TMC chief Mamata Banerjee with nephew Abhishek Banerjee (PTI photo/file)

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) dissolved all its committees, frontal organizations in West Bengal on Wednesday after rebel Rathindra Bose met the Governor with a letter of support from around 60 MLAs, in what is being seen as a major crisis in the party founded by Mamata Banerjee.The party said it would conduct “comprehensive introspection, performance review, organizational assessment at every level. The organizational structure of the parent body, all frontal wings will be restructured and announced at the appropriate time”.The move is being seen as a last-ditch effort to prevent a vertical split in the party, which was decimated by rival BJP in the recently held West Bengal Assembly elections after 15 years of rule.The turmoil intensified on Wednesday as around 60 of the 80 TMC MLAs reached the Assembly for the meeting. The number is significant as it crosses the two-thirds threshold required to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law, raising parallels with the split in the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena against Uddhav Thackeray in 2022.Earlier in the day, regarding West Bengal Assembly LOP nominations, TMC MLA Mustafizur Rahman told news agency ANI: “We don’t know the exact figure… I am hearing from outside that 59 signatures have been received. I am hearing that. I have also signed.”An important political message has been mentioned in the letter submitted to the Assembly Speaker. Mamata Banerjee as party president, suggesting that the rebel camp is mounting its challenge against the current leadership of the legislature party rather than the TMC chief himself.The MLAs have also rejected any role of Abhishek Banerjee in determining the affairs of the legislature party, sources associated with the dissident group told news agency PTI.However, the TMC leadership described the move as an act of betrayal. Senior party leader and MLA Kunal Ghosh argued that any grievance could have been resolved within the organization itself.He told reporters, “If he had any issues, he could have discussed them within the party. Instead, he chose to stab the party in the back.”Terming the rebels and their supporters as “traitors”, Ghosh said the party would face the crisis and remain united under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.The origins of Wednesday’s protest can be traced to the meeting of newly elected MLAs at Mamata Banerjee’s residence on May 6. During the meeting, the MLAs are understood to have authorized the party leadership to take a decision on the appointments of the leader of the opposition, deputy leaders and the chief whip.Subsequently, the TMC informed the Assembly that Sovandeb Chattopadhyay will serve as the leader of the opposition, while Nayana Bandyopadhyay and Ashima Patra will be the deputy leaders and Firhad Hakim will take charge as the chief whip.However, the Assembly Secretariat did not act on the communication, pointing to procedural rules requiring such office-bearers to be elected at a formal meeting of the legislature party.Tension escalated further when dissident MLAs alleged that their signatures were misused in communications sent to the Assembly Secretariat. The party leadership denied the accusation and countered that the rebels were attempting to weaken the organization after the electoral setback.The standoff intensified with Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha being expelled from the party earlier this week.In the developments, Ritabrata Banerjee, expelled by the party leadership, has emerged as the most prominent face of the rebellion. The presence of veteran leader Javed Khan, considered a close loyalist of Mamata Banerjee since the early days of the party, has further strengthened the political position of the disgruntled camp.The development has also sparked a wide-ranging debate on control over the opposition’s place in the Assembly. While the support of only 30 MLAs is required to secure the post of Leader of the Opposition, the bigger battle now seems to center on the legitimacy and control of the legislature party.

