Daily Briefing: Snubbed on video, Iran Foreign Minister scraps India visit; Govt ends age-65 cap for receiving organ from dead donor

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was due to travel to India for the Raisina dialogue scheduled on March 3 and 4, has cancelled his visit as a shot of Iranian women cutting their hair in protest, juxtaposed with an image of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has upset Tehran, The Indian Express has learnt. In the promotional video of the Raisina dialogue, a two-second shot of Iranian women cutting their hair in protests is shown, along with an image of the Iranian President.

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Reacting to the speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament during the Budget session, TMC MP Derek O’Brien writes: “Three hours on the floor of Parliament and not a sentence about price rise. Fuel prices. LPG cylinders. Retail inflation at a three-month high, beyond the threshold of the RBI limit. Sharp rise in essentials like spices, cereals, milk, and eggs. Two-wheeler sales, which many consider to be one of the practical indicators for measuring the health of the economy, have witnessed the lowest sales in a decade. We did not hear a word in either House from the PM on the monstrous scam.”

From the Front Page 

Tripura, which went to the polls on Thursday, recorded a turnout of 81.1 per cent as 60 Assembly constituencies in the state voted amid scattered incidents of violence. At least three people, including a CPI(M) leader and two polling agents of the party, were injured in separate incidents of violence. EVM malfunctions were reported from 40-45 booths. However, Tripura has witnessed high voter turnouts — 89.38% in the last Assembly election and 91.82% in 2013.

The Union Health Ministry has done away with the age cap of 65 years for receiving an organ from a dead donor, and guidelines are being revised to allow the elderly to register on waiting lists. Organs from deceased donors accounted for nearly 17.8% of all transplants in 2022 in the country. The number of transplants has increased over the years. The total number of deceased organ transplants climbed from 837 in 2013 to 2,765 in 2022.

The police are investigating two charred bodies found inside a burnt vehicle in Haryana’s Bhiwani Thursday, a day after a family in Rajasthan filed an FIR alleging that two men Junaid and friend Nasir had gone missing and were kidnapped by members of the Bajrang Dal. However, Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar, one of the six Bajrang Dal members named in the FIR, denied the allegation in a social media video and demanded “strict action against the perpetrators” involved in the case.

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A Bajrang Dal member and face of the cow protection task force of the Haryana government in Gurgaon, Mohit Yadav, also know as Monu Manesar, this week found a mention in an FIR filed by a relative of two men, who were allegedly kidnapped from Rajasthan. Later, two charred bodies were later found in a car they were travelling in, from Haryana’s Loharu. But this isn’t the first time Yadav was named in a police complaint. 

“The prospects for peace keep diminishing.” This was what Union Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres had to say about the Russia-Ukraine war, which will mark a year on February 24. What does a long-drawn-out war mean for Russia and the West? Why have there not been more peace efforts? And what was the recent meeting between NSA Doval and Putin about? We explain. 

The government is planning to set up a network of fact-checkers for online content, and has asked several social media giants to submit inputs on building one, The Indian Express has learnt. The government has also asked the companies to provide suggestions on a criteria that should be followed to determine who a “trusted” fact-checker can be.

And Finally 

Express Research: The British Empire in India, as we know, was scripted by the East India Company, and so was the destiny of the legendary Kohinoor. But what did the diamond mean to the British monarchy who was to possess it as part of the crown jewels?

Delhi Confidential: Former Union minister K V Thomas, who was expelled from the Congress last year, has never hesitated from food diplomacy. Now that he has been appointed the special representative of the Kerala government in the national capital, Thomas seems to be revelling in that role — to serve the interests of the state.

In today’s episode of the ‘3 things’ podcast, we tested the new artificial intelligence-infused search engine launched by Microsoft Bing, the Chinese spy balloons spotted in the US, and compensation for the affected families in Joshimath.

Until tomorrow 

Rounak Bagchi and Rahel Philipose