Daily Briefing: Key takeaways from PM Modi’s US trip; what went wrong with the Titan submersible; and more

🚨Big Story 

🔴 Calling the ties between the two countries the “most consequential in the world”, US President Joe Biden and PM Narendra Modi underlined the new strategic areas of cooperation — from semiconductor supply and sharing critical, emerging technologies to using new ways to diagnose and treat cancer. 

🔴 While India announced its decision to sign the Artemis Accords, a US-led alliance seeking to facilitate international collaboration in planetary exploration, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between General Electric (GE) Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. 

🔴Meanwhile, in his hour-long speech, PM Modi spoke on themes ranging from the Ukraine war, terrorism to women’s empowerment and environmental concerns. Here are the key takeaways

⚡Only in the Express

✍️In our opinion section today, TMC MP Derek O’Brien writes on the speech his wishes Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given during his State visit to the United States: “That bipartisanship is in the national interest and great achievements are possible only if everyone — whatever their vote — is invested in them. And that democracy not only empowers but also humbles”

📰 From the Front Page 

👉🏽In a first, the Centre rolled out a face authentification feature in the PM-Kisan app, which will enable beneficiary farmers to complete their e-KYC process by just scanning their face on mobile phones instead of using one-time password.

👉🏽 The stage is set for leaders from 18-odd Opposition parties of all hues– socialists, Communists, regional, and the Congress to meet in Bihar’s Patna to try and chalk out a joint strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

👉🏽 Fourteen years after widespread protests in the Valley over allegations of the rape and murder of two women by security forces in Shopian — a charge which a CBI probe later found to be untrue — the J&K administration has terminated the services of two doctors involved in the autopsies of the two women.

👩🏽‍💻Must Read 

👉🏽 The headline retail inflation rate fell to a 25-month low in May, thanks in part to a high base effect. But the inflation rate has remained high in several categories of food and household items — which means shopping for groceries continues to pinch. But, why? Which items have displayed high inflation rates? Which recorded a downward trend? What kinds of inflation risks lie ahead? Read our explainer here 

👉🏽 An unmanned deep-sea robot deployed from a Canadian ship on Thursday discovered the wreckage of a missing submersible with zero survivors about 1,600 feet from the bow of Titanic, bringing a grim end to the massive search for the vessel that was lost during a voyage to the century-old wreck. But what made the Titan different, and possibly more unsafe? Read our explainer. 

⏱️And Finally 

At the age of nine, Annu, India’s top goal scorer at the Women’s Junior Hockey Asia Cup, moved to a sports nursery in Sirsa run by the Haryana government, where accommodation and meals were free. Her father, Raj Pal, used to narrate the stories of Rani Rampal’s struggles to her. This is how this farmer’s daughter kicked off the journey of dreams.

🤫Delhi Confidential: As part of outreach programmes to mark nine years of Modi government, Union Minister Hardeep Puri Thursday visited an old friend, cardiac surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan. After the visit, Puri tweeted: “I have had the privilege of knowing Dr Trehan from very early days! His brother Naveen & I are childhood friends! Through the years, I have admired his well deserved rise to the top echelons of medical profession, his dedication as a doctor & humane acts of Seva.”

🎧In today’s episode of the 3 Things podcast, we bring to you the ground report from Manipur. Apart from this, we also discuss the controversial draft Livestock and Livestock Products (Importation and Exportation) Bill, 2023 which the government had to withdraw and look at why the US fairs pretty poorly when it comes to reducing intergenerational poverty compared to other rich countries.

Until tomorrow,

Varsha Sriram and Anamni Gupta