Daily Briefing: MS Dhoni likely to lead CSK today; an ode to OG Mr Bharat; Presence movie review

With that, let’s move on to the top 5 stories from today’s edition:

🚨 Big Story

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, announced over 20 initiatives — from the mechanism of Home Ministers on security to UPI connecting payment mechanisms, an energy centre to a chamber of commerce. Among these initiatives, Modi also proposed the establishment of a BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence for Disaster Management in India to facilitate cooperation in disaster preparedness, relief and rehabilitation efforts. He said, “BIMSTEC serves as a vital bridge between South and Southeast Asia and is emerging as a powerful platform for advancing regional connectivity, cooperation and shared prosperity.”

On the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit, Modi met Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Adviser, Prof Muhammad Yunus, to underline the concerns between the two countries upfront. Modi raised the issue of the safety of Hindus and other minorities who have been targeted in Bangladesh. At the same time, Yunus asked him about Dhaka’s request for the extradition of Hasina, who fled to India after her ouster. Moreover, in recent remarks on North-East India in China, Modi told Yunus that “rhetoric that vitiates the environment is best avoided”. During his visit to China last month, Yunus, while seeking “extension of the Chinese economy”, had said that North-East India was “landlocked” and Bangladesh was the “only guardian of the ocean for all this region”.

⚡ Only in Express

Months after the Delhi government asked schools to “prevent” the enrolment of “illegal Bangladesh migrant” children and to inform the police in case of doubts over a child’s citizenship status, the Supreme Court intervened in response to a plea by 19 Rohingya children, instructing them to apply for admission to Delhi government schools. In February this year, their applications were submitted to and accepted by the Sarvodaya Kanya/Bal Vidyalaya in Sri Ram Colony. Here’s the story of Roshida’s battle, a Rohingya refugee who lives in a one-room house with her four children in Khajuri Khas, whose dua (prayer) was answered after facing several setbacks and rejections while getting her children admitted to a “good school” in the Capital.

💡 Express Explained

Recent findings of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) latest Remittances Survey show a significant shift in India’s remittance sources. The Advanced Economies (AEs) together accounted for more than half the total remittances in 2023-24, overtaking the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which have traditionally contributed the largest share of remittances to India. This shift allows India to further leverage remittances from Indians working abroad for development in the country. But it also raises important questions about the changing patterns of migration overseas, India’s economic policies, and the evolving nature of challenges faced by Indian workers abroad. We explain.

✍️ Express Opinion

In our Opinion section today, Shubhra Gupta pens down an ode to the original “Mr Bharat,” Manoj Kumar, who passed away on Friday. Delving into his filmography, Gupta iterates that Kumar would have been the “poster-boy for patriotism, even if his brand of nationalism belonged to a softer, gentler era,” if he was still working. She writes: “What would Manoj Kumar, who had joined the ruling party after his starry days were behind him, have made of the current prevalence of hyper-nationalism? What would the original Mr Bharat say of this edition of India-that-is-Bharat? You wonder.”

🎬 Movie Review

Wondering what to watch this weekend? Well, we’ve got you covered! If you are one of the horror movie geeks or are fascinated by the world of ghosts, then Soderbergh’s Presence should be on your must-watch list! Shalini Langer, in her review, writes: “Soderbergh’s camera is literally the Presence of this film, with this sort-of ghost story told from the viewpoint of the ghost. It quietly trails the family closely and panoramically through the house, sliding up and down the stairs, slipping in and out of bedrooms, hanging over the dining table and the kitchen counter, and never entering any toilet or leaving the house… while the film is set up beautifully, its resolution is as prosaic as it can get from anything otherworldly.”

That’s all for today. Have a lovely weekend!

Until next time,
Ariba

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