Daily Briefing: 8 of 10 companies stepped up hiring as Covid-19 waned; Salman Rushdie ‘on road to recovery’

Only in The Express

A fortnight before he takes over as Chief Justice of India for a term of 74 days, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit spoke to The Indian Express at his residence in a free-wheeling interview where he touched on a range of issues: the perception that lower courts don’t take the cue from the highest court to the inordinate delay in hearing key cases and the need for reforms, including at least one Constitution bench sitting through the year.

In this edition of the Idea Exchange, two of the country’s brightest young track and field stars, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and high jumper Tejaswin Shankar, spoke about their friendship, CWG medals lessening the weight of expectations, and how Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold inspired Indian athletes to think big and break mental barriers.

 A day before the first anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in an interview with The Indian Express said that the Taliban regime has asked India to complete the development projects it had started in Afghanistan.  August 15 has been declared a holiday but celebrations by the Taliban regime will be low-key, restricted to an official media event. The main events may take place on September 1, the day the last foreign troops left Afghanistan last year.

From the front page

Salman Rushdie, the acclaimed author who was hospitalized on Friday with serious injuries after being repeatedly stabbed at a public appearance in New York state, is off a ventilator and his condition is improving, his agent said on Sunday. “He’s off the ventilator, so the road to recovery has begun,” his agent, Andrew Wylie, wrote in an email to Reuters. “It will be long; the injuries are severe, but his condition is headed in the right direction.”

In her address to the nation on the eve of the 76th Independence Day, President Droupadi Murmu said India, which has helped the world discover the “true potential of democracy”, is on course to become self-reliant, having emerged from the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic with achievements that are “better than those of many developed countries”. She also said that a “common thread” binds the people of India, which is known for its diversity, and inspires them to work together.

Reflection of the tricolour seen in the eye of a girl participating in the “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign, on the eve of Independence Day in New Delhi. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

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Billionaire stock investor and founder of the country’s newest airline Akasa Air, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, passed away Sunday morning. Known as India’s Warren Buffett, he was always bullish on India, and a supporter of the BJP government and its economic policies. He invested in the stock markets in his personal capacity and through RARE Enterprises, an asset management firm.

For 24 days, the family of a nine-year-old Dalit boy from Rajasthan’s Jalore district took him from one hospital to another before the child breathed his last at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Saturday. The child’s family members claim that after the child was beaten up by his upper-caste teacher for allegedly drinking water from a pot meant for the teacher, they were asked by the Rajputs of their village — the community to which Singh belonged — to arrive at a compromise and not go to the police.

Amar Chitra Katha Executive Editor Reena Puri issued an apology for including Manipuri military hero Paonam Brajabasi in their collection “Tribal Leaders of the Freedom Struggle’’ as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration. The apology comes two days after four Imphal-based student bodies — AMSU, MSF, KSA and SUK — banned the comic book, objecting to the inclusion of Brajabasi in the edition.

Kite-flying tournaments, in which young and old jointly compete, are an Independence Day tradition in Delhi. Even a century ago, when India was protesting the Simon Commission, slogans like “Simon, Go Back” were penned on kites and flown in the air. But if enthusiasts and sellers of the city are to be believed, this culture that was once a hallmark of the freedom struggle of a colonised nation, birthing heated rivalries and bleeding fingers, is on the wane.

And Finally

The Ultimate Kho Kho league kicked off with six franchises – Gujarat Giants, Telugu Yoddhas, Chennai Quick Guns, Rajasthan Warriors, Odisha Juggernauts and Mumbai Khiladis – all set to participate in a competition taking place over 22 days until September 4 in Pune. Players from a 143-strong draft were picked up by the teams last month with Category A players earning Rs 5 lakh for Season 1 of the league.

Delhi confidential: Who will hoist the Tricolour at the AICC headquarters on Independence Day? The Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former party president Rahul Gandhi and leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are in isolation after testing positive for Covid and AK Antony is away in Kerala. Will the Congress establishment invite Ghulam Nabi Azad, a prominent member of the G 23 grouping, to do the honours?

🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we ask three people — a political scientist, an economist, and a filmmaker — about what they think is worth celebrating on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.

Until next time,

Leela Prasad and Srishti Kapoor