Good Morning! Get your weekend started with the top 5 stories from today's edition: 🚨 Big story A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) went off at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe on Friday afternoon, injuring 9 persons- mostly employees from nearby IT companies who were having lunch there. A man caught on CCTV camera with his face partially concealed with a mask and cap is being treated as a suspect, say police sources. Asked whether it was a terror attack, CM Siddaramaiah said an investigation is underway. ⚡ Only in Express The defeat of Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Congress’s candidate from the only seat in Himachal Pradesh that was up for grabs, took many by surprise for it wasn’t as if it was a close contest. Today, the Rajya Sabha has become an “akhara” of battles that break up parties, writes Neerja Chowdhury. It is a story of inducements and mandates being violated and many believe it is a trend that is going to be tough to reverse. 👉 Big Picture An undercover visit by PM Lal Bahadur Shastri to Guajrat’s Ajarpura triggered the start of a programme that led to India becoming the world’s largest milk producer and Amul one of the most recognised brands. Ajarpura not only seeded the White Revolution, it was the first dairy cooperative society to be registered. As the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation turns 50, Indian Express' Harish Damodaran travels to the place where it all began. 🔍 Express Explained India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate surpassed expectations to rise to a six-quarter high of 8.4% in the third quarter (Oct-Dec) of 2023-24. There was, however, a sharp divergence in the growth rates based on GDP and Gross Value Added (GVA), which has led some economists to suspect that GDP may have been overstated. Why is there a divergence between the two measures of growth and what reasons behind the surge in Q3 GDP, we explain. 🍿 Movie Review Kiran Rao’s Laapata Ladies follows a jaw-dropping case of bride-swapping, somewhere in the interiors of a fictional Nirmal Pradesh. The film is unapologetically message-y, but its strongly beating feminist heart overrides the broad brush strokes, reviews Shubhra Gupta. The cast, mostly new faces, is perfect for this kind of film: it would have been ruined by recognisable stars. Until next time, Aradhana Kalia
