As the war between Israel and Palestine-based Hamas militants continues, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday issued two appeals. He urged Hamas to hostages it had kidnapped from Israel on October 7 without any conditions and asked Israelis to grant rapid and unimpeded humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip. Guterres pointed out that the UN has stocks of food, water, medical supplies and fuel in Egypt, Jordan, the West Bank and Israel, which can be dispatched to the area within hours. “Each one of these two objectives are valid in themselves. They should not become bargaining chips and they must be implemented because it is the right thing to do,” the UN chief wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Dig deeper.
More on the Israel-Hamas war: Joe Biden’s ‘big mistake’ warning ahead of Gaza ground offensive.
Amid a major political controversy brewed over not giving a guard of honours to an Agniveer recruit who died on duty, the Indian Army on Sunday clarified that Amritpal Singh died by suicide and that military honours were not extended to deaths arising out of self-inflicted injuries. The Army also asserted that it does not differentiate among soldiers based on whether they joined the force prior to or after the implementation of the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, under which soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers are recruited into the three services of the armed forces. Dig deeper.
Latest news
Delhi’s air ‘poor’ for fourth day in a row, likely to improve. Dig deeper.
BJP to kick off 3-day outreach drive in 65,000 MP booths on Tuesday. Dig deeper.
India news
DMK allies reluctant to join hands with AIADMK but seek more seats. Dig deeper.
Congress may offer 10gm of gold, ₹1L to women for marriage in Telangana. Dig deeper.
Global matters
US man kills Muslim boy in hate crime motivated by Israeli-Hamas war. Dig deeper.
How social media platforms are caught in Israel-Hamas crossfire. Dig deeper.
Entertainment Focus
Do you know both Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar called up Karan Johar after the release of his 1998 directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai? But for different reasons. Shabana chided Karan for his anti-feminist gaze on the track of Anjali (Kajol). And Javed admitted he was wrong for turning down the film for its, well, sexually suggestive title. But that’s what Karan Johar and his filmography have stood for: extreme polarisation, even from two minds who think alike. Dig deeper.
Lifestyle
In a first, the Miss Universe competition this year will feature at least two transgender contestants. The news comes after 23-year-old flight attendant Marina Machete won the Miss Portugal crown last week ahead of the 72nd Miss Universe competition this November. She is the second transgender person to win their country’s Miss Universe competition. Earlier, Rikkie Kolle, a Dutch model, earned the Miss Netherlands title in July. Kollé became the first transgender woman to win the pageant. Dig deeper.
Sports going
A major upset breathed life into the ongoing 2023 World Cup on Sunday as Afghanistan defeated defending champions England by 69 runs. The stunning victory also marked the end of Afghanistan’s 14-match losing streak, which included a winless 2019 campaign, and on the contrary, handed a rude awakening to England. After the match, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar highlighted a major flaw within the English team and explained why their batters fell victim to the spin trio of Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, who picked eight wickets between themselves. Dig deeper.
