As the war in Gaza rages and drone and missile strikes disrupt maritime traffic in the Red Sea, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, with the two leaders “agreeing to work together for peace, security and stability” in the West Asia region.
Days after two merchant ships with Indian crew members came under drone attack, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned that India would “hunt down” the perpetrators, even from the “depths of the sea”, and take strict action against them.
At a time when the effects of the Israel-Hamas war have spilled onto the rest of the world, a low-intensity blast took place on Tuesday evening near the Embassy of Israel in New Delhi, police said, adding that shrapnel and ball-bearings were recovered from the spot. The police also recovered an “abusive” threat letter by a previously unknown group — Sir Allah Resistance — addressed “to Israel Embassy ambassador” at the spot.
⚖️Only in Express
Express Impact: The Ministry of Electronics and IT has directed social media platforms to take “additional measures” to ensure that they don’t host advertisements of fraudulent loan apps, warning that the “consequences” will be the “sole responsibility” of such intermediaries/ platforms. This comes after a two-part investigation by The Indian Express had reported how dubious loan apps advertise on Instagram and Facebook, and, despite whatever filters the platforms claim to use, many such apps, including those red-flagged by the government, continue to offer their services.
Rescued by a trans person from the bushes on a cold November morning in 2014, fostered by a family that plays dholak for a living and suspected to be the missing daughter of an Agra-based businessman, a nine-year-old girl is at the heart of a complicated tripartite custody battle. The 9-year-old has been at a government home for over a year as the courts and CWC decide on her rightful guardian.
📰From the Front Page
At a time when the wrestlers are back protesting against the election of Sanjay Kumar Singh, a close aide of BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as the WFI’s new president, in a strongly-worded open letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wrestler Vinesh Phogat announced that she was returning the country’s highest sporting honour, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna which was awarded to her in 2020, along with the Arjuna Award she got earlier.
A case of human trafficking or a journey to illegally enter the United States or Canada? 303 passengers of a Dubai-Nicaragua flight were detained in France for three days after the French police received an anonymous tip off over trafficking. On Tuesday, 276 passengers — mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat — arrived in Mumbai, with 25 seeking asylum in France.
A lawyer of the Legends Airlines — to whom the plane belongs — told The Indian Express that most passengers had valid ID documents, tickets and visas, adding, “we have absolutely no proof that any of the passengers intended to go beyond Nicaragua to the United States or Canada, or to any other country.”
With discounts on Russian crude oil shrinking, Moscow’s share in India’s oil imports declined to an eight-month low in October, while New Delhi’s traditional West Asian suppliers managed to claw back part of the market share they had ceded to Russia.
👩🏻💻Must Read
Against a backdrop of global economic volatility, the Indian economy presents a picture of resilience. But there are continuing worries around food inflation, and sluggishness in the rural output and services sector growth. Anil Sasi gives you the 2024 economic forecast.
In his weekly column, C Raja Mohan writes on the question of India ‘losing’ South Asia: “India has enough capabilities to not only preserve its interests, but also expand its influence in its neighbourhood. To do that effectively, though, Delhi must discard the obsession with the old idea of South Asia.”
⏳And Finally…
At Himadri, India’s permanent research station in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard – the world’s northernmost inhabited place – four Indian researchers are on a five-month winter expedition. The scientists tell The Indian Express what it’s like to live with no sun, no phones and having polar bears for company.
Delhi confidential: The only general secretary to be dropped in an AICC reshuffle, this senior leader gave the Congress’s Bihar meet over Lok Sabha elections a miss.
🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things‘ podcast, we talk about what’s plaguing the Indian wrestling federation and the civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir.
Until tomorrow
Rounak Bagchi and Sonal Gupta