Your Morning Briefing for 09 August 2020

Good morning readers, 

A lesser known fact about the area around the Air India Express plane crash site is that it is a Covid-19 containment zone with over 60 active cases. However, that didn't stop Irshad, an exporter who deals in fruits and vegetables, from rushing to the crash site. Irshad and several others were among the first responders to help Kozhikode air crash victims. In fact, there were already over a 100 people engaging in rescue work that police had to turn away those who showed up to offer help.

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Preliminary inputs from airport and air traffic officials indicate that the pilots of the ill-fated Air India Express plane used one-third of the available landing distance, not leaving them with enough area to stop the plane for any emergency. It landed beyond the 3,000-feet mark, when it should have ideally done so no further than the 500-feet mark, an official said.

A plan to extend the Kozhikode's 2750-metre runway by 800 metres has been in cold storage since 2017 as the Kerala government couldn't free up land for the purpose. A former Director-General of Civil Aviation said that while multiple factors could have led to the mishap, Friday’s crash landing should “convince” people of the need to extend the runway.

From The Front Page

The Supreme Court Registry officials have run into trouble for ignoring “established practice and procedure” and listing a petition filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan and others challenging the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, before a bench different from the one that is already seized of two criminal contempt cases against Bhushan.

Another official that went against established practice, and not without reason, is the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Rajiv Mehrishi. During his tenure, Mehrishi did not upload defence audit reports to the CAG website. His reason: “Someone in Washington, someone in Beijing and someone in Islamabad may also be watching.”

The debris of the Air India Express plane that skidded off a runway. (AP)

Depsang Plains was the exclusive focus of Saturday's meeting at the level of Major General between Indian and Chinese armies. Sources said the two sides discussed ways to respect the border in Depsang Plains, where the Indian and Chinese versions of the LAC differ by around 23 km.

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The BJP had earlier questioned the Congress’ move over shifting its Rajasthan MLAs and asked if it had no trust in them. The saffron party, however, is now doing the same on grounds that its legislators were allegedly being harassed by the state government.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s father feels that the Maharashtra police investigation into his son’s death is an “eyewash” and that authorities are “trying to shield” actor Rhea Chakraborty, against whom the family has raised suspicions.

Assam and Bihar are synonymous with annual floods. An uncounted tragedy of it are the children, more susceptible to the waters and fighting for the attention of a system now grappling with Covid-19. The Indian Express spoke to two such children from Guwahati and Saran, on living with the floods, and living with loss.

Flying Colours: Ahead of Independence Day, a roadside vendor sells kites at Motia Khan Centre in New Delhi on Saturday. (Amit Mehra)

ICYMI 

• A pharmacy technician from New York is among 44 foreigners who have chosen to stand trial on charges of violating visa rules and Covid regulations by participating in the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi.
  
• Citing “mistake in facts”, Mumbai Police has finally closed its case against ABP Majha journalist Rahul Kulkarni for allegedly spreading misinformation about a train for migrants leaving Bandra station.
  
• Two people were arrested in Rajasthan for allegedly assaulting a 52-year-old autorickshaw driver on Friday after he refused to chant “Jai Shri Ram”.
  
• Actor Sanjay Dutt was admitted to Lilavati Hospital on Saturday evening after he complained of a chest discomfort and his oxygen saturation level dipped.
• The J&K Police has arrested six people, busting a Lashkar-e-Taiba module that was recruiting local youth and carrying out hawala transactions to finance terror activities in the region.

And Finally...

Through seven decades, they have seen the nation keep and miss its tryst with destiny. They have lived through the best and the worst of times, weathered wars, riots and scarcity. Ahead of India's 73rd Independence Day, amid a pandemic-filled gloom, citizens in their 70s share their personal stories of resilience.

Indian Women's cricket team's swashbuckling opener Smriti Mandhana talks of her international career, her learnings and the obvious comparisons with the Men's cricket during a Zoom interview with the Indian Express. 

 Until tomorrow,

Leela Prasad G and Liu Chuen Chen