Good morning,
From the contentious Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 being passed in Parliament, to a 57 second video by Jammu and Kashmir police highlighting how all Kashmiris – across faiths – were victims of militancy – here are the top stories from today’s edition of The Indian Express. The Big Story
The Parliament has cleared the contentious Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022, which enables the police to collect biometric details, including biological samples and behavioural information, of all those who have been convicted or arrested for any offence, or detained under any preventive detention law — and retain the data for 75 years. However, leading the Opposition charge, Congress leader and former home minister P Chidambaram described the proposed law as “illegal”, “unconstitutional’’, “dangerous’’. Only in the Express As prices of petrol and diesel continue to soar, Pranjul Bhandari writes: “If oil prices remain elevated, it could drag growth down, raise inflation, and widen the twin fiscal and current account deficits. What is not as obvious is the more granular impact of higher oil prices on firms and consumers, which in turn could become the leading driver of growth trends.” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the youth of the country needed to be prepared to become job creators instead of job seekers, who become “global citizens” in the future. Delivering the inaugural speech at the India Education Summit 2022, organised by The Indian Express, Pradhan said there were an estimated 52.5 crore youth (up to the age of 23), out of which around 35 crore have access to education and skilling. 
‘Vel Festival’ in Bandel, Hooghly District. Vel is an annual festival of the Tamil people. (📸: Shashi Ghosh) From the Front Page The Jammu and Kashmir Police has posted a 57-second video, which aims to underline how all Kashmiris — cutting across faith — were victims of militancy. Called The Untold Kashmir Files — a reference to the recently released The Kashmir Files — the video, a J&K Police officer told The Indian Express, “is an attempt to reach out to citizens that we understand their pain and we are all together in this fight against terrorism”. Raising the hijab controversy in Karnataka, al Qaeda chief Ayman Al Zawahiri, in his latest video, has said people should “stop being deceived by the mirage of Hindu democracy of India”. In an almost nine-minute video released by al Qaeda mouthpiece As-Sahab Media, Zawahiri has also praised Muskan Khan, the Karnataka student who confronted a mob which heckled her for wearing the hijab earlier this year. Must Read
High-profile inductions, ‘tiranga’ yatras, and a flurry of appointments of election in-charges across states. Fresh from a win in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party’s national expansion project is unfolding at a dizzying pace. The AAP’s strategy has brought to the fore a central question that was raised even in 2014, when the party had decided to contest the general elections across India: Is the AAP in a hurry? “The AAP in 2022 is a mature and sure-footed party, with a clear expansion strategy. We are not going to contest polls in all states at once. So, we are not in a hurry, but there is no time to waste either,” a top AAP leader said. It’s a Bollywood potboiler come to life. Child goes missing. Four years later, an impostor arrives on the scene, claiming to be the lost child. Finally, four decades later, the law catches up. On Tuesday, Dayanand Gosai of Laxmipur, Jamui was sentenced to three years in prison for forgery and another six months for criminal conspiracy for pulling off a stunning fraud – living as Kanhaiya Singh, the son of Kameshwar Singh, one of the richest landlords in the region, since 1981. India’s first case of the newly-discovered ‘XE’ variant of the coronavirus was discovered in Mumbai on Wednesday, the BMC said. While Union Health Ministry sources said that the variant was still being confirmed, the announcement sparked concern about the possibility of a fresh wave of infections. As of now, there is no evidence to show that the XE variant is significantly different from the other varieties of Omicron. We explain how the variant is different and whether it poses a real threat. And Finally...
Inspiration often strikes in the strangest places. In sprinter Amlan Borgohain’s case, it struck while binge-watching Japanese anime. “I am a huge fan of Anime and I watch a lot of Drag Ball Z and get inspired by Goku (the lead character),” he explains. Disappointed after finishing second in his heat group on Tuesday, it was the Japanese show that really motivated him to return the next day for the 200m finals and break the national record with a 20.52s run. 🤫 Delhi confidential: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani, a Senior Advocate, on Wednesday rose to counter Congress leader P Chidambaram’s criticism of the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 tabled in the House by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. During the course of his impassioned speech, Jethmalani got so carried away that he addressed Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was presiding over the House, as “My Lord”. 🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 things’ podcast, we look at India’s statement on the killing in Bucha, why the WHO has suspended the supply of Covaxin, and how a 22 year old muslim woman was targeted in Madhya Pradesh. Until tomorrow, Rahel Philipose and Rounak Bagchi
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