Varsha Gohil and Bhadresh Gohil

The 23-year-long divorce battle between an Indian-origin couple in Britain has ended with a court awarding Varsha Gohil £6.6 million after years of litigation over hidden assets worth £28 million.The controversy began in 2002 when Varsha Gohil filed for divorce from her husband Bhadresh Gohil, citing adultery and inappropriate behavior. At the time, he accepted a £270,000 financial settlement with the family’s Peugeot, The Sun reported.Varsha later became convinced that her ex-husband had not fully disclosed his assets during the divorce proceedings. Under UK law, both parties must give full accounts of their assets and income when deciding on a financial settlement.In 2007, she returned to court seeking to overturn the original agreement after gathering evidence that she believed Bhadresh had concealed part of his fortune.The case took a dramatic turn in 2011 when Bhadresh was convicted of money laundering and forgery. The former lawyer was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while the Crown Prosecution Service seized assets worth almost £28 million which investigators said were hidden around the world.The legal battle then turned into a dispute over whether those properties should be considered part of the couple’s marital estate.Varsha’s challenge eventually reached the UK Supreme Court. There, judges considered her case alongside that of Alison Sharland, who made similar allegations that her ex-husband hid assets during divorce proceedings. The verdict allowed both women to reopen their financial settlements and pursue new claims.Despite that victory, the financial dispute remained unresolved for years. The Crown Prosecution Service faced difficulties locating and recovering the assets, leading to a new High Court hearing not taking place until 2023.At that hearing, Bhadresh argued that the frozen property was not his and therefore could not be included in any divorce judgment. Varsha said the assets were accumulated during their marriage and should be considered while dividing the couple’s property.The Crown Prosecution Service argued that the money represented the proceeds of crime and should remain subject to criminal recovery proceedings rather than being distributed through the family courts.However, Mr Justice Williams ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove that the entire £28 million had arisen from criminal activity. They found that some of the assets came from legitimate businesses that existed during the marriage and therefore formed part of the couple’s estate.The judge awarded Varsha £6.6 million and sharply criticized her ex-husband, describing him as “grossly dishonest”.In his judgment, Mr Justice Williams said Bhadresh’s portrayal of himself as a hard-working family man who had been treated unfairly was “so far from the truth that it is difficult to understand how he could have put this forward”.The decision ends one of Britain’s longest-running divorce disputes, ending a legal battle that lasted more than two decades.

The view back from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope makes the familiar categories of comet science a little strange. 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object that briefly passes through the Solar System, has been observed before, but this time’s readings seem less like a routine update and more like a chemical surprise that refuses to sit well with local comets. The data come from a narrow post-perihelion window, when the object was already retreating from the Sun and slowly cooling again. What the telescope caught was not just the usual mixture of water vapor and dust, but signs of gases behaving that didn’t quite match the established patterns seen in domestic icy bodies. The data gives the impression that this Traveler was manufactured somewhere else, under completely different circumstances.

NASA James Webb Space Telescope Observations reveal hidden methane inside an interstellar comet

The comet was observed twice in mid-to-late December, during the phase when it had already passed the Sun and was heading back to the cooler location. At the time, it was still releasing material, although not as uniformly. The readings show that a body is closing gradually rather than all at once.The distances from the Sun were still large in everyday terms, but far enough for solar heating to continue to perturb its surface layers. The instruments tracked that change in real time, observing how different gases reacted as the object moved away. One of the most significant elements in the data is the presence of methane. It was picked up directly in the mid-infrared spectrum, something that had not been clearly recorded for an interstellar comet before. Methane is a type of compound that does not survive well in exposed conditions. It turns from ice to gas at relatively low temperatures, which generally means it should be one of the first substances to disappear from a hot surface.Its presence here and its timing suggest that it may be hidden beneath the outer layer. Only when the heat reached the deeper layers did it start leaking. This type of delayed release hints at a layered structure rather than a uniform icy block.

PC: NASA

NASA web data shows carbon dioxide dominance and anomalous gas decline in 3I/ATLAS

Along with methane, carbon dioxide was unusually effective. The comet appears to be releasing it at a level that is typically seen in many Solar System comets, especially when compared to water production.That imbalance matters because it points to a different initial structure. Carbon dioxide behaves differently from water ice when heated, and a body that produces more of it relative to water may have formed under cooler or chemically different conditions than those that have shaped objects in our own outer Solar System. As 3I/ATLAS moved away from the Sun, activity decreased in a fairly clear pattern. Water production declined most rapidly, which is not unexpected, as it requires continued heat to sublimate as the surface cools.Methane and carbon dioxide declined gradually. The overall effect is not of a sudden stop but of a gradual retreat, with different materials ceasing activity at different thresholds. The comet does not behave like a single homogeneous object losing energy uniformly; It reacts in layers, almost as if its interior stores heat separately from its surface.

What NASA James Webb MIRI has revealed Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS chemistry

The instrument behind these measurements, MIRI on the James Webb Space Telescope, works by breaking infrared light into finely spaced components. Each slice of sky produces not only an image but a complete chemical breakdown, point by point, around the comet’s nucleus.This type of mapping allows faint gases to be tracked as they move away from the surface, forming a loose envelope around the object. It’s less about a snapshot and more about a dynamic chemical field, which changes as sunlight weakens and distance increases. What the combined readings create is not a dramatic discrepancy, but a persistent mismatch. The proportions are off in small but noticeable ways. Methane appears later than expected. Carbon dioxide predominates more than usual. Water runs out faster than the rest.

Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana wants her focus to remain focused on the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup and not focus too much on her high-profile opening match against arch-rivals Pakistan. India are scheduled to begin their tournament campaign against Pakistan in Birmingham on June 14, an event that always generates massive public interest.

IND-W vs ENG-W, 3rd T20I: highlight | Achievement:

“We played the India-Pakistan match in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and all our tickets were sold out,” Mandhana told reporters. “Not just India-Pakistan, I think we really need Promote T20 World Cup. We don’t need to hype up just one match. It is already publicized. I am sure a lot of people will come and support us. Hopefully, we can put on a show for them.”

The 29-year-old opening batsman was speaking after India suffered a six-wicket defeat against England in the third T20I, giving the hosts a 2-1 series win. Mandhana blamed India’s inability to apply consistent pressure through dot balls during England’s chase of 181 for the defeat, something she hopes the team will rectify ahead of the ICC event.

“We certainly had a very good start with the ball and restricted England to 35 for 3,” Mandhana said. “Eventually, we might have been able to create pressure with some dot balls, but we weren’t able to do that. I can’t really take anything away from their partnership; I think they played really good cricket shots.”

England recovered from the initial shock thanks to a massive 137-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Alice Capsey, who scored 82, and captain Heather Knight, who remained unbeaten on 70.

Despite losing the series, Mandhana found reason to remain optimistic, pointing to the superb form of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who propelled the Indian innings with a blistering 56 off 40 balls to take the team to 180 for five.

Mandhana said, “She batted surprisingly well. Harman, when she is at her best, she is a pleasure to watch.” “I think everyone is in good shape. It’s a good sign for the World Cup that Jamie, Herman, everyone looks great from the outside. Hopefully, I can see from the non-striker end.”

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Atishi criticized Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over limited bank options on the portal (Image credit: ANI)

Former Delhi Chief Minister and current Delhi Assembly member LOP Atishi has criticized the CBSE revaluation process, alleging that students are facing difficulties due to limited payment options on the board’s revaluation portal.In a post on X, Atishi claimed that payment for revaluation can currently be made only through State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda or Indian Bank.“Another day… another achievement by @dpradhanbjp… After the late launch of the CBSE revaluation portal, students have now learned that payment can be made only through SBI, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda or Indian Bank.“So if a student or their parents do not have an account in these banks, they cannot apply for revaluation! The Prime Minister and his Cabinet have taken mismanagement to new heights”This criticism comes after concerns were raised about the delayed launch of the CBSE revaluation portal amid the OSM tender controversy.The controversy escalated when students started reporting smudged answer sheets, missing pages, mismatched scanned copies and frequent glitches during the revaluation process.Opposition targeted BJP Other opposition leaders Aditya Thackeray and Kapil Sibal also criticized the central government’s handling of the CBSE controversy following the transfer of the board chairman and secretary.Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Thackeray questioned whether the transfer of the two officers was a “major action” by the BJP government, calling it inadequate.Meanwhile, senior lawyer and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal described the episode as a “CBSE failure” and alleged that the government was “blaming the small fish and saving the big fish.”He questioned why the alleged irregularities, including claims related to the controversial contract, were not being investigated and asked where agencies like CBI and ED were in this matter.CBSE says the website is being improvedProviding updates on the CBSE verification and revaluation portal, officials said the platform is currently supporting around 14,000 concurrent users and over 28,000 successful submissions have been recorded till 10 pm.A post on

Victoria Burke, the architect of California’s survivor-protection law, has publicly condemned Blake LivelyLegal strategy in ongoing dispute with ‘It End’s With Us’ director and co-star Justin Baldoni. Responding to the actress’ latest filing, Burke discussed her concerns on ‘The Megyn Kelly Show’ about how the law has become part of a high-profile legal battle.In a clip shared by the official handle, Burke was asked ‘Is Blake Lively completely abusing the purpose of the California Survivor Act in her legal fee claim?’ To this he shared, “You made it about the worry that most survivors have, that a lot of times a defamation lawsuit is used to silence them, because whoever gets it realizes that it could cost five, six or seven figures over many years to defend them, and it’s always cheaper to keep quiet. So the concern was that if you were to go ahead and defend it and you win, and show that you did not have malice, you would recover your attorney’s fees and damages.”“Also the purpose I believed in was to get lawyers to take on these very difficult cases, and so that has been my main concern with the bill.”Burke, who drafted the law, said the law is designed to protect victims who come forward with allegations of sexual assault, harassment and discrimination. “Never imagined that my bill would become a story that everyone will be watching,” he wrote in a statement publicly shared on megynkelly.com.Criticizing the actress and her team, she said, “As the architect of the bill, I strongly believe in the constitutionality of our bill. I am unhappy with Blake Lively weaponizing it as a PR redemption tool.” [and] His team. “To be honest, I don’t think the judge should award attorney fees in this case.”Burke further argued that the focus on the law had shifted away from the survivors it was designed to protect. “I was worried that this was just going to be a PR campaign for him, and it wasn’t going to be about the survivors anymore. I didn’t want him turning my bill into the Met Gala,” she was quoted as saying.Lively’s legal battle with Baldoni came back into the news after the actress claimed she faced retaliation after making sexual harassment claims on the production of their 2024 film ‘It End’s With Us’. Elaine Garofalo, the attorney representing Baldoni, filed a petition before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Lyman that Lively was trying to make “one last run around a jury trial” through an application for attorney’s fees, which was dropped when an agreement was reached before the trial began in May.

