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Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022. Is this a warning sign? https://bit.ly/3OEqVie #Quixplained #ExpressExplained

#Quixplained | Children between the ages of 12 and 14 can now receive the #Corbevax vaccine for Covid-19, which is manufactured by Hyderabad-based Biological-E. What is it, and how does it work? https://bit.ly/3ubkBWq #ExpressExplained

https://www.inexp.in/2QaRqA The Jharkhand government has, for the first time, published a booklet of notes penned by inmates from various jails across the state. In the snippets, a Dalit prisoner vents his anguish over politicians "using" his community for votes; an undertrial inmate writes that the jail "transformed" him in such a way that no educational institute could ever do; a prisoner implicated in a chit fund scam urges people to introspect on their greed too. https://www.inexp.in/uP6P6b ⏳ *And Finally* One of the most startling aspects about Jasprit Bumrah is how often it is his day. Or how often he twists the narrative; or how often he ends up as the protagonist. Spinners were expected to reap a harvest on a pitch tailormade for them in the second Test against Sri Lanka, but Bumrah took the surface out of the equation, again. He bowled 19 overs, conceded 47 runs and picked eight wickets. That is, more specifically, a wicket for every six runs scored off him, wicket every 14th ball he bowled. https://www.inexp.in/S0Hpsm 🤐 *Delhi Confidential*: The Opposition was left bewildered in Lok Sabha on Monday, as BJP MPs chanted 'Modi, Modi, Modi' as the Prime Minister entered the House. The victory in the Assembly elections has obviously left the party MPs jubilant, and they make no attempts to hide their excitement. https://www.inexp.in/McBVH7 🎧 In the latest episode of *3 Things*, Manoj C G joins host Snigdha Sharma to discuss the Congress’ dismal electoral performance and the crisis within the party. https://www.inexp.in/6uwlEg Until tomorrow, Leela Murali and Sonal Gupta

#Quixplained | Russia and Ukraine: The nuclear question https://bit.ly/3KeT1xw #ExpressExplained

☕ *Your Expresso is ready* 📬 Get this delivered straight to your inbox: https://indianexpress.com/newsletters/ Read the briefing in a single page: https://indianexpress.com/article/live-news/top-news-briefing-today-7796801/ Good morning, 🚨 *Russia invades Ukraine* India’s worst fears came true Tuesday when a 21-year-old Indian medical student was killed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, marking the country’s first casualty in the Russia-Ukraine war. Indian officials have said that the victim, identified as Naveen S G, hailing from Karnataka, was killed in shelling. https://www.inexp.in/VUy2kd But Naveen’s former hostel mate cited other members of the student community there as saying that he was hit in firing by the Russian army outside a store. He had stepped out of a bunker, where the students had been holed up for the past six days, to buy groceries.  https://www.inexp.in/Yjy09M With Naveen’s death, the safety and security of around 8,000 Indian nationals still stuck in Ukraine has become an issue of urgent concern. It also complicates New Delhi’s diplomatic hand — it had been projecting itself as a neutral actor, refusing to take sides. https://www.inexp.in/fHOw1e Like thousands of other Indian students trapped in Ukraine, Arya Aldrin, a medical student from Kerala’s Idukki district, is desperate to get back home. But not without her five-month-old Siberian husky, Zaira. While other students were arranging food and water supplies, Arya was busy arranging documents for Zaira’s safe travel to India and packing bare minimum. Earlier this week, Arya walked nearly 20 kms in the freezing Ukrainian winter, with Zaira in her arms, after a bus dropped her near the Romanian border.  https://www.inexp.in/Q7rlzW ⚡ *Only in the Express* Nandan Nilekani, co-founder and non-executive chairman of Infosys, in a recent e-Adda called our increasingly digital world a “crisis”. “How do we be on top of things, don’t let technology overwhelm you, use it for your own benefit, get all the value of the fantastic things out there but don’t succumb to it and become miserable?” he said. https://www.inexp.in/kzwP5c 📰 *From the Front Page* Air India’s MD & CEO-designate Ilker Ayci said that he has declined the Tata Group’s offer to lead the airline. Ayci cited “attempts” to paint his appointment “with undesirable colours” by some sections of the media. “...it would not be a feasible or an honorable decision to accept the position in the shadow of such narrative,” he said.  https://www.inexp.in/Ug9JMy 👩‍💻 *Must Read* In the last five years, both Gorakhpur and the Gorakhpur Mutt have enjoyed the perks of being “the CM city” and “the CM’s shrine”, respectively. But the legacy comes with its share of expectations, as Adityanath is realising, in his first Assembly election ever. While no one doubts that Yogi will win, the bets are on the scale of that victory.  https://www.inexp.in/awrz6e Elections in Manipur have long been infamous for the use of money and muscle power to decide the fate of candidates. But this is exactly what 40-odd youngsters who call themselves the ‘Youth Collective Manipur’ (YCM) hope to change. The YCM has ramped up its activities during the polls, holding awareness programmes and discussions, and even releasing an election-themed music video. “Our society is not known to be very conscious politically, but it is time things change,” says Keisham Donny, 27, a political science graduate and member. https://www.inexp.in/4hAMLk As the situation in Ukraine worsens, one thing is clear — the invasion will have long-term implications for India’s relationship with Russia, particularly when it comes to defence imports. Over the years, Russia has provided some of the most sensitive and important weapons platforms to India. The legacy of buying weapons from Russia has made India somewhat dependent on it, and even though India has tried to expand the base of countries from which it buys new military systems, Russian-origin weapons still have the lion’s share. We explain.  https://www.inexp.in/G2CC33

