| Good morning! A 19-year-old Indian has just become a grandmaster, the highest ranking a chess player can achieve. Divya Deshmukh defeated some of the world's best at the FIDE Women's World Cup to land in the final, where she was set for an intergenerational clash with Koneru Humpy. Interestingly, Humpy was India's first woman grandmaster and the youngest to achieve the feat, which she accomplished at the age of just over 15. Now, Deshmukh is India’s fourth woman grandmaster. She clinched the title automatically, since a FIDE World Cup win allows players to bypass the three norms needed to qualify as a grandmaster. As grandmaster N Srinath puts it, it's like capturing the ‘golden snitch’ in a Quidditch game from the Harry Potter universe instead of scoring goals through the quaffle. With this win, Deshmukh could be eyeing the World Championship crown next. On that note, let’s get to today’s edition.
🚨Big Story The 16-hour special debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor in Parliament saw the government clarifying the circumstances of the ceasefire, while the Opposition flagged security and intelligence failures. Though stances taken by both sides were along expected lines, here are some key highlights from the Lok Sabha discussion. 👉 The big question in all this was whether India lost fighter jets during Operation Sindoor. The Opposition has been seeking clarification on the matter ever since Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan admitted on June 1 that the Indian Air Force lost jets on May 7. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, however, did not provide a specific answer, instead asking the Opposition to focus on the “results”. 👉 The government also rebutted US President Donald Trump’s claims that he brokered the ceasefire between India and the US using trade deals as leverage. Singh asserted that the fighting was stopped only because “we had fulfilled our objectives”. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar clarified that “at no stage in any conversation with the US was there any linkage with trade and what was going on.” 👉 Leading the charge for the Opposition, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi asked why the government did not aim for “territorial gains”. “When will we take PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir?” he questioned. AIMIM leader Assaduddin Owaisi, meanwhile, wondered how the government could allow the national cricket team to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup tournament in September if “water and blood cannot flow together”, as the government had claimed after the April 22 attack. Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda targeted the government on Trump’s claims, stating, “Donald ko chup karao… ya phir Hindustan mein McDonald's ko band karao (Silence Donald or shut McDonald’s in India)”. Notably, the Congress has kept out leaders who were part of the government’s foreign tour of multi-party delegations from its speakers list. Shashi Tharoor is said to have declined on his own, since he “has to be consistent”, which may violate party line. Whereas Manish Tewari had wanted to speak, but the party chose not to field him.
⚡Only in Express House of bids: Last week, Qatar confirmed the rumours and threw its hat into the ring to host the 2036 Olympics. With this, Qatar joined the growing list of challengers to India’s bid to host the 100th anniversary of the 1936 Olympics: Turkey, Indonesia, Hungary and Germany, among others. As of now, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has paused the host selection, and if you recall, it had told India to effectively get its house in order before preparing any master plan. Interestingly, though, Qatar and India's pitches are similar in their messages, underscoring inclusivity and regional aspirations. The former, however, may have a certain edge over the latter. Read my colleague Mihir Vasavda's explainer.
📰 From the Front Page Rebirth: The Noon river was once one of the forgotten rivers of Uttar Pradesh. Plagued by a jal kumbha (water hyacinth) infestation and construction debris, the Noon had all but disappeared. Today, the river flows nearly six feet wide at its origin point, Rampur Narua. Behind its second life was a herculean rejuvenation exercise, involving drone-mapping and satellite imagery.
📌Must Read Job cuts: When India's largest IT company, Tata Consultancy Services, announced that it was laying off 2 per cent of its workforce, it sent ripples of fear across the Indian tech industry. For years, Indian IT firms boasted of stable growth and job security. Together, the top four IT companies — TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Technologies — employ around 13.70 lakh people. But with TCS pulling the trigger, will the rest of the industry follow suit? Are the Indian IT firms on the path to mimic the ruthless layoff culture of US tech giants? Read George Mathew's analysis. History lessons: Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand turned deadly last week, amid intense fighting over a century-old border dispute. On Monday, the two nations agreed to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire". The dispute arises out of the 1907 drawing of the border between the two countries by France, the then-colonial power in Cambodia. However, deeper animosity is driven by the contested ownership of their shared culture and heritage. Know all about it.
⏳And Finally… Goans have long faced the brunt of overtourism in the state. Recently, however, a new tourism crisis has taken shape in the state amid concerns over a shrinking foreign tourist footfall. Social media, too, has been rife with stories of territorial taxi drivers and overpriced stays. Goan tourism minister Rohan Khaunte, however, has accused “paid” social media influencers of ‘maligning’ the state, while maintaining that there was “no decline” in tourism. The latest grievance seems to be the “unregistered homestays” being rented out to tourists, causing problems for residents. “The issue is…that people from Delhi and other places who bought second homes here during Covid. Tourists come and stay in those homes and residential buildings. We have no details of these registrations,” Khaunte flagged. That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow, Sonal Gupta |
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