The Hindu Morning digest: June 28, 2025

The Hindu Morning digest: June 28, 2025


Trump hopeful for Gaza ceasefire, possibly ‘next week’

U.S. President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Friday (June 27, 2025) about a new ceasefire in Gaza, saying an agreement involving Israel and Hamas could come as early as next week. Asked by reporters how close a ceasefire was in Gaza, Mr. Trump said, “We think within the next week, we’re going to get a ceasefire.” Earlier, the U.S. announced it would begin funding the initiative with $30 million approved. “We’re supplying, as you know, a lot of money and a lot of food to that area. We’re involved because people are dying. And look at those crowds of people that have no food, no anything,” Mr. Trump said Friday (June 27, 2025).

Protests erupt across Kolkata over gang rape of law student; Opposition flays Mamata government

Protests erupted across Kolkata on Friday (June 27, 2025) after one of the prime accused in the alleged gang rape of a student at the South Calcutta Law College campus, Monojit Mishra, was identified as a Trinamool Congress student leader. Left-backed student groups laid siege to the Kasba Police Station where the case was registered. Opposition parties have also slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, alleging a nexus between ruling party leaders and criminal elements. In response, the Trinamool leaders have gone into damage-control mode. The two other accused in the case, Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, are students at the same college. Mr. Mishra, 31, had passed had out from the same institute. All three have been arrested and are now in a four-day police custody.

Adani indictment case: U.S. SEC updates court on efforts to serve legal documents

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a status update with a federal court in New York, detailing its ongoing efforts to serve legal documents to billionaire Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar in connection with a civil securities case filed last year. In a June 27 letter submitted to Magistrate Judge James R. Cho of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), the SEC said it is continuing to pursue formal service of the summons and complaint under the provisions of the Hague Service Convention. U.S. SEC has to serve the summons to Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar in the alleged $265 million payoffs to win lucrative renewable power supply contracts through proper diplomatic channels, as it has no jurisdiction to summon a foreign national directly.

India trying for U.S. trade deal by July 8 deadline

A team of negotiators from India is in the U.S. for at least a two-day trip to conduct final negotiations for a ‘mini trade deal’ before the July 8, 2025 deadline elapses, The Hindu has learnt. The top items on the agenda, and the main hindrances to an agreement, are the entry of genetically modified crops and cow milk into India and the removal of the reciprocal tariffs imposed by the U.S. This comes soon after U.S. President Donald Trump on June 26 hinted at a “very big” deal coming up with India. July 8, 2025, marks the last day of the 90-day pause Mr. Trump had allowed on the ‘Liberation Day’ higher tariffs he had imposed on imports from other countries, including India.

India ‘categorically rejects’ Court of Arbitration’s ‘supplemental award’ on Kishenganga, Ratle hydropower projects

India on Friday (June 27, 2025) “categorically rejected” the “supplemental award” by the Court of Arbitration on Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects, saying that it “never recognised” the Court of Arbitration, which is a “serious breach” of the Indus Waters Treaty which has been put “at abeyance” after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. “India has never recognised the existence in law of this so-called Court of Arbitration, and India’s position has all along been that the constitution of this so-called arbitral body is in itself a serious breach of the Indus Waters Treaty and consequently any proceedings before this forum and any award or decision taken by it are also for that reason illegal and per se void,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the World Bank’s Court of Arbitration gave a “supplemental award” on Kishenganga and Ratle projects in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Opposition slams RSS leader Hosabale after his comment on ‘secularism’, ‘socialism’

Opposition parties sharply criticised Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale’s comment that the words “secular” and “socialist” in the Preamble of the Constitution should be reviewed, with the Congress on Friday (June 27, 2025) alleging that the RSS “never accepted” Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. In a Facebook post, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi claimed that the “mask” of the RSS has come off again. “The Constitution hurts them because it talks about equality, secularism and justice. The RSS-BJP does not want the Constitution but Manusmriti. By snatching their rights, they (BJP-RSS) want to make the poor and the Bahujans slaves again. Their real agenda is to snatch away a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them,” Mr. Gandhi said, adding his party “wont let that happen”.

