West End

• The BJP achieved a commanding majority in West Bengal state elections, marking its first-ever victory in India's fourth-most populous state and ending decades of opposition rule under Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. • Election results finalized this week show the BJP winning control of West Bengal while expanding majorities in Assam and making incremental gains in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, consolidating power across 21 of India's 28 states. • The victories represent a significant political rebound for Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his party's loss of outright parliamentary majority in 2024 national elections.

• The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a landslide victory in West Bengal's 2026 assembly elections, leading in 200 of 293 seats, marking the party's first-ever government formation in the state and ending the All India Trinamool Congress's 15-year reign. • BJP's success represents a dramatic rise from zero seats in 2011 to a dominant position in 2026, with over 235,000 Central Armed Police personnel deployed to ensure intimidation-free voting across the state. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the victory as historic, stating it will be remembered forever and signaling the BJP's continued electoral momentum ahead of remaining state elections.

A key Indian state, the result is set to have significant implications for the country’s political landscapeIndian prime minister Narendra Modi’s party has won a resounding election victory in West Bengal, a state which had been a rare opposition stronghold, expanding his unrivalled consolidation of power across the country.It is the first time that Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have won assembly elections in West Bengal, a large and politically significant state in eastern India. Continue reading...

• Early trends from West Bengal assembly elections show BJP ahead of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), signaling a potential historic shift in the state's political landscape. • The early leads suggest competitive dynamics across constituencies, though final results remain uncertain as vote counting progresses and trends can shift significantly. • The election results could have implications for Indian politics at the national level and investor sentiment regarding governance and policy continuity in West Bengal's economy.

• Bhabanipur constituency in West Bengal is the epicenter of the 2026 assembly election, pitting TMC chief Mamata Banerjee against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari after her prior Nandigram loss. • The diverse voter base includes significant Hindi-speaking traders and lower minority concentration compared to TMC strongholds, adding complexity to the high-stakes fight. • Stringent security measures implemented statewide to ensure transparent counting amid political tensions and voter list disputes.

Southwest staff organized water cannon salute when aircraft arrived and Jon Jackson was met with cheers and applauseA Spirit Airlines pilot was given an emotional send-off into retirement by another airline after what was supposed to be his final flight was canceled amid Spirit’s sudden collapse on Saturday.Jon Jackson had been scheduled to fly his final flight into Baltimore-Washington international airport on Saturday when the low-cost airline ceased operations after running out of cash and rescue talks with the Trump administration failed. Continue reading...

Tony award-winning actor will play lead role of Judith Bliss in Noël Coward’s comedy at Wyndham’s theatre in LondonChristine Baranski is to make her West End debut alongside Richard E Grant in a revival of Noël Coward’s comedy Hay Fever. The US star, known for her TV roles in The Good Fight and The Gilded Age, says she is looking forward to “tearing a passion to tatters” in the 1925 play about a family toying with their guests at a country house party.She will star as the newly retired actor Judith Bliss, with Grant playing her novelist husband. Baranski has twice won the Tony award for best featured actress in a play – with New York productions of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing in 1984 and Neil Simon’s Rumors in 1989. She also appeared in the comedies Hurlyburly (in 1985) and Boeing-Boeing (in 2008) on Broadway. Continue reading...