Daily Briefing: Marking a year of war in West Asia; PM Modi to meet Maldives President Muizzu today | Live News

In the words of the Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, there is no shortage of ambition and drive in her team in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. On Sunday, Kaur’s side defeated Pakistan chasing down a modest target of 106 runs, with just seven balls to spare. That said, the net run rate situation may not be on India’s side, following their heavy defeat to New Zealand. Even if India overcomes Australia and Sri Lanka, that may not be enough. Talk about small (and big) margins.

🚨Big Story

365 days of relentless bombardment, with thousands killed and displaced—October 7 marks one year of the deadliest conflict in the Middle East in recent times, if not, ever.

How it all began? A year ago, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages at an all-night music festival located about three miles from the Gaza border. In response, Israel initiated a devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in over 40,000 deaths and displaced 1.9 million people to date.

The theatre of conflict: Beyond Gaza, Israel has conducted strikes in Syria and Yemen, and has launched a new attack in Lebanon, expanding the theatre to Iran-backed proxy groups such as the Hezbollah and the Houthis. It has continued ground operations in Gaza while disregarding calls for a ceasefire from the UN Security Council, and US requests for restraint, although Hamas has already been significantly weakened.

Responses: Middle Eastern powers have taken a mediatory or confrontational stance toward Israel. While Turkey has increased its anti-Israel rhetoric, Qatar and Egypt continue to play a mediating role between Israel and Hamas, though their efforts have seen limited success so far.

Festive offer

The West, led by the US, warns against further escalation, commits to humanitarian aid for Gaza, and stands firmly by Israel, even when it crosses red linesIndia has chosen to treat terrorism as a distinct issue that needs to be condemned and addressed, separate from the political question of Israel and Palestine.

In light of the Israel-Hamas conflict, today’s Opinion section features columnist Vikram Mehta, who argues that 2024 marked a watershed year when geopolitical, geoeconomic, and geotechnical forces converged to create the “perfect storm” for World War III. He outlines four compelling reasons to support this assertion.

⚡Only in Express

Unpacking the stakes: A day ahead of the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Assembly poll verdicts, we take a look at what’s on the line in terms of power dynamics.

In Haryana, if exit polls are to be believed, the Congress is likely to return to power after a decade. Columnist Neerja Chowdhury writes on the importance of the state which “goes beyond its size” as it could create momentum for the opposition parties in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where polls are expected to be announced soon.

Meanwhile, the much-anticipated J&K polls – the first to be held in a decade – saw parties vying to reshape the region’s future. While some exit polls predicted a hung House, others say the Congress-National Conference alliance has an edge but may miss the halfway mark.

In today’s dedicated episode of our 3 Things podcast, we dive deeper into key narratives that unfolded during the election and what’s really at stake for the people of J&K.

📰From the Front Page

‘India Out In’? Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will meet Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu currently on his first bilateral State visit to India. Ahead of the meeting, Muizzu flagged the need for financial aid to the island nation. His five-day visit could witness interesting developments in terms of the India-Maldives relationship given that the ties between the two countries have been under strain ever since Muizzu rode to power last November on an ‘India Out’ election plank.

A faint ray of hope: There was some good news for about 7,346 depositors who invested with the West Bengal-based Rose Valley Group at last. They received part of their money back in the first phase of the long-awaited restitution process of one of the biggest financial frauds in the history of Bengal. The Group is estimated to have defrauded investors of over Rs 17,000 crore by collecting funds through fake schemes until it went bust in 2013.

📌Must Read

Travelling behind the curve: Even as the world is witnessing a period of the so-called ‘revenge travel’ phenomenon, India seems to have evidently lost some of its tourism-related sheen post the Covid-19 pandemic. There has been a significant surge in the number of Indians travelling overseas, exceeding even the pre-Covid levels. However, the picture is not as exciting when it comes to foreign travellers visiting India. The reasons for divergence in trends are a cause for concern for the country’s tourism industry.

👉And Finally…

60 hours, 6,300 metres… that’s what it took to rescue two seasoned mountaineers – British alpinist Fay Manners and Michelle Dvorak – stranded in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal Himalayas for two days without crucial supplies. While rescue operations led by the Indian Air Force had to tackle the challenges of the Chaukhamba-III terrain, the breakthrough came with the assistance of a French expedition team operating in the area.

That’s all for today.

Until tomorrow
Aradhana Kalia and Vibha B Madhava

Business As Usual by E P Unny Business As Usual by E P Unny

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