Daily Briefing: Asia Cup shadow looms over Women’s World Cup

Meanwhile, India remains without its spoils from the T20 final. As my colleague Sandip G reports, provocative social media posts by Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council president and Pakistan’s Interior Minister, triggered India’s refusal to receive the trophy from him. They had even floated the idea of accepting the cup from Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni.

In an exclusive interview, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav squashed speculation that they were following instructions from the BCCI or government officials. He added that the team did not confine themselves to the dressing room, but waited for nearly an hour for the post-match presentation. But: “Trophy leke bhaag gaye woh (they ran away with the trophy)”. Read his full interview with Devendra Pandey here.

On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition. 👇

🚨 Big Story

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed on a US-proposed 20-point peace plan for Gaza to end the war with Hamas militants. The proposal came with an ultimatum to Hamas, as Trump said that if the militant group refuses to accept the plan, the US will let Israel “do what you have to do”, and have his “full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas”.

Quick context: Israel’s offensive, triggered by the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, has left much of Gaza in ruins and caused a major humanitarian crisis. The war has sparked protests across the world, with several countries recognising statehood for Palestine in recent months.

Zoom in: The proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire and the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Notably, it also envisions a “Board of Peace” of international overseers, led by Trump, which will establish a temporary transitional committee to govern Gaza. Hamas members who “commit to peaceful coexistence” and give up their arms will be given amnesty, and those who wish to leave will be given safe passage to receiving countries. Once Gaza is “deradicalized”, it will be redeveloped as “New Gaza”.

⚡Only in Express

Days after protests in Ladakh turned violent, the Apex Body, Leh (ABL), pulled out of talks with the Centre. Informal discussions were to be held on Tuesday, followed by structured discussions on October 6. ABL said it will not engage with the Centre till normalcy is restored in Ladakh. It demanded an impartial judicial inquiry into the violence, adding that Ladakh won’t tolerate the “negative campaign” around their call for statehood and protections under the Sixth Schedule.

Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) member Sajjad Kargili, leading the agitation on Kargil’s side, told The Indian Express that their position “is the same” as ABL’s. He added that if the government was not ready to give Ladakh full-fledged statehood, they could make a start by at least giving it a legislature. Read the full interview here.

Meanwhile, speaking about the violence, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta, said that had police not opened fire, “entire Ladakh would have been burnt down”. He added that people’s issues “should be resolved through dialogue”. Read his interview here.

🎧 We have more on the Ladakh protests in today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode.

📰 From the Front Page

Gang gang: The Canadian government has designated the Lawrence Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity under its Criminal Code, which would bar Canadians from providing it with financial or material support. The gang, active in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta, has been linked to over 50 violent incidents since 2023, including firebombings at the homes of Punjabi musicians AP Dhillon and Gippy Grewal, and widespread extortion rackets.

Linked: India and Bhutan are set to enhance their connectivity, with the Centre announcing two cross-border railway projects of 69 km and 20 km length, which will connect Bhutan with the bordering areas of Assam and West Bengal. Know all about the project.

📌 Must Read

The math: Recently, the Election Commission withdrew its 2019 directive. Now, the counting of postal ballots will be completed before the final count of the EVM votes. Why does the Opposition favour this new formula, and how will it impact elections going forward? Read.

Unified: Efforts to integrate the Army, Navy and Air Force have gathered pace in recent years. Some of the measures discussed for the creation of theatre commands include the standardisation of equipment, common supply chains for logistics and procurement, combined training, cross-postings and more.

⏳ And Finally…

On Monday, Trump added another tariff: a 100% charge on movies made outside of the US. The move creates uncertainty for studios that rely on cross-border productions, and may also impact services like Netflix, Amazon and Disney that distribute international films.

Notably, Trump has been expanding the tariff net to multiple products, from patented drugs and heavy trucks to now, digitally-delivered services like films. His relentless spree has once again put the effectiveness of any trade deal with the US under scrutiny.

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta

Business As Usual by EP Unny