Good morning, Has the India-US animosity finally ended? Earlier today, US President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi “my very good friend”. Adding that the two countries were “continuing negotiations”, he expressed confidence that there would be “no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” Not long ago, Trump, in a frustratation-fuelled fury, had called India a “dead economy”, and his top aide had termed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “Modi’s war”. But all that may be in the past. Responding to his post, Modi reiterated that India and the US were “close friends”, and teams on both sides were “working to conclude these (trade) discussions at the earliest.” The positive signals offer hope that a resolution for the US-imposed steep 50% tariffs may be near. On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition. 👇 🚨 Big Story Our next-door neighbour is burning. Visuals emerging from Nepal show young protesters, 20 of whom have been killed since the revolt began on Monday, out on the streets. Several buildings, including Singha Durbar, the government’s seat of power, the Supreme Court and political party offices, were set on fire. Political leaders were singled out and assaulted. Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was left bleeding after an attack, while Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel was kicked and chased through the streets, and ruling MP Ek Nath Dhakal was stripped. Amid all this, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli stepped down from his post. President Ram Chandra Poudel accepted his resignation but allowed him to lead the caretaker government till a new one is in place. Both Oli and Poudel have gone into hiding, pushing Nepal into chaos and uncertainty. Zoom in: The protests were triggered by the government’s ban on social media platforms ostensibly to bring them under regulation. The move was seen as a curb on free speech, igniting demonstrations, which also targeted the “rampant corruption” in the Nepalese government. While the government has revoked the ban, protesters have continued fighting, seeking an end to corruption, social inequality and unemployment. Read our in-depth explainer. Also read: Oli’s fall is a culmination of a series of corruption allegations and scandals. Here’s what made him such an unpopular leader. What next? The unprecedented crisis has left a giant question mark on the political future of Nepal. While the Army has stated it will take charge of security operations, it’s unlikely to play a political role beyond facilitating dialogue. A few names, including the 35-year-old Kathmandu mayor, Balen Shah, have been floated as potential PM contenders. The former King, Gyanendra Shah, has also expressed willingness to return under the pre-republic Constitution. 🎧 For more on the Nepal crisis, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast. ⚡Only in Express V-P math: Chandrapuram Ponnusami Radhakrishnan was elected India's 15th Vice-President on Tuesday, defeating the Opposition's pick B Sudershan Reddy by 152 votes. While numbers were already tilted in favour of the NDA candidate, the Opposition fell short of its own expected tally (315), amid invalid votes and cross-voting fears. V-P elections rarely elicit the kind of hype this contest generated. There were apprehensions of cross-voting on the ruling party's side as well, which would have signalled a weakening of the BJP leadership's hold over the organisation, writes columnist Neerja Chowdhury. In appointing another OBC man to one of the top positions in the government, the BJP has made yet another symbolic statement. Read on. 📰 From the Front Page GST 2.0: Will the benefits of the GST rate cuts reach the end consumers, or will the industry profiteer off the new regime? To keep a check, the Revenue Department has asked its officers to compile monthly data reports on the price change of commodities pre- and post-GST rationalisation. This would include a wide variety of everyday items, from food items like milk, ketchup and biscuits to soap bars, shampoo and toothpaste, and even white goods like air conditioners and TV sets. Post script: What do an archaeologist, a cancer specialist, an aerospace engineer, and a retired government official have in common? Well, the odd group has been working to decode the elusive Harappan script — a mystery that has puzzled historians ever since the remains of the long-lost civilisation were discovered in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro in the early 1920s. They will present their findings at an international conference in New Delhi between September 11 and 13. 📌 Must Read Who wants to live forever? Human beings have long thirsted for immortality. The idea of living forever has figured in our consciousness, right from ancient mythologies to modern movies. So, when the musings of Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping on the advent of organ transplantation were caught on a live mic, it was hardly surprising. Xi mused that humans could live up to 150 years old, starting this century. Columnist C Raja Mohan reflects on transhumanism and what it will mean for society. Paper-thin: The thinnest iPhone is set to hit markets soon, as Apple unveiled its all-new iPhone Air model on Tuesday. Just 5.6 mm thick, the phone has completely redesigned innards. Know all about it. ⏳ And Finally. Body-shaming is like an old family recipe in Indian households — passed down from generation to generation. It usually begins with a backhanded comment from a grandmother on “how much you have grown”, or an aunt’s insistence on trying out her home remedy for skin ‘whitening’. And pop culture doesn’t help either, when fat characters are often cast into comic relief roles or hypersexualised symbols of body positivity. I leave you with the latest ‘Fresh Take’, where Vaishnawi Sinha writes about how she broke free of the body-shaming cycle. That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow, Sonal Gupta
