaddar or at times Sardar,” he remarked.
Hisar (TIP)- A private school principal was stabbed to death by two teenage students on the premises of the institute in Hisar on Thursday, July 10, with the police claiming that the accused were angry, reportedly over being reprimanded by the victim for indiscipline. The victim, Jagbir Pannu, who ran Kartar memorial senior secondary school in Bass village in Hansi area, was rushed to a private hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries, a police official said.
Hansi superintendent of police Amit Yashvardhan said both the accused were minors. “They are students of Class 11 and 12. They attacked the principal around 10.30 am with knives when other students were writing their internal exams. The principal suffered multiple stab wounds in the attack. We have recovered a foldable knife from the school premises and prima facie it appears that they killed the principal with the same knife,” the SP added.
“Preliminary investigation suggested that the school principal had reprimanded them for indiscipline and often asked them to tuck in their shirts and get their hair trimmed. If there was any personal rivalry between them, it will be revealed during the investigation,” said the SP. “However, the exact reason behind the incident will be known once we apprehend the accused and question them,” he added. “We have identified both the attackers and registered a case of murder against them. Four teams have been formed to apprehend them.”
New Delhi (TIP)- Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent statement that leaders should step aside at 75, has stroked a political controversy with Congress and Opposition leaders linking it as a ‘hint’ for Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is turning 75 in September.
During a book launch on senior RSS leader Moropant Pingle in Nagpur on July 9, Mr Bhagwat shared a stance of a Sangh meeting that held in Vrindavan in which Mr Pingle was felicitate with a stole for turning 75 years of age. Quoting Pingle from that event, Mr Bhagwat said that when he was asked to speak at the stage, he stood up and said, “people start laughing at me when I stands…..Because I feel that people are not taking me seriously…..you gave this shawl to me at the age of 75, but I know its meaning. When a shawl is draped at the age of 75, it means that now you have grown old, now just move aside, let us do it. Everything was done with that feeling in mind for his pride, but he was careful not to get attached to that pride.”
Reacting to Bhagwat’s comment, Congress MP and secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh, took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Poor award-winning Prime Minister! What a homecoming — reminded by the RSS chief upon return that he will turn 75 on September 17, 2025,” Mr Ramesh wrote on X.
Suggesting a way out for the Prime Minister, Ramesh added, “but the Prime Minister could also tell the RSS chief that — he too will turn 75 on September 11, 2025! One arrow, two targets.”
Congress leader Pawan Khera also said that how both Bhagwat and Modi can ‘pick up the bag and guide each other.’
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut alleged that Modi ‘forced’ leaders like L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Jaswant Singh to retire after they turned 75.
New Delhi (TIP)- A high-level parliamentary panel was informed on Thursday, July 10, by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra that 1.12 lakh pieces of currency notes of Rs 500 denomination out of the total over 6 crore pieces were found to be fake during 2024-25. Malhotra, who deposed before the Lok Sabha’s parliamentary panel on finance over the issue of the banking regulator’s evolving role in India’s dynamic economy, is said to have further informed the panel headed by BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab that though the Rs 2,000 denomination notes are now out of circulation, these have not been invalidated.
The RBI chief reiterated the facts from the central bank’s annual report for 2024-25, according to which counterfeit currency notes of Rs 500 denomination rose over 37 per cent on a yearly basis to 1.18 lakh pieces during 2024-25 in the banking system. In 2023-24, Rs 500 denomination counterfeit notes had stood at 85,711 pieces.
The other denominations where fake currency notes were found included Rs 100 (51,069 pieces), Rs 200 (32,660 pieces), and Rs 2,000 (3,508 pieces) in 2024-25, as per the report released in May. Despite this, the overall fake notes detected in 2024-25 slightly decreased compared to 2023-24, standing at 2.18 lakh pieces against 2.23 lakh pieces the previous year.
During the parliamentary panel’s meeting, several issues were discussed, with opposition members questioning contradictions in the RBI’s role. Congress MP Manish Tewari suggested that the RBI should focus on its core activity of regulating banks and a few select areas, avoiding multiple roles that could lead to conflicts of interest.
Another key discussion point was the declining number of banking correspondents in rural areas due to technological advancements. Members expressed concern that inadequate internet access and lack of modern gadgets like laptops for rural banking correspondents had significantly reduced their numbers in recent years. MPs also urged the RBI Governor to focus on monitoring ombudsmen of banks across various states in addition to overseeing its own ombudsman.
Rs 2,000 Notes No Longer In Circulation But Still Legal Tender, RBI Governor
Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra provided a detailed briefing on Thursday to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, outlining the performance of the Indian economy and financial system. He reassured lawmakers that the economy remains robust and is performing well despite global challenges. Committee Chairman Bhartruhari Mahtab described the discussion as “very meaningful”, with a broad range of topics covered.
A significant focus was the status of the Rs 2,000 currency notes. Malhotra clarified that although these notes are no longer in circulation, they are still considered legal tender and have not been invalidated by the RBI.
The Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) on Friday informed that self-styled Godman Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba received nearly Rs 500 crore in foreign funding over the past three years. Out of this, Rs 200 crore has been officially validated, while Rs 300 crore was routed through Nepal using illegal hawala channels.
According to the agency, over 100 bank accounts were opened in Nepal’s border districts like Kathmandu, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi and Banke. The money was allegedly meant for religious conversions in India.
These accounts received funds from Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Agents in Nepal helped transfer this money to Chhangur, who is originally from Madhpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district, taking a 4-5% commission. In many cases, money was deposited using Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs).
The funds were brought into Indian districts like Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich and Lakhimpur, where local money exchangers converted Nepali currency to Indian rupees.
The authorities found that agents from Bihar districts such as Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Purnia, Kishanganj, Champaran and Supaul were also involved in smuggling funds from Nepal. Ayodhya district received the highest amount of funding, where it is alleged that Hindu girls were converted to other religions.
ISLAMABAD / US (TIP): Amid sustained pressure by India on recognising cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, the Quad has condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and called for acting against the perpetrators, organisers and financiers of the April 22 massacre without any delay.
The foreign ministers of the four-nation grouping–India, US, Japan and Australia are its members–met in Washington on Tuesday to firm up a broad agenda for the bloc’s annual summit in India later this year.
In its joint statement, the Quad did not mention Pakistan but made it amply clear where it was hinting. The statement used the words “cross-border terrorism” and followed it up by condemning the Pahalgam attack.
The statement, which was posted by the US State Department on its website, said, “We condemn in strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and a Nepali citizen.”
Blaming Pakistan for aiding, abetting, financing and providing logistical support for the attack, India carried our airstrikes to dismantle the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor.
“We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renew our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation,” the statement said.
The Quad urged all UN member states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australian and Japanese Foreign Ministers, Penny Wong and Takeshi Iwaya, respectively, were at the event.
Pakistan is a UN member and now heads the UNSC for a fixed term as a non-permanent member of the association. The UNSC, in a resolution on April 25, mentioned the Pahalgam attack and underlined the need to hold the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of the reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice. (tns)
NEW DELHI (TIP): In an escalation of legal action against Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a three-member bench of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Wednesday sentenced her to six months in prison for contempt of court. This marks the first time that the Awami League leader has been sentenced in any case.
The verdict, delivered by ICT Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortaza Mozumder, marks the first conviction against the former Prime Minister since her removal from office in August 2024 following a student-led uprising. The tribunal ruled that Hasina’s recent remarks made in exile had “undermined the dignity and authority” of the court.
The prosecution filed a complaint against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over a phone call in which Hasina allegedly claimed she had a “license to kill” 227 people. After repeated failures to appear before the tribunal, public notices were issued for her summoning.
Ironically, the ICT was established by Hasina herself in 2008 to prosecute those accused of war crimes during the 1971 Liberation War. But since her ouster and subsequent escape from Dhaka, the tribunal has undergone sweeping changes under the interim government led by Chief Adviser Mohammed Yunus that include the appointment of new judges and prosecutors.
The contempt verdict comes just a day after prosecutors filed five charges of crimes against humanity against Hasina, including abetment, incitement, complicity, and conspiracy related to mass killings during the July–August 2024 unrest. Hasina denied all charges, calling them politically motivated.
In a statement issued from London, the now-banned Awami League, which Hasina continues, slammed the ruling as a “show trial,” accusing the interim government of turning the ICT into a political tool.
“With the selective appointment of loyal prosecutors and denial of legal rights to detainees, the regime has weaponized the judicial process,” the party said. It alleged the trial was “rigged” to silence dissent and claimed that thousands have been falsely implicated in murder cases and detained without due process.
The Awami League also condemned the ban on its operations, and alleged a “blanket indemnity” had been granted to pro-Yunus forces accused of killing police and unleashing violence during the transition of power.
Further accusing the interim regime of courtroom intimidation, the party said judges were removed under pressure from Yunus-backed mobs, while lawyers and detainees were assaulted in court with impunity. It also expressed alarm that lawyers who had previously defended 1971 war criminals were now serving as prosecutors in Hasina’s trial. (ANI)
BANGKOK (TIP): Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office Tuesday pending an ethics investigation over a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian leader that followed a border row that erupted on May 28. The leaked call has set off political turmoil in Thailand as Paetongtarn faces growing dissatisfaction over her handling of the conflict. Here’s what to know about the latest controversy and the dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.
What was said in the leaked call
The phone call between Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen was reportedly made on June 15 and was leaked days after. Hun Sen said on his Facebook post that he recorded the conversation and had shared it with at least 80 people.
In the call, the two were heard talking through a translator discussing the tensions at the border, and about whether they should lift restrictions imposed after the deadly clash.
Paetongtarn could be heard addressing Hun Sen as uncle. He is a longtime friend of her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a popular but divisive former Prime Minister. She urged him not to listen to a Thai regional army commander who had publicly criticized Cambodia about the border dispute, and called him “an opponent.” She also told Hun Sen to let her know what he wanted, and she would try to manage that.
