Above the Fold: Top stories of the day
1. Sania Mirza becomes the first woman from India to win a doubles Grand Slam trophy in tennis, clinching the Wimbledon title with partner Martina Hingis.
2. The Madras High Court has recalled the order directing mediation between the victim and the accused in a minor's rape case.
3. Former BCCI president N Srinivasan has buried the hatchet with his rivals and is to stay on as chairman of the International Cricket Council.
The Big Story: The Kashmir factor
As the details behind the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of Ufa summit emerge, it becomes apparent that Kashmir was very much the silent presence on the agenda. Modi and Sharif reportedly spoke on the phone on June 16 and the meeting was planned. Shortly afterwards, Abdul Basit, the Pakistan high commissioner in Delhi, postponed his annul iftaar party, where prominent Hurriyat leaders were among those invited. It may be recalled that, last year meetings between Basit and Hurriyat leaders had derailed bilateral talks. Meanwhile, Modi plans a big outreach to Jammu and Kashmir, announcing a massive Rs 70,000 crore package to be spent in the state over the next five years, on projects identified by the PDP government. Officials in the government will not confirm, however, whether the development package had come up for discussion in the meeting at Ufa.
Weekend Reads
1. Shamik Baig in Mint Lounge writes of the stateless people of the Indo-Bangladesh enclaves, who fell through the cracks of history and are hoping the historic land exchange between the two countries will bring them long-awaited freedom.
2. A group of lawyers associated with the National Law University Delhi provides representation to indigent prisoners on death row, writes P Anima in The Hindu BLink.
3. We could be living in the age of creepiness, the "nightmare version of seduction" and the underbelly of desire, which has crept into our books, movies and popular culture, writes Nathan Heller in the The New Yorker.
4. 'Adhinayaka' in the national anthem refers to the 'dispenser of humanity' and not George V, writes Ram Puniyani in the Indian Express.
5. In the Business Standard, Sachin P Mampatta and Rajesh Bhayani trace how Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War played a part in India's first stock market crash.
6. Also in The New Yorker, a piece by Lena Dunham on how heterosexual couples held out on tying the knot until there was marriage equality for LGBTQ individuals in the United States. But now that it's here, they're a bit flummoxed.
7. In The Hindu, Suhasini Haider explains that the meeting at Ufa underlines how Pakistan and India have always returned to the talks table; no matter what upsets, the relationship has gone through.
8. Watching the women's Soccer World Cup, Gautam Adhikari in The Times of India reflects on the transformation in feminine roles.
9. Also in the Indian Express, Pradip Das and Zeeshan Shaikh follow the plight of the Muslim accused out on bail in the Malegaon case. With cases against Hindu extremists falling apart, their freedom hangs in the balance.
10. Also in The Hindu, Arindam Chakrabarti speaks of the acute shortfalls in sanitation for women in India.
1. Sania Mirza becomes the first woman from India to win a doubles Grand Slam trophy in tennis, clinching the Wimbledon title with partner Martina Hingis.
2. The Madras High Court has recalled the order directing mediation between the victim and the accused in a minor's rape case.
3. Former BCCI president N Srinivasan has buried the hatchet with his rivals and is to stay on as chairman of the International Cricket Council.
The Big Story: The Kashmir factor
As the details behind the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of Ufa summit emerge, it becomes apparent that Kashmir was very much the silent presence on the agenda. Modi and Sharif reportedly spoke on the phone on June 16 and the meeting was planned. Shortly afterwards, Abdul Basit, the Pakistan high commissioner in Delhi, postponed his annul iftaar party, where prominent Hurriyat leaders were among those invited. It may be recalled that, last year meetings between Basit and Hurriyat leaders had derailed bilateral talks. Meanwhile, Modi plans a big outreach to Jammu and Kashmir, announcing a massive Rs 70,000 crore package to be spent in the state over the next five years, on projects identified by the PDP government. Officials in the government will not confirm, however, whether the development package had come up for discussion in the meeting at Ufa.
Weekend Reads
1. Shamik Baig in Mint Lounge writes of the stateless people of the Indo-Bangladesh enclaves, who fell through the cracks of history and are hoping the historic land exchange between the two countries will bring them long-awaited freedom.
2. A group of lawyers associated with the National Law University Delhi provides representation to indigent prisoners on death row, writes P Anima in The Hindu BLink.
3. We could be living in the age of creepiness, the "nightmare version of seduction" and the underbelly of desire, which has crept into our books, movies and popular culture, writes Nathan Heller in the The New Yorker.
4. 'Adhinayaka' in the national anthem refers to the 'dispenser of humanity' and not George V, writes Ram Puniyani in the Indian Express.
5. In the Business Standard, Sachin P Mampatta and Rajesh Bhayani trace how Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War played a part in India's first stock market crash.
6. Also in The New Yorker, a piece by Lena Dunham on how heterosexual couples held out on tying the knot until there was marriage equality for LGBTQ individuals in the United States. But now that it's here, they're a bit flummoxed.
7. In The Hindu, Suhasini Haider explains that the meeting at Ufa underlines how Pakistan and India have always returned to the talks table; no matter what upsets, the relationship has gone through.
8. Watching the women's Soccer World Cup, Gautam Adhikari in The Times of India reflects on the transformation in feminine roles.
9. Also in the Indian Express, Pradip Das and Zeeshan Shaikh follow the plight of the Muslim accused out on bail in the Malegaon case. With cases against Hindu extremists falling apart, their freedom hangs in the balance.
10. Also in The Hindu, Arindam Chakrabarti speaks of the acute shortfalls in sanitation for women in India.
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