Morning briefing: Amit Shah to address poll rally in Manipur; S Jaishankar dials Israel and Iran counterparts, and more
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to campaign and speak at an election rally in Manipur on Monday, April 15, just days before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Shah arrived in Agartala at 9 pm on Sunday and spent the night in Tripura. On Monday, he is slated to address public gatherings in both Tripura and Manipur. “Amit Shah ji arrived in the state on Sunday night and will address an election rally for our candidate in the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat at Kumarghat in Unakoti district on Monday,” said BJP state general secretary Amit Rakshit to news agency PTI. Chief Minister Manik Saha, Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, IPFT president Prem Kumar Reang, and BJP nominee for the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat, Kriti Devi Debbarman, will be present at the rally. Dig deeper
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During individual phone calls with his Iranian and Israeli counterparts on Sunday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed India’s apprehensions regarding the situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of preventing any escalation. Earlier in the day, India voiced grave concerns about the rising tensions in West Asia and urged for prompt de-escalation following Iran's inaugural direct assault on Israel, involving the launch of hundreds of drones and missiles on Saturday. Jaishankar first spoke to Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday evening and discussed the “current situation in the region”, he said in a post on X. Dig deeper
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Trending
Iran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel late on Saturday, April 13. Amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict, tensions had been steadily building between Iran and Israel. Iran has been supporting Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, who have frequently launched attacks into Israel as a form of proxy warfare. As Iran launched the direct attack, Israel used its multilayered air defence network to counter it. Now, Anand Mahindra took to X to express his thoughts on Israel's air defence system. Anand Mahindra reshared a tweet which talked about the Iron Dome, and wrote, "They have more than the Iron Dome. They have a longer-distance interception system called David's Sling. And they also have Arrow 2 and 3 systems. In the works is also the Iron Beam, which will use lasers. Today, possessing ironclad defence interception systems is as important as a cache of offensive weaponry. We in India must step up our focus on & spending in that direction." Dig deeper
Global Matters
The desert sun beat down on Tel Aviv's beaches, casting long shadows over a scene that defied recent headlines. A day after Iran launched a multifront attack on Israel with suicide drones, ballistic missiles, and rockets, Israelis were seen going about their normal lives on the beaches. Despite the global political debate and destabilizing conditions in the Middle East, the locals seemed to have gotten used to this kind of thing. Nearly all of Iran's drones and missiles launched in a recent attack were destroyed by Israel's air defences, with support from the US, Jordan, France, and the UK. The strike came as retaliation for the killing of Iranian military leaders in Syria on April 1st. Despite the attack, photos from Tel Aviv show residents seemingly unfazed, relaxing on beaches and enjoying cafes. This suggests a certain level of resilience among the Israeli people accustomed to such conflicts. Dig deeper
Entertainment Focus
Actors Ranveer Singh, Kriti Sanon, and fashion designer Manish Malhotra visited Varanasi on Sunday. They went to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple to offer prayers before the actors walked the ramp for the designer. Ranveer and Kriti were spotted in traditional attire as they visited the Dashashwamedh Ghat to offer prayers. Kriti opted for a yellow kurta-pyjama set while Ranveer opted for a white kurta and Manish was seen in pink and white. Ranveer also interacted with fans at the ghat and waved at the crowd. Ranveer told ANI, “I cannot express in words the experience that I have had today. Lifelong I have been a devotee of lord Shiva and I have come here for the first time. Next time I want to come here along with my mother.” Dig deeper
Lifestyle and Health
Chaitra Navratri 2024 Day 7: Day 7 or Saptami of Chaitra Navratri falls on April 15 this year. The nine-day-long festival is dedicated to the worship of Maa Durga and her nine divine incarnations. On Day 7, devotees of Adi Shakti worship Maa Kalratri. The Goddess is the fiercest form of Maa Durga. To worship Maa Kalratri on Day 7, devotees should offer her jaggery or prasad made from jaggery. So, we decided to round up two delicious recipes for you to try and make Maa Kalratri's prasad at home. Check out the recipes below and try your hand at making them. Dig deeper
Sports Goings
Sunil Gavaskar has tucked into Hardik Pandya for his ordinary bowling and captaincy as Mumbai Indians slumped to their 4th defeat of IPL 2024, losing to Chennai Super Kings by 20 runs on Sunday evening. Now placed 8th on the points table, with every loss, MI's chances of qualifying for the IPL Playoffs are taking a severe hit. The five-time champs have lost 2 games at the Wankhede and as they now travel to other venues for their next three, the task gets that bit tougher with Hardik having to walk through fire. Dig deeper
That’s all we have at this hour in our Morning briefing. Catch you in the afternoon
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