Critics said she went too far in appeasing Hun Sen, and that what she said, especially her comments about the army commander, damaged Thailand’s interests and image.
Paetongtarn has apologized but said she didn’t do any damage to Thailand, arguing that her comments were a negotiating tactic.
The recent dispute was triggered in May after armed forces of Thailand and Cambodia briefly fired at each other in a relatively small contested border area that both countries claim as their own. Both sides have said they acted in self-defense. One Cambodian soldier was killed.
While the countries said afterwards they have agreed to de-escalate the situation, Cambodian and Thai authorities continue to implement or threaten measures short of armed force, keeping tensions high. (AP)
SEOUL (TIP): South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that it remained unclear whether Seoul and Washington could conclude their tariff negotiations by the deadline set by US President Donald Trump for next week, noting Thursday that both nations were still working to clarify their positions and identify areas of agreement.
Speaking at his first news conference since taking office last month, Lee also reiterated his intentions to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, though he acknowledged that mutual distrust between the Koreas is too deep to heal anytime soon.
Trump’s tariff hikes and other “America First” policies are major challenges for Lee’s month-old government, as are North Korea’s expanding nuclear program and domestic economic woes. Lee, a liberal, came to power after winning a snap presidential election caused by the ouster of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December.
Lee said the tariff negotiations with the US have been “clearly not easy” and stressed that the countries must reach mutually beneficial outcomes.
“It’s difficult to say with certainty whether we will be able to reach a conclusion by July 8. We are now doing our best,” Lee said.
”What we need is a truly reciprocal outcome that benefits both sides and works for everyone, but so far, both sides are still trying to define exactly what they want.”
Trump’s 90-day pause in global reciprocal tariffs is set to expire on July 9, potentially exposing South Korean products to 25% tax rates.
Washington has separately been seeking higher duties on specific products such as automobiles and semiconductors, which are key exports for South Korea’s trade-dependent economy.
There are growing concerns in Seoul that Trump may also demand a broader deal requiring South Korea to pay significantly more for the 28,000 US troops stationed on the peninsula to deter North Korean threats.
Lee has consistently urged patience on tariffs, arguing that rushing to secure an early deal would not serve the national interest. His trade minister, Yeo Han-koo, was reportedly arranging a visit to Washington for possible meetings with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
On North Korea, Lee said he would seek to restore long-dormant talks with Pyongyang, whose expanding military cooperation with Russia pose major security concerns to their neighbors.
“I think we should improve relations with North Korea based on a reliable coordination and consultation between South Korea and the US,” Lee said. “But I expect that won’t be easy as mutual antagonism and distrust are too serious.”
Lee previously faced criticism that he was tilting toward North Korea and China and away from the US and Japan. But since the election, Lee has repeatedly vowed pragmatic diplomacy, saying he would bolster the alliance with the US while also seeking to repair ties with North Korea, China and Russia. Some critics say it’s too difficult to satisfy all parties.
Lee’s government has made proactive efforts to build trust with North Korea, halting frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts and taking steps to ban activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border. (AP)
GILIMANUK (TIP): Indonesian authorities intensified on Friday a search operation for 30 people missing after a ferry sank near the tourist island of Bali. The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving Ketapang port in East Java late Wednesday for a trip of about 5 kilometers (3 miles) to Bali’s Gilimanuk port. The search and rescue operation was halted Thursday evening due to visibility problems and resumed on Friday morning with more than 160 rescuers including police and soldiers, said Ribut Eko Suyatno, the deputy chief of operations at the National Search and Rescue Agency.
Three helicopters and a thermal drone were deployed to conduct an aerial search over the waters of the Bali Strait, while about 20 vessels were mobilized for the sea search, Suyatno said. As weather forecasts predict high waves and rough waters around the Bali Strait on Friday, he said at least three navy ships to being deployed to replace small boats.
Videos and photos released by the agency showed rescuers looking desperately from rescue boats in the waters but no new survivors.
The agency released the names of 29 survivors and six people confirmed dead late Thursday. It didn’t release names of the missing, but according to the passenger manifest there were 30 people missing. On Friday, survivors were being treated at Bali’s Jembrana Regional Hospital, while the bodies have been handed over to the families for funerals. Distraught relatives gathered at the port office in Gilimanuk, hoping for news of missing family members.
Indonesian authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. Survivors told rescuers there appeared to be a leak in the engine room of the ferry, which was carrying 22 vehicles including 14 trucks.
Ferry tragedies occur regularly in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, with weak enforcement of safety regulations often to blame.
Fifteen people were killed after a boat capsized off Indonesia’s Sulawesi in 2023, while another ferry sank in rough seas near Bali in 2021, leaving seven dead and 11 missing.
In 2018, an overcrowded ferry sank with about 200 people on board in a deep volcanic crater lake in North Sumatra province, killing 167 people. (AP)
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