When air raid sirens first went off across Kharkiv after the Russian invasion, third-year medical student Yashdeep Bidhan took refuge in a metro station near his residence. Like Bidhan, hundreds of Indian students stranded in Ukraine are now seeking refuge in metro stations, bunkers and schools as they wait for news on their evacuation.“We are just sitting here. We have no idea what is going on, how and when we will be evacuated,” says Anurag Punia, another medical student from Kharkiv. https://bit.ly/3IplMY2 The Haryana government’s decision to give Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Z plus category security has generated considerable interest, particularly since he is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two women. Dozens of BJP politicians have also been given central security in the run-up to the UP and Punjab Assembly polls. So, who decides the level of security protection an individual needs and why was Ram Rahim eligible? We explain.  https://bit.ly/3t3kFqw ⌛ *And Finally…* Just a week before Russia invaded Ukraine, Kobus Olivier, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ukraine Cricket Federation, had spoken to his Russian counterpart about organising a match between teams from the two countries. While the match did not end up happening, Russia Cricket, while responding to a tweet shared by Romanian cricketer Pavel Florin, said: “The only battle should be on a cricket field.” Russia’s tryst with cricket reportedly goes back to the 1870s when the first game was played in St. Petersburg. But it soon faded out before making a comeback in the late 1990s through expats.  https://bit.ly/3JXNmfj Delhi Confidential: During a webinar on boosting the country’s defence manufacturing capabilities on Friday, PM Modi recalled a conversation he had with Indian soldiers at Wagah border during his early days as a BJP party worker in Punjab. He said one of them told him that the Indian gate is smaller than “our enemy’s”, and that it should be bigger, and the flag higher. This, the Prime Minister said, touched his heart, as it showed him how much the Indian soldiers take pride in items made in the country, and encouraged the industry to manufacture weapons for them. https://bit.ly/3HnAEET Until tomorrow, Rahel Philipose and Rounak Bagchi

