Daily Briefing: Salaam Kabul

On agenda: Cricket diplomacy aside, the duo discussed a range of issues, including India’s security concerns in Afghanistan. India’s humanitarian assistance towards Afghans and the use of Iran’s Chabahar port for access to the conflict-ridden country were also on the table.

High stakes: Delhi’s decision to engage with Kabul is purely strategic. It’s looking to secure its national and security interests as the rest of the region remains in a state of flux. From Pakistan’s weakening ties with the Taliban to Russia’s engagements elsewhere, five key reasons pushed India to up the ante.

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The hosts: Ahmedabad is set for a grand makeover as India mounts an aggressive bid to host the 2036 Olympics. Sports infrastructure projects worth over Rs 6,000 crore are already in the pipeline. That’s not all, India’s Olympics bid could turn the whole country into a stadium, with Ahmedabad at the centre. Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Pune and Mumbai have parts to play as well.

From the Front Page

Stranded?: Seven months ago, Nikhil Gupta was extradited from the Czech Republic to the United States. The US indicted the Indian national in a murder-for-hire plot against Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gupta has a bone to pick with the Indian government. He claims no one from the Indian embassy has visited him to date.

Tragic: At least six people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati on Wednesday evening. The crowd had swelled at special counters set up to issue tokens for darshan on the occasion of the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival on January 9. The state government has launched an inquiry into the incident.

Renew: After an ‘India Out’ campaign soured Maldives’ ties with Delhi, the two nations are set on restoring their relationship. Complying with Male’s demands, India handed over defence equipment and stores to the Maldives.

Must Read

The great festival: The Maha Kumbh is hailed as the “largest gathering of humanity on Earth”. It’s set to commence on January 13 in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. As many as 40 crore devotees are expected to attend. The gathering brings with it a sprawling tent city at the banks of the Ganga which vanishes within weeks. This time though, the organisers are in a race against time to finish the preparations. What was the hold-up? A delay in the receding of Ganga.

The maverick: Donald Trump has got the world in a tizzy with his bold proclamations as he prepares to take charge of the United States. In our Opinion section today, Peter Ronald Desouza reflects on the perils of Trump, a maverick by all definitions, for the US and the world.

And Finally…

All that glitters…: The government has revised the gold import figures—a key metric for India’s economic health—for November, lowering them by a whopping $5 billion. Behind the revision was likely a curious double-counting error. The government, however, has yet to explain the rationale behind the revision.

Before you go, tune in to today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, where we discuss the murder of a journalist in Chhattisgarh, the evolution of IIT campuses and the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ controversy surrounding the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.

That’s all for today! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta

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