Daily Briefing: PM inaugurates nation’s longest sea bridge; Sheikh Hasina returns to power in Bangladesh; and more

1. Inaugurating the 22-km Atal Setu, the nation’s longest sea bridge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Friday that the bridge symbolises a developed India. He also took a dig at previous central governments, stating that they fell short in delivering on their promises.

2. The Ram Mandir is set to be a major part of the BJP’s political plank. That’s reason enough for the Congress and other opposition parties not to attend the Ayodhya event. Aakash Joshi lists five reasons why the INDIA group as a whole and the Congress should oppose the BJP’s idea of Hinduism and India, whose symbol is the temple.

3. After an election marred by an Opposition boycott and allegations of highhandedness, Sheikh Hasina returns to power in Bangladesh for the record fourth consecutive time. In today’s Big Picture, Shubhajit Roy analyses why New Delhi needs her and may look the other way.

4. Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women in India. The government’s universal HPV vaccination promises a significant dent in this number. Anonna Dutt explains how the HPV vaccine works and who should get it

5. Sriram Raghavan’s “Merry Christmas” delivers an aching mix of nostalgia, romance, intrigue and suspense – marking a strong start to the new year, writes Shubhra Gupta. Despite their unusual pairing, Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi’s on-screen chemistry works well, and she again proves that she can be an actor underneath all that pancake and bump-and-grind.

Until next time, 

Aradhana Kalia

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