The killing of Pahalgam terrorists: The backstory

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

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The killing of Pahalgam terrorists: The backstory

Reminder: Twenty-six civilians were killed in a bloody terror attack in Kashmir in April. India retaliated through Operation Sindoor—airstrikes that targeted the “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan. But the Opposition has since criticised the government for not tracking down the actual perpetrators. There were five men in that clearing in Pahalgam.

What happened now: Home Minister Amit Shah announced the killing of three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack. The name of the operation: Mahadev (after a nearby, conveniently named peak). The three men were tracked down in the Dachigam National Park in Srinagar—where they were hiding. They were shot in an “intense firefight” on Monday. The details of the operation were made public in Parliament yesterday.

Who are these guys? All three are Pakistani nationals—identified as Suleman, alias Faizal Jatt; Hamza Afghani; and Zibran. They crossed the border into India three years ago. They became part of a loose coalition of extremist groups that have launched several attacks since 2021. You can see the photos released below:

How were they caught? By tracking “ultra high frequency wireless sets” these militants used to communicate with each other—and with others across the border:

The wireless sets, which have a range of 20 km to 25 km, need a clear line of sight and a unique frequency for communication between two devices. “Though the calls could not be intercepted, the security forces, with the help of a direction finder, picked up the signals on multiple occasions in the forest area, the first signal being intercepted on May 22,” the first official said.

The Operation Sindoor sideshow: The Parliament debate also veered into a fierce debate over the military operation—focusing on two embarrassing aspects. One, did we lose a number of aircraft—and then lie about it? To which our defense minister Rajnath Singh declared:

In any exam, what matters is the result. If a student returns with good marks, it’s their marks that should matter to us. We shouldn’t be concerned about whether their pencil broke or they lost their pen during the exam.

Wah! But the quote of the day award goes to Congress leader Deepender Hooda. He challenged the PM to contradict his buddy Donald Trump—who has repeatedly claimed credit for the ceasefire. Hooda’s rather novel advice: “Either shut Donald’s mouth or shut McDonald’s in India.”

Reading list: New York Times has a long-winded account of the politics surrounding Operation Sindoor. The Hindu has a good summary of how the terrorists were caught—while Indian Express offers a blow-by-blow account.

Kiran Desai is back on the Booker longlist!

In 2006, Kiran Desai made global headlines when she won the Booker Prize for her novel ‘The Inheritance of Loss’. Two decades later, she is on the longlist of 13 nominees for ‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’—which is her first since ‘The Inheritance of Loss’! The book has not even been published yet:

In Desai’s novel, which is scheduled for a September 23 release, two immigrants to the United States return to their native India and meet on an overnight train. The 667-page book has yet to receive any major reviews, but the Booker Prize’s judges — who this year include Roddy Doyle and Sarah Jessica Parker — described it in a news release as a “vast and immersive” work that “enfolds a magical realist fable within a social novel within a love story.”

What’s next: The semifinalists include authors from nine countries—including five Brits and three Americans. Three have made the short/longlist before: Andrew Miller, David Szalay and Tash Aw—who will be the first Malaysian winner if he takes the prize for “The South.” This 13-strong list will be whittled down to a six-person shortlist that will be announced at the end of September. The winner will be named in November. The Guardian has more on the nominees. (New York Times)

Meet Trionda, the official 2026 World Cup match ball

The world’s biggest football tournament kicks off next year—hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico. The first big reveal from the organisers: the match ball.

Say hello to the Trionda: which means “tri-wave” in Spanish—a nod to the tournament’s three host nations. It’s sleek, high-tech, and stitched together from just four panels, making it the most minimalist design for a World Cup ball yet. But here’s the cool, nerdy bit:

The Trionda ball is also based on a platonic solid—the tetrahedron—which at first seems the least ball-like of all the famous shapes. A tetrahedron is made of four triangles, three of which meet at every point. The trick in the Trionda design is in the shape of the panels. Though they have three points like a typical triangle, the panels’ edges are curves that fit together to give the ball a more rounded exterior.

Like so:

Point to note: The Trionda isn’t FIFA’s first experiment with funky ball physics. Flashback to 2010, and you’ll remember the Jabulani:

Basing the Trionda ball on a tetrahedron might be a risky choice; the last match ball based on that shape was highly controversial. The Jabulani ball, whose name means “rejoice” in Zulu, might have been a bit too joyful. Players complained it was unpredictable in the air and didn’t react the way they expected it to.

Why so unpredictable? The Jabulani was too round and too smooth—‘too perfect’. At certain speeds, it didn’t behave like a normal ball at all. Instead of sailing straight, it would dip, swerve, and change direction midair—sometimes in ways even players couldn’t predict.

But, but, but: It also served up some treats, like Diego Forlan’s screamer for Uruguay against hosts South Africa at the 2010 World Cup:

And Giovani van Bronckhorst’s long-range banger for the Netherlands against Uruguay in the semifinal:

In other words, the ball matters. (Scientific American, paywalled)

what caught our eye

business & tech

A global EY survey shows that for young adults today, job-hopping isn’t a red flag—it’s a smart career move, as they switch roles and industries to learn faster.
India has, for the first time, overtaken China as the top smartphone supplier to the US, thanks to Apple shifting more iPhone production out of China amid trade tensions, according to research firm Canalys.
An Argentine court has awarded a man $12,500 after Google Street View accidentally captured and published a photo of his bare backside.
The UK’s new online safety law now requires age checks for adult content, forcing tech companies to either verify users’ ages or remove explicit material altogether.
The Wall Street Journal found that prices of everyday Amazon items—like cough drops and chicken broth—have gone up by 5% since Trump announced new tariffs, but Amazon says the report is “fundamentally flawed.”
BluSmart Mobility has been dragged into bankruptcy proceedings, just weeks after its parent company Gensol faced the same fate.

sports & entertainment

Aamir Khan’s 'Sitaare Zameen Par' will be released digitally on YouTube on August 1, and not on OTT, under a pay-per-view model, where viewers will have to pay Rs 100 to watch it—part of what he’s calling a ‘janta ka theatre’.

health & environment

Indian Express has the deets on how Kaziranga tracked its tigers using 293 camera traps over 103 days—snapping more than 4,000 images to get a clearer picture of its big cat population.
The Iranian capital is in a deep water crisis—on top of a broader energy crisis that began last December.

meanwhile, in the world

A UN-backed food security group says the “worst-case scenario of famine is playing out” in Gaza, as months of Israeli aid restrictions have left one in three people starving for days at a time.
The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire, lets in UN aid, and takes real steps toward ending the crisis in Gaza, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned.
At least 1,874 Palestinians have died in aid-related violence since October 2023, and nearly 60% of those deaths happened in just the past two months, around the time GHF began its operations.
Follow this BBC News live blog for updates on the massive 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s east coast and the widespread tsunami warnings that have followed.
Despite video evidence and past EU and US sanctions, an Israeli court has released a settler to house arrest after he was accused of killing Awdah Hathaleen—a Palestinian activist and teacher who helped make the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land'.
Sky News has an eyewitness account from aboard a Jordanian air force plane dropping aid over Gaza—where the view below is just mile after mile of grey rubble.
Thailand says Cambodia broke the ceasefire—just hours after it was agreed.
Just days before new tariffs kick in, Trump said the India-US trade deal is “working out very well”—but also warned of slapping India with a steep 20–25% tariff, higher than what he’s set against the EU and other nations.
Al Jazeera has the details on a deadly mass shooting in Manhattan, where a lone gunman with an assault-style rifle killed four people—including an NYPD officer—before taking his own life.
Heavy rain and flooding have killed over 30 people in Beijing and a nearby region, while around 80,000 residents have been evacuated from the capital.
Evidence suggests ancient humans—not glaciers—hauled Stonehenge’s 3.5-ton bluestones over 200 km, thanks to markings that may not be natural after all.
The Guardian has an entertaining read on how China’s viral “ugly-cute” doll Labubu has sparked a black market frenzy, with fake versions—nicknamed Lafufus—being sold in back alleys and hidden shops.

meanwhile, in India

Manipur has begun prepping for its own SIR exercise—like the one in Bihar which critics say looks like a backdoor NRC.
Two temple stampedes in two days have left eight dead and dozens injured—with authorities in both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand blaming rumours of electric shocks for the panic.
Chandigarh has seen a nearly fivefold rise in traffic fines over five years—thanks to AI-powered enforcement systems.
Eminent economist and public intellectual Meghnad Desai—long at the forefront of India’s policy debates and a member of the UK’s House of Lords—has died at the age of 85.

Five things to see

One: Watch BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen—speaking from a Jordanian military plane dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza. While Israel has banned foreign media from entering Gaza, they also blocked Bowen from filming the devastation from the plane window. So he describes it instead. (BBC News)

Two: Gautam Gambhir ko itna gussa kyun aata hai? The head coach got into a verbal spat with The Oval’s chief curator Lee Fortis—ahead of the fifth India vs England Test match. Gambhir and his support staff were conducting a training session at the ground when Fortis told them to move further away from the main square and pitch—but they refused. Fortis also told Gambhir not to swear and warned that he would report him to the match referee if it continued—to which Gambhir aggressively responded: “You’re just a groundsman, stay in your capacity. You’re just a groundsman, nothing beyond.” Wow, so Delhi yaar! See the ugly exchange below. (ESPNCricinfo)

Three: On Sunday, a man of Indian origin with refugee status shouted threats aboard an EasyJet flight from Luton to Glasgow. He yelled “I’m going to bomb the plane!” and “Death to America! Death to Trump!”—and “Allahu Akbar”—causing panic onboard. He was pinned to the plane floor by another passenger and then arrested upon landing. See the incident below. (Indian Express)

Four: A heavy downpour in Delhi on Tuesday caused massive flooding. This is Connaught Place—which got 100.2 mm of rainfall within a span of two hours. That’s the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi, btw. Other areas impacted were ITO, Pragati Maidan, Panchkuian Road, and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. (MoneyControl)

Five: The long-anticipated trailer for James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’—the third movie in the franchise—just dropped. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana reprise their roles as Jake and Neytiri. They’ll be fighting a new group called the Ash People clan. The movie is slated for December 19. See the excellent trailer below. (Hollywood Reporter)