Can BJP win over dalits and tribals again in West Bengal?

Lula delights at G20: President Joe Biden might have been the star of the G20 summit, but it was Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who won hearts. (Taking selfies with journalists helps). There was already attention on Lula—he received the gavel denoting the G20 presidency from Prime Minister Narendra Modi—but what really set him apart was PDA (public display of affection). Lula, dapper in his green and yellow tie, walked the red carpet holding hands with his wife Rosângela ‘Janja’ da Silva. Other heads of state walked solo, as is protocol. Rosângela had apparently insisted on accompanying her husband. The couple got married last year and Lula had declared himself much in love. Well, that was very much on display | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Mayawati’s elephant struck: After a largely absent monsoon in Lucknow, when the thunderstorms and the lightning finally came with incessant rain, the smart city’s roads—including those near the chief minister’s residence—caved in. However, the biggest casualty was elephant No 52 in the Ambedkar Park built during Mayawati’s regime. It was struck by lightning and suffered significant damage. The 60-plus sandstone elephants in the park had cost more than 035 crore in 2011 and the initiative was much criticised. With Mayawati out of power, it remains to be seen whether her elephants would be tended to.

Balancing act: Narayan Tripathi, the MLA from Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, is known for having his feet in two boats. For example, he was one of the two BJP legislators who supported the Congress during a crucial vote in the assembly in July 2021. As a result, there has been constant speculation about him switching sides. Instead, Tripathi launched his own party in July, demanding a separate Vindhya state. He also said this party would contest 43 seats in the region. There have been no developments on that front and he is still a BJP member. But, recently, after Maihar was made a district, interesting billboards appeared, in which Tripathi expressed gratitude to both Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Kamal Nath—the Congress government, too, had backed district status for Maihar.

Flying the nest: It was a proud moment for Sourav Ganguly and wife Dona when their daughter Sana graduated in economics from University College London. Ganguly posted a picture from the convocation and captioned it, “Graduation day... first step of her life which she will remember forever.” Sana is apparently a talented dancer as well, having performed onstage several times. Meanwhile, her dad is busy with the upcoming release of the 10th season of Dadagiri Unlimited, the quiz show he hosts | Salil Bera

Love all: Apparently, Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet are now officially a couple. They sealed the deal with a kiss at the Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open men’s finals. The US Open even shared a video of them on the tournament’s official Instagram account. The two were seen together in public for the first time at Beyonce’s birthday concert on September 4. According to a source quoted in Harper’s Bazaar, they “run in the same circle of friends, and have a great time when they are together, but it is not that serious”. We hear that Chalamet is the first man Jenner is dating after her split from American rapper Travis Scott | Shutterstock, Getty Images

All plots lead to Rome: Jhumpa Lahiri is coming out with a new short story collection in October. Titled Roman Stories, the book is written in Italian and translated into English by Todd Portnowitz. Lahiri received the Pulitzer in 2000 for her book Interpreter of Maladies. Her most recent book in English is a collection of essays titled Translating Myself and Others (2022). This will be her first short story collection after Unaccustomed Earth (2008) | Getty Images

Royal shenanigans: Netflix has released a new teaser for season 6 of The Crown, featuring Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana. The final season, which is scheduled to release later this year, will cover her death, as well as the relationship of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and the 2005 wedding of Prince Charles and Queen Camilla. This will be the first season of the show to release after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who featured prominently in the initial seasons | Getty Images

Who’s the boss?: Rajinikanth recently met with Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, and was greeted with some sass. As the south superstar approached him with an extended hand, Ibrahim imitated a move from Rajinikanth’s film Sivaji: The Boss. Rajinikanth could not help but laugh at this. The two apparently discussed Ibrahim’s struggle to alleviate the suffering of his people. The politician also suggested that Rajinikanth include certain “social elements” in his future films. “Praying that Rajinikanth continues to excel in the field and the film world,” wrote Ibrahim on X | PTI