Peterborough temple fight reaches court; China overtakes US in global favourability: Pew survey; more

The latest episode of Statecraft covers the ongoing legal battle over the Bharat Hindu Samaj Temple in Peterborough, UK. The city council's decision to sell the decades-old temple complex to an Islamic organisation has sparked a debate over vote bank politics and the marginalisation of Britain's Hindu community. Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East escalate as the United States launches strikes on Iranian infrastructure, prompting retaliatory attacks from Iran and threats of a naval blockade. In the US, an Indian-origin Muslim man from Hyderabad is in critical condition after being stabbed multiple times in Utah in a suspected hate crime. Additionally, a recent Pew survey reveals that China's global favourability has surpassed that of the US, driven by European economic interests and American unpredictability regarding trade and tariff policies. The episode also highlights the release of a UK grooming gang ringleader and protests in Ukraine over the dismissal of its Defence Minister.