Donald does the Middle East: An Indian horror show

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Donald does the Middle East: An Indian horror show

The context: New Delhi sighed with relief when the US prez headed out to the Middle East—hoping it would be the end of his disastrous remarks about the ceasefire. TLDR: He claimed to have used tariffs as a stick to force India and Pakistan to stop hostilities. India strenuously denied everything—made vague moves to impose retaliatory tariffs. But most desperately wished Trump would stop talking—right when both sides are negotiating a free trade deal. If wishes were horses…

The ‘zero tariff’ missile: Pehle, Trump claimed New Delhi offered a ‘zero tariff’ deal “where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariff.” If true, it would give US farm products full access—wiping out Indian farmers—and hence political suicide for any Indian government. No wonder the government rushed to deny, deny, deny—without insulting the ever-sensitive Donald:

In response, S. Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, was careful not to contradict the president directly. “Trade talks have been going on,” Mr. Jaishankar told the Indian news media, adding that the negotiations “are very intricate” and “nothing is decided until everything is.”

The Apple bombshell: But Jaishankar did not address the broader context of Trump’s remarks—which followed this take on Apple’s expansion plans in India:

I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said to him... I don't want you building in India…I said, Tim, look, we treated you really good. We put up with all the plants that you built in China for years now, you got to build us. We're not interested in your building in India. India can take care of themselves. They're doing very well.

You can watch Trump in full cry below:

Why this is a disaster: The government’s entire export strategy has been built around attracting US tech companies—encouraging them to shift manufacturing to India. Apple is a big part of that plan. Data to note: In the last financial year, Apple assembled iPhones worth $22 billion in India—a 60% jump in production here. Even more notable:

In an earnings call earlier this month, Apple had said it was shifting production of most iPhones from China to India while Vietnam would be a major production hub for items such as iPads and Apple watches.

But nearly 82% of these iPhones are sold in the US—so what Trump thinks is key. If the tariff ceasefire with China holds, then Cook may well change his plans… again!

Point to note: New Delhi, as expected, denied everything: “Apple has said that its investment plans in India are intact.”

The big picture: Commerce and industry Minister Piyush Goyal is frantically shuttling between Washington and New Delhi to cut a free trade deal. If it doesn’t happen within Trump’s 90-day window (by July 8), India will face 26% in tariffs. Indian officials admit that they did not expect Beijing to beat them to the negotiating table. That said, unnamed Indian officials who spoke to Mint are confident that everything will be A-okay—irrespective of what the Donald spews.

Reminder: The US is India's biggest trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting to $190 billion—and offering a $45 billion surplus.

Nope, he’s not done: Trump also signed off on a $304 million missile sale to Turkey—which is currently being boycotted by Indians for arming Pakistan. Phir na kehna hamne poori bezati nahin ki (For our non-Hindi speakers: don’t later complain that we didn’t fully humiliate you).

Something to see: Mukesh Ambani paying his respects to Trump and the emir of Qatar—in the midst of all this heckling:

Reading list: Quartz and The Telegraph are best on the Apple brouhaha. BBC News and New York Times have the bigger picture on Trump’s trolling. Mint (paywalled) and Indian Express have New Delhi’s take on the trade deal.

Meanwhile in Gaza: Israel has killed 200 Gazans in just two days—perhaps in retaliation to being ignored by Trump. This doesn’t include the half million residents dying of starvation—especially children—because Tel Aviv won’t allow anyone to feed them. All this while the Qataris—supposed champions of the Palestine cause—were busy inking $243 billion in business deals. None of the three ‘host’ countries—UAE, Qatar or Saudi Arabia—have responded to Trump’s latest plan:

I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good: make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone. I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone.

He said this in Doha, right next door to Gaza—while Israel added to its kill numbers.

As for those starving Gazans: A US-based foundation has offered to distribute aid—at sites guarded by private contractors and Israeli troops. Too bad, “aid officials in Gaza, including from the UN, have described the scheme as unworkable, inadequate, dangerous and potentially unlawful, and Gulf states that were approached for funding have reportedly refused to back the plan.” The Guardian and Al Jazeera have that story. This New York Times interactive essay shows the demolition of Rafah—which Israelis claimed would be a safe haven for refugees.

Meanwhile, in Tehran: There is more talk of Iran and the US negotiating a nuclear deal. Trump claims to be in “very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace.” That said, both the Ayatollah and US prez are very “unstable geniuses”—so all bets are off. (Al Jazeera)

Orcas in Iceland: Babysitters, bullies or both?

Orcas off the coast of Iceland are doing something a bit odd—chilling with baby pilot whales. The adorable calves were spotted swimming alongside scary killer whale pods—every summer from 2021 to 2023. You can see a baby right in the middle of a swarm of orcas below:

Scientists have two radically different theories about what’s going on.

Theory #1: The calves are “living lunchboxes.” Orcas are known to feast on seals and porpoises—and even play with their meal before they eat it. Although Icelandic killer whales primarily eat fish, these calves could still be part of that behaviour:

[T]he killer whales could have been playing with the young whales or using them to practice hunting. Iceland’s orcas often herd herring, and they could have been incorporating the pilot whale calves in their hunting games.

Do they eat them at the end of ‘play time’? No one knows for sure.

Theory #2: They are baby-sitting these calves:

[T]he killer whales could have been extending their parental instincts to the young calves. Whales and dolphins in the wild often care for the young of other members of their pod, and although it’s rare, dolphins have adopted calves from different species.