Tensions rose again in the Middle East early Wednesday after Iran fired missiles towards US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the missiles failed to hit their targets and were either intercepted or separated before impact. In response, US forces launched attacks on Iranian military facilities.The night sky over the Gulf lit up as Iranian missiles and drones headed toward American bases. American air defense systems intercepted incoming threats near Kuwait City, preventing them from reaching Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.US air defense used Patriot missiles to respond to the Iranian threat.The latest exchange comes amid a conflict that has intensified since the US launched a major military campaign against Iran earlier this year. Since then, the two sides have exchanged attacks, bringing the region closer to a wider confrontation. Several attempts at dialogue and negotiation have been made, but there has been no success in reducing tensions.The US military responded strongly to Iran’s action by attacking Qeshm Island.Also read: Iran launches attacks on US targets in Kuwait; Air defense intercepts missiles, dronesAccording to US officials, Iran fired missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, but none reached their intended targets. Two missiles targeting Kuwait broke up mid-flight, while the missiles targeting Bahrain were intercepted by US and Bahraini forces.The development comes after reports from Iran’s semi-official Fars and Tasnim news agencies claimed that Tehran has stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in its conflict with the US and Israel. chairman donald trump disputed the reports, saying talks were ongoing.The reports published by Fars and Tasnim, considered close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, came as tensions also rose on Israel’s northern front with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon.A regional official involved in mediation efforts, speaking anonymously to The Associated Press, said Iran did not negotiate with mediators on Tuesday after insisting that a ceasefire must be implemented in Lebanon before talks could continue.

In a separate development, the US military said it targeted another oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port in violation of the US blockade. According to CENTCOM, it was the seventh ship to be intercepted while trying to circumvent sanctions.The Botswana-flagged merchant vessel M/T Lexi was stopped after her crew allegedly ignored repeated warnings for 24 hours. CENTCOM said one aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, disabling the ship.

