The Daily Catch-Up: Why Mehbooba Mufti is going to Iran, and other top news
Births outpace deaths for Indians in the Gulf and UK, reverse in the US and Canada; plus PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart Takaichi chart a new India-Japan roadmap, and a Pune murder plot unravels in chilling detail.
Dear Reader,
Each weekday, The Daily Catch-Up sifts through the day’s news so you do not have to. From diaspora data to diplomacy, from courtrooms to the World Cup, we bring you the top stories, in plain language and without ceremony. Let us begin.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti is travelling to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader, who was killed in a joint US-Israel airstrike in February. She is the only non-Shia political leader from Jammu & Kashmir invited, which is unsurprising given her pro-Iran, anti-US/Israel stance, which is at odds with the Centre’s official neutrality. Union MoS External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain will represent India’s official delegation.
‘A new chapter’: India, Japan unveil roadmap on energy, tech, defence ties
PM Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi unveiled an expansive strategic partnership spanning energy security, AI, critical minerals, and defence, including plans for more naval exercises and an early India-Japan 2+2 dialogue. The two sides target 10 trillion yen in Japanese investment over the next decade.
‘Deeply distressing’: India slams demolition of 125-year-old gurdwara in Pakistan
India condemned the demolition of a 125-year-old gurdwara in Pakistan’s Farooqabad, calling it a “deplorable and targeted act of vandalism.” The structure was razed by a local businessman without the required clearance, triggering Sikh community protests in both countries. Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz has ordered an inquiry and promised restoration.
Most births in the Gulf, deaths in US: What data on Indians abroad shows
Civil Registration System data from 182 Indian missions across 140 countries show 66,413 births and 11,383 deaths of Indian nationals registered abroad in 2024. The UAE remains the largest hub for young Indian families with 19,317 births, followed by the UK (12,896) and Saudi Arabia (4,200). In sharp contrast, the US and Canada recorded far more deaths than births, 648 deaths against just 31 births across US missions, and 388 against 15 in Canada. Births abroad have risen 42.9% since 2019, while deaths abroad have risen over 53%.
Super Subbu review: Rural sex-ed comedy starts strong, but fails to give a satisfying finish
Netflix’s first Telugu original follows a city-raised, wholly unqualified Sex Education Officer sent to a village that refuses to discuss the subject. Sundeep Kishan and Mithila Palkar anchor a warm, well-cast comedy that lands its jokes but leaves its central father-son thread, and the question of whether the village really changes, unresolved.
World Cup diary: Matt Damon was here — written by…. Matt Damon?
A World Cup dispatch from Boston traces the enduring Matt Damon pilgrimage trail around Harvard Square — from the vanished Bow and Arrow Pub of Good Will Hunting fame to the still-standing L Street Tavern — as fans debate who really scrawled “Matt Damon was here!” on a Harvard Square wall.
Why India has asked WhatsApp to halt its username feature rollout
The IT Ministry has given WhatsApp three days to explain its upcoming username feature, which would let users hide phone numbers behind a chosen handle. The government worries look-alike usernames could fuel impersonation, phishing and digital-arrest scams; WhatsApp says it has reserved high-profile names and built rate-limiting safeguards against abuse.
Wife’s ‘thousand husbands’ jibe grave provocation: Court cuts man’s life term
The Madhya Pradesh High Court reduced a husband’s life sentence to seven years, ruling his wife’s remark that she could “keep a thousand husbands” amounted to grave and sudden provocation, in a 2021 Chhindwara killing of his pregnant wife.
Practice pushes, hacks to fool cops: How Siya-Chetan prepped for murder
Investigators say Siya Goyal and her boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary rehearsed the murder of her fiancé Ketan Agarwal near a Pune club before pushing him off Lohagad Fort on June 18, down to a signal (Siya sitting on the ground) that cued Chetan to act. The pair also researched how to evade detection and deleted chat history afterward.
The men around Vijay: Why Tamil Nadu CM’s inner circle is under scrutiny
A network of film-world associates, business figures and journalists has taken on informal and formal roles advising Tamil Nadu CM Vijay, prompting a DMK complaint over unauthorised attendance at Cabinet-level meetings. Critics say the issue isn’t competence but transparency: appointments are surfacing through Instagram posts rather than official disclosure.
