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Good evening, Over a month after its pilot made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram airport, the British Royal Navy’s F-35B jet has departed from Kerala. The aircraft, which sparked considerable online intrigue (and memes), flew back after undergoing the requisite repair at the Air India hangar, where it had been moved since July 6. Three weeks after its emergency landing, a 14-member engineering team had arrived from the UK, following their government's acceptance of an offer for space in the MRO facility. The team has also left the airport in an Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft, while the jet followed suit. The airport is now calculating the parking fee for the fighter jet and the Airbus, estimated to be anywhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 a day. There would also be a landing fee for both aircraft, which is expected to range between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, while Air India is expected to charge a fee for using its MRO facility at the airport, according to airport sources, as my colleague Shaju Phillip reported. On that note, let’s dive in 👇🏽
📝 The Debrief Decoding the Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s late-evening resignation on Day 1 of the Monsoon Session of Parliament
A few hours after presiding over proceedings in the Rajya Sabha as its Chairman, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar announced his resignation from the post, more than halfway through his five-year term. Dhankhar cited health reasons for the abrupt move, stating that he wanted “to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice…” To be sure, Dhankhar was hospitalised earlier this year after complaining of uneasiness, and underwent a procedure. However, since then, he has continued to perform his official duties in Parliament, in addition to attending events across the country. On Tuesday, President Droupadi Murmu accepted his resignation. Dhankhar’s decision to step down on the first day of the Monsoon Session has sparked significant speculation and theories about his and the ruling party’s motives. Supposed displeasure: The timing of Dhankhar’s decision leaves more questions than answers. A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told the Indian Express the government was left red-faced after Dhankhar, as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, announced a motion to constitute a Statutory Committee for the removal of Justice Yashwant Verma. This motion contained signatures of 50 Opposition MPs, met the numerical requirement, and triggered the process for a high court judge’s removal. The government was reportedly unhappy over the announcement “without consulting the Treasury Benches”, especially since, as the BJP leader said, “it was trying to build a consensus to move the motion (in the Lok Sabha)...” Several opposition leaders, across party lines, exclaimed surprise at Dhankhar’s resignation, stating that they had scheduled meetings with him today. Unprecedented: Dhankhar joins a small group of Vice Presidents, including VV Giri and R Venkataraman, who resigned before completing their terms. But there’s a catch. Both Giri and Venkataraman resigned to contest presidential elections, and were succeeded by Gopal Swarup Pathak and Shankar Dayal Sharma, respectively. In that context, Dhankhar’s resignation stands out as unprecedented. It will now trigger an election, which, according to the Constitution, must be held “as soon as possible” after the post becomes vacant. My colleague, Ritika Chopra, has a fantastic explainer on what comes next – the rules, the processes, and some good old civics lessons. Additionally, be sure to read these fantastic stories by Indian Express reporters, which examine Dhankhar’s political career as Vice President and his criticisms of the Supreme Court and the judiciary.
✍️ From our newsroom China’s water gambit: China has begun construction of a massive $170 billion hydropower project on the Yarlung Zangbo River, just before it enters Arunachal Pradesh as the Brahmaputra. The project, with a planned capacity of 60 gigawatts (GW), will be China’s largest since the Three Gorges Dam (completed in 2012) in Sandouping and is expected to boost its domestic economy. However, in India’s Siang region, concern is growing. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has warned that sudden water releases could devastate local communities, especially the Adi tribe. The full extent of the project’s storage capacity remains uncertain, raising concerns about flooding and potential disruptions to India’s downstream hydroelectric plans. In response, India has proposed the 11.2 GW Upper Siang Multipurpose project to manage water flow and serve as a strategic buffer. However, progress has stalled due to local opposition. The Centre insists it is ready, but little has been achieved on the ground.
🔎 Need to know Date set: The Supreme Court on Thursday will hear an appeal challenging Monday’s Bombay High Court decision to acquit all 12 convicts in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts. The Maharashtra government stated it would challenge the High Court’s order in the apex court and had requested a hearing on Wednesday for that purpose. De-gamified: Streaming giant Netflix will adapt the popular game title Assassin’s Creed into a live-action TV series. The Ubisoft-owned title was previously adapted into a film in 2016, but it experienced limited success. More confusion: A team of US trade negotiators, led by US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, is expected to visit India in mid-August to continue discussions on a trade agreement. Notably, this will be well past US President Donald Trump’s August 1 deadline, after which reciprocal tariffs are set to take effect.
🎙️Expresso Playlist In today’s Playlist, I recommend a podcast called Titanic: Ship of Dreams, a 13-episode series that explores everything about the ship. It has some super interesting stories right from the start. Do give it a listen.
✋🏽 One last thing I’ll leave you with this excellent story in The Economist about how water bottles became a fashionable accessory, driven by the Gen Z hydration trend. One figure from the story: “The value of portable drinkware in America reached $4 billion in the year ending May 2025; some 270m containers were sold in the country, up from 240m two years earlier.” Until tomorrow, Venkat Ananth |
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