Kamala Harris (file photo)

TOI correspondent from Washington: After months of secrecy, accusations, leaks and intra-party paranoia, the Democratic Party on Thursday released its long-awaited autopsy of the disastrous 2024 presidential campaign that resulted in Kamala Harris losing the election to Donald Trump, turning the post-mortem into yet another debacle. The 192-page review, written primarily by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera, aimed to explain how Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election to Trump despite massive fundraising, late enthusiasm after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and widespread Democratic warnings that the MAGA supremo represents an existential threat to American democracy. Instead, the report highlights a party that is still deeply divided over what exactly went wrong.The report paints a picture of a Democratic Party that is alienated from working-class voters, weak on economic messaging, culturally overextended and organizationally complacent. It argues that Democrats have lost credibility on immigration, public safety and inflation, while Republicans have successfully portrayed Harris as an ineffective manager of the Biden administration.Yet what may be most shocking is not what the autopsy says, but what it strangely avoids saying. The report notably sidesteps the continued scrutiny of Biden’s disastrous decision to run for re-election despite widespread voter concerns about his age and stamina — Democrats publicly dismissed those concerns until his disastrous debate performance forced them to withdraw. Nor does it seriously examine the chaotic process that led Harris to the nomination without a competitive primary after Biden leaves office in July 2024.That omission has angered many Democrats who believe the party establishment is still shielding senior figures like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer from accountability.The report barely touches on another politically explosive issue: divisions within the party over U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza, a conflict that has alienated many young and progressive voters. Critics were quick to note that the nearly 200-page document about Democratic collapse managed to avoid mentioning “Gaza” or “Palestine” in any meaningful way.The findings themselves often read less as a compilation of painful truths than a dramatic revelation Democrats have spent two years debating on podcasts, cable television and anguished group chats. The report concludes that Democrats failed to connect with Latino voters, men, rural Americans and young voters. The party remained heavily dependent on traditional media and remained far removed from the emerging digital ecosystem dominated by MAGA Republicans. It says Trump’s campaign learned more from organizing Barack Obama’s 2008 revolution than the Dems.The autopsy also criticized Democratic spending practices, suggesting that the Harris campaign spent astonishing amounts of money with questionable efficiency. Harris raised nearly $1 billion in a brief 107-day campaign but still failed to overcome voter dissatisfaction with the economy, immigration and perceptions of elite isolation.But the most extraordinary feature of the release is the Democratic National Committee’s own disclaimer attached to the document. DNC Chairman Ken Martin practically disowned the report when it was published, while acknowledging that the document was incomplete, unpolished, and lacking adequate sources. “I’m not proud of this product,” he admitted, while emphasizing that transparency required its release anyway.This defeat reflects the broader plight of the Democratic Party in 2028. On one side are established figures who argue that Dems need sharper messaging and better organization against the increasingly unpopular Trump administration. On the other side are progressive and young activists who believe the party suffers from something deeper: a leadership culture that is risk-averse, consultant-driven, overly managerial and fearful of real ideological conflict.Many Democrats privately acknowledged that Harris faced almost impossible odds after clinching the nomination late. The result was a campaign that often appeared torn between defending Biden’s record and promising generational change — an impossible political yoga pose.For now, Democrats are trying to focus on the 2026 midterms, where Trump’s polarizing presidency could once again help unify the anti-Republican vote. But the autopsy suggests the party still has no definitive answer to the big question that has been troubling it since 2024: whether Trump’s victory was an aberration — or evidence that Democrats have fundamentally lost touch with large sections of the American electorate.