☕ *Your Expresso is ready* 📬 Get this delivered straight to your inbox: https://indianexpress.com/newsletters/ Read the briefing in a single page: https://indianexpress.com/article/live-news/top-news-briefing-today-7790122/ Good morning, 🚨 *Russia invades Ukraine* As a stunned world watched the Russian attack unfold in Ukraine and key US and European leaders condemned the invasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Russian President Vladimir Putin and “appealed for an immediate cessation of violence”. This is an important signal to the Western bloc which has been pressing on India to condemn the Russian action.  https://bit.ly/3sg20bF With Ukraine closing its airspace, the Ministry of External Affairs is sending teams “to the land borders… in Hungary, Poland, Slovak Republic and Romania” to assist in the evacuation of Indian nationals stranded in the country. Ukraine shares its western border with these countries, while Russia is attacking from the eastern side. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted that he had spoken to his counterparts in these four countries.  https://bit.ly/3hjDAaU The operations in Ukraine mark a “regional conflict” and all other countries, including India, should continue to have normal relations with Moscow, Andrey A Klimov, an influential member of the upper house of the Russian Federation’s Parliament, and the head of the ruling United Russia party’s international affairs section, said. “We respect India as a sovereign state. We don’t want to involve anybody else in this conflict, it is a regional conflict,” Klimov told The Indian Express.   https://bit.ly/3M31UfI Hours after his country came under attack, Ukraine’s Ambassador to India, Igor Polikha, said Kyiv is “deeply dissatisfied” with India’s position on Russian aggression. While “pleading” for India’s support, he said “I don’t know how many world leaders (Russian President Vladimir) Putin may listen to but the status of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji makes me hopeful”. Referring to the large number of Indian students who study in medical colleges in Ukraine, Polikha said Indian intervention is also required for the safety of these Indian citizens.  https://bit.ly/3JYd7fH Around 4:30 am Thursday, Animesh Kumar arrived in Kyiv to board his flight to Dubai. After a three-hour layover, he had another flight to Delhi. Finishing his security check, he stuffed his jacket into a bag at the last minute. Within minutes, he heard blasts and people around him were screaming and crying, and Kumar and the other Indian students had to run out into the extreme cold and keep going. Many Indian students stranded in Ukraine have the same story of anxiety and fear, as the escalating situation is hampering their access to basic things like food, water and money.   https://bit.ly/3pdOzHE 👩‍💻 *Must Read* With caste equations making Ayodhya a sticky wicket for the BJP, the RSS has hit the ground for the prestige contest in the town which lies at the heart of the Sangh Parivar’s Hindutva project. Apart from invoking the ongoing construction for a Ram temple, RSS workers are handing out to voters literature on the Yogi Adityanath government’s works as well as “Ram lalla’s prasad” and pouches of “raj-kan (soil)” from Ram Janmabhoomi. https://bit.ly/3t5xlxd With local development issues, caste equations and factionalism trumping grand national narratives, the ongoing UP Assembly polls are turning out to be an uphill battle for the BJP in some constituencies. For instance, in Gonda district’s seven Assembly constituencies, which the party had clinched in 2017, its fate seems uncertain this time around. At work is a mix of dissatisfaction, especially among Brahmins, against local strongman and BJP MP from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, plus Muslim vote consolidation in favour of the Samajwadi Party.  https://bit.ly/3hbXjJK

