
17 Women Cadets Graduate from National Defence Academy
Pointers by Shruti Pitke 30-May-2025
- The first batch of 17 women cadets graduated from the NDA, marching alongside over 300 male cadets.
- Division Cadet Captain Shriti Daksh made history by topping the Bachelor of Arts stream among all cadets.
- These women joined NDA in 2022, after a Supreme Court order opened admissions to female candidates.
- The Passing Out Parade was reviewed by Gen. V.K. Singh, who hailed the event as a milestone for gender inclusivity.
- The achievement is seen as a major step for women’s empowerment and inspires future generations in the armed forces.

A dark, bitter truth: Mridula Ramesh spills the beans on coffee
Pointers by Sushmita Shetty 01-Aug-2025
- Coffee farming faces climate challenges, requiring urgent adoption of regenerative, sustainable practices.
- Smallholder farmers, especially women, play a crucial role in eco-friendly coffee growing.
- Water scarcity and inefficient resource use threaten the viability of coffee agriculture.
- Sustainable coffee initiatives focus on reducing carbon footprints and improving soil health.
- Collaboration between government, private sector, and farmers is vital for a resilient coffee future.

Squash Tour 2025-26 expanded to six cities as a boost to India's ambitions for 2028 Olympics
Pointers by Sushmita Shetty 01-Aug-2025
- The 2025-26 India Squash Tour spans six cities, including new hosts Delhi and Ahmedabad.
- Tour kicks off in Jaipur (August 4-8) and includes Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi.
- The Professional Squash Association-sanctioned Challenger events offer critical ranking points and prize money.
- Equal prize money will be awarded to men and women, with tournaments featuring a 24-player knockout format.
- The tour aims to raise India's profile and readiness ahead of squash’s 2028 Los Angeles Olympics debut.

'Kaka, wherever you are, thank you': Mumbai student recalls heartfelt encounter with stranger
Pointers by Sushmita Shetty 01-Aug-2025
- Mumbai student recalls a touching encounter with a stranger who selflessly offered help.
- The stranger’s kindness left a lasting emotional impact on the young student.
- Student affectionately addresses the stranger as ‘Kaka,’ expressing heartfelt thanks publicly.
- Encounter highlights the power of small acts of human compassion in city life.
- Story inspires netizens to appreciate and acknowledge strangers’ goodwill and empathy.

The humbling of green Europe
Pointers by Sushmita Shetty 01-Aug-2025
- Europe faces a major energy crisis in 2025 amid gas shortages, blackouts, and soaring prices.
- Ukraine’s halt of Russian gas transit and supply cuts from Qatar and Algeria worsened the crisis.
- Record-high energy prices led to factory shutdowns, economic strain, and increased energy poverty across the EU.
- Rapid switch to renewables left energy grids fragile, exposing gaps in reliability during harsh winter demand spikes.
- The situation caused political fractures, challenging Europe’s climate leadership and energy sovereignty ambitions.

Could AI tilt the outcome of elections?
Pointers by Sushmita Shetty 01-Aug-2025
- AI tools were widely used in 2024 elections for content creation and campaign microtargeting.
- Harmful uses included spreading disinformation, deepfakes, and fake endorsements to damage reputations.
- Impact on actual election outcomes remains unclear; no clear proof of direct result shifts.
- AI-generated content origins are hard to trace, with a major share from unknown or foreign sources.
- Experts warn of erosion of public trust, but say traditional social, economic, and political factors dominate outcomes.