Air France and Airbus blamed for fatal 2009 Atlantic flight crash

A Paris appeals court on Thursday found Air France and Airbus guilty of manslaughter over the 2009 crash of Air France Flight 447, which killed all 228 people on board when it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The verdict came after an eight-week trial into one of France’s deadliest aviation disasters. The court ruled that both companies were responsible for the accident, overturning an earlier ruling in 2023 that had freed them of criminal liability.Both Air France and Airbus were fined €225,000, the maximum fine under French law for this type of offence. However, several relatives of the victims said the sentence was too lenient considering the scale of the tragedy.The companies denied wrongdoing and said they would challenge the decision through legal means.Danielle Lamy, president of the AF447 victims’ association, whose son died in the crash, called the verdict an important step forward for grieving families demanding accountability. He said the verdict shows that authorities have begun to recognize “the pain of families facing a collective tragedy of unbearable cruelty”.Flight AF447 was carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew members from 33 countries when it crashed on June 1, 2009. The victims included 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, five British, three Irish citizens and two Americans. Brazilian Prince Pedro Luis de Orléans e Bragança was among those killed.This disaster remains one of the aviation industry’s most complex accident investigation and recovery operations. Search teams searched nearly 10,000 square kilometers of the Atlantic Ocean for months before locating the wreckage. The flight recorders were eventually recovered in 2011 after a deep sea search operation.French investigators concluded in 2012 that a faulty airspeed sensor and pilot error caused the crash. During bad weather ice crystals blocked the aircraft’s pitot tubes, causing inconsistencies in speed readings that confused the aircraft’s systems. Investigators found that the pilots responded incorrectly after the plane entered an aerodynamic stall, causing the plane to rapidly lose altitude before crashing into the sea.The accident prompted major changes in aviation safety procedures, including better pilot training for high altitude stalls and replacement of airspeed sensors on Airbus aircraft.The victims included Nelson Marinho Filho, who boarded the plane moments before it took off after a near miss. His family waited for more than two years before burying his remains. Eleven-year-old Alexander Burroy, from Bristol, was returning to England after a holiday in Brazil, while Irish doctors Eithne Walls, Jane Deasy and Aisling Butler also died in the crash while returning from holiday.According to Air France, the captain had logged more than 11,000 flight hours, including 1,700 hours on the Airbus aircraft involved in the accident. The aircraft was last inspected in April 2009, a few weeks before the accident.

Bengaluru: Nearly four years after space PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) was awarded the first private sector contract of Rs 860 crore to build five Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV), space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACE) is offering complete transfer of technology (ToT) of the rocket to the industry.If the industry accepts the proposal, it will be the second rocket developed by ISRO whose technology will be transferred. Last year, IN-SPACe completed the ToT for ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The PSLV TOT move is surprising as the first PSLV, being manufactured by NSIL under the first industry contract awarded to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-Larsen & Toubro (HAL-L&T) consortium in 2022, has not yet been launched. The first rocket was supposed to be ready in 24 months, but it has almost doubled that time.In its EoI accessed by TOI, IN-SPACe said: The technology transfer aims to enable Indian industry to “realise, operate and commercialize PSLV launches in the global medium-lift satellite market”. According to IN-SPACe: “To ensure seamless technology absorption, infrastructure and hand-holding support will be provided by ISRO for a ‘defined period’ of 30 months or till the receipt and launch of two PSLV vehicles by the selected party, whichever is earlier.” EOI is restricted to Indian-owned non-government entities with significant industrial and aerospace capabilities. Eligible firms must have at least seven years of operations, five years of space or aerospace experience and an average turnover of more than Rs 400 crore or a valuation of more than Rs 1,000 crore.At the time of NSIL’s 2022 contract, officials had described the arrangement as a gradual outsourcing model. The rocket stages will be rapidly realized by industry, even though sensitive systems such as separation mechanism, inertial system and mission operations will continue to be under ISRO’s surveillance during the initial phase.The PSLV EOI raises questions about the preparedness of the industry to build and operate the rocket. While the consortium’s first PSLV has not yet flown, a similar pattern is visible with the SSLV programme: About a year ago, HAL won the full TOT bid for Rs 511 crore, becoming the first Indian company to acquire complete launch vehicle technology from ISRO.Unlike the PSLV manufacturing contract, the SSLV deal gives ownership of the rocket to HAL after the technology absorption phase. The company is expected to independently manufacture, market and launch SSLV missions after initial support from ISRO and IN-SPACe.But the first SSLV launch operated by HAL is nowhere close to being ready. PSLV remains India’s most trusted launcher with more than 50 missions since its first flight in 1993. It has launched major missions including Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission and Astrosat, besides deploying hundreds of foreign satellites.As for reforms in India’s space sector, the latest EOI signals that the government wants to accelerate the transition from an ISRO-led production model to an industry-driven launch ecosystem. Yet the slow progress of the first two privatization experiments – PSLV manufacturing and SSLV technology transfer – also highlights the complexity involved in moving launch vehicle capability from a state-run program into commercial hands.

