In the 2000s, a debate over banning veil raged in France. But Marjan Satrapi refused to be drawn in polarised media environment.

In a seismic shift for West Bengal’s entertainment industry, heavy-handed political control over Tollygunge’s studiopara cracked on Thursday night, June 4, 2026, as Kolkata Police arrested prominent Trinamool Congress leader Swarup Biswas. Once considered an untouchable sovereign over Tollywood’s studio floor logistics, the former president of the Federation of Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) was picked up by New Alipore police from his Sahapur Colony residence. His arrest follows an explicit FIR lodged by a 42-year-old local makeup artist who detailed a toxic corporate “syndicate raj.” The complainant alleged that after being blacklisted and denied work for two years, she was pressured by Biswas to pay cash bribes and make sexual compromises at the Suruchi Sangha club premises to secure employment. When she refused, she was met with violent death threats. Booked under rigorous provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for sexual harassment and extortion alongside the Arms Act, Biswas’s arrest sparked massive street celebrations outside the police station. Concurrently, investigators at Lalbazar are opening wider lines of inquiry connecting Swarup and his brother, former sports minister Aroop Biswas, to an alleged ₹22-lakh extortion and ticket black-marketing racket tied to Lionel Messi’s high-profile India tour event.

The student-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) is staging a major sit-in protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on June 6 over massive irregularities in NEET and CBSE exams. Backed by education reformer Sonam Wangchuk, the youth movement is demanding accountability and immediate top-level resignations

In a historic diplomatic triumph for South Asia, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman was elected President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. In a high-stakes, closely contested secret ballot held at the UN Headquarters in New York, the veteran 1979-batch diplomat secured 99 votes, narrowly defeating Cypriot Ambassador Andreas Kakouris, who garnered 91 votes. Dr. Rahman will officially assume the prestigious global podium on September 8, 2026, succeeding Germany’s Annalena Baerbock. His highly consequential one-year tenure arrives at a structural crossroads for the 193-member world body, directly coinciding with the intense vetting and selection process to replace UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose term expires in December 2026. Unveiling his vision statement themed “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All,” the incoming President-elect—who previously served as Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser—pledged to act as an impartial bridge-builder across six reformative pillars, prioritizing a comprehensive overhaul of global governance, climate finance mechanisms, and the ethical regulation of emerging artificial intelligence technologies

A wave of fear has hit Kolkata’s iconic College Street book market after stall owners received verbal orders to clear pavements. While KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey denied authorizing an eviction drive, the recent demolition of hawker hubs across Bengal has left generational booksellers deeply anxious about their future.

The Centre’s move to take over the historic Delhi Gymkhana Club has triggered a major…