Why Chandra Shekhar still matters: The rebel who never settled for No. 2
Neerja Chowdhury’s column marks the largely uncelebrated centenary of India’s eighth PM, Chandra Shekhar, a Young Turk turned rebel who broke from the Janata Dal, survived Emergency-era arrest, and famously warned Nawaz Sharif over cross-border terrorism. She says even the BJP has not marked the occasion, despite potential gains in UP ahead of 2027 polls.
7 killed as boulder crashes onto workers at quarry near Bengaluru; rescue on
A massive boulder collapse at a stone quarry on Bengaluru’s outskirts killed at least seven migrant labourers and injured several others; the Karnataka government has ordered a report into the accident.
Bengaluru horror: Toddlers locked in washing machines, forced into pipes at IT campus creche
Five caregivers at a Capgemini on-campus daycare in Bengaluru face a criminal case after videos showed toddlers being locked in washing machines, forced into water-filled pipes and hosed with toilet sprays. Capgemini has temporarily shut the facility.
Could Eknath Shinde’s rise checkmate Devendra Fadnavis?
A week after six Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs crossed over to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, a senior Sena (UBT) MLC’s unopposed election to the Legislative Council’s Deputy Chairman post has further boosted Shinde’s standing within Maharashtra’s ruling alliance.
Russia imports petrol from India after Ukraine attacks trigger fuel crisis: Report
Sustained Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries that have cut petrol production by about 17%, have forced Moscow to begin importing fuel, including at least 60,000 metric tons from India, as motorists queue at gas stations nationwide.
For 3 years, Chhattisgarh cops ‘inflated’ their salaries. Then AI spotted it
Three Bastar police constables were arrested after auditors used AI tools to detect nearly ₹2 crore in inflated salary payments made to themselves over three years, the first such AI-assisted fraud audit for the state police.
Mumbai man killed after deadly fall into open manhole
A man died after falling into an open manhole in Mumbai’s Saki Naka during heavy rain, days after a civic official fell into a manhole during the Mayor’s own waterlogging inspection reviving questions over the BMC’s monsoon preparedness.
Dear Reader,
Each weekday, The Daily Catch-Up sifts through the day’s news so you do not have to. From diaspora data to diplomacy, from courtrooms to the World Cup, we bring you the top stories, in plain language and without ceremony. Let us begin.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti is travelling to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader, who was killed in a joint US-Israel airstrike in February. She is the only non-Shia political leader from Jammu & Kashmir invited, which is unsurprising given her pro-Iran, anti-US/Israel stance, which is at odds with the Centre’s official neutrality. Union MoS External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain will represent India’s official delegation.
‘A new chapter’: India, Japan unveil roadmap on energy, tech, defence ties
PM Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi unveiled an expansive strategic partnership spanning energy security, AI, critical minerals, and defence, including plans for more naval exercises and an early India-Japan 2+2 dialogue. The two sides target 10 trillion yen in Japanese investment over the next decade.
‘Deeply distressing’: India slams demolition of 125-year-old gurdwara in Pakistan
India condemned the demolition of a 125-year-old gurdwara in Pakistan’s Farooqabad, calling it a “deplorable and targeted act of vandalism.” The structure was razed by a local businessman without the required clearance, triggering Sikh community protests in both countries. Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz has ordered an inquiry and promised restoration.
Most births in the Gulf, deaths in US: What data on Indians abroad shows
Civil Registration System data from 182 Indian missions across 140 countries show 66,413 births and 11,383 deaths of Indian nationals registered abroad in 2024. The UAE remains the largest hub for young Indian families with 19,317 births, followed by the UK (12,896) and Saudi Arabia (4,200). In sharp contrast, the US and Canada recorded far more deaths than births, 648 deaths against just 31 births across US missions, and 388 against 15 in Canada. Births abroad have risen 42.9% since 2019, while deaths abroad have risen over 53%.
