© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Good morning,
One of India’s top boxers, Lovlina Borgohain, is caught in the messy politics plaguing the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). Borgohain has yet to compete this year, and now, she’s skipping the Boxing Nationals. Her state, Assam, and others like it have decided to sit this one out. At the heart of it are impending elections to the BFI and the ongoing tussle between BFI chief Ajay Singh and the now-suspended secretary Hemanta Kalita. Last week, Kalita announced that the event would be rescheduled. Singh quickly shut him down—the Nationals are on! Looks like the off-ring action in boxing is stealing the spotlight from the actual fight.
On that note, let’s get to today’s edition.
The Punjab government has had enough of the farmers camping on border sites to press for their various demands. On Wednesday evening, the Punjab Police began clearing the protest sites, pulling down tents and removing trolleys. Farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been fasting unto death since November last year, and Sarvan Singh Pandher were detained.
Stalemate: The action came hours after the seventh round of talks between the Union government and the protesting farmers remained inconclusive. Amid the many demands, the farmers have been pressing for a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) on crops. Yesterday, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal reportedly took a strong stance against that demand.
Bigger picture: The farmer protests have been a thorn in the BJP-led Union government’s side for over a year now. The Punjab government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on its part, had refrained from taking harsh action against the farmers. That changed on Wednesday. The dwindling public support for the farmers’ protest and the growing anger among traders, facing losses from the blocked border sites, may have been behind the change of heart. The industry’s support is crucial for AAP, looking to retain its hold over Punjab, where bypolls are due in Ludhiana West in July.
Is the American economy slipping into recession? The resurgence of the euro against the dollar, from US President Donald Trump’s election to now, may offer some clues. With the dollar weakening and investors abandoning the US ship, there might be good news for India as well. Read my colleague Udit Misra’s explainer.
Winners: Last evening, we celebrated the best of Indian journalism at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award ceremony. Speaking at the event, President Droupadi Murmu flagged the need for a sustainable business model for media houses and how empathetic journalism can help beat artificial intelligence. She conferred the award to 27 journalists across print and digital formats. Cheers to all the winners!
Charged: Roiled by violence on Monday, Nagpur remains under indefinite curfew. It began with protests by right-wing Hindu outfits, demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. Then, rumours of the desecration of a holy book swirled, igniting larger protests in several parts of the city. The First Information Report (FIR) filed in the matter names 51 as accused, including those who misbehaved with women, including police personnel.
🎧 For more on the Nagpur violence, tune in to today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast.
Warning: 2024 was the hottest year on record. Now, 2025 is already off to a hot start. In his column today, David S Jones delivers a sombre reminder: heat can kill. He and his colleagues will converge in Delhi next week to discuss how humans can adapt.
Hot race: The global electric vehicle (EV) race is heating up. Chinese automotive company BYD Co has just unveiled a new battery-charging system that could charge electric cars in five minutes! The latest tech could put BYD Co leagues ahead of Elon Musk’s Tesla, whose stock has been tanking.
The latest Netflix offering is about a 13-year-old British schoolboy arrested for murdering his female classmate. The devastating new show brilliantly taps into the anxieties of a fragile age. Shubhra Gupta makes a case for why ‘Adolescence’ should be made mandatory viewing.
That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta
