Evening Briefing: Jaishankar’s veiled jibe at Nehru on PoK; more news

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that the loss of control over Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) stemmed from “someone’s weakness or mistake”, subtly targeting the leadership of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress party. At an event titled ‘Vishwabandhu Bharat’, Jaishankar was asked about potential reaction from China if India crossed the ‘Lakshman Rekha’ and integrated PoK to the Union of India, givecn that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan. The external affairs dismissed the notion of a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ limiting India’s actions and said, “I don’t believe there’s any such thing as a ‘Lakshman Rekha’. I think PoK is a part of India, and due to someone’s weakness or mistake, it’s temporarily slipped away from us.” Dig deeper
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a continuation of the wet spell over South Peninsular India till May 22. Widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds is expected over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, Mahe, Lakshadweep, and South Karnataka for the next seven days. Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Telangana, and Rayalaseema are also likely to receive light to moderate rainfall with similar weather conditions during the period. Heavy rainfall is expected over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, Mahe, and South Karnataka from May 16-20. Some areas within these regions might experience extremely heavy rainfall on May 16 and May 20 in Tamil Nadu and May 20 in Kerala. Dig deeper
Increase in number of dengue cases reported in Karnataka, govt takes preventive measures Dig deeper
Robert Fico’s assassination attempt: ‘Lone wolf’ charged for shooting Slovak PM Dig deeper
PM Modi hits back at Rahul Gandhi over ‘khata khat’ poll promise: ‘Gone in Amethi…’ Dig deeper
SC outlines State’s duty before acquiring private property in landmark ruling Dig deeper
A pair of conjoined one in two million twin boys, with four arms and three legs, were born in 2018 in Indonesia. They share one penis and anus. While the two boys have normal-looking and functioning upper limbs, they were not able to sit or stand. They were then taken to a hospital in Indonesia due to extremely restricted mobility, and a team of doctors decided to improve it by disarticulating the third limb. Three orthopaedic surgeons also stabilised their hip and pelvic bones so they could sit upright, according to the American Journal of Case Reports. Dig deeper
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang received a massive hike last year owing to strong demand for the company’s AI chips. The Nvidia cofounder got a $34.2 million compensation package for the fiscal year, the company’s annual proxy filing showed. The compensation is a 60% jump from the year before, when he got a salary of $21.4 million. His salary consisted of $26.7 million in stock awards, $4 million in cash bonuses and $2.5 million for other expenses. This comes as Nvidia’s share price has sustained a rally as demand for the company’s chips remains high so much so that Jensen Huang assured analysts in his fourth-quarter earnings call that the company was allocating them “fairly.” Dig deeper
Queen Camilla’s friend has shed light on the growing rift between the royal family and the Sussexes. Society journalist Petronella Wyatt said in a Daily Telegraph column titled- “I never thought I’d say this, but it’s time to bring Prince Harry home” that it is time for the two brothers’ “reconciliation.” Wyatt, who has known the Queen since she was 18, revealed that Prince William is “preventing” his brother’s reunion with King Charles. Citing a “former palace official,” Wyatt explained in her column, “There is a public misconception about William and Harry. It is William who was often the difficult one, and it is William who is preventing his father from having a proper reconciliation with Harry. This isn’t helpful at a point in time when the country would be buoyed up by seeing them together again, as would the King.” Dig deeper
Tamil actor Karthi watched Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkeela on Netflix and was all praise for the film on X (formerly Twitter). The actor penned a note praising lead actors Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra’s performances in the movie, apart from AR Rahman’s music. Diljit reacted to the praise, calling Karthi ‘veere’. Karthi wrote that he loved how well Imtiaz wrote the film, praising the whole team for pulling it off. He wrote, “Watched #AmarSinghChamkila…. a beautiful film that portrays an artist from his true sense. Mesmerizing performances by @diljitdosanjh and @ParineetiChopra. Brilliant writing and narration by #ImtiazAli. @arrahman sir’s music transports us to the glory of that musical era. Kudos to the whole team for this moving experience.” Diljit re-shared his post, writing, “Thx Veere,” with angel and pray emojis. Dig deeper
Are you pulling an all-nighter at work? As per a new study, as few as three consecutive night shifts can significantly impact your health and put you at risk of chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity and other metabolic disorders. Published in the Journal of Proteome Research, the study delves into the functioning of the biological clock, which is located in the brain. Working consecutive night shifts can impact the body’s rhythm and this can affect a range of body functions, especially those related to blood sugar regulation and energy metabolism. Dig deeper
It’s the retirement season. James Anderson announced his farewell a couple of days back, Virat Kohli’s emotional address on vanishing once he calls time, followed by Sunil Chhetri drawing curtains on his career is not the week sporting fans one would have expected. But similar to playing and creating countless memories, retirement too is a tough reality of every sportsman’s life. No matter how hard they try, father time spares no one, and Kohli would be no exception. Talking about retirement, another name that has given the R-word a swing is MS Dhoni. The legendary Dhoni is 42, and while he has made no official statement about it, IPL 2024 could mark the end of the whatever last cricket remains Dhoni has left in him. Dig deeper