EXPRESS MORNING BRIEFING
Dear Reader,
Big Story
Of the $10 billion investment Google promised to invest in India, nearly half of it, $4.5 billion to be precise, will be given to Reliance Industries’ digital subsidiary, Jio Platforms. Announcing the deal at the Reliance AGM, Mukesh Ambani said the two sides will develop an entry level smartphone. Other key announcements included a "Made in India" 5G solution that’s ready for launch next year.
From the Front Page
In part-2 of The Indian Express investigation into the Cyclone Amphan relief fund, one man came to be listed as the father of nine beneficiaries from different families and different faiths in a panchayat. And three beneficiaries, who were all unrelated, got compensation despite their houses withstanding the cyclone.
After sacking him as his deputy, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot did not hold back and made a frontal attack on Sachin Pilot. In a pointed remark, Gehlot said: "Speaking good English, Hindi, having a handsome personality, none of this matters." He also accused the Tonk MLA of being hand in glove with the BJP to topple his government. Though Pilot reiterated he won't be switching sides, the BJP says it is not over yet.
One of Vikas Dubey's aides killed in an alleged encounter is, according to his family, a minor who had recently cleared his Class 12 board exams. His Class 10 marksheet and an Aadhaar card record his date of birth as May 27, 2004, making him 16 years of age.
The Pandemic
Moderna has reported the immune response in participants of phase I trials for its candidate vaccine against Covid-19. Oxford will reportedly publish its own results soon. What are these two candidates and how significant are its findings? Here is a look at the progress made so far.
The pandemic means football academies don’t require services of coaches at least until the situation normalises. Three football coaches from Mumbai have been forced to fend for themselves in other ways. One is selling vegetables, another is making kebabs at home, and the third is working as a delivery man.
Laughter locked down: With no parties to attend, this ‘Mickey Mouse’ lost his job amid the pandemic
Beyond Covid-19
After nearly 15 hours of talks, India and China have finally been able to “break the ice” on the standoff at Pangong Tso. “Earlier, China was not even ready to talk about Pangong Tso. Now we have agreed to discuss not just Finger 4 but Finger 8 too as well… the signs of resolution are very, very positive." a senior official of the security establishment told The Indian Express.
The owner of a newspaper daily, who was on the run ever since he was accused of rape by four minor girls in Bhopal, and had a reward of Rs 30,000 on his head, has been arrested from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Child pornography, sex toys and antlers were among other things that were recovered from his flat.
ICYMI
- Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, who was next in line to head the poll panel, has been appointed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as vice-president.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed European Council president Charles Michel on the situation at the Line of Control.
- West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has claimed that the BJP may have presented “distorted facts” to the President about the death of an MLA who was recently found hanging from a tree.
- After #Hinduphobiccomedyindustry began trending on social media, three stand-up comics apologised for allegedly "hurting religious sentiments”.
- At an NSUI meeting, Rahul Gandhi is said to have observed that whosoever wants to leave the party will leave and they should not be unduly worried about it.
And Finally...
Dr. Mary Anitha (left) with six-month-old Elvin and his parents in Kochi. (PTI)
A month after taking care of a six-month-old baby, a Kerala doctor on Wednesday handed over the infant to his parents who tested positive for Covid-19 and has now completed their home quarantine after being discharged from the hospital. “The doctor was a godsend. Nobody would come forward to take care of a baby of a Covid-19 patient," says Elvin’s mother.
Until tomorrow,
Leela Prasad G and Liu Chuen Chen
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