Splainer FREE: Marathon Man

Aaj ki khabar includes our farewell to India’s marathon man, Iran kicking out millions of Afghans, and the world’s oldest matrilineal society. The cool bit: Clipse’s music video for their new song.

Jul 17, 2025

An important announcement: We will publish the last news edition of splainer on August 29—the last Friday before September 1. Our weekend Advisory—with popular recommendations on books, travel, music, entertainment etc—will continue as a free zine. It will go out to all Souk and splainer subscribers along with Souk’s curated recommendations. We also plan to offer a hefty discount to our paid subscribers on the Taste book—as compensation for the inevitable disappointment. So don’t unsubscribe or you’ll miss out. If you have no clue what we’re talking about, be sure to read the Big Story today.

Hello, splainer FREE subscribers! We launched a paid version of our daily headlines in January. Our splainer LITE subscribers will get: One: Extended headlines every day (For example: tribute to Fauja Singh—world’s oldest marathon runner, today). Two: A deep dive on a big story each month—so be sure to read our free Big Story on the launch of Souk and why splainer is shutting down. Three: A fab pop culture explainer that keeps you clued-in and nerdy cool (For example: this explainer on the misunderstood sexual orientation: Asexuality). All this for Rs 99 per month only! Be sure to sign up here—and gift the sub to friends & fam.

Goodbye to all that: The end of news and the birth of the new

TLDR: Splainer’s daily news edition will shut down on August 29. Our editor/founder Lakshmi Chaudhry explains why in this essay.

Written by: Lakshmi Chaudhry, Founder, Splainer Pte Ltd

Writer’s note: On August 29, we will publish the last edition of splainer’s news edition. It will also mark the culmination of my long stint in daily news—which began in 1999. But for both splainer and me, this is not an end but the beginning of a new engagement with the world—expressing the same values and mission but in fresh, exciting ways. Hence, the lead image: ‘Rooms by the sea’ by Edward Hopper suggests an open doorway—leading out to a dazzling unknown.

Splainer lite subscribers can read this paywalled Big Story—and the rest of the edition, in fact—using the gift link below. No login required.

READ FOR FREE

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Wanted: A fabulous Assistant Editor for Advisory

Our weekend zine—the Advisory—will soon get an upgrade as an extension of our new vertical Souk. It is all about helping our community get the best advice on what to watch, where to travel, what to buy etc.

We are looking for someone who really gets what makes the Advisory special—and can take it to the next level. Requirements of the job include:

Impeccable writing, editing and researching skills.
Absolutely key: A well-informed taste in books, travel, movies, art and more.
0-2 years of experience.
Quick learner of backend CMS.
Familiarity with Canva.

Please note this isn’t a job for someone who is looking to work at a standard lifestyle section of a newspaper or site. Our aim is to break new ground—and build something truly valuable for our audience.

PS: Knowledge of splainer and the Advisory is a bonus. If you are not a subscriber but are interested in checking out an edition—email us and we will give you access. We prefer that you know what you’re applying for.

As for the rest: There is a six-month probation period and the pay will be industry standard. We are an equal opportunity employer and work remotely. Please send your resumes and cover letter—telling us why you want this job—to talktous@splainer.in. We will reach out to you if you’re shortlisted.

Farewell, Fauja Singh: The Indian marathon man

The world’s oldest marathon runner was killed at the age of 114 in a hit-and-run incident in Punjab’s Jalandhar district earlier this week. Amritpal Singh Dhillon—a 26-year-old man who lives in Canada—has been identified as the driver and arrested. The tragedy brought overdue attention to the extraordinary story of Fauja Singh.

Meet Fauja Singh: Born in 1911 in a village near Jalandhar, Singh was a bullied child often mocked for his weak legs. He led a quiet life as a farmer until his wife passed away. Singh then moved to London in 1992 to live with his eldest son. After a second loss—the death of his son in India—Singh discovered an unusual form of therapy:

Back in the UK, Singh was overtaken by grief. One day, during a visit to the local gurdwara in Ilford, he met a group of older men who went on regular runs. That's where he also met Harmander Singh, who later became his coach and his journey as a runner began.

A stellar 13-year career: The 89-year-old Singh went on to complete nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013 until his retirement—setting records across age categories. In 2011, he became the first person aged 100 to finish a full marathon. But he was never recognised by the Guinness World Records—because Singh didn’t have a birth certificate.

A fun bit of trivia: He also captained a relay team in the 2009 Edinburgh marathon called ‘Sikhs in the City’—which would later become the name of his running club and charity.

The end: finally came on a road near Singh's birth village of Beas Pind. He was hit by the car while crossing the road. The ironic part: He could have survived if the driver hadn’t fled the scene—and taken him to the hospital. That said, Fauja Singh had a good, long run. And he will always be remembered for it.

