RCB’s IPL dream turns into a nightmare

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

RCB’s IPL dream turns into a nightmare

A planned victory parade in Bangalore—to mark the Royal Challengers’ triumph—sparked a stampede. The toll: 11 deaths and 33 injured.

About the victory parade: The plan was officially announced late Wednesday morning. The team would land in Bangalore around 1:30 pm—from Ahmedabad where the final was held. After glad-handing netas at the Vidhana Soudha (legislature), the team planned to make their way in an open air bus to Chinnaswamy Stadium—where RCB home games are played.

Wtf happened? Crowds began to gather in the thousands along the route—climbing walls and trees to get a glimpse of the team. Then things went terribly awry near the stadium—when law enforcement opened the gates for crowds to enter around 3 pm. It created an immediate stampede—which only got worse over the next hour:

The footfall around the stadium had reached manic proportions by around 4:15 pm. By then, the stadium had also filled to the brim, and the police made desperate pleas for the supporters who had assembled outside to disperse, but to no avail. Unable to gain entry, the crowd started banging on the gates and even managed to climb nearby trees and even on the stadium wall to jump in. While more than a handful jumped over, scores were caned by the police. But crowds continued to push forward.

This is what it looked like:

In sum, the police lost control. People were soon suffocated to death—the first casualty was reported around 4:30 pm. But it was impossible to either enter or leave the area. Ambulances struggled to reach the stadium—even as mobile connectivity failed.

Number to note: According to the police, there were 200,000 people crowded in and around the stadium. The stadium can only hold 32,000. You can see the crazy numbers below:

Here’s a consolatory pic of a child saved by a policeman below:

Who is to blame? The Hindu blames the tragedy on the netas—who made the decision to hold the parade at the last minute:

The city police are learnt to have objected to a victory parade, citing security and crowd management concerns and asked the revelry to be held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium with limited entry. “There was no time to prepare for such a large gathering in the central business district (CBD), as we had only a few hours,” a senior official said.

The police were already exhausted from controlling massive fan celebrations on the street on Tuesday night—after RCB won the game. Suggestions to postpone the parade to Sunday—to allow time to regroup—were “shot down.”

Point to note: The RCB management was no less keen—adding fuel to fire:

Despite the police not clearing a victory parade and saying there will be no parade by Wednesday noon, the RCB management had taken to social media as early as 7 am on Wednesday, announcing a victory parade, and reiterating the same at 8 am. and 3:15 pm.

A symptom of the madness: The traffic police—which first said there will be no victory parade—issued traffic diversion plans for a victory parade at noon—“in case it happens.”

The fallout: The parade was cancelled only after reports of death at the stampede. But, but, but: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar got his photo-op at the airport:

And CM Siddaramaiah presided over a ‘felicitation’ ceremony at the Vidhana Soudha:

Quote to note: Here’s the CM slyly trying to pass the buck: “The cricket association had organised a programme for the victory celebration (at the stadium)... there was also a programme from the government (at the Vidhana Soudha).”

Reading list: The Hindu has the best blow-by-blow reporting of what went wrong at the stadium—and the huge eff-up by the state leadership. The Telegraph reports on the fallout and responses. Indian Express reports on what the BCCI plans to do in the future.

Trump’s tariffs of steel: A 50% sticker shock

When, oh when will this tariff soap opera end?

The context: Last week, a US court blocked most of Trump’s sweeping tariffs—saying they misused emergency powers of the president. Those tariffs, however, remain in effect—while the matter trundles its way to the Supreme Court. Not affected by the ruling: Tariffs that used the Trade Expansion Act to slap duties on steel and aluminium goods. Trump doubled those to 50% last week.

What happened now: The staggering 50% import tax went into effect yesterday. This is terrible news to most US allies—other than the UK which got an exemption. The reason: London has already negotiated a free trade agreement with the US. It will endure a relatively modest 25% tariff... for now.