New Delhi: Annamalai Kuppusamy (K Annamalai), who not long ago BJPIts biggest face and its biggest hope in Tamil Nadu has left the party. The former IPS officer, who joined the BJP in 2020 and led the party in the state like never before, is all set to form his own “regional organisation” as he feels being part of a national party “hinders his development”.“According to reports, Annamalai is in Delhi and has thanked all his party chiefs, including Amit Shah, while submitting his resignation, although a formal announcement is yet to be made. Some in the BJP expect a U-turn, but sources close to Annamalai claim that the former IPS officer has moved on and wants to “put his plans into action.”Annamalai has also submitted a detailed report analyzing what went wrong for the BJP in the 2026 elections and has reportedly told top BJP leaders how she was “sidelined” in the party. While the formal separation is happening now, the ground for this separation was laid ahead of the 2026 assembly elections when the BJP abandoned Annamalai’s vision for the party in Tamil Nadu.So, what went wrong?To understand this, let us step back and look at Annamalai’s spectacular rise in the BJP.The BJP, which had been struggling to find its place and relevance in Tamil Nadu politics for years, found a ray of hope in Annamalai. The former IPS officer, who left his job in May 2019 and was working for social welfare through his NGO “We the Leader Foundation”, wanted to enter politics to “bring about a change in the system”. Interestingly, BJP was not Annamalai’s first choice as he wanted to start his political innings with Rajinikanth. But when the superstar’s political plans failed, Annamalai chose the BJP – a party which he said “had a nationalist outlook and a merit-based platform.”Annamalai joined BJP in 2020. Although he lost the 2021 assembly election from Aravakuruchi constituency, he helped the BJP win 2 seats in the western region of the state.The BJP immediately realized Annamalai’s potential and within a year he was made the state party chief. Once firmly in power, Annamalai led his ‘En Man En Makkal’ (My Land, My People) march across Tamil Nadu in 2023, taking the BJP’s popularity to a new high. There was such optimism and hope in the exercise that the top national leadership of the BJP graced it. While Amit Shah inaugurated the 200-day padayatra covering all 234 assembly constituencies in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended it with a massive public address in February 2024.The publicity and hope generated by Annamalai’s padayatra may have convinced the BJP to part ways with its ally. AIADMK And choose to contest alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. The highlight of Annamalai’s political aggression was his sharp and vocal criticism of Dravidian politics and its symbols. Despite the alliance with the AIADMK, he did not spare their leaders either – a factor that ultimately played a significant role in the alienation between the allies. Annamalai’s padayatra took the BJP’s vote share in Tamil Nadu to a record high of 11.38% in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This was a huge jump from the 3.62% figure the party got in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But unfortunately, the increase in votes did not translate into seats and the BJP could not open its account for the second consecutive Lok Sabha election. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 1 seat with 5.56% vote share.This probably prompted the BJP to rethink about its ties with the AIADMK and despite Annamalai’s very strong objections – the alliance was revived ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in the state. And it sidelined the former IPS officer, who was later removed as state BJP chief to appease the party’s Dravidian ally.AIADMK sets conditions for BJP in 2026 assembly elections. The regional party ensured that Annamalai was not only removed from the post of state BJP chief but also had no role in deciding candidates for the assembly elections. Annamalai stayed away and did not contest the 2026 assembly elections. Complete dominance of Annamalai in 2023 was transformed into almost complete isolation in 2026. However, on May 4, when the results were declared, Annamalai was proved right and the BJP’s alliance experiment with the AIADMK failed miserably. The saffron party could win only one seat in the assembly. But the former state president still remained silent.Annamalai’s first voice of dissentWhen Annamalai openly hit out at the Union Education Ministry over its notification making three languages ​​compulsory for Class IX students for the first time in six years, it was the first clear sign of an impending rebellion and led to speculation about her possible exit from the party.On May 15, CBSE issued a notification to all affiliated schools to introduce the third compulsory language for class IX students from the current academic year, pushing back the earlier scheduled deadline of 2029-30.Responding to the move, Annamalai wrote on Expecting a ninth grade student to learn a new language in such a short period of time will only put pressure on children and affect their overall learning outcomes.“The fact that he decided to make public his differences with the BJP on language policy, which has always been a sensitive issue in Tamil Nadu, was a sign that he wanted to chart his own course.Although Annamalai may not have openly rebelled, his move to resign does not come as a surprise. Ultimately, his efforts to ensure a distinct identity for the BJP in Tamil Nadu were ruined when the Delhi leadership insisted on an AIADMK alliance in the 2026 assembly elections.An experiment aborted too early?For the BJP, Annamalai’s exit would mean a fresh start in Tamil Nadu. While Annamalai was not leading the state BJP in either of the two assembly elections held during his tenure, his active presence had energized the party. Annamalai was made the BJP Tamil Nadu chief after the 2021 assembly elections, in which the BJP won 4 seats with 2.62% vote share. He stepped down as head of state in 2025, a year before the 2026 assembly elections in which the party’s tally slipped to 1 with a marginal increase in vote share at 2.99%. With Annamalai’s exit, the BJP will be wary of a possible exodus of local leaders and workers from the party.The fact that the people of Tamil Nadu voted overwhelmingly for budding politician Vijay and his party TVK shows that there was room for a new experiment in Tamil Nadu. BJP started on that path with Annamalai but abandoned it midway. Though Annamalai is nowhere close to Vijay’s fan following in the state, the truth is that the former IPS officer, often fondly referred to as “Singham”, had enjoyed a good amount of popularity among the youth of the state. No wonder the “what if” question will continue to haunt both the BJP and Annamalai.But for the BJP – it was perhaps a Hobson’s choice – to go ahead with its Annamalai experiment or join hands with its old ally, the AIADMK, and form an anti-DMK front. In the end it chose its old ally, leaving Annamalai no option but to leave the alliance. Ironically, the same aggression that made him popular within and within the BJP became the reason for his leaving the party.