Daily Briefing: Flight carrying Indian students from Iran reaches Delhi; Air India plane crash victims' families' long wait for closure

Good morning,
The wait is finally over! India seems to have found its next big cricket star, as Shubman Gill took captaincy in his stride and hit the ground running on day one of India's English summer. Unbeaten on 127, a run short of his highest-ever Test score, Gill middled most balls during the match. Sandeep Dwivedi, describing Gill's game on the field, writes: 'Shubman at Headingley cracked that code, he had the right answer to that delicate question – What to defend and what to drive. That was the reason why close to half of his 16 fours on the off-side with his cover drives stood out for their fluency.' At 359/3, India had clearly nosed ahead in the Test series against England. The new era has had a dream start.
With that, let's move on to the top 5 stories from today's edition:
🚨 Big Story
Israel's strikes on Friday resulted in damage to key buildings at the partially constructed Khondab (formerly known as Arak) Heavy Water Production Plant, including its distillation unit, located in Iran. Just days earlier, Israel launched overnight airstrikes on several Iranian sites, including the headquarters of SPND, Iran's primary research organisation for nuclear weapons development. These strikes killed multiple Iranian nuclear scientists and top military officials, as per reports. It has, since then, hit prominent Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran. In retaliation, Iran hit the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science, causing heavy damage to multiple research facilities while signalling a chilling new front in the widening conflict.
The most-awaited return: As the Israel-Iran war continued to rage amid indications that the United States could join the strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, Delhi managed to persuade Tehran to open Iranian airspace for the evacuation of around 1,000 Indians via the north-eastern town of Mashhad. As part of the latest efforts under Operation Sindhu, a flight from Mashhad, carrying 290 Indian students, mainly from Jammu and Kashmir, landed at Delhi airport late Friday. At least three Iranian airline Mahan Air flights are being operated to bring back Indians this weekend, with one expected to arrive from Ashgabat in Turkmenistan soon.
Follow here as we bring to you latest updates on the Iran-Israel war!
Breach: The Islamic Republic has said that its Parliament was preparing a Bill to potentially leave the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970, the international treaty is aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and technology, and promoting cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as well as disarmament. Although Iran is a signatory of the Bill, the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors (which includes the P5, India, Bangladesh, Japan and Ukraine), in its first such decision in almost 20 years, recently said that Iran breached its non-proliferation obligations. What does this mean? What happens if Iran leaves the NPT? We explain.
⚡ Only in Express
The long wait: With most victims in the London-bound Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad charred beyond recognition, including 12 people at the crash site, confirming their identities correctly has been a formidable task. As of 11.50 am on June 20, 223 victims were identified and 204 remains were handed over to families. Officials said the final toll would be declared after the DNA profiling of all victims is complete. From following Interpol guidelines, DNA matching, to handling child victims, here's how Ahmedabad is helping crash victims' families find some closure.
Diu's loss: Among those who died in the Ahmedabad-Gatwick flight crash were 14 with roots in Diu – four of them British (including Ajay, brother of Vishwas Kumar – the sole survivor of India's worst air disaster in three decades, out of 242 on board) and seven Portuguese. On this tiny island of about 51,000 people, many have lost someone they knew in the airplane crash – the white caps and dark saris, a mark of mourning, now dot the island.
💡 Express Explained
Islamabad has extended strong rhetorical support to Tehran amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, calling Israel's actions a 'violation of all rules of civilised behaviour… and international humanitarian law'. Yet it has stopped short of making any tangible military commitments to Iran. Islamabad's tightrope walk vis-à-vis Tehran is apparent in statements during Army Chief General Asim Munir's visit to Washington this week, where he emphasised 'clear and strong' support for Iran. How do we understand this balancing act? Read our Explainer here.
✍️ Express Opinion
In our Opinion section today, Jonah Blank delves into the latest escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel, and what's in it for the leaders of these nations. He writes: 'Long-term planning requires trade-offs. If you're the leader of a powerful nation, you might have to forgo a flashy-but-transitory headline today in order to seal a boring-yet-substantial treaty that will benefit your successor. Neither Netanyahu nor Trump are that kind of leader. Which is why their decisions will make Iran's nuclearisation less immediate — but, eventually, more certain.'
🍿 Movie Review
Wondering what to watch this weekend? Well, we've got your back! The Aamir Khan-starrer Sitaare Zameen Par has hit the theatres, and we can't wait for the magic to take over. It adopts the original's determinedly 'cheery vein to win its matches; in the process, it also wins our hearts,' writes Shubhra Gupta in her review. She further writes: 'Borrowing the tone from the original, 'Sitaare Zameen Par' chooses to stay on the side of laughter, and it's a wise decision, because what you can convey to the average person through laughs sometimes has more weight than wrung-out tears.'
That's all for today. Have a lovely weekend!
Until next time,
Ariba

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