Although the BJP argues that the gangrape will not be a factor, and that “development” will trump other issues, the Dalits in the area believe that the upcoming elections will be a test for the Yogi Adityanath government. https://www.inexp.in/7o6Oga Days after Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that almost half the lawmakers in Lok Sabha have criminal charges against them, suggesting a decline from “Nehru’s India”, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned Singapore’s High Commissioner Simon Wong to convey that the “remarks…were uncalled for”. Many diplomats feel that India’s reactions represent muscle-flexing that is essential to projecting power at the international stage — an assertion of identity, and a signal that no criticism would be taken lying down. We explain how the country has reacted to foreign criticism over various matters. https://www.inexp.in/v2MZvm ⌛ *And Finally…* Bihar’s Sakibul Gani became the first player to score a triple century on his first-class debut against Mizoram on Friday. Gani’s record 341 came off 405 balls, with two sixes and 56 fours. Gani’s elder brother Faisal speaks to The Indian Express about how he went against his father’s will and trained his brother for fifteen years. Sakibul’s father Mohammed Manan Gani is a farmer who was always against his sons taking up cricket. “We have got small farmland, and our father wanted us to either study or help him in farming.” https://www.inexp.in/dWwjYk Delhi Confidential: The Cabinet turned up in full strength at the wedding of their colleague Bhupender Yadav’s daughter at his 9, Motilal Nehru Marg residence. With Covid-19 protocols in place, the Environment and Labour Minister had staggered the wedding celebrations over the week. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India N V Ramana were among those who attended the event. https://www.inexp.in/EwHApV Until tomorrow, Leela Murali and Rounak Bagchi

Javed Anand, convenor of  Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy, writes on what is at stake with the hijab ban in Karnataka: “Needless to say, it is the moral and political obligation of secularists to support the rights of Muslims in an increasingly Islamophobic world. But should they not beware lest they end up strengthening the Muslim Right in the process?”  https://www.inexp.in/YpEobz During a passionate debate in Singapore’s parliament earlier this week, the city-state’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong made a controversial statement about Indian MPs that has now landed him in hot water. He said that almost half of the lawmakers in Lok Sabha have criminal charges pending against them and suggested a decline in the country’s democratic polity from “Nehru’s India”. India on Thursday summoned Singapore’s High Commissioner Simon Wong and conveyed its displeasure. https://www.inexp.in/JVJkpw ⌛ *And Finally…* “Goodbye to PSL, my body is in serious pain.” And with that, Shahid Afridi announced his retirement from the Pakistan Super League (PSL). His exit has been slow, his retirements and U-turns many. Tests, ODIs, T20 and now franchise cricket, he has periodically lightened his load and dragged his feet while leaving the turf .He did overstay but no one complained. Afridi was entertaining company.  https://www.inexp.in/nJEtAU Delhi Confidential: While attacking the Congress in her reply to the Budget in Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took extra effort to ensure that her barb — wherein she invoked ‘Rahu’, considered an inauspicious planet in Indian astrology — did not sound like ‘Rahul’ (Gandhi). While referring to the Congress and its earlier governments as “Rahu Kaal (inauspicious period)”, Sitharaman took care that it does not sound as “Rahul Kaal”. https://www.inexp.in/diO9xn In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we discuss the hijab row in Karnataka, the ABG Shipyard fraud case, and the late Bappi Lahiri's music career.  https://www.inexp.in/MKMesg Until tomorrow, Rahel Philipose and Rounak Bagchi

We spent the day with BJP’s candidate from the constituency, Pramod Nainwal, who showed us how he has been campaigning without physical rallies, roadshows and an online presence.  https://www.inexp.in/ZWXsEt In Rajya Sabha earlier this week, PM Modi delivered a bit of a history lesson on the coastal state of Goa. His speech included a few jibes directed at former PM Jawaharlal Nehru, under whom Goa was liberated in December 1961. Top BJP leaders campaigning in Goa ahead of the Assembly polls have also claimed that if he wanted, Nehru could have liberated Goa in 1947 itself.  Goa University’s Professor Rahul Tripathi explains what really happened during Goa's liberation struggle, and in what national and global context.  https://www.inexp.in/W3gMHu ⌛ *And Finally…* India’s sole athlete at the Beijing Olympics, alpine skier Arif Mohammed Khan first took up winter sports after being encouraged by his father, who owns a ski shop in Gulmarg. From funding to a full-fledged controversy over a trip to Pakistan — Arif had to jump through many hoops before making it to Beijing. But like his father quickly realized after he first took up skiing: Arif is no “darpok” (coward). https://www.inexp.in/Uz48YH Delhi Confidential: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while replying to the discussion on Budget, dropped her tough composure when CPI(M) MP John Brittas took a dig at his own Left colleague from Kerala, CPI leader Binoy Viswam. Brittas got up and told Sitharaman in a lighter vein that Viswam was “entitled to be agitated as the Finance Minister was repeatedly referring to the sliding CPI!”. https://www.inexp.in/eGPGMw Until tomorrow, Rahel Philipose and Rounak Bagchi

