United States President Donald Trump has announced that the US will extend the ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal and talks come to an end. The announcement followed a day of mixed signals from Washington, including the postponement of Vice President JD Vance’s planned visit to Islamabad and renewed warnings that US forces were prepared for action. Iran has declared it won’t negotiate under the “shadow of threats” or while a US naval blockade remains in place. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to bomb southern Lebanon, wounding six in an airstrike on Qaaqaaiyet El Jisr and demolishing homes in Khiam, violating the 10-day ceasefire. Follow live updates on the war here.With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:Pahalgam, a year laterStalin’s statecraftIs chess as cheap as you think? Big StoryPahalgam, a year later: On the eve of the first anniversary of the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared how his government has worked with the Centre over the past year to ensure security and open all tourist destinations. Abdullah says, “We will have to take a certain amount of chances. And we’re ready to take that. The Home Minister said that the destinations to be opened are not the ones that are easiest to open, but the ones where the maximum footfall happens, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. So, over time, the other places that are closed will also reopen.”Tourism hit: The Pahalgam attack has continued to cast a shadow on Kashmir’s tourism industry. While the tourism industry, a key driver of Kashmir’s economy, is slowly getting back on its feet, tourist numbers remain far from the boom witnessed in Kashmir between 2022 and 2025. For instance, the number of tourists visiting Srinagar’s Tulip Garden during the months of March and April has decreased from 8.55 lakh last year, to 3.90 lakh this year. Even the hotels are receiving only around 30% bookings this year.In our Opinion section today, Haseeb A Drabu delves into how Indian films and mass media productions, celebrating the country’s muscular prowess, have emerged as successful over the years. He writes: “Compare, for instance, Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster Dhurandhar (2025) with Mani Ratnam’s 1992 classic Roja. Where Roja sought to explore the human and political complexities of Kashmir — its pain, its aspirations, and the human cost on all sides — the newer wave of cinema is singularly focused on terrorism itself, on the machinery of response, and on unapologetic assertions of national will. Kashmir, in these stories, almost recedes to the background as a mere theatre for larger battles rather than a land with its own layered realities.”⚡ Only in ExpressStory continues below this adAt Sirkazhi in Tamil Nadu’s Mayiladuthurai district, Chief Minister M K Stalin arrived on April 17 as a figure entering a private space, that is, his wife’s native town, with a rare sense of calm. Stalin’s stagecraft is worth paying attention to, as his theatrics come not from performance of excess, but from his theatrics of withholding – the slight pause before he waves, the way he scans the crowd before he starts his speech, the half-smile that acknowledges affection without surrendering to it. “Around him, the stage is all noise and motion — party men leaning in, hands rising, slogans swelling — but Stalin is almost restrained,” my colleague Arun Janardhanan describes. As Tamil Nadu votes on April 23, we dive deeper into the making of the man who turned his inheritance into authority, and now stands as one of the strongest voices on federalism. From the Front PageRelief: In rare relief to a victim of a digital arrest scam, the Reserve Bank of India, through its Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, asked five “beneficiary” banks – where mule accounts were opened last year to transfer siphoned funds – to pay the victim between 5% and 7.5% of the deposited sums. They include Axis Bank, City Union Bank, ICICI bank, IndusInd Bank and Yes Bank. The order for penalties marks a major development in what is described as Delhi’s biggest digital arrest case in which 78-year-old Naresh Malhotra, a retired banker, lost Rs 22.92 crore to digital arrest frauds between August and September 2025. Towards the end of March this year, the case was transferred to the CBI.As Tehran and Washington step closer towards negotiations, “the idea of a “grand bargain” is very much at the centre of the complex diplomatic dynamic between the two sides,” C Raja Mohan writes, highlighting the fragility of this moment. From confusion over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s threat to attack Iran’s infrastructure, to Iran’s participation in the second round of talks — all remain contested. While a comprehensive settlement will remain arduous, US Vice President J D Vance has described it as a quest for the “grand bargain” — an effort to secure a decisive, system-shaping agreement. Must ReadUnanswered questions: Our in-house columnist Neerja Chowdhury points out the likely reasons behind Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) choice to convene a special sitting of the Budget Session of Parliament to advance the implementation of the women’s reservation law, hanging fire for three decades? She writes: “The party may also have hoped that defeat and denial might agitate women and draw them more to its side than the passage of the Bills might have done. As long as the Ram Mandir was not built, it agitated Hindu opinion. Once the temple in Ayodhya came up, it ceased to be an emotive electoral issue.”Story continues below this adAn Iranian oil tanker that discharged Iranian crude at Gujarat’s Sikka port for Reliance Industries last week appears to have reached Iran despite the US blockade of the Islamic Republic’s ports. According to maritime intelligence firm TankerTrackers.com, this tanker is Felicity. It was among the few tankers that brought Iranian crude to Indian refineries after nearly seven years, following the sanctions waiver announced by the US last month. However, before it could go back into Iranian waters, the US announced a blockade of Iran’s ports.⏳ And Finally…A misconception? “Rs 46 lakh is probably the least anyone in India has spent in the pursuit of becoming a chess Grandmaster,” estimated Mrinal Ghosh, a GM, whose younger brother, Aronyak, too, is on a similar journey. Sustaining the chess careers of the siblings has meant multiple sacrifices for the family, including Mrinal’s ancestral property and his wife Sanchita’s wedding jewellery. And Aronyak’s own prize money won at events, every penny of which is invested back into his career. The misconception that chess is a cheap sport is finally shattered with Aronyak’s rise to the grandmaster status, which has shone light on the associated financial burden. Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the accuracy of India’s GDP numbers with Udit Misra; childhood obesity and its implications; as well as the year-long airspace standoff between India and Pakistan.That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!Until next time,Ariba Business As Usual by E P Unny