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Who is Ishaan Tharoor, journalist behind Today’s WorldView and Shashi Tharoor’s son, sacked by the Washington Post?
WASHINGTON DC: The Washington Post has laid off senior international affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor as part of sweeping newsroom cuts that have sharply reduced its global coverage.
I have been laid off today from the @washingtonpost, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents…
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2026
Tharoor, a long-time member of the paper’s foreign desk and author of the popular Today’s WorldView column and newsletter, confirmed his departure on X, calling the day “a bad one” for the newsroom and expressing heartbreak for colleagues caught in the shake-up.
A bad day pic.twitter.com/cIX8rIjJPu
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2026
The cuts, among the most extensive in the paper’s recent history, have hit international desks particularly hard, reflecting the financial pressure facing legacy news organisations as digital advertising and subscriptions remain volatile.
Before joining The Washington Post, Tharoor spent nearly two decades at Time magazine, where he served as a senior editor and correspondent, reporting from Hong Kong and New York on geopolitics and global affairs. Alongside journalism, he has taught undergraduate courses on digital-era global politics at Georgetown University.
Launched in 2017, Today’s WorldView built a large following for its analytical take on diplomacy, power politics and historical context, attracting close to half a million subscribers at its peak.
Born in Singapore in 1984, Tharoor is the son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and academic Tilottama Mukherji Tharoor. He studied history at Yale University, graduating in 2006, and later received the Sudler Fellowship for distinction in the arts and humanities.
His exit follows a wave of job losses across American newsrooms, as publishers rein in costs and rethink international reporting at a time of rising production expenses and shifting audience habits.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