Who are the prisoners? What are Sikh organisations demanding? We explain.  https://www.inexp.in/OXHK7n In the Kumaon Hills, there is now an underlying fear of what some locals are calling “mazhab pe rajneeti (politics of religion)”. Despite all three major contenders in Uttarakhand – the BJP, Congress and AAP – focusing on “outsiders” and promising to reserve “jobs for locals”, the issues of the small but diverse Muslim population don’t figure anywhere. Meanwhile, some locals fear that “the BJP-RSS is trying to take over” their faith. In fact, BJP leaders admit they are worried about the Dalits (19% of the population) turning away in the long run, over issues like vegetarianism and “young Thakur party workers’ aggression”. https://www.inexp.in/9nJMAq While PM Modi has rejected allegations that the CBI and Enforcement Directorate target opposition leaders around election season, a quick perusal of these central agencies’ actions tells a different story. The most recent example is the arrest of Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh in an alleged illegal mining case, the FIR for which was filed in 2018. Meanwhile just a month ahead of the UP Assembly polls, the I-T Department searched over 30 premises linked to SP legislator Pushpraj Jain on allegations of tax evasion.  https://www.inexp.in/7m64IX ⌛ *And Finally…* Coach, friend, didi, and now Dronacharya awardee. Boxing coach Sandhya Gurung, who received the Dhronacharya last year, has nurtured Tokyo medallist Lovlina Borgohain's early boxing career. Known to go the extra mile to make her trainees feel at home at the national camp, she is very popular due to her amicable persona. “She helped me believe in myself. I was very timid and wasn’t confident about myself. She helped me overcome that and become the boxer that I am today,” says Lovlina.  https://www.inexp.in/hsmPGQ Delhi Confidential: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday hit back at DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran, who asked if she was not present in the Lok Sabha during the Budget discussion because she was not elected. Sitharaman said even as a Rajya Sabha member she was elected and if the Opposition members had a problem with Rajya Sabha members becoming ministers, they should not have sat in Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet.  https://www.inexp.in/c392QA In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we discuss  the challenges that political parties are facing in Goa, and the concerns that people have in the state. https://www.inexp.in/hMA994 Until tomorrow, Rahel Philipose and Rounak Bagchi

It is this accommodation of the variety of social locations from which our students come that has contributed to the civil discussions and debates and conversations through which the process of thinking is initiated.” https://www.inexp.in/TeUhjM In this week’s ExplainSpeaking-Economy newsletter, Udit Mishra takes a look at how poll-bound states compare on unemployment among the youth, educated and women. Data show that UP is far behind the national average on all three counts, and has seen a sharp decline over the last five years. Meanwhile, while youth employment rates in Punjab are much better than the national average, the fact remains that they have been coming down over the past five years. https://www.inexp.in/IcqZrF ⌛ *And Finally...* Bhojpuri artiste Neha Singh Rathore’s videos listing the many problems that plague her home state Bihar and neighboring Uttar Pradesh rattled the state government and made her the subject of vicious trolling. Friends have been urging her not to step out alone, and to keep her face covered, but the 24-year-old says she is done being afraid. Her aim is simple: to show the world that bhojpuri songs are more than just “blouse hooks and lehenga strings”. https://www.inexp.in/pFibbq 🤐 Delhi Confidential: A health and fitness enthusiast himself, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s latest initiative is a canteen in the ministry that serves nutritious and healthy food options. On the first day, the canteen served moong dal cheela with peas. Significantly, an additional secretary will oversee the daily menu. https://www.inexp.in/Rz-Xmc 🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we discuss the unemployment crisis in poll-bound states, the JNU VC controversy, and the Hyundai row. https://www.inexp.in/bRB1rb Until tomorrow, Leela Prasad G and Rahel Philipose