Super Subbu review: Rural sex-ed comedy starts strong, but fails to give a satisfying finish
Netflix’s first Telugu original follows a city-raised, wholly unqualified Sex Education Officer sent to a village that refuses to discuss the subject. Sundeep Kishan and Mithila Palkar anchor a warm, well-cast comedy that lands its jokes but leaves its central father-son thread, and the question of whether the village really changes, unresolved.
World Cup diary: Matt Damon was here — written by…. Matt Damon?
A World Cup dispatch from Boston traces the enduring Matt Damon pilgrimage trail around Harvard Square — from the vanished Bow and Arrow Pub of Good Will Hunting fame to the still-standing L Street Tavern — as fans debate who really scrawled “Matt Damon was here!” on a Harvard Square wall.
Why India has asked WhatsApp to halt its username feature rollout
The IT Ministry has given WhatsApp three days to explain its upcoming username feature, which would let users hide phone numbers behind a chosen handle. The government worries look-alike usernames could fuel impersonation, phishing and digital-arrest scams; WhatsApp says it has reserved high-profile names and built rate-limiting safeguards against abuse.
Wife’s ‘thousand husbands’ jibe grave provocation: Court cuts man’s life term
The Madhya Pradesh High Court reduced a husband’s life sentence to seven years, ruling his wife’s remark that she could “keep a thousand husbands” amounted to grave and sudden provocation, in a 2021 Chhindwara killing of his pregnant wife.
Practice pushes, hacks to fool cops: How Siya-Chetan prepped for murder
Investigators say Siya Goyal and her boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary rehearsed the murder of her fiancé Ketan Agarwal near a Pune club before pushing him off Lohagad Fort on June 18, down to a signal (Siya sitting on the ground) that cued Chetan to act. The pair also researched how to evade detection and deleted chat history afterward.
The men around Vijay: Why Tamil Nadu CM’s inner circle is under scrutiny
A network of film-world associates, business figures and journalists has taken on informal and formal roles advising Tamil Nadu CM Vijay, prompting a DMK complaint over unauthorised attendance at Cabinet-level meetings. Critics say the issue isn’t competence but transparency: appointments are surfacing through Instagram posts rather than official disclosure.
Why Chandra Shekhar still matters: The rebel who never settled for No. 2
Neerja Chowdhury’s column marks the largely uncelebrated centenary of India’s eighth PM, Chandra Shekhar, a Young Turk turned rebel who broke from the Janata Dal, survived Emergency-era arrest, and famously warned Nawaz Sharif over cross-border terrorism. She says even the BJP has not marked the occasion, despite potential gains in UP ahead of 2027 polls.
7 killed as boulder crashes onto workers at quarry near Bengaluru; rescue on
A massive boulder collapse at a stone quarry on Bengaluru’s outskirts killed at least seven migrant labourers and injured several others; the Karnataka government has ordered a report into the accident.
Bengaluru horror: Toddlers locked in washing machines, forced into pipes at IT campus creche
Five caregivers at a Capgemini on-campus daycare in Bengaluru face a criminal case after videos showed toddlers being locked in washing machines, forced into water-filled pipes and hosed with toilet sprays. Capgemini has temporarily shut the facility.
Could Eknath Shinde’s rise checkmate Devendra Fadnavis?
A week after six Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs crossed over to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, a senior Sena (UBT) MLC’s unopposed election to the Legislative Council’s Deputy Chairman post has further boosted Shinde’s standing within Maharashtra’s ruling alliance.
Russia imports petrol from India after Ukraine attacks trigger fuel crisis: Report
Sustained Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries that have cut petrol production by about 17%, have forced Moscow to begin importing fuel, including at least 60,000 metric tons from India, as motorists queue at gas stations nationwide.
For 3 years, Chhattisgarh cops ‘inflated’ their salaries. Then AI spotted it
Three Bastar police constables were arrested after auditors used AI tools to detect nearly ₹2 crore in inflated salary payments made to themselves over three years, the first such AI-assisted fraud audit for the state police.
Mumbai man killed after deadly fall into open manhole
A man died after falling into an open manhole in Mumbai’s Saki Naka during heavy rain, days after a civic official fell into a manhole during the Mayor’s own waterlogging inspection reviving questions over the BMC’s monsoon preparedness.