But since none of the orcas are lactating, it is unlikely that the calves will survive.

Making it creepier: Some experts suggest that orcas actually kidnap these calves from a group of pilot whales. (Scientific American, login required)

Guinea-Bissau hosts its first-ever Art Biennale

Guinea-Bissau—the former Portuguese colony in West Africa—is nestled between Senegal and Guinea. It is one of the poorest countries in the world—with a life expectancy of just 64. That’s why it’s even more commendable that it is hosting its first ever art biennale:

Starting an art biennale in a small country with virtually no galleries and no art schools — not even a formal shop to frame paintings and photographs — could have seemed impossible, the stuff only of dreams. But that’s exactly what a group of five artists from Guinea-Bissau, a nation of just over two million people in West Africa, decided to do.

The most incredible bit: They’ve done this with zero government funding.

About the biennale: The MoAC Biss will run through May 31 in the capital city Bissau—and features 150 artists from 17 countries. But the main goal is to create more opportunities for their local artists.

Here are our fave moments from the biennale as of now:

One: The opening night of the art event saw a historic comeback—Guinea-Bissau's band called Furkuntunda—perfomed on stage after 18 years! But we were mesmerised by this performance by the collective Aurora Negra:

Two: This mural is an homage to José Carlos Schwarz—a legendary musician from Guinea-Bissau:

Three: César Schofield Cardoso—an artist from Cape Verde—brought his ‘Blue Womb’ collection to the art exhibition.

New York Times has lots more on the biennale, but it’s behind a paywall. For a free, but non-English resource, you can check out Bantumen. Reuters has a video report out as well. And do also check out the event’s instagram page and website for more artwork and performances.

what caught our eye

India vs Pakistan

With the Indus treaty on hold, the government plans monthly flushing of its Salal and Baglihar dams in Jammu & Kashmir. This shows that India is determined to continue the war of attrition by other means.

business & tech

Meta hits pause on its flagship ‘Behemoth’ AI model as engineers struggle to prove it’s a big enough leap over earlier versions.
Apple’s iOS 19 could use AI to learn how you use your phone—and help save your battery.
YouTube’s new “Peak Points” ads use Google’s AI to drop ads right after the most emotional moments—grabbing viewers when they’re hooked.

sports & entertainment

Variety has a good read on Efe Cakarel’s plan to make Mubi the coolest global streamer.
The next Mario movie’s title leaked by accident—Universal slipped up and revealed it’s called ‘Super Mario World.’
‘Bridgerton’ fans, rejoice! The show has been renewed for two more seasons—and the much awaited Season 4 will launch in 2026.
India’s newest chess grandmaster is… 19-year-old Srihari LR from Chennai, who claimed the title after playing against fellow grandmaster Iniyan Paneerselvam at the Asian Individual Men’s Chess Championship.
The ICC has revealed the prize money for the World Test Championship 2023–25 cycle—a massive $5.76 million prize pool, with the champs at Lord’s (June 11–15) set to rake in $3.6 million and the runners-up pocketing $2.1 million.
Neeraj Chopra clears the air: he and Arshad Nadeem were never close friends, and thanks to recent India-Pakistan tensions, things won’t be the same.

health & environment

The environment ministry has granted a preliminary nod to a pumped hydropower project in the ecologically sensitive Nilgiri Hills.
The Print has a must-read on how nine Great Indian Bustard chicks—a critically endangered species—were moved from Jaisalmer to Ajmer amid Pakistani shelling.

meanwhile, in the world

Ukraine and Russia aimed for peace talks in Turkey but ended up in different cities, with Zelensky slamming Russia’s ‘disrespect’ for sending a low-level team to Istanbul—talks now scheduled to take place on Friday.
The New Yorker (login required) has a humorous take on why your cat might just eat you—and other delightfully awful cat behaviors you never knew.
The Tech Guys Are Fighting. Literally. Mark Zuckerberg and tech elites are trading code for combat, turning boardroom battles into full-on brawls.
A manuscript Harvard bought for $27.50 is now hailed by UK experts as a genuine Magna Carta—and possibly worth millions.
Montana becomes the “Right to Try Anything” state, letting clinics offer experimental drugs to patients eager to take the risk.
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor is cut off—email blocked, bank accounts frozen, and US staff warned they risk arrest on American soil—all thanks to Trump’s sanctions that have stalled the tribunal’s work.

meanwhile, in India

India and Japan are working together on the Chandrayaan-5 mission—aimed at a deeper exploration of the Moon’s surface, and expected to launch in 2027-28.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has slammed the state police for not mentioning cabinet minister Vijay Shah’s inflammatory remarks about Colonel Sofia Qureshi, in the FIR filed against him.
The Indian government will revamp the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). It will now also include employment and unemployment data from rural areas.
A low-pressure area is set to form over the north Bay of Bengal this week, signaling the arrival of the monsoon in parts of northeastern India, the Met office says.

Two things to see

One: Telangana is hosting the Miss World pageant this year! More than 110 contestants from across the globe have arrived in Hyderabad—along with Miss India Nandini Gupta. You can see the contestants decked out in sarees, gajra, bindi—and they visited the Ramappa Temple in Warangal. (The Hindu)

Two: Salma Hayek—58 years young—is on the cover of this year’s Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated. Of course, she’s gorgeous—but is her unreal (in every way) beauty a win against ageism? We think not. We highly recommend this Jenny Magazine piece on aging beauties who are never allowed to look their age. (USA Today)