Daily Briefing: Gill era gets going
Good morning,
A fresh chapter in Test cricket unfolds today as England and India lock horns in Leeds. However, this isn't your typical clash of the titans. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma absent from the playing XI, India enters the series with a younger team eager to prove themselves. At the helm of this next-gen squad is Shubman Gill. To make things interesting, the sun is shining in Yorkshire, observes National Sports Editor Sandeep Dwivedi, reporting from Leeds. The unusually dry conditions could tilt the balance, and at the pre-match press conference, Gill said, 'We will have to take the call on the team combination after having one last look at the pitch.' For fans, the draw to enjoy cricket and the sun remains Jasprit Bumrah, the world's premier fast bowler.
We'll dive deeper into the Test series later in the newsletter. For now, let's turn to the rest of the day's headlines.
It's been a week since Israel's attack on Iran, which has triggered an ongoing air war between the two nations. On Thursday, Israel continued to bombard Iran's nuclear sites. Iran, in turn, launched missiles and drones at Israel, striking a hospital overnight. Israel has stated that its ultimate goal is to ensure the enemy does not possess the means to produce a nuclear weapon. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not completely ruled out the possibility of regime change in Iran. He mentioned that while it wasn't Israel's 'formal goal', it could be 'a result'.
The risk: US President Donald Trump, who has been contemplating joining Israel's campaign against Iran, has now stated that he will make a decision in two weeks. He cited potential discussions with Iran as a reason for delaying this decision. Notably, Tehran previously refused to engage in negotiations while under attack. For Trump, who came to power with the promise of ending 'forever wars', the choice to enter the conflict risks fracturing his support base. Influential MAGA leaders like Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson have publicly voiced their disapproval of US involvement in Israel's war.
For peace: Europe has been advocating for diplomacy amid escalating tensions. Iran's foreign minister is poised to join a meeting with his counterparts from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom in Geneva later today. The calls for diplomacy have also emerged from an unexpected source, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has proposed that Moscow could assist in negotiating a deal that permits Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic programme, thereby alleviating Israeli security concerns. Trump responded by advising Putin to concentrate on securing an endgame to his conflict with Ukraine.
'If the Opposition fights us, we will welcome it. But where is the Opposition?'
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis joined The Indian Express at a recent Adda held in Mumbai. In a session moderated by National Opinion Editor Vandita Mishra and Executive Director of The Indian Express Group, Anant Goenka, Fadnavis spoke about addressing corruption, political opportunism, and the transformation of Mumbai. Read.
Past clues: Investigators probing the June 12 Air India crash are closely scrutinising a prior incident at London Gatwick. In February 2020, an Airbus A321 issued a Mayday call after both its engines malfunctioned shortly after takeoff. The aircraft returned to the airport 11 minutes later. Officials hope that information from the UK incident could yield clues regarding AI171's malfunction.
Path to peace: Over two years ago, the ethnic violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis altered the landscape of Manipur. The two groups have been geographically separated, which has complicated the movement of people and goods. The government's negotiations with Kuki militant groups are nearing an agreement that would end the blockade and help restore normalcy to the state.
Poll watch: The Election Commission collects videos and photos of the entire election process, from checking the voting machines to counting the votes. Last year, it decided to store this footage for a period ranging from three months to a year. However, the EC has revised these guidelines to reduce the retention period to just 45 days after the results are declared, citing 'misuse' of such material.
Cool heads: Recently, the government proposed capping air conditioner (AC) temperature settings between 20 and 28 degrees Celsius. In this week's Dis/Agree column, two experts discuss whether this is a sustainable method for conserving energy.
Chandra Bhushan, CEO of iFOREST, says the proposed cap, although not a game changer, facilitates essential discussions on an urgent developmental need. 'India cannot afford billions of energy-guzzling ACs. This will break the grid and the environment.'
Concurring with Bhushan, Trishna Sarkar, an economics professor, notes that the solution lies in planning cities in ways that mitigate heat islands. This would involve green spaces, buildings designed to remain cool naturally, and an efficient public transport system.
Green thumb: India has made a significant investment in green hydrogen as the next major alternative fuel. However, weak export demand, driven by geopolitical instability, is hindering its expansion. My colleague, Aggam Walia, speaks to industry experts to comprehend what is afflicting this emerging sector.
A big question mark hangs around India's wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav's fate in the England-India Test series. Will he play the first match today? Yadav has been training hard at the nets. He has proven his mettle. But with a relatively inexperienced batting unit, India may turn to another player, a better batsman, for insurance.
Meanwhile, Dwivedi caught up with maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who had much to offer the young team preparing for battle. In his interview, Tendulkar outlined customised solutions for individual top-order batsmen to tackle their potential challenges.
That's all for today, folks! Happy weekend-ing!
Sonal Gupta
Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take.
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