🚨 *Big Story* During a meeting on the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu that the violation of existing agreements between the two countries has eroded the entire basis of bilateral ties, the Defence Ministry said. For context, the Chinese defence minister is in New Delhi to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting on Friday. ⚡ *Only in the Express* In his fortnightly column ‘Zero Hour’, Derek O’Brien writes on how queer Indians are fighting the good fight: “The petitions for same-sex marriage are not demanding special rights. They are only asking for the right to marry for those who want it, one other citizens already enjoy.” WFI sexual harassment row: “The entire country worships cricket but not even a single cricketer has spoken up. We aren’t saying that you speak in our favour, but at least put up a neutral message and say there should be justice for whichever party. This is what pains me.” That’s what World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat had to say about the lack of support wrestlers like her have received from top sportspersons amid their protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. She cited the example of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, which began in the US but saw sportspersons from across the world unite to fight racism and discrimination. 📰 *From the Front Page* The Calcutta High Court has ordered a probe by the NIA into violence that broke out during Ram Navami processions in several West Bengal localities, including Rishra in Hooghly district, Shibpur in Howrah, and Dalkhola in South Dinajpur Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge said PM Modi is “like a poisonous snake”, triggering sharp reactions from the BJP even as he sought to clarify that his remarks were against the BJP ideology, and it wasn’t a personal attack on any individual. Sanjay Rai ‘Sherpuria’, the alleged conman arrested by the UP Special Task Force (STF), lied about his address and had multiple fake IDs, according to an FIR filed by the police. He claimed to live at “1, Beside Race Course, Safdarjung Rd” and used photos of the Prime Minister and Union Ministers to flaunt his connections. 👩🏽💻 *Must Read* In West Bengal's Kaliganj, which was witness to violent clashes over the death of a 17-year-old girl, the victim's family is refusing to conduct the last rites until "justice is done". The family is protesting against the preliminary post-mortem report released by the police which suggested that the victim’s body had no external injuries and ruled out the case of rape. ‘Washed hair with Tide, made coffee from toilet water’ A day after she was released from a Sharjah prison in UAE after being framed in a fake drug case, Mumbai-based actor Chrisann Pereira, recounted the harrowing time she went through. With the Karnataka Assembly elections around the corner, the Congress party's campaign is relying heavily on micro-management, with the central leadership focussing on 70-odd “touch and go” constituencies and making last-mile interventions to ensure that the four “guarantees” promised by it reaches every household. Over the last three years, the 100 per cent jump in Sensex has witnessed some big changes across India, in terms of investor behaviour and investor outlook towards equities. Though the aggregate number of demat accounts jumped 2.8 times to over 11.44 crore, the number of outstanding SIP accounts doubled from 3.11 crore to 6.28 crore. We explain what the rising share of small cities in mutual funds assets means. ⏰ *And Finally* 🤫Delhi Confidential: A few days after German weekly magazine Der Spiegel’s cartoon mocking India’s population numbers surpassing China’s by showing overcrowded trains in India vis-a-vis sleek Chinese trains, the German envoy to India has come out to defend India’s railway system. 🎧 In today's episode of 3 Things, we discuss the latest Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh and why the state is prone to such attacks, India and China's 18th round of military talks along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh and about the victims of a hysterectomy racket in Karnataka who have come together to challenge CM Basavaraj Bommai. Until tomorrow, Rahel Philipose and Varsha Sriram
