U.S.-Iran peace deal welcome, hope it lasts: Anantha Nageswaran

Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visiting handicrafts stall before inaugurating the fifth edition of Mysuru Travel Mart-2026, in Mysuru on Friday. | A. Sriram The fifth edition of the Mysuru Travel Mart (MTM) 2026 commenced on Friday, with Union Minister for Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurating the three-day travel fair at the Jagannatha Centre for Art and Culture in Mysuru.The event has brought together tourism stakeholders, policymakers, hospitality leaders and buyers from across the country with the objective of strengthening Karnataka’s tourism ecosystem and positioning Mysuru more prominently on India’s tourism map.Organised by the Mysuru Travels Association in association with the Union Ministry of Tourism, Karnataka Tourism Department, Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association and Skal International Mysuru, the event aims to showcase Mysuru as a premier tourism destination of national significance.Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Mysuru Travels Association President B.S. Prashanth, Mysuru Travel Mart Chairman C.A. Jayakumar, Vice-Chairman C. Narayanagowda, Secretary Samarth G. Vaidya, Association Vice-President David Raj, Secretary Manjunath and Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Charitable Trust President Ravi Shastri were among those present.Addressing the gathering, Mr. Shekhawat said Karnataka could significantly enhance its tourism potential by adopting the national tourism policy and creating a more investment-friendly environment for the hospitality industry.The event will feature panel discussions on Saturday on topics including media and tourism, development of Mysore Airport, the proposed film city in Mysuru, and sustainable tourism. Senior journalists, film personalities and tourism experts are expected to participate.The Skal International Mysuru Tourism and Hospitality Awards Night, during which 15 awards will be presented to hotels, resorts, tourism professionals and individuals for their contribution to the growth of tourism in the region, will be held on Saturday evening.The travel mart features exhibitors from various destinations. More than 500 hosted buyers from across India are expected to attend, making MTM 2026 one of the region’s major tourism networking platforms. Organisers expect around 1,000 visitors over the three-day event. Published - June 05, 2026 11:26 pm IST

India’s Srikar Bharat with his mother. File | R Deepak Visakhapatnam-based Indian cricketer Kona Srikar Bharat has announced his retirement from international cricket. The 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batter posted the news on his official social media accounts on the evening of Thursday (June 4, 2026), bringing the curtain down on a career that carried him to the highest level of the game, Test cricket for India.In an emotional note, Bharat reflected on what it had meant to wear the India jersey and represent the country. “To play for my country has been the greatest honour of my life. This journey demanded resilience and strength, but the privilege of representing India in Test cricket made every moment worthwhile,” he wrote.He paid tribute to his family, whose support, he said, had held firm through every phase of his cricketing life.The Andhra cricketer also acknowledged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the coaches, managers and support staff who worked with him through his career. He reserved a special mention for the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA) and their office-bearers, who backed him on the long climb from grassroots cricket to the international stage.Turning to the people who shaped his career, Bharat singled out India captain Rohit Sharma, under whom he made his Test debut. “A big thank you to my captain Rohit Sharma, under whom I made my Test debut. It is a memory that is priceless and beyond words,” he wrote.He also remembered former India head coach Rahul Dravid, who, he said, guided him from the India A setup to the national side. Dravid’s mentorship, Bharat wrote, had been invaluable and unforgettable.On his Indian Premier League (IPL) days, Bharat turned to Virat Kohli, who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) when he made his IPL debut. Kohli’s faith in him, he said, gave him the stage to prove his ability and win notice at the national level.Bharat saved warm words for his long-time coach J. Krishna Rao, who moulded his game from his early years and helped turn him into an international cricketer.Following the announcement, the BCCI, through its official social media handles, wished Bharat success in his future endeavours.Bharat had been associated with the Indian Test squad since 2019 and was regularly part of the team’s plans during series against Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and New Zealand, often serving as a reserve wicketkeeper. He made his international debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in 2023. His last appearance for India came in the Test series against England in February 2024.Bharat represented India in seven Test matches. He was also a member of the Indian squad that featured in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia in England in 2023. He is the only player from Andhra Pradesh to play a World Cup for India.In the IPL, Bharat represented several franchises, including Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders. Published - June 05, 2026 04:18 pm IST