The 2026 Kerala Assembly elections marked the return of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power after a decade, ending the Left Democratic Front’s two consecutive terms.The UDF won 102 of the 140 assembly seats in the state, giving a decisive mandate that exceeded most pre-poll projections. The Congress emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 63 seats, while the CPI(M)-led LDF saw a sharp decline in its numbers, with the Marxist party itself reduced to 26 seats.Following the decision, senior Congress leader VD Satheesan took oath as the chief minister, leading the 20-member cabinet at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The new Council of Ministers includes 14 first-time ministers, two women and two representatives from the Scheduled Caste community.The election also saw several high-profile defeats of the outgoing government. Thirteen LDF cabinet ministers lost their seats, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who resigned after the results were declared on 4 May.Voting for the assembly elections took place on April 9, with a voter turnout of 78.27% among over 2.7 crore voters.The UDF campaign focused on issues including unemployment, inflation and governance, while the LDF sought re-election on its record in welfare delivery, health care and education.This result also has broader political significance. Kerala remained the only state ruled by a Communist-led government after the Left lost power in West Bengal in 2011 and Tripura in 2018. With the defeat of the LDF, India no longer has a communist-led state government.CPI(M) admitted the setback after the results, saying the party would review the decision and assess the reasons for the defeat.Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition were present in the swearing-in ceremony. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and chief ministers of Congress-ruled states underlined the party’s attempt to project the Kerala victory as a significant political gain.

East Bengal’s 22-year drought for a major Indian trophy ended on 21 May. And it ended in the most dramatic fashion.

Ultimately it was “Ilish” who won after 22 years of pain, near misses, mismanagement and even a fight for survival in the top flight of Indian football. All those stories came to an end when East Bengal beat Inter Kashi FC 2-1 in Kolkata, with goals from their star striker Youssef Ezzari and crowd-favourite Palestinian midfielder Mohammed Rashid.

And the icing on the cake for many anxious and distressed Bengalis who have waited for this moment for over two decades could be that East Bengal triumphed over arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giants in the title race itself.

Mohun Bagan won their encounter against Sporting Club Delhi 2-1 and even celebrated with hopes of sealing their fate, but missed out on winning the title on goal difference. After years of dominance, this year it was Mohun Bagan’s turn to see their arch-rivals finally cross the finish line ahead of them.

The Indian Super League, no matter how chaotic the season felt before and during the campaign, somehow produced its best performance on the final day of the tournament.

Heading into the final round, four teams still had a realistic chance of winning the title. East Bengal entered the night on top of the table, followed by defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giants, while Mumbai City FC and Punjab FC also remain in the race. Even Jamshedpur FC still has a chance of a mathematical miracle to pull off one of the wildest titles ever seen by Indian football.

The tension was running high in exactly the way East Bengal fans have become painfully accustomed to over the years, with the anxiety lasting till the very end. And on the final day of this ISL, the anxiety set in almost immediately.

Within just nine minutes against a lowly Inter Kashi team, East Bengal had already conceded defeat. And this was not even a common goal. Alfred Planas produced a thunderous volley that flew with such technique and theatrics that it immediately felt dangerous beyond the scoreline.

For a few seconds, it felt as if half of West Bengal had their hands on his head, mouth or perhaps heart.

The flashbacks started returning immediately.
2012.
2014.
2018.
They all finished as runners-up. All those league titles are slipping away. All those final day heartbreaks.

But as the Bengali saying goes, “Hal Cherona Bandhu” – don’t lose hope, my friend. And for once football finally smiled on the East Bengal supporters.

Oscar Bruzon, in charge of East Bengal, stood on the historic touchline in what might have been his final match, his eyebrows furrowed with nervousness. He knew exactly what this night meant.

In the 49th minute, Yousuf Ezejari scored the equalizing goal for East Bengal. Despite the attendance being only around 9,000, Kishore Bharti Krirangan burst into flames. The fear broke. Hope returned.

And then suddenly, the night started turning completely red and golden.

In the 62nd minute, Clarence Fernandes gave Sporting Club Delhi the lead against Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The noise inside the Salt Lake Stadium subsided, almost so much that it felt like you could hear the loud celebration coming to Kishore Bharti from the other end of Kolkata.

But East Bengal did not want a repeat of the past. And it was their Palestinian strongman Mohammed Rashid who ensured this.

72nd minute.
East Bengal took the lead.
East Bengal got the trophy with one hand

A hand that had waited for more than two decades to finally touch silver again.

And after that, nothing else matters.

Mohun Bagan has no equal.
Not Mumbai City, who scored two late goals against Punjab FC.
Later Mohun Bagan did not take the lead.

Nothing matters.

The dream of East Bengal refused to end.

While this ISL season will probably be remembered with bitterness due to the turmoil surrounding Indian football, uncertainty over the future of the league and the exhausting battle to keep the competition alive, East Bengal fans will happily enjoy every bit of it.

And honestly, after 22 years of waiting, they deserve it.

– ends