Best of BS Opinion: Plastic battles, dumping wars, and Apple's gamble

Have you ever been in a situation, where there's that sudden flicker while driving through an unfamiliar underpass. The streetlights blink once, then vanish. And at that same time, your headlight, too, dies in silence. You're still moving, but into a tunnel where no signs of exit are visible. You don't know how long this stretch is, or whether you'll come out the other side. The world today feels a lot like that. Let's dive in.
Our first editorial explores how global oil markets, rattled by the widening Israel-Iran conflict, are about to turn India's fiscal tunnel pitch dark. Oil prices are up 9 per cent already, with projections nearing $150 a barrel. That could tear through India's trade balance, sink the rupee, squeeze inflation, and force the RBI's hand. If the Strait of Hormuz gets blocked, our headlight, that comforting fiscal projection of 1 per cent CAD, may just vanish.
Elsewhere, as our second editorial explains, India is dodging another kind of dark road, a global spotlight on plastics. Nearly 100 countries endorsed the Nice Wake Up Call for a plastics treaty, but India held back, citing jobs and industry. Meanwhile, our $44 billion plastics sector churns out 9.3 million tonnes of waste a year, with only band-aid recycling rules and strained informal networks trying to keep the muck out of rivers and lungs.
In the manufacturing corridor, Akash Prakash turns to the Apple-in-China story. The tech giant's vast China bet built a supply chain so dazzling, it lit up the global economy. Now, Apple's pivot to India could offer us a chance, if we don't miss the curve. But unlike China, we've yet to lay the full wiring of component ecosystems, long-term policy, and bold investments.
As trade winds shift, Rajeswari Sengupta and Niharika Yadav show how India's ADD (anti-dumping duty) spree, aimed at shielding local firms from cheap Chinese imports, might be casting more shadows than clarity. MSMEs are hurting, solar goals are slipping, and policy unpredictability is turning investors blind.
And finally, Neha Bhatt reviews The New Age of Sexism: How the AI revolution is reinventing misogyny by Laura Bates, a searing spotlight on how AI, deepfakes, and the metaverse are not liberating, but retooling patriarchy. Virtual misogyny is no longer fiction. It's coded. Programmed. And it's coming for younger and younger girls.
Stay tuned, and remember, when the streetlights go out, the steering must be firmer, the mind calmer!

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Hindustan Times

33 minutes ago

• Hindustan Times

'Middle East bully's nuke sites completely, totally obliterated': Donald Trump on Iran strikes

Delivering an address to the nation after US military strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump said the attack "completely and totally obliterated" the Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities targeted. L: Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei | R: US President Donald Trump (Reuters photos) US on Saturday struck three Iranian nuclear sites – Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan – with President Donald Trump asking Iran to agree to 'end the war' after the 'historic moment for the United States of America, Israel and the world'. Follow Israel Iran conflict live updates 'Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,' Trump said in the address to nation. Confirming the strikes, US President Trump first posted on Truth Social, 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.' In another post, Donald Trump wrote, 'I will be giving an Address to the Nation at 10:00 P.M., at the White House, regarding our very successful military operation in Iran. This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!' With the strikes, the US has officially directly joined the Israeli campaign with President US President Donald Trump on June 18 had said 'exactly' where the Iranian Supreme Leader is "hiding" is known, adding that 'at least for now, they are not going to kill him.' Donald Trump warned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against further attacks, as he appeared to demand Tehran's unconditional surrender. Follow Iran-Israel conflict live updates Trump posted on Truth Social, 'We know exactly where the so-called ' Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' In another post, Donald Trump had written, 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' Israel said the strikes were needed to stop Iran from going further with its nuclear plans, claiming that the country is very close to having a weapon.