India-China relations over the past year have improved from a “reset and fresh start” to a “new level of development”, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said on Friday (June 5, 2026), calling for accelerated efforts towards a “full normalisation” of relations and to address a “serious deficit of trust”.Speaking at The Hindu Huddlein Bengaluru in conversation with The Hindu’s Diplomatic Editor Suhasini Haidar, Mr. Xu said the two leaders — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping — had played “a leading role in providing strategic guidance for relations between our two countries.”The Hindu Huddle 2026 Day 1 | Live updates“Both President Xi and Prime Minister Modi attach great importance to bilateral ties and view relations from the strategic and long-term perspective,” he said.“The diplomatic teams of two sides have been working very hard to step up communication and cooperation at various levels to advance implementation of the important common understandings between the two leaders. I would say the leaders have led relations from a reset and fresh start to a new level of development.”‘Tangible progress, not yet fully normalised’Mr. Xu said he was “very glad to see the gradual and tangible progress” both sides had made recently, including through easing of restrictions on investments from China, resumption of the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra for Indian pilgrims, resumption of direct flights between several cities, and other measures. At the same time, he said ties were not yet fully normalised.“It is true we have made progress and improvement in relations, but the full normalisation of our ties still calls for joint and continuous efforts from our two countries,” Mr. Xu said. “China-India relations are one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. The importance of relations extends the bilateral scope and carries global strategic significance.”‘Happy to see Infia gradually easing restrictions on Chinese investment’He said the Chinese side was “happy to see the Indian side has gradually eased restrictions on Chinese investment”, referring to the easing of restrictions imposed in early 2020, at the start of the pandemic, following the issuing of Press Note 3.Calling for more people-to-people ties, he said “the deficit of trust remains serious” between the two countries. “Exchanges between the policy-making bodies are not enough. China and India have nearly 50 government to government dialogue mechanisms, unfortunately most of them remain stalled,” he said, adding that China was “ready to resume exchanges with India in various fields and at various levels.”‘Border situation is stable, peaceful’On the boundary question and the rupture in ties in 2020 (after Galwan clashes), Mr. Xu said both sides had held several rounds of recent talks, including most recently, last week in Beijing when both sides held the 35th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs. Both countries in Beijing discussed issues related to border delimitation, border management, mechanism building and cross-border cooperation.“Currently the border situation is generally stable and peaceful,” Mr, Xu said. “I think the boundary question is an important one and we should handle it properly. The boundary question is very complex and sensitive and left over from history. It concerns the sentiments of the two peoples and requires dialogue and consultation to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution. China and India as two ancient civilisations have the wisdom and capability to find effective ways to accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, and properly settle differences through dialogue.”China’s stand on India and PakistanQuestioned on China’s relations with Pakistan, including its provision of assistance to the Pakistani military during Operation Sindoor which raised concerns in India, Mr. Xu said China “hopes India and Pakistan seek resolutions on

Image used for representational purposes only. | 5% tariff on India by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) under Section 301 investigations goes beyond the scope of the provision, and New Delhi should challenge the ambit of the probe, think tank GTRI said on Wednesday (June 3, 2026).The 12.5% tariff exceeds the USA's WTO commitment.The U.S. Trade Representative has proposed to impose 12.5% additional duties on 54 countries, including India, for failing to prohibit the import of goods produced with forced labour.The action follows investigations launched against 60 countries over what the USTR described as their failure to impose and effectively enforce bans on imports made with forced labour."The current investigation exceeds the scope of Section 301, which deals with market-access barriers faced by the U.S. firms in the country being investigated and not what it imports and from where", the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said.It added that the investigation is not based on allegations that Indian exports are produced using forced labour. Rather, the USTR action focuses on whether countries prohibit imports made with forced labour in third countries.GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava said India must argue that the United States is attempting to impose its preferred import-control framework on other countries through unilateral trade measures, which is outside the scope of section 301."India may also argue that concerns regarding forced labour, particularly in countries such as China, are often product-specific and that the U.S. itself remains a major importer of many of the products at issue. Hence, broad country-wide tariff actions are an inappropriate response when the problem could be limited to a few products," he said.GTRI also views these tariffs as part of a broader effort by Washington to increase pressure on India, as both sides are negotiating a bilateral trade agreement.India should be prepared for additional Section 301 tariffs in areas such as excess capacity, it said.The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched two separate Section 301 investigations on March 11 and 12, 2026, covering 60 economies over concerns related to forced labour and excess industrial capacity.USTR has now issued its findings in the forced labour investigation and proposed additional tariffs on imports from 54 economies.The proposal includes a 10% tariff on imports from Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan, and a 12.5% tariff on imports from 48 other economies, including India and China.Pakistan and Indonesia are India's competitors in the trade front.The measure remains a proposal and has not yet been finalised.Lower tariffs have been proposed for textiles, although specific rates have not yet been finalised.The proposal has now entered the consultation phase. Interested parties can submit requests to appear at hearings and summaries of testimony by June 22, 2026, while written comments are due by July 6.USTR is scheduled to hold hearings on July 7.A final decision is expected in late June or July, potentially before the expiry of the temporary Section 122 tariffs (10%) on July 24, 2026.Once finalised, the tariffs could take effect almost immediately.The investigation is not based on allegations that Indian exports use forced labour, but on whether India restricts imports linked to forced labour in third countries. Published - June 03, 2026 12:54 pm IST

Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat. | Sribharat received a warm welcome from members of the Norway Telugu Association upon his arrival in Oslo, the capital of Norway, to participate in the Norway India Business Days 2026 slated for June 2 and 3.Mr. Sribharat said that the conference, organised by the Norway India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI), serves as a significant platform for strengthening economic and strategic cooperation between India and Norway.He noted that India-Norway relations have witnessed significant progress in recent years and recalled the announcement of the Green Strategic Partnership between the two countries during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Oslo in May. He said the partnership is expected to further enhance collaboration in key sectors such as trade, green energy, the blue economy, technology, and sustainable development.The MP said it was a matter of pride that he, along with Nandyal MP Byreddy Shabari, would be representing Andhra Pradesh at a time when India and Norway are actively expanding cooperation across several strategic sectors.The MP expressed his gratitude to the Telugu community in Norway for the warm reception and appreciated the efforts of the Norway Telugu Association, established in 2016, in bringing together Telugu-speaking families and promoting cultural unity. He commended the leadership of Association President Venkat for his contributions toward preserving and promoting Telugu language, culture, and traditions among future generations. Published - June 02, 2026 12:23 am IST