Daily Briefing: Latest on Uttarakhand rescue operations; behind Poonch and Rajouri attacks; and more

The 15th day of the ongoing rescue operations at the site of the collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi saw rescuers cutting through a stuck auger blade and removing it piece by piece. They also started vertical drilling from the top of the hill, to reach the 41 trapped workers.

What next? After the drill blade is removed, rescuers plan to manually dig through the remaining debris to reach the trapped workers. 

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency has found that the perpetrators of two terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir this year — which claimed 12 lives in total — were the same set of people, acting on the directions of Lashkar-e-Taiba handlers based in Pakistan. Find out more in our report.

India is close to signing an agreement with the United States under which the process for the return of stolen antiquities will be hugely simplified, The Indian Express has learnt. Read more here.

In the latest edition of Idea Exchange, former Supreme Court judge V Ramasubramanian discusses accountability for a judge, the role of the Supreme Court in maintaining checks and balances and the changing work culture within the judiciary.

The Manipur government is likely to arrive at a peace settlement with an Imphal valley-based insurgent group at the end of this month, according to sources close to Chief Minister N Biren Singh. At a Constitution Day event in Imphal on Sunday, the CM also said the peace talks were at an advanced stage.

In the upcoming Telangana polls, the AIMIM seems to be leading the race in Hyderabad’s 'Old City’. Its influence is best reflected by the Charminar Assembly constituency, which the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party has never lost over the last six decades. In the party’s Old Hyderabad fortress, the Owaisis sit pretty despite hiccups.

Evoking feelings of déjà vu among people worldwide, China is experiencing a spike in respiratory illnesses. In light of this, the Centre has urged states and UTs to 'immediately review public health and hospital preparedness measures.' Here's what we know about the pneumonia outbreak in China so far. 

Have you ever wondered what the phrase for 'I miss you' is in Indian languages, or 'hang out' for that matter? In today’s Opinion section, Sumana Roy delves deep into this conundrum: “Silly as it might sound, I sometimes wonder whether it was the invention of a sport such as hang gliding, which brought the freedom and liveliness of air into human lives, that has given this new youthfulness to the life of ‘hang’ in our times. Like ‘miss’, it has resisted translation”

Shefali Shah, Jim Sarbh and Vir Das, nominated for the International Emmy Awards 2023, were at a recent Express Adda in Mumbai, where they spoke on performing, not being boxed in categories and looking for good stories. Read excerpts from the event here.

🤫 Delhi Confidential: Amid concerns over deepfake videos, statements from the IT minister and the MoS suggesting different approaches to tackle the menace have triggered whispers in the power corridors. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stressed on the need to develop new regulations to control deepfakes, while MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar said existing regulations were adequate if enforced strictly. 

🎧 In today’s 3 Things podcast, we talk about “Escape Karthik”, who has escaped prison and police custody multiple times and been arrested 18 times over 18 years. We also discuss how money has become the biggest barrier in climate action, and about the pneumonia outbreak in China that has raised concerns in India.

Business As Usual by E P Unny