Feeling the burn: Canada—which is the largest foreign supplier of both steel and aluminum to the United States. It accounts for 22% of US imports of steel—and 53% of aluminium. Steel producers in Canada say the move “essentially closes the U.S. market to our domestic industry.” The aluminium industry reps said the expanded tariff “makes Canadian exports to the U.S. economically unviable” and that “the industry may be forced to diversify trade toward the European Union.”

But, but, but: The European Union isn’t feeling great either. Its steel producers are more worried about dumping:

[Industry leader Alex Eggert] warned that the 27 million tons of steel that was already heading to the United States is likely to be redirected at least in part to Europe and dumped on the market.. “We are being flooded by cheap foreign steel,” said Mr. Eggert, who pushed for both sides to negotiate a solution. “Without swift action, we will not just be underwater — we will drown.”

As for India: We don’t send a lot of steel to the US as such—but we export auto parts, engineering goods, and aluminium products—worth over $4.5 billion. Our domestic industry is also vulnerable to dumping—especially from China.

The biggest loser: is without doubt the United States—according to experts:

The U.S. doesn’t have the capacity to meet the demand. The (U.S. domestic) companies will also raise the prices because they can. Steel consumers don’t have any choice but to buy more expensive imported steel and aluminum.

There are no factories sitting idle and ready to go—so it’s either build new ones (too slow) or revive obsolete plants (costly). The fallout: The tariffs are likely to cause severe cash flow and supply chain nightmares for US businesses—and may well tip the smaller ones into bankruptcy.

Underlining the point: is the latest OECD report that shows tariffs will most hurt the United States. It expects the US GDP to fall from 2.8% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2025. Bloomberg data also show a “record collapse in net US exports in the first quarter 2025 — the steepest drop on record.” Also this: 83% of US CEOs expect a recession in the next 12 to 18 months.

Quote to note: In full Indian government style, the White House dismissed the report—saying it “joins a growing list of doomsday prognostications that are untethered to reality.”

The big picture: As the saying goes, when the US catches a cold, the world sneezes. The OECD report lays out the alarming ripple effects of this tariff madness. Estimates for global GDP have dropped from 3.1% for 2025 to 2.9% for the next two years. As Quartz concisely explains it:

When tariffs rise, their effects don’t hit all at once — they feed through the system. First, importers face higher costs, which get passed along to manufacturers, retailers, and eventually consumers. Businesses facing squeezed margins may delay investment, cut hiring, or raise prices. Over time, those choices spread outward, dampening demand, slowing growth, and dragging down productivity more broadly. The result isn’t always an immediate shock. More often, it’s a slower burn, where uncertainty and higher costs quietly erode economic momentum quarter by quarter.

Reading list: Quartz and New York Times (paywalled) have overviews of the OECD report. You can read the full report here. Morning Brew sums up the new tariffs—while BBC News looks at who pays the highest price. Windsor Star is very good on how they will hurt the US. Read The Hindu for the tariffs’ impact on India.

Android users lose privacy thanks to Meta

Researchers have found that Meta has been secretly tracking Android users' web activity—doing an end run around protections put in place by its operating system and browsers.

How it works: When you visit websites, your browser (e.g. Chrome or Firefox) unknowingly sends unique identifiers to the Meta apps on your phone—like Facebook, Instagram. These apps then match that data to your actual identity—building a detailed record of your browsing history—even in private mode. It breaks the security wall separating your mobile apps from your browsers.

Point to note: The other company playing this dirty trick is Yandex—which is Russia’s largest tech company that dominates the search engine and browser space. So Zuck is in excellent company.

An Alphabet problem? This kind of tracking has only been found on Android—not iPhones. Why? Android offers apps more freedom to run in the background—and places fewer restrictions on their ability to communicate with other stuff on your phone. Google says it’s “investigating the problem.” Read the overview of the study at Ars Technica—or the detailed version here.

Bad news about birth control pills

Reminder: Oral contraceptives used by women use a combination of estrogen and progesterone—or only progesterone. Women often have adverse reactions to them because they mess with your hormonal levels. This is also why we still don’t have a male contraceptive pill (explained at great length in this excellent Big Story).

