With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:
- PM Modi-Pezeshkian talks
- What does UP want?
- Congo fan’s iconic tribute
🚨 Big Story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, expressed his hopes for “lasting peace” in West Asia and emphasised “the importance of freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz – key to India’s energy imports. The talks come days after Pezeshkian signed a Memorandum of Understanding with US President Donald Trump on June 17 to end hostilities. Modi also extended a formal invitation to the Iranian President to attend the upcoming BRICS Leaders’ Summit, to be hosted by India this year, hoping “the meeting would contribute to further strengthening multilateral cooperation among the member countries”.
⚡ Only in Express
“Should the government not be spending on education and health, instead of spending crores on building the world’s tallest shivling in Varanasi? Some cars in this city have “Bajrang Dal” emblazoned on them, some flaunt BJP flags. Isn’t it wrong that they are not stopped by the traffic police?”
Students who will vote for the first time in 2027 in the Uttar Pradesh elections are weighed down by pressures and restlessness in the state. At the same time, in the aftermath of the NEET retest, it is among the young that you will also hear the most artless, the most direct questioning. A straw poll in a roomful of students at a coaching centre in Allahabad shows that an overwhelming majority feels that UP needs a change of government – for reasons ranging from a broken education system to lack of jobs and besieged freedom of speech — but only a minuscule minority sees Akhilesh Yadav as the alternative. Moreover, in tea shops, malls and slum clusters, many also ask why, despite price rise, joblessness, corruption, and paper leaks, Akhilesh has not taken people’s issues to the streets. Here’s what UP wants this time.
📰 From the Front Page
For Chaitanya Tamhane, who grabbed global attention and acclaim with his debut feature Court (2014), pivoting to mentalism – what he refers to as the magic of the mind – fulfills his need for “more autonomy”. Currently developing his third feature film, Tamhane is set to hold his maiden public mentalism show, ‘While I Still Can: Mindreading, Wonder and other Lost Causes’, on July 3 at Mumbai’s 3 Art House. “It involves playing with attention, perception and storytelling, while using techniques from magic. Intuition and psychology are also involved in creating this experience. In mentalism, I am not manipulating objects, such as cards or ropes, as done in magic but connecting in real time with people,” the 39-year-old director told The Indian Express.
Setback: US President Donald Trump once again on Tuesday urged Congress to end birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court handed his administration a major setback by blocking the attempt to limit citizenship at birth for people born on American soil. The 6-3 ruling is the second instance this year that America’s apex court has invalidated a major Trump initiative, after its decision in February to strike down the Trump administration’s global tariffs. The ruling comes as a relief for over 5 million Indian Americans currently residing in America, which accounts for nearly 1.47 percent of the US’ total population, according to US Census Bureau data.
Theft: The police in Ayodhya, investigating the alleged theft and embezzlement of funds and valuables donated to the Ram temple, are now seeking details from Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and trustee Anil Mishra on the duties and responsibilities of eight persons arrested so far in the case. Following their arrests, Rai and Mishra sent their resignations to the Trust after an FIR was registered on June 25. Both Rai and Mishra were the key people behind the administration of the Ram temple and knew the eight accused.
📌 Must Read
In our Opinion section today, C Raja Mohan delves into the geopolitical construct of the Indo-Pacific that will continue to determine India’s national economic and security strategy. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to India this week and PM Modi’s visits to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand later this month reinforce this theory. Mohan writes: “The Indo-Pacific ultimately rests not on American terminology but on Asian geography and Asian power politics. As China expands simultaneously into the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, and as Japan emerges as an increasingly capable strategic actor, the integration of the two oceans will only deepen. The Indo-Pacific, then, is a structural reality of Asian politics, not a shifting American narrative.”
“In this case, the signal is very clear to Dhaka that this person is held in very high political esteem by the Prime Minister of India.”
In a remarkable move, India has sent former Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dinesh Trivedi as its High Commissioner to Bangladesh. The move marks the first time in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s 12-year tenure that a political leader has been appointed an envoy. Trivedi has also been given the rank of a Union cabinet minister. Veena Sikri, former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, explains the significance of this move.
⏳ And Finally…
Tribute: Last week, when the Democratic Republic of Congo played Colombia in Mexico, in the stands on a small makeshift podium stood a lean man, motionless, with his right hand raised, wearing a red slim-fit blazer, yellow shirt, tie and blue pants — the colours of the national flag. Congo fan Michel Kuka Mboladinga drew attention for his pose – a tribute to DR Congo’s first democratically elected Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, who was assassinated in 1961. He travelled as an official member of the Congo delegation for the FIFA World Cup, and drew inspiration from Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Read our exclusive story here.
🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss Indian athletics’ remarkable performances, breaking over 20 national records in only three months; the latest heatwave in Europe and its impact; as well as East Delhi’s property fraud case that took investigators more than a decade to piece together.
That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!
Until next time,
Ariba
Business As Usual by E P Unny
Top news on July 1, 2026 
Business As Usual by E P Unny
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