Daily Briefing: When Modi meets Zelenskyy; Latest findings by Chandrayaan-3; Survivors speak on Hema Committee report

Let’s get to the news. In today’s edition:

• Modi’s Kyiv visit
• Latest findings by Chandrayaan-3
• Survivors speak on Hema Committee report

Big Story

After concluding his trip to Warsaw, Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in war-torn Kyiv last night, in what is being touted as a ‘landmark and historic’ visit by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Modi is scheduled to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today.

A call for peace: Ahead of the visit, Modi expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and stressed India was ready to extend “all possible cooperation” to restore peace and stability through “dialogue and diplomacy”.

A big deal: Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine after the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, signaling a departure from India’s traditional foreign policy stance on Ukraine. Contributing Editor C Raja Mohan delves further into the reasons why New Delhi has taken a break from its foreign policy stance so far.

“Modi’s visit to Ukraine is an opportunity to swing back to balance, to restore India’s reputation as a peaceable yet principled global player, and to reassure Euro-American allies…”

From our Opinion pages: Anastasia Piliavsky, teacher of anthropology at King’s College London, writes on the confluence of Modi and Zelenskyy, and why both leaders will have to let go of past hurts to move forward, as a historic opportunity awaits them.

Only in Express

For all the protestations by the Congress over the lateral entry advertisement issued, and then swiftly withdrawn, by the NDA government, one fact went unnoticed. Acting on a recommendation of the sixth Central Pay Commission, the Manmohan Singh PMO, in January 2011, had proposed to open up to 10% of posts at the Joint Secretary level for “lateral induction from private sector/academics etc,” show records reviewed by The Indian Express.

“Even if there had been no sign of change, we would have continued to fight, and we will continue to fight.”

As findings of the Justice Hema Committee, revealing pervasive sexual harassment and gender bias in the Kerala film industry, ignite widespread outrage, Parvathy Thiruvothu, a leading Malayalam actor, speaks to Arun Janardhan about the state of the industry, expectations from the government, and the aftermath of these revelations.

Thiruvothu is founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), a group of women who came together in the aftermath of the rape of a leading woman actor in Kochi in 2017. For the WCC, the release of the Hema Committee report comes at the end of a long and difficult journey, during which they had their careers on the line.

As it stands: Till now, a version of the report with several pages redacted has been made public. On Thursday, the Kerala High Court directed the government to furnish before it in a sealed cover the full, unredacted report, noting that they are unable to proceed in this matter since no complaint regarding any of the incidents mentioned in the report has been filed so far.

From the Front Page

Remember the government’s promise around internships in the Union Budget 2024? Well, something’s moving there. A new portal is in the works to enable youth to apply for internships directly with the country’s top 500 companies.

‘On track’: The Congress and National Conference have discussed an alliance for 90 seats in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls. That said, it’s not going all smooth. Both parties are eyeing crucial seats in the Valley.

Must Read

Over the moon: We know more about the moon now, thanks to Chandrayaan-3. The latest findings give insights into the moon’s topsoil and add weight to the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis (ie. the moon was once made up of an ocean of magma).

It’s not usual for the CBI to conduct a psychological profile of an accused. But in the case of the rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor, the exercise will prove useful. Investigators aim to understand not just the mental state of the accused, but also ascertain his motives.

🎧 For the latest on the case, tune in to the ‘3 Things’ podcast.

A star in the making: Having returned from the Paris Olympics without a medal, Vinesh Phogat hoped more women wrestlers from her village would follow in her footsteps. She didn’t have to wait long. On Thursday, Neha Sangwan was crowned the world’s newest Under-17 champion in the 57 kg category.

And Finally…

Food for thought: We all grew up listening to our parents speak of the rise of Amitabh Bachchan. He was the quintessential “angry young man”. Prime Video’s latest, Angry Young Men, is an ode to Salim-Javed, the duo behind these angry, disgruntled male protagonists. The series begs the question: Where are Hindi cinema’s angry young women?

Delhi Confidential: Allegations of “Swiss bank accounts” were thrown around in the Supreme Court during the hearing of matters related to the Kolkata rape and murder case. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal said that rumours are doing the rounds that the counsel appearing for the Bengal government has a Swiss bank account. His opponent, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, was quick to throw the ball back in his court with a sharp response.

Until next time,
Ayesha Jain and Sonal Gupta