The latest bit of bad news: According to a new study, women who take contraceptive pills—that combine progesterone and estrogen—are 3X more likely to have a cryptogenic stroke. This is “a sudden and serious type of stroke that occurs with no obvious cause”—and accounts for 40% of all strokes—especially in younger adults and women. One possible reason: synthetic estrogen:

[T]he synthetic estrogen in contraceptives is more potent [than natural estrogen] and delivered in higher, steady doses. It stimulates the liver to produce extra clotting proteins and reduces natural anticoagulants — tipping the balance toward easier clot formation. This effect, while helpful in stopping bleeding, can raise the risk of abnormal blood clots that can lead to conditions such as stroke.

Point to note: A recent study also linked combined hormonal contraceptives—in the pill, and other devices such as IUDs, patches and vaginal rings—to higher risks of both stroke and heart attack. The Conversation has lots more on the new study.

what caught our eye

business & tech

EndGadget has a definitive hands-on preview of the Nintendo Switch 2—whether it’s worth the hefty price tag.

sports & entertainment

Where Gukesh dominated the World #1 Magnus Carlsen in Norway Chess, Viswanathan Anand beat Argentina’s 11-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro in a one-of-a-kind “clash of generations” match on Monday in Tuscany.
Anime fans, rejoice! Reliance Entertainment is bringing the new ‘Naruto’ movie to Indian theaters for the first time—releasing on June 27.
A bit of a bummer for Cillian Murphy fans. The actor is coming back to the ‘28 Days Later’ franchise but is probably only in the second one in the trilogy which will premier in 2026.
The guitar manufacturing giant Gibson has launched a search for the Iconic Marty McFly guitar from ‘Back to the Future’. You can see the search appeal video from the cast here.
Popstar Jessie J has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and will be undergoing treatment after a mini concert in London.
Mira Rajput has recently opened a fancy wellness centre in Bandra called the Dhun Wellness. It offers a 90-minute Tulya session for Rs 12,500; a 60-minute facial for Rs 12,000 and a 7-day sleep reset programme for Rs 1.5 lakh. Ofc, middle class Indians are making fun of it.

health & environment

Scientists have found that a protein from a herpesvirus in squirrel monkeys could enhance the immune system against cancer.

meanwhile, in the world

Trump has signed an executive order banning people from 12 countries—Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen—from entering the US.
The Trump administration has accused Columbia University of violating the Civil Rights Act and has called for its accreditor to take action. Sticking with colleges, the Donald has also moved to block the US entry for nearly all foreign Harvard students.
The US has blocked a UN Security Council resolution seeking an immediate ceasefire in Gaza—prompting criticism from the other members.
A US judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting the wife and five children of an Egyptian man charged in a fire-bomb attack in Colorado.
For the first time, US immigration authorities have started adding children’s DNA to a criminal database.
War is profitable—Tel Aviv says it sold a record-high number of weapons overseas last year.
Bangladesh has dropped the title of ‘Father of the Nation’ for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Intelligencer (login required) has a must-read on how it can be nearly impossible for wrongfully detained US citizens to escape ICE custody.

meanwhile, in India

BBC News profiles air force pilot Shubhanshu Shukla—who will become the second Indian ever to go to space and the first to enter the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission on June 10.
The government has finally announced that the next census will conclude by March 2027 and will also include enumeration of caste.
Standup comedian Daniel Fernandes has received a legal notice for his bits on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Instead of taking down the video, he responded with a detailed rebuttal.
With Turkish firm Celebi’s security clearance revoked, Adani plans to enter the ground handling business at the Mumbai and Ahmedabad airports.
Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district is grappling with a surge in tiger attacks—with 11 deaths in May alone, bringing the death toll for the year up to 22.
The ED has arrested politician Rohan Harmalkar—one of the alleged ‘masterminds’ of a large-scale land scam in Goa.

One Margot Robbie thing to see

Fans of romantic fantasies rejoice! Margot Robbie will star with Colin Farrell in ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’—which looks sorta like ‘Sliding Doors’. The supporting cast includes Jodie Turner-Smith, Lily Rabe, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Hamish Linklater. The movie is slated for release on September 19. (Hollywood Reporter)