Good morning, When the Swedish Academy named László Krasznahorkai the 2025 Nobel laureate in Literature, it felt like one of his famously long sentences had finally reached its full stop. The Hungarian “master of the apocalypse” circles the same obsessions: entropy, the futility of systems, and the elusive possibility of grace. His worlds spiral between chaos and comedy, despair and awe, finding meaning that somehow holds, even if only by a comma. On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition. 👇 War in Gaza is over Tension brewing in Tata empire ChatGPT helps nab arsonist, and more 🚨 Big Story War is over: Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya that the group has received “assurances” from Arab mediators and the US that the war in Gaza is over — a day after Donald Trump unveiled what he called the first phase of a “Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.” As part of the deal, Israel will free 250 Palestinians serving life terms, 1,700 from Gaza detained since Oct 2023, and all Palestinian women and children in custody. The agreement, hammered out over three days of talks in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, will also see a phased Israeli withdrawal. Getting terms right: Hamas, however, has rejected calls to disarm or accept the “Board of Peace,” an interim international body headed by Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Trump said he plans to travel to Egypt next week for the official deal signing. Congratulatory calls: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke to his “friend” US President Donald Trump to congratulate him on the “success” of the effort. Modi also called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, welcoming the agreement as “a reflection of strong leadership.” It was Modi’s second call with Trump in less than a month — part of a flurry of posts signalling a new urgency to engage at the highest level. ⚡Only in Express Tension brews: In the corridors of Bombay House – the Tata empire’s headquarters in Mumbai’s Fort area – fresh tension is building. A bloc of four trustees, led by Mehli Mistry, reportedly voted against the reappointment of Vijay Singh to Tata Sons, the group’s principal holding company. Calling the move “unprecedented”, Singh said it went against Ratan Tata’s insistence on consensus in decision-making. The vote has exposed deep divisions within India’s most influential corporate house, with one faction led by Noel Tata and another by Mistry at odds over governance. The way ahead: The Tata Trusts, which together own 66 per cent of Tata Sons, are now locked in a bitter power struggle, which could have an implosive impact. In addition to revealing internal differences within the conglomerate, the unrest has prompted questions about how the group will navigate its path in the coming years. 📰 From the Front Page Handshake: Modi and Starmer’s Mumbai meet made one thing clear: India and the UK are betting on each other as a crucial foundation for “global stability and economic progress in the current era of global instability”. Talks ranged from trade and tech to defence and education. Starmer brought a 126-strong entourage, while both leaders flagged cooperation on AI, critical minerals, maritime security, and global hotspots like Gaza and Ukraine. Poll promises: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav promised that if voted to power, his party would bring a law to ensure every family in Bihar gets a government job. The proposed Act, he said, would be introduced within 20 days of forming the government and implemented within 20 months. NDA leaders called the promise “impractical,” while economists warned it would be difficult to fulfil. The pitch, echoing his 2020 poll plank of 10 lakh jobs, comes amid a recent slew of sops announced by the Nitish Kumar government. 📌 Must Read When UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer landed in Mumbai, the visit was marked by pomp – Bollywood-style frames, cultural showcases, and a large UK business and academic delegation accompanying him. Soumya Bhowmick, a fellow and lead, world economies and sustainability at the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED) at Observer Research Foundation (ORF) says that for this partnership to reach its full potential, “attention must turn to migration, talent, and every other bridge that connects two economies — even whisky casks used as cross-border investments.” ‘Justified’: The Supreme Court said the Election Commission’s special revision of Bihar’s voter rolls was “justified” after noting that at one point the state had more voters than adults — 107% to be precise. Activist Yogendra Yadav argued that while Bihar once had too many voters, the revision has cut 47 lakh names, leading to “the largest ever shrinkage in the history of this country.” The court, calling the earlier inflation “a crisis, not a problem,” has asked legal aid volunteers to help those left out of the final list file their appeals. ⏳ And Finally. Exhibit A: When investigators dug into the digital trail of the man accused of starting the Palisades fire in Los Angeles, they found unexpected clues: ChatGPT prompts. Among them was a request to create an image of a burning city with a “crowd of people running away from the fire.” Prosecutors say 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht had been using AI to indulge his fire fixation months before the blaze that scorched 23,000 acres and killed 12 people. He’d even confessed to burning a Bible and “feeling liberated.” Read more. 🎧 Before you go, do tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode, where we discuss the devastation brought about by the rain in West Bengal, the communal unrest in Odisha’s Cuttack and poll promises in Bihar. That’s all for today! Until tomorrow, Malavika Jayadeep
