National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan, who are set to meet in Delhi later this month, will discuss the deteriorating environment in West Asia with Iran-backed Houthis playing havoc on commercial shipping in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza. The two sides will also review the US GE-414 engine technology transfer deal and the Predator MQ9B drone acquisition by the Indian armed forces. The two NSAs will also discuss the Chinese role in the Indo-Pacific, with the PLA Navy on an expansion mode and looking for more bases in the region using the Belt-Road Initiative as leverage with smaller nations from Solomon Islands to Maldives. Dig deeper
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray slammed the Ekanth Shinde-led Maharashtra government over the killing of Sena corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar, saying that the state is seeing “lawlessness like never before”. Abhishek, the son of an ex-MLA Vinod Ghosalkar, was shot dead by Mauris Noronha – popularly known as Mauris bhai – over a personal dispute in the Dahisar area in Mumbai on Thursday. Dig deeper
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Environment Focus
Bollywood actor Preity Zinta went down memory lane, recalling the time she shot for Mani Ratnam’s film ‘Dil Se’. Sharing a throwback picture taken on the film’s set on X, formerly known as Twitter, the actor how director Mani Ratnam asked her to go fresh-faced for the film. She also thanked the cinematographer Santosh Sivan for making her look gorgeous even without makeup on. Dig deeper
Lifestyle
Janhvi Kapoor’s sartorial prowess never fails to impress millions of her fans. With Valentine’s Day almost here, the actor posted photos of herself dressed in a red lace corset maxi dress that was all about elegance and sensuality. The pictures show Janhvi posing for the camera in the gorgeous gown, which is from the shelves of the clothing label, Rasario. Dig deeper
Sports Goings
Australia clinched a nail-biting one-wicket victory over a resilient Pakistan in the U19 World Cup semifinal on Friday, propelled by Tom Straker’s impressive six-wicket haul and Harry Dixon’s solid fifty. The triumph sets the stage for an intense final showdown against defending champions India in Benoni. The title clash will be a rematch of the senior men’s ODI World Cup last year, when Australia had defeated India in Ahmedabad to clinch a sixth title. However, for India U19 captain Uday Saharan, revenge is not on the mind; the youngster believes that his side will only focus on its own game and not worry too much about the past. Dig deeper
That’s all we have at this hour in our morning briefing. Catch you in the afternoon!
