Daily Briefing: US positions itself as middleman amid India-Canada standoff; Indian rowers open account at Asian Games; and more

With the diplomatic crisis between India and Canada continuing to play out, The Indian Express has learnt that backchannel talks between New Delhi and Ottawa are being explored via Washington DC.

The crisis was set off by the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations that the Indian government was ‘linked’ to the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. According to a report in The New York Times, American spy agencies provided information to Canada about Nijjar’s killing, but the latter developed the “most definitive intelligence” that led to Trudeau’s allegations.

⚡ Only in Express

🚣 Express @ Asian Games: “The rowing races marked the beginning of a frenetic morning on Day 1 of the Hangzhou Asian Games, where India and China were involved in multiple close duels, all of which ended in the favour of the host nation.” Meet our champion rowers from water-scarce Rajasthan, who helped open India’s account at the Games!

Meanwhile, the men’s shooting team won India’s first gold on Day 2 of the Games!

🚀 In the latest edition of Idea Exchange, Jitendra Singh, MoS (Independent) for Science & Technology, talks about the upcoming human spaceflight programme by ISRO, India’s space ties with Russia and the US, and upsurge of violence in Jammu & Kashmir.

📰 From the Front Page

With scores of bodies lying unclaimed in morgues across Manipur, a three-member committee of former judges constituted by the Supreme Court has advised that the state government publish a list of the dead so that their next of kin can be identified, and if no one comes forward, dispose of the bodies in a “respectable manner”. Read the full report here

In a meeting convened on September 14, 2018, to review the state of the economy amid a difficult economic situation and considerable strain between the government and RBI, PM Narendra Modi lost his cool on the then RBI Governor Urjit Patel and compared him to a “snake who sits over a hoard of money”.

This revelation comes in former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg’s book We Also Make Policy, set to be released this October.

👩‍💻 Must read

In an interaction with The Indian Express, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal delves into expectations from the upcoming global maritime summit, the recently-announced India-Middle East-Europe corridor, and plans to bring up a new eastern route to handle rising cargo shipments between India and Russia.

In our Opinion section today, Flavia Agnes writes on the women’s reservation Bill: “While it is a step forward, we will understand the commitment of each political party towards empowerment of women within the political sphere, when they allocate tickets to women candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.”

Rains in the month of September have meant a “raw gold from heaven” for a majority of Indian farmers, who otherwise, weathered an extended dry spell last month. Harish Damodaran explains the effects of southwest monsoon’s revival on different crops, and the road ahead for farmers.

Earlier last week, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), responsible for allotting post-graduation seats for medical education through NEET-PG exam, decided to remove eligibility criteria for students who had appeared for NEET-PG entrance exam. Anonna Dutt explains what this means for the NEET-PG candidates, the reasons behind this surprising change, and more.

⌛ And finally

Premankur Biswas takes us through Shantiniketan’s dusty cycle paths which lead to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s residence to meet its inheritors. In a conversation, Tagore’s family delves into stories of how every corner of the residence can be described by the writer’s philosophy, their attempts to juggle the new and the old, and more.

🤫 Delhi confidential: In a first, the Supreme Court issues a braille copy of the inaugural programme for the two-day ‘National Annual Stakeholders Consultation on Child Protection.’ Both BJP and Congress argue for “intensive diplomatic engagement” to resolve the India-Canada crisis.

🎧 In today’s episode of the 3 Things podcast, we talk about the Medical Counselling Committee’s decision to remove eligibility criteria for students who had appeared for NEET-PG entrance exam, the Sabarmati Ashram development project and challenges faced by Gujarat government, and Rahul Gandhi’s predictions about upcoming elections.

Until next time,

Arushi Bhaskar and Ariba

Business As Usual by E P Unny