West Bengal Assembly Opposition Leader Appointment Case: Next Hearing on July 28
TMC legislator Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay moved the court, challenging the rejection of his nomination for the post and the appointment of Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition by the Speaker.
Justice Krishna Rao, refusing any interim order as prayed for by Chattopadhyay on the Speaker's decision, directed that the matter would appear for hearing again on July 28.
With the budget session of the state assembly commencing on Thursday, and scheduled to conclude business on June 25, the court's refusal to intervene in the matter effectively meant that the Speaker-approved office-bearers of the rebel TMC group would continue to function in their respective positions for now.
The Speaker granted approval of Banerjee as LoP, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Sabina Yeasmin, and Seuli Saha as deputy leaders and Akhruzzaman as the chief whip.
The court directed the respondents in the petition to file affidavits within three weeks.
The petitioner will have the opportunity to reply to the affidavits within the subsequent two weeks, Justice Rao said.
The breakaway group has claimed the support of 58 of the total 80 TMC MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly.
Chattopadhyay, who belongs to the Mamata Banerjee-led group, had sought an interim order by the court on the ground that the first session of the 18th West Bengal Assembly was scheduled to commence on Thursday.
During the course of its hearings, the court, while making observations, raised questions over the procedure followed by the Assembly Speaker in appointing the LoP when two conflicting proposals were received from the same political party for the office-bearer positions.
The bench remarked that since two proposals were received by the Speaker, how could he, "sitting in his chamber, decide on his own which one is right and which is wrong, without calling the House to prove their majority?"
The court had sought clarity on the Speaker's duty under such circumstances, whether he decides suo motu between the two, or does he need to give both an opportunity of hearing.
The judge had also asked the additional advocate general and the Speaker's counsel, Billwadal Bhattacharya, whether he was waiting for an objection from the dissidents to come after the initial proposal of office-bearers was sent by the party.
Next hearing on July 28.
Photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. — PTI
US-Iran Agreement Signed as Nuclear Talks Continue
PTI/Associated Press, June 18, 2026, Washington:
President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran on Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives US-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries.
The initial deal to end the war takes “immediate effect” after leaders from both countries signed it, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the agreement, said in a post on X.
The agreement calls for a permanent end to hostilities and starts a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on the future of Iran's nuclear programme, though Trump left the door open to resume attacks.
It appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.
The deal has been shrouded in secrecy and confusion for days.
US officials refused to disclose the terms even after saying Trump and Vice President JD Vance digitally signed it over the weekend.
Trump signed a physical copy on Wednesday while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles, the palace where many historic agreements have been signed over the centuries, ending wars or territorial disputes.
The White House had planned a signing ceremony on Friday in Switzerland, but its fate is now uncertain, with conflicting information from the US, Iran and Pakistan.
“It's signed,” Trump said as he left the dinner at Versailles, which followed his trip to the Group of Seven summit in France.
In a video posted online by a White House aide, Trump was seen seated at a table next to Macron signing a paper copy of the agreement.
Trump then handed the document and pen to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as people in the room applauded.
“This was not easy,” Trump said right before he signed it, according to a video posted to social media by Macron.
In Tehran, a stone-faced President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the deal on behalf of Iran, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, which posted images of him holding up the deal with his signature and Trump's.
Text of the agreement still has not been formally released.
US officials dictated draft language to journalists after days of secrecy, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Iranian state TV later released text that largely tracked what the US put out.
Much of the agreement would restore the status quo before the war, including ending hostilities, restarting talks between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial passage for the world's oil and natural gas whose closure created a historic energy crisis.
The agreement opens the strait without tolls for two months, but does not preclude fees in the future, according to the drafts from both countries.
In return, the US will move to waive, but not eliminate, some wide-ranging sanctions against Iran.
The deal also affirms a commitment to Lebanon's territorial integrity in the face of Israel's invasion against the Hezbollah militant group.
That is one of the most delicate parts of the agreement because Israel has maintained it will continue to defend itself and to occupy vast swaths of Lebanon.
Iran has said Israel must withdraw under the deal, a condition Israel has already rejected.
The US and Israel went to war on February 28 in part to prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon.
Trump has cited various goals for the war, including at times vowing it would end Iran's nuclear and missile programmes and its support for Hezbollah and other proxy groups in the region.
He also suggested it could lead to toppling the Iranian government.
The interim deal falls short of all those goals, but Trump hailed it on Wednesday as “very strong”.
He also opened the door to abandoning it: “It's a memorandum of understanding, and if I don't like it, we'll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs.”
The US agreement to immediately allow Iran to sell its oil freely and the offer to eventually lift all sanctions represent major concessions that go beyond the terms of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Trump withdrew America from that Obama-era pact in his first term, declaring it the “worst deal ever”.
The Islamic Republic maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful.
The accord likely will draw intense opposition in Washington, and it appears to be a major setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has come under criticism at home from the media, his opponents and even some allies as details emerge.
Under the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran that Trump pulled out of, Iran also agreed to restrictions on its nuclear programme and promised never to build an atomic weapon.
Some concessions to Iran — including the full lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets — would happen gradually and be linked to progress in the nuclear talks, according to officials from Pakistan, a key mediator.
They outlined some of the deal's major points on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
But in the meantime, the US will issue waivers to sanctions that allow Iran to sell oil freely.West Bengal Assembly Opposition Leader Appointment Case: Next Hearing on July 28
PTI, June 18, 2026, Kolkata:
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday refused any interim order on the West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose's decision to appoint breakaway TMC group MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition.
