United States President Donald Trump has yet to decide whether to move ahead with a deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran by another 60 days, during which both sides will work toward a permanent solution. At a Situation Room meeting on Friday, Trump discussed extending the truce to give negotiators time to decide on Tehran’s nuclear programme. However, Washington and Tehran continue to differ on key issues. Trump said Tehran would have to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and restore freedom of navigation in the crucial maritime route. He added that Tehran would have to provide assurances that it would not build a nuclear weapon. Tehran has not agreed to these conditions so far.
With that, let’s move on to the top five stories from today’s edition:
🚨 Big Story
👩🏻⚖️From the legal corridors
Bail to verdict: The Supreme Court Friday issued directions to all Indian high courts to pronounce verdicts within three months of hearing the case, and to “display extra promptitude” in cases of personal liberty and bail. The directions come amid rising concerns over undue delay in pronouncement of judgments reserved by judges. In an attempt to strengthen the judicial administration and ensure timely delivery of judgments, the apex court said that bail applications across all high courts should be heard and the order should ideally be pronounced and uploaded that very day. In cases where it is reserved, it should be pronounced the next day and uploaded on the website.
Reality check: In contrast to the Supreme Court’s directions earlier this month for setting up exclusive NIA courts to enable timebound disposal of UAPA trials, stands the one headed by Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma at Patiala House Court in Delhi. The most sensitive NIA cases are heard in the national Capital, with just one other NIA court besides Justice Sharma’s. There are 43 NIA cases pending before the court being tried under the UAPA — ranging from terrorism and cross-border conspiracy to radicalisation — apart from others involving money laundering and other charges. Of these 43 cases, in seven, Judge Sharma is hearing arguments afresh.
⚡ Only in Express
As Germany’s platform economy expands, migrant workers have become its most visible workforce, with Indians and other South Asians prominent in food-delivery jobs in cities such as Berlin. While there is no official data on Indians as gig workers in Germany, Abu John, a Berlin-based lawyer who researches migration and platform economies, says they make up about 50 per cent, that is, the bulk of the workforce. The German government has also worked to promote legal immigration in a bid to address labour shortages in sectors such as logistics, hospitality, healthcare and engineering. One such story is of Mihir, an Indian citizen, who chose the student route to enter Germany’s labour market. While Indian students can enrol into newly-opened private universities in Germany, the post-study work options help them too. As evident from the streets of Berlin, many students begin with gig work — food delivery, warehouse shifts, or ride logistics — either as a means to enter the German workforce or as a way to earn while studying.
💡 Express Explained
In his weekly column, Udit Misra delves into the differences between the rising inflation rate and Indian consumers’ focus on affordability, as the war between the US-Israel and Iran leads to a spike in prices of crude oil and other products globally. Misra states that consumers effectively care more whether they are better-off or worse-off in “real” terms — that is, after the effect of inflation is neutralised both from prices and incomes. He explains: “One way to assess whether one is better- or worse-off since the start of April 2014 is to compare incomes. If their income has gone up by 75%, then one is exactly where one was 12 years ago in “real” terms. If their income has grown by a lesser degree, then one is worse-off in real terms, and if the income has grown by a higher percentage, then one is better-off to that extent.”
✍️ Express Opinion
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In our Opinion section today, Sanjaya Baru highlights the impact of the US’s weaponisation of trade, finance, and energy flows on India’s economic position and national security. Claiming the US to have taken steps without thinking about the consequences for India, Baru writes: “It is time for Indian policymakers and analysts to come to terms with the reality of a fundamental shift away from the “strategic partnership”, which defined the move from “estrangement” to “engagement” at the turn of the century and in the first decade-and-a-half, to the more “what’s in it for me” transactionalism that has come to define a restrained relationship.”
🎥 Movie Review
Wondering what to watch this weekend? We’ve got you covered! Tribeny Rai’s Shape of Momo has hit your nearby screens, bringing you flavours across several themes– the search for self, the definition of home, gender roles, family ties. Calling it a film which has the courage to back a lead character who refuses to confirm, or to be likeable, Shubhra Gupta writes in her review: “While never making it explicit, the film taps into the rise of suspicion and distrust, mirroring current political realities, among people who’ve lived peaceably all these years.” It revolves around the stories of four women, with Bishnu as the main protagonist, who is reluctant to “give into the relentless domesticity of perfectly shaped momos.” Gupta, hailing the script, calls the gesture “noteworthy, in a film full of telling strokes and real performances, with only a few obvious strands.”
That’s it for today! Have a lovely weekend!
Until next time,
Ariba
Business As Usual by E P Unny