https://www.inexp.in/8aNjAb ⏳ *And Finally...* Despite having led just once in his nine-year career, Hardik Pandya has been named captain of the newly-formed Ahmedabad Indian Premier League franchise. But he doesn’t seem too worried. “You don’t have to be a captain to lead,” he said after the announcement. One doesn’t need to have watched Pandya for too long to know that the flamboyant 28-year-old likes the attention. In that regard, he might even turn out to be an inspired pick. He gives the sense that he wants to be his own man, and now is his chance to be just that. https://www.inexp.in/mnDlAA 🤐 *Delhi Confidential:* After Sitharaman concluded her Budget speech, a group of MPs from the southern states asked her what was in the glasses she kept by her side, and kept sipping during the speech. Sitharaman told them that she had coconut water in one glass and Electral (ORS powder) in the other. https://www.inexp.in/BmB-1d 🎧 In today’s episode of the *3Things* podcast, we unpack the Union Budget 2022 and discuss everything you need to know about it https://www.inexp.in/dhxTmk Until tomorrow, Leela Murali and Rahel Philipose

☕ *Your Expresso is ready* 📬 Get this delivered straight to your inbox: https://indianexpress.com/newsletters/ Read the briefing in a single page: https://indianexpress.com/article/live-news/top-news-briefing-today-7746780/ Good morning, 🚨 *Big Story* The Indian government bought Israeli spyware Pegasus in 2017 as part of a $2-billion package for weapons including a missile system, The New York Times reported Friday. The report flagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit to Israel in the same year. "The Modi visit, however, was notably cordial, complete with a carefully staged moment of him and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu walking together barefoot on a local beach. They had reason for the warm feelings..." it stated. https://www.inexp.in/iLfiQY ⚡ *Only in the Express* Home Minister Amit Shah’s outreach to Jayant Chaudhary — which the RLD leader rebuffed — indicated the importance the BJP attaches to Jats and their main political platform in Western Uttar Pradesh. The RLD and its partner, the Samajwadi Party, are trying to win back this part of the state where the BJP has done well in recent elections. But, what is the history and politics of the Jat community? Why is this history important in the coming Assembly elections? https://www.inexp.in/k3xu90 📰 From the Front Page On Friday morning, Baldev Patel got a call from Canada he had been dreading. The Canadian authorities had confirmed that the identities of the four bodies found frozen to death near the border with the US were that of his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. The family admits Jagdish hoped to make a "new life" abroad. A relative said, "Jagdish had packed all the winter clothes and toys the children had. He left his motorcycle for his father to use...” https://www.inexp.in/yp4tlX With just three days for the Budget, a proposal by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 last year to set up a 'bad bank' has been cleared. It is ready to commence operations with 15 cases worth Rs 50,335 crore to be transferred by March 31. Under the proposal, government banks will hold majority in asset reconstruction company; private banks will own 51 per cent or more in debt resolution company. https://www.inexp.in/Uho3QQ By all indications, the third wave of Covid-19 has likely peaked in India. The daily national count of cases has been falling for a week now. Active cases have been going down for four days. The weekly positivity rate has remained almost stable for a week. The cases can rise again, but current trends suggest that it is unlikely to go very high. https://www.inexp.in/JbTrbw 👩‍💻 *Must Read* Ruling that the Maharashtra Assembly’s July 5, 2021 resolution suspending 12 BJP MLAs for one year following alleged misbehaviour in the House was “unconstitutional, substantively illegal and irrational”, the Supreme Court said that the legislators could not have been suspended beyond the tenure of that session. The BJP has hailed the ruling, saying it is a “vindication” of its stand and “a huge setback” for the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition in the state. https://www.inexp.in/D6O6xU “If the government thinks wearing the hijab is a crime, and does not allow my daughter to attend the final exams, let her stay at home… We want our daughter to study well and excel in life but why are her rights being snatched?” asked the father of a Class 12 student is among six Muslim girls who have been denied entry into their classrooms in Karnataka’s Udupi since January 1 for wearing the hijab. The issue has been gaining steam until the college was ordered closed last week by local authorities on account of a Covid outbreak. https://www.inexp.in/C0Xx-d His students can decode all the theories of science but cannot understand how the Railway Recruitment Board thinks, says Faisal Khan a.k.a Khan Sir.