MPs across party lines in parliamentary panel support forward-looking policy for Bangladesh

At a special interaction between four leading experts and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, MPs cutting across party lines displayed a desire to “move ahead” with India’s relation with Bangladesh, it has been learnt. The Hindu had earlier reported that the interaction between the Congress MP Shashi Tharoor-led parliamentary committee and four experts was scheduled for Friday (June 27, 2025) afternoon, where the MPs were expected to be briefed on the latest developments in Dhaka and what India can do to recover the lost ground. “All Members of Parliament displayed pathos and understanding of the issues between India and Bangladesh and there was a real desire among the MPs to mend the bilateral ties and take things forward,” said a source on condition of anonymity.

First batch of pilgrims visit Mansarovar, appeal for more yatra slots to be opened

As the first batch of Indian pilgrims since 2020 visited the Mansarovar Lake, preparing to begin their return journey on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, they expressed the hope that India and China could agree to allow more yatris to make the trek in future years. This first batch of pilgrims left Delhi on June 15 and arrived this week at Darchen to begin the Parikrama or circular route around Mount Kailash. They will head back on Saturday (June 28, 2025), and cross over into India on July 1, completing a route by road of about 2,000 km, trekking an uphill and rugged terrain of about 52 km on foot. As they touched the pristine blue waters of Mansarovar Lake, the world’s highest freshwater lake at 4,588 metres, they burst into meditational chants.

U.S. Supreme Court curbs power of individual judges to block Donald Trump

The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a major victory on Friday (June 27, 2025) by curbing the power of lone federal judges to block executive actions. In a 6-3 ruling stemming from Mr. Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, the court said nationwide injunctions issued by district court judges “likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted to federal courts”. The top court did not immediately rule on the constitutionality of Mr. Trump’s executive order seeking to end automatic citizenship for children born on American soil. But the broader decision on the scope of judicial rulings will remove a big roadblock to Mr. Trump’s often highly controversial orders and reaffirm the White House’s power.

Court rejects Netanyahu’s call to postpone graft trial hearings

An Israeli court on Friday (June 27, 2025) rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone giving testimony in his corruption trial, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the case should be cancelled. The Jerusalem district court said in a judgement published online that “in its current form, (his request) does not provide a basis or detailed justification for the cancellation of the hearings”. Mr. Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, promptly submitted a fresh request for the next two weeks’ hearings to be scrapped, in a filing seen by AFP.

Saved Khamenei from ugly death, says Trump; warns further attacks by U.S. or Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (June 27, 2025) scoffed at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s heated warning to the U.S. not to launch future strikes on Iran, as well as the Iranian supreme leader’s assertion that Tehran “won the war” with Israel. Mr. Trump, in remarks to reporters and later in an extended statement on social media, said Khamenei’s comments defied reality after 12 days of Israeli strikes and the U.S. bombardment of three key nuclear sites inflicted severe damage on the country’s nuclear programme. The U.S. President spoke out a day after Mr. Khamenei insisted Tehran had delivered a “slap to America’s face” by striking a U.S. air base in Qatar and warned against further attacks by the U.S. or Israel on Iran. “I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death, and he does not have to say, ‘Thank you, President Trump!’ ” wrote Mr. Trump.

Praggnanandhaa wins UzChess Cup Masters, becomes top-ranked Indian

Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa became India’s top-ranked chess player in the live ratings after winning the UzChess Cup Masters 2025, in Tashkent on Friday (June 27, 2025). The win took Praggnanandhaa’s live rating to 2778.3, making him World No. 4 — up three places — as he achieved his highest career ranking. The 19-year-old leapfrogged world champion D. Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7), who was India’s top-ranked player until Thursday (June 26, 2025) but has now slipped to World No. 6.

Published – June 28, 2025 06:24 am IST


Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/morning-digest-june-28-2025/article69747220.ece

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