Peace on weak footing
After nearly two years of relentless war, the people of Gaza—who have endured daily airstrikes, displacement, and the constant shadow of violence—may be witnessing a fragile moment of relief. U.S. President Donald Trump, with his characteristic bluntness, has ordered Israel to stop bombing. Hamas, in a rare gesture, has partially accepted Trump’s Gaza peace plan, agreeing to release all Israeli hostages if certain conditions are met. However, the group seeks further negotiations on critical clauses concerning Gaza’s future governance, Israeli withdrawal, and its own role. Interestingly, when two untrustworthy enemies begin to trust each other, Trump is left with no choice but to urge Israel to halt bombings in exchange for hostage release—while warning of severe consequences if the deal fails. After Operation Sindoor in the Indo-Pak context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump—who has claimed over 40 times to have mediated in the conflict—are playing a political game of hide and seek. Modi, however, lacks the courage to directly confront Trump’s false claims. Eventually, he stood with Trump on the Gaza ceasefire ultimatum—an unusual moment of solidarity between Delhi and Washington.
Bidyut K Chatterjee, Faridabad
Prioritise vegetarian diet
World Vegetarian Day, celebrated every year on October 1, reminds us of the many health benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. From better heart health to a lower risk of chronic diseases, choosing vegetarian meals can make a big difference. Around 10% of the world’s population is vegetarian, and more people are making lifestyle changes to be more sustainable and healthy by eating less meat. October 1, World Vegetarian Day, also marks the first day of Vegetarian Awareness Month, which concludes with World Vegan Day on November 1. The day was founded in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society with the intent to raise awareness about the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle among non-vegetarians. A year later, in 1978, the International Vegetarian Union voiced its support for the observance and endorsed it. Vegetarianism has several health, economic, ethical, and environmental benefits. This day aims to promote those benefits worldwide and encourage more people to reduce their meat consumption. It is estimated that one in ten people is vegetarian. People choose vegetarianism for different reasons: some out of concern for the treatment and killing of animals raised for consumption, and others for health reasons. Even reducing meat consumption to once a week can bring major benefits to your health. By choosing healthier foods rather than meat, your body gains important nutrients such as magnesium, good fats, fiber, folic acid, and vitamins—nutrients that meat alone does not provide.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Defying gravity
Armand Gustav ‘Mondo’ Duplantis is a Swedish-American pole vaulter who competes for Sweden and holds multiple world records in the pole vault, with his most recent best being 6.30 metres. Born on November 10, 1999, in the US, Duplantis has two Olympic gold medals to his name (2020 and 2024), has won three World Indoor Championship titles (2020, 2022, and 2024), three World Outdoor Championships (2022, 2023, and 2025), and five Diamond League finals (2021 to 2025). Duplantis has picked up where Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergei Bubka left off, who was the first to clear 6 meters and held the world record at the time. Since then, Duplantis has created 14 world records, becoming one of the most successful athletes in modern times. His nickname «Mondo,» which means «world,» is indeed fitting, as he is one of the most decorated pole vaulters in the history of professional sports. He joins the league of Michael Phelps, the American swimmer who has won 28 Olympic medals, including 23 golds, and a record 16 individual Olympic medals. Duplantis is expected to better his 6.30-meter record in the near future.
Elvidio Miranda, Panaji
Probe TN stampede
The Karur stampede tragedy was an unfortunate incident. However, it is turning into a political battle, with every party blaming their opponents. Ironically, even our Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has joined the bandwagon, though the TVK leader and actor Vijay has suggested a conspiracy aimed at thwarting his political rise. The presence of DMK Minister Senthil Balaji just before the stampede, and his immediate visit to the hospitals to meet the injured, has certainly raised suspicions. Hence, it would be prudent for the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to hand over the case to the CBI for an impartial inquiry. If necessary, the Madras High Court should intervene and call for a CBI probe to uncover the truth. The sooner, the better—especially since similar accusations were made during the Armstrong murder case. It would be better for the DMK chief to get a clean chit from the CBI rather than from the police department, which is headed by the Chief Minister.
N Mahadevan, Chennai