TMC legislator Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay moved the court, challenging the rejection of his nomination for the post and the appointment of Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition by the Speaker.
Justice Krishna Rao, refusing any interim order as prayed for by Chattopadhyay on the Speaker's decision, directed that the matter would appear for hearing again on July 28.
With the budget session of the state assembly commencing on Thursday, and scheduled to conclude business on June 25, the court's refusal to intervene in the matter effectively meant that the Speaker-approved office-bearers of the rebel TMC group would continue to function in their respective positions for now.
The Speaker granted approval of Banerjee as LoP, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Sabina Yeasmin, and Seuli Saha as deputy leaders and Akhruzzaman as the chief whip.
The court directed the respondents in the petition to file affidavits within three weeks.
The petitioner will have the opportunity to reply to the affidavits within the subsequent two weeks, Justice Rao said.
The breakaway group has claimed the support of 58 of the total 80 TMC MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly.
Chattopadhyay, who belongs to the Mamata Banerjee-led group, had sought an interim order by the court on the ground that the first session of the 18th West Bengal Assembly was scheduled to commence on Thursday.
During the course of its hearings, the court, while making observations, raised questions over the procedure followed by the Assembly Speaker in appointing the LoP when two conflicting proposals were received from the same political party for the office-bearer positions.
The bench remarked that since two proposals were received by the Speaker, how could he, "sitting in his chamber, decide on his own which one is right and which is wrong, without calling the House to prove their majority?"
The court had sought clarity on the Speaker's duty under such circumstances, whether he decides suo motu between the two, or does he need to give both an opportunity of hearing.
The judge had also asked the additional advocate general and the Speaker's counsel, Billwadal Bhattacharya, whether he was waiting for an objection from the dissidents to come after the initial proposal of office-bearers was sent by the party.
Next hearing on July 28.
Photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. — PTI
US-Iran Agreement Signed as Nuclear Talks Continue
PTI/Associated Press, June 18, 2026, Washington:
President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran on Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives US-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries.
The initial deal to end the war takes “immediate effect” after leaders from both countries signed it, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the agreement, said in a post on X.
The agreement calls for a permanent end to hostilities and starts a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on the future of Iran's nuclear programme, though Trump left the door open to resume attacks.
It appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.
The deal has been shrouded in secrecy and confusion for days.
US officials refused to disclose the terms even after saying Trump and Vice President JD Vance digitally signed it over the weekend.
Trump signed a physical copy on Wednesday while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles, the palace where many historic agreements have been signed over the centuries, ending wars or territorial disputes.
The White House had planned a signing ceremony on Friday in Switzerland, but its fate is now uncertain, with conflicting information from the US, Iran and Pakistan.
“It's signed,” Trump said as he left the dinner at Versailles, which followed his trip to the Group of Seven summit in France.
In a video posted online by a White House aide, Trump was seen seated at a table next to Macron signing a paper copy of the agreement.
Trump then handed the document and pen to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as people in the room applauded.
“This was not easy,” Trump said right before he signed it, according to a video posted to social media by Macron.
In Tehran, a stone-faced President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the deal on behalf of Iran, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, which posted images of him holding up the deal with his signature and Trump's.
Text of the agreement still has not been formally released.
US officials dictated draft language to journalists after days of secrecy, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Iranian state TV later released text that largely tracked what the US put out.
Much of the agreement would restore the status quo before the war, including ending hostilities, restarting talks between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial passage for the world's oil and natural gas whose closure created a historic energy crisis.
The agreement opens the strait without tolls for two months, but does not preclude fees in the future, according to the drafts from both countries.
In return, the US will move to waive, but not eliminate, some wide-ranging sanctions against Iran.
The deal also affirms a commitment to Lebanon's territorial integrity in the face of Israel's invasion against the Hezbollah militant group.
That is one of the most delicate parts of the agreement because Israel has maintained it will continue to defend itself and to occupy vast swaths of Lebanon.
Iran has said Israel must withdraw under the deal, a condition Israel has already rejected.
The US and Israel went to war on February 28 in part to prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon.
Trump has cited various goals for the war, including at times vowing it would end Iran's nuclear and missile programmes and its support for Hezbollah and other proxy groups in the region.
He also suggested it could lead to toppling the Iranian government.
The interim deal falls short of all those goals, but Trump hailed it on Wednesday as “very strong”.
He also opened the door to abandoning it: “It's a memorandum of understanding, and if I don't like it, we'll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs.”
The US agreement to immediately allow Iran to sell its oil freely and the offer to eventually lift all sanctions represent major concessions that go beyond the terms of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Trump withdrew America from that Obama-era pact in his first term, declaring it the “worst deal ever”.
The Islamic Republic maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful.
The accord likely will draw intense opposition in Washington, and it appears to be a major setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has come under criticism at home from the media, his opponents and even some allies as details emerge.
Under the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran that Trump pulled out of, Iran also agreed to restrictions on its nuclear programme and promised never to build an atomic weapon.
Some concessions to Iran — including the full lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets — would happen gradually and be linked to progress in the nuclear talks, according to officials from Pakistan, a key mediator.
They outlined some of the deal's major points on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
But in the meantime, the US will issue waivers to sanctions that allow Iran to sell oil freely.
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