Reading list: Indian Express and BBC News have more on the case. The Observer had profiled Fauja and his ‘Sikhs in the City’ teammates back in 2009.

2/8 The great deportation: Iran kicks out millions of Afghans

Over 1.4 million Afghans have fled or have been deported from Iran since the start of the year. More than 500,000 have been kicked out in just the last month. It is part of a sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigrants—far greater than anything Trump could cook up…

3/8 Discovered: The world’s oldest matrilineal society

New research has unearthed a 4000-year-old community in China—called Fujia, where women were the source of family lines and inheritance—not men. It is the oldest known matrilineal society…

For more in splainer LITE…

Pesticides disrupt the social lives of fish
Shoplifting Indian in Illinois goes viral
SuperGrok rolls out icky AI companions
Fans hate on new Harry Potter and Hagrid first looks
Clipse’s super cool music video features Kendrick Lamar

what caught our eye

business & tech

Fresh off Nvidia’s return to China, CEO Jensen Huang is already lobbying for the country to get access to better AI chips—not just what he calls the company’s “fourth-best.”
Apple is pumping $500 million into a rare earths mining company in the US to cut its dependence on China and bring more of its iPhone production closer to home.
In a first, Google says its AI agent ‘Big Sleep’ blocked a cyberattack before it even began—marking a major shift in how we might fight hacks going forward.
In an unusual move, Elon Musk’s SpaceX helped rival Amazon by launching 24 of its Kuiper internet satellites into orbit early Wednesday from Florida.
A security researcher has found a flaw in Gmail’s AI summaries that could let hackers slip in harmful links—putting nearly 2 billion users at risk.

sports & entertainment

An Iranian newspaper has published a full-page tribute to ‘Sholay’ ahead of the film’s 50th anniversary.
James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ is driving a surge in dog adoptions, with interest in rescue pups spiking over 500%—all thanks to Krypto, the not-so-well-trained but lovable superdog in the film.
Yash Raj Films’ new romantic drama ‘Saiyaara’ has broken pre-sale records for a debutant film in India, with over 45,000 tickets sold in just 24 hours.

health & environment

A restaurant in northern China is drawing backlash after offering customers the chance to cuddle lion cubs during a pricey afternoon tea.
Eight babies have been born in the UK using a new technique that combines DNA from three people to help mothers avoid passing on rare and deadly genetic diseases.
India may have hit the mark of 50% non-fossil fuel power capacity, but clean energy still makes up less than 30% of the electricity actually being used.
Following the deaths of two leopards in April, Goa’s forest department has asked the Wildlife Institute of India for some help.

meanwhile, in the world

At least 20 Palestinians were killed in a deadly crush at a food distribution site in southern Gaza after guards reportedly used tear gas or pepper spray on desperate crowds.
Israel bombed Syria’s defence ministry in Damascus twice on Wednesday, stepping into fierce fighting between the Syrian army and Druze fighters—marking yet another instance of Tel Aviv striking targets far beyond its borders.
Wall Street Journal (splainer gift link) has a good read on how Iran, through trial and error, managed to punch holes in Israel’s high-tech missile defense during their recent 12-day war.
A former NYPD commissioner has filed a federal lawsuit accusing New York City Mayor Eric Adams and top police officials of running what he calls a “criminal enterprise”—the fifth such lawsuit in two weeks to allege deep corruption inside the force.
The US has deported a group of migrants to Eswatini, days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for sending people to third countries without hearing their claims of possible harm they could face.
Thai police have arrested a woman, known as “Ms Golf,” who allegedly had sex with monks and then blackmailed them using photos and videos.
The Guardian has an interesting read on how Seoul is fighting a growing loneliness crisis with “mind convenience stores” that offer everything from instant noodles and foot spas to on-site counsellors.
Days after a Russian woman and her two daughters were found living in a cave in Karnataka’s Gokarna, her Israeli ex-husband has come forward seeking shared custody, saying he lost touch with them after they left Goa.
Paranormal investigator and US Army veteran Dan Rivera died suddenly in his Gettysburg hotel room while on tour with the ‘haunted’ Annabelle doll.

meanwhile, in India

Air India says it found no issues with the fuel switch locks on its Boeing 787s after the aviation regulator ordered checks earlier this week—following AAIB’s preliminary investigation into the AI171 crash.
Investigators are looking into possible electrical and software faults that may have caused the fuel switches on the Air India flight to shut off on their own just seconds after take-off.
The push to install video cameras inside airplane cockpits is back in focus now as well, with some saying there’s a strong case for using them to track pilot actions alongside voice and data recorders.
A new Kantar study says many urban Indian men—especially Gen Z—feel ads still box them into old-school stereotypes and want to be seen as more emotionally open and involved at home.
A schoolteacher in Bareilly has been booked after a video showed him urging students to choose education over blind faith—remarks that many online saw as criticism of the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, sparking a Hindutva backlash.