From former TMC leader Rajib Banerjee and several other rebel TMC MLAs joining the BJP, to the crash barriers made of bamboo and coir that may be used on our roads and highways; here are today's top stories.
Good morning,
Big Story
With the government silent so far on resumption of talks with farmers post the Republic Day violence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar is just a phone call away for taking forward the talks and the Government’s offer to keep the implementation of the three farm laws on hold for 18 months is still on the table.
Only in the Express
The Sunday Express has learned that Indian and Israeli agencies probing the low intensity blast near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi have found clues which point to a sophisticated attempt at launching a coordinated international attack with the aim of sending a message.
Experts from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) in Nagpur are developing crash barriers made of Beam bamboo and coir as a low-cost solution to bring down road accidents. But will such structures be durable and weather-proof? “Of course. Go to the North-East and you will see how strong bamboo structures withstand extreme rainfall and everything,” Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said.
From the Front Page
At least five people who were part of the vandalism at Red Fort have criminal records in Punjab and were picked up by state police earlier, sources told The Sunday Express. Sources also said some violent protesters have been identified as residents of Delhi and police are collecting evidence before making arrests.
After a close scrutiny of two of her recent verdicts for their controversial interpretation of sexual assault under the POCSO Act, the Supreme Court Collegium is set to withdraw its recommendation to appoint additional judge of the Bombay High Court Justice Pushpa V Ganediwala as a permanent judge of the court.
More Trinamool Congress rebels are set to join the BJP ranks today after former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee and a few MLAs were flown to Delhi in a special flight for a meeting with Union Minister Amit Shah.
Must Read
After BJP’s Bihar ally Janata Dal (United) objected to its move to invite Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) to Saturday’s NDA meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi, sources said that the BJP had to request LJP President Chirag Paswan not to attend the meeting. In the end, Chirag skipped the meeting citing health reasons.
Punjab farmers’ unions are witnessing a renewed vigour, with many village-level committees sending a large number of people – and not just farmers – to support the movement against the new agricultural laws. To shore up the dwindling numbers at protest sites, panchayats in Punjab are passing resolutions asking each village home to send one person to join the dharnas in Delhi.
Some are born atmanirbhar (self-reliant/self-sufficient), some achieve atmanirbharta, and some have atmanirbharta thrust upon them. This is likely to be the dominant theme for different sectors of the economy in the coming Budget. From education and healthcare, to reforms and tax relief — we break down what to expect from the 2021 Budget.
ICYMI
Travellers arriving in Delhi from the United Kingdom who test negative for Covid-19 are no longer required to follow the mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has said.
FIRs have been filed in five states, the latest being in Delhi, against Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor and six journalists over their allegedly “misleading” tweets on the violence and death of a protester during the farmers’ tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day.
Shortly after a video of Rakesh Tikait went viral on social media galvanising more farmers from Haryana and western UP to join the protests, the Ministry of Home Affairs extended the suspension of the internet in the capital’s border areas to include all protest sites.
E-commerce website Myntra is set to change its logo after a Mumbai-based activist lodged a complaint with the state cyber police, alleging that the company’s signage was “insulting and offensive” towards women.
And Finally
“The drawing room is dead. Long live the drawing-room!” With nearly a year passing since the onset of the pandemic, this phrase has never been more relevant. Spaces in our homes have become multifunctional in an increasingly virtual world and we have been reduced to thumbnail windows on meeting platforms. We look at how the drawing room has evolved over the ages.
Until tomorrow,
Leela Prasad G and Rahel Philipose
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