Mint

36 minutes ago

• Mint

US attacks on Iran: ‘Well done', Donald Trump gets praise from Republicans, sole Democrat John Fetterman

US-Iran war updates: United States President Donald Trump has recieved 'immediate praise' from Republicans in Congress and at least one Democrat, for bombing three nuclear sites in Iran. Dissenting from his fellow party-mates, Pennsylvania's Democract Senator John Fetterman, joined Republicans in praising Donald Trump for joining Israel's offensive against Iran, according to an AP report. Posting on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), South Carolina's Republican Senator Lindsey Graham wrote: 'Well done, President Trump'. Congressional Republicans — and at least one Democrat — immediately praised President Donald Trump after he said Saturday evening that the U.S. Further, Senator John Cornyn, the Republican rep of Texas called the US military bombing three sites in Iran a 'courageous and correct decision.' And Alabama Senator Katie Britt, also Republican, called the bombings 'strong and surgical'; while Oklahoma's Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin posted: 'America first, always.' The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Trump 'has made a deliberate — and correct — decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime.' Wicker posted on X that 'we now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies.' The quick endorsements of stepped up U.S. involvement in Iran came after Trump had publicly mulled the strikes for days and many congressional Republicans had cautiously said they thought he would make the right decision. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Saturday evening that 'as we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm's way.' Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., were briefed ahead of the strikes on Saturday, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. Johnson said in a statement that the military operations 'should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says.' House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., said he had also been in touch with the White House and 'I am grateful to the U.S. servicemembers who carried out these precise and successful strikes." Breaking from many of his Democratic colleagues, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, an outspoken supporter of Israel, also praised the attacks on Iran. 'As I've long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS,' he posted. 'Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities.' Both parties have seen splits in recent days over the prospect of striking Iran. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican and a longtime opponent of U.S. involvement in foreign wars, posted on X after Trump announced the attacks that 'This is not Constitutional.' Many Democrats have maintained that Congress should have a say. The Senate was scheduled to vote as soon as this week on a resolution by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine requiring congressional approval before the U.S. declared war on Iran or took specific military action. Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, posted on X after Trump's announcement: 'According to the Constitution we are both sworn to defend, my attention to this matter comes BEFORE bombs fall. Full stop.'

Time of India

36 minutes ago

• Time of India

'Now is the time for peace,' says Trump after bombing three Iranian sites- but did Iran outsmart the bombs?

Evacuations blunt the edge of U.S. firepower Live Events Inside the strikes: what was targeted U.S.-Israel coordination: A calculated escalation Did Iran anticipate the attack? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In a striking display of both military might and diplomatic paradox, President Donald Trump declared, 'Now is the time for peace,' just hours after ordering U.S. airstrikes on Iran 's most sensitive nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz , and attacks, coordinated closely with Israel, were intended as a decisive blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions and a dramatic intervention in the spiraling Israel-Iran as new details emerge, a different narrative is taking shape—one that raises questions about both the effectiveness and the real impact of this high-stakes state media revealed that the targeted nuclear sites had been evacuated 'some time ago,' a move that appears to have dramatically limited the physical and radiological consequences of the strikes. Sensitive materials and personnel were removed in advance, reportedly as part of a contingency plan to avoid casualties and prevent environmental preemptive action meant that, despite the deployment of advanced B-2 bombers and bunker-buster munitions, the U.S. strikes may have hit mostly empty facilities, blunting the intended effect of crippling Iran's nuclear deeply buried enrichment facility was the primary target, with the U.S. unleashing its most powerful bunker-busters. However, the extent of the damage remains unclear, and Iranian officials insist there were no casualties or radiation main uranium enrichment hub was also struck, but, according to Iranian sources, no radioactive material was present at the time, further limiting the risk of site, crucial for uranium conversion and fuel production, was similarly evacuated, and no significant radiological impact has been reported.U.S. officials confirmed that Israel was notified both before and after the strikes, underscoring a high level of coordination between the two allies. Israeli sources described the operation as a critical escalation, coming after days of Israeli strikes that had already weakened Iran's missile revelation that Iran had already cleared its nuclear sites before the strikes raises the possibility that Tehran anticipated the attack, potentially through intelligence or by reading the diplomatic and military signals coming from Washington and Jerusalem. This has sparked debate among analysts: Did the U.S. and Israel achieve their objective, or did Iran's advance warning and evacuation render the operation more symbolic than strategic?As President Trump calls for peace, the region remains on edge. Iran's leaders have vowed a response, and the risk of further escalation persists. The International Atomic Energy Agency reports no immediate radiological threat to the public, and European diplomats continue to push for de-escalation.