☕ *Your Expresso is ready* 📬 Get this delivered straight to your inbox: https://indianexpress.com/newsletters/ Read the briefing in a single page: https://indianexpress.com/article/live-news/top-news-briefing-today-7745123/ Good morning, 🚨 *Big Story* The Tata Group regained control of Air India, 69 years after the Mumbai-based conglomerate relinquished its stake in the airline to the Central government. The Tata Group, in a Twitter post, tagged Air India and said: “Your arrival was much awaited.” It also posted a photo saying “Welcome back, Air India!”. The conclusion of the Air India deal also marks a major first step in the Centre’s mega privatisation push.  https://www.inexp.in/6IRIA0 ⚡ *Only in the Express* Speaking at the Explained.Live event of The Indian Express, Dr Anurag Agrawal, director of Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, made a strong argument for the reopening of schools, at least in areas where the Covid curve has begun to go down. He added that keeping children away from school had potential adverse impacts on their physical and mental development. https://www.inexp.in/4jRBh7 📰 *From the Front Page* In a turnaround from the Congress’s repeated assertion of “collective leadership” ahead of the Punjab elections, senior leader Rahul Gandhi said the party will go with a chief minister face in the polls. A decision would be taken soon after consulting party workers, he said. Gandhi added that both CM Charanjit Singh Channi and PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu had told him that the question paramount in Punjab was ‘who would lead the Congress in the state’.     https://www.inexp.in/-FDfFH “It seems a 100-200 kg weight is off my chest,” said Opang Taron, the father of the missing Arunachal Pradesh youth who was returned to the Indian Army by the Chinese authorities. On Thursday, the family went to the Indian Army camp at Tuting, near their ancestral Zido village, with the authorities hoping to put them in touch with Miram over video-conference. Hearing his mother’s voice after more than a week in Chinese captivity, the 17-year-old broke down.   https://www.inexp.in/5I55Q5 Two days after China held a virtual summit with Central Asian countries, India too stepped in and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for “an integrated approach for regional connectivity and cooperation for the next 30 years”. He also flagged Afghanistan as a common concern and said that their “mutual cooperation has become even more important for regional security and stability”. This was the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders.   https://www.inexp.in/6y16EY 👩‍💻 *Must Read* “I am fighting this election to get justice for my son, and many others like him who are oppressed by this government.” In late 2019, Akbar Khatoon’s 20-year-old son was among the 22 people killed during the anti-CAA protests. Now, she is contesting the upcoming UP Assembly polls from Bijnor on a Congress ticket. Khatoon said accepting Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s offer was her shot at getting justice for her son.  https://www.inexp.in/zFYCEW In a proposal submitted to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), AIIMS has sought approval for a study to probe cases of Avascular Necrosis (AVN), or death of bone tissue, among Covid patients from the second wave last year primarily due to steroid use and blood clots. AIIMS had treated over 50 such patients, while Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai carried out hip replacement for 10 AVN patients and several other hospitals across Delhi, Mumbai and other cities have reported an average of 10 cases. https://www.inexp.in/kSCO36 The budget must undo some of the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, writes Amartya Lahiri. “Reversing the increases in import tariffs should be another policy imperative. It is the only way to jump-start exports, which also creates jobs. Import tariffs are equivalent to export taxes.” https://www.inexp.in/Q368uM