| Good morning, In the most expansive and widespread retaliation by India in recent years, the Indian armed forces attacked nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. Here’s what you should know: Codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’, ostensibly a reference to only men being singled out based on their faith before being killed in Pahalgam, the retaliation comes two weeks after the April 21 terror attack. The high-precision missile strikes targeted locations in Bahawalpur and Muridke in Pakistan’s Punjab and Muzaffarabad and Kotli in PoK. These cities are home to terror camps belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. The strikes saw unanimous support from leaders across party lines, who hailed the armed forces. Pakistan, meanwhile, resorted to a sharp escalation in ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, hours after the Indian strikes. Cross-border shelling in the Rajouri and Poonch districts and the Uri and Tangdhar sectors in the Kashmir Valley forced residents of frontier villages to flee or hide in underground bunkers. At least three civilians have been killed and five others injured in the firing, per Army sources. Flight operations have been hit across Indian airports, particularly those close to the India-Pakistan border or in the vicinity of key Indian Air Force bases. Airports in Srinagar, Amritsar, Jammu, Leh, and Dharamshala have suspended civilian flights. At least 20 flights were cancelled at the Delhi airport this morning. A real-time flight tracker, Flightradar24, showed no airplanes flying north of Delhi or over western India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, India will conduct nationwide mock drills today to assess and enhance civil defence mechanisms in the event of a hostile event. The drills will be carried out in 244 categorised Civil Defence Districts. Does your home fall in the district, and how will the drills impact your life? Read all about it here. Also read: C Raja Mohan’s column on Delhi’s twin challenge of dealing with its rogue neighbour, while maintaining its economic trajectory. On that note, here’s what else is brewing today.
India, UK sign trade pact India and the United Kingdom have sealed the long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) to enhance bilateral trade, create jobs and boost investments in both countries. Once the deal comes into effect, UK tariffs on several commodities, including footwear, textiles, automobile components, and electrical machinery, will be eliminated. India, on its part, will significantly cut tariffs on whiskey and gin and slash automobile duties from 100 per cent to 10 per cent. The recent volley of tariffs unleashed by United States President Donald Trump and the ensuing global uncertainty have pushed countries to negotiate trade deals with partners. India also wants to sign pacts with the US and the European Union. Don’t miss my colleague Shubhajit Roy’s explainer on the agreement's geo-economic significance.
Must Read Reshaping the Republic: In an ongoing Express series tracking landmark cases, today’s spotlight is on Sajjan Singh, a landowner in Rajasthan. Singh’s 1964 case against the state's land ceiling laws raised a pertinent question, which remains contentious even today: What is the extent of Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution? Read on. Rules: Satellite communication firms like Elon Musk's Starlink, Amazon's Kuiper and Eutelsat OneWeb are looking to roll out their services in Indian markets. However, the government has some conditions: manufacture in India, store data locally, cooperate with law enforcement, and more.
And Finally... Two players locked in a silent battle over a chessboard might not make great TV. Add in the unpredictable length—a tense three-hour duel that could still end in a draw—and it’s easy to see why chess has struggled to break into mainstream broadcasting. But with India’s chess scene exploding and a new wave of young prodigies taking on the world’s best, the question is shifting: Can chess evolve into a broadcast-friendly spectacle, or is it destined to remain in online streaming? My colleague Amit Kamath may have some answers. I leave you with the latest episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast. Today’s lineup: an update from the LoC, the significance of Mission Sankalp and another NEET scandal. Until tomorrow, Sonal Gupta | 
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