Daily Briefing: India, Indonesia seal BrahMos partnership; the Scotland redemption

What happened at the FIFA ground on Tuesday was nothing less than magical! The iron-clad resolve of Argentina, the impenetrable genius of Lionel Messi, led the team to turnaround the game for Egypt. Messi, our star, would especially remember the day as one of the greatest comebacks that his team made, after the penalty he missed in the first half. The game of wildly fluctuating fortunes, as my colleague Sandip G writes, entailed the free-kick that cannoned off the post, Egypt’s counter-attacking goals, Cristian Romero’s goal that fired the comeback, Messi’s equaliser on the half-volley, and the heart-stopping moments during the VAR check of Enzo Fernandez’s headed winner. Just 11 minutes remained for Egypt to close out a game they were deservedly leading 2-0. However, Argentina’s comeback led them to score 3-2, by the end of the game.

With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:

India, Jakarta sign landmark deals

Bureaucracy in Ram temple donation row

The Scotland Redemption

🚨 Big Story

India and Indonesia on Tuesday signed a series of landmark agreements, essentially on the supply of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missile systems, other major defence technology transfers, critical mineral extraction, maritime security, and digital telecom connectivity. The developments came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held bilateral talks in Jakarta. Hailing the deals, Modi said, “The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership we forged in 2018 is taking a new flight today. We are taking important steps forward in every sector—development, security, technology, culture, and education… I am confident that a golden chapter of India-Indonesia partnership begins today.”

Deal: India is now set to supply Indonesia with two batteries of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles valued at $200 million. A BrahMos battery comprises four launchers and 12 ready-to-fire missiles along with other equipment and vehicles. New Delhi has been in talks with Jakarta over the sale of the missile system under a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya. With this, India now exports the BrahMos missiles to three countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

⚡ Only in Express

“I really didn’t want to, but the repercussions of the case, the financial and mental toll on my family and children, have been so huge.”

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A 1997 murder case hunted Sougat Mukherjee down nearly decades after he left Glasgow, Scotland, where he was a student in the nineties. This later led to his arrest in India, and wrecked the life and family he had built back home. Years later, another man was picked up for the same murder in Glasgow, while the case against Sougat was dropped. It was, however, too late — Sougat died in 2023 at age 44, his name cleared, but his frame broken by alcoholism and the spiral of depression he had plunged into. Now, more than two years later, his wife Sapna is preparing to take legal action against the authorities in Scotland and India for Sougat’s “wrongful identification, unlawful arrest, and systematic destruction”.

📰 From the Front Page

‘Clean sweep’: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has removed Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav’s four key aides – Private Secretary Amar Singh on “administrative grounds”, Assistant Private Secretary Siddharth Yadav “terminated,” Additional Private Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh “prematurely repatriated”, and Additional Private Secretary Ayush Saran’s appointment “terminated”. The move has led the Opposition Congress to question the reason behind it. Calling it a shocking step, Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge communications, said: “It is no secret to anyone how such appointments are made in the Modi regime. Can so much smoke rise without fire? Could this be a case of the Pradhan Mantri Chando Do, Dhandha Lo (give donation, take business) scheme going awry?”

Bureaucracy: Amid the Ram Mandir donation row, treasurer Govind Dev Giri on Tuesday told The Indian Express that work should have been decentralised and red flags addressed earlier. However, he asserted that bureaucrats associated with the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and State Bank of India (SBI) officials were equally expected to ensure administrative oversight and flag shortcomings before the situation escalated. This comes after the Trust accepted the resignation of its general secretary, Champat Rai, and member, Anil Mishra. Giri defended Rai’s personal integrity and said his “working style” rather than his integrity had become an issue.

Sheesh Mahal: The Delhi government will develop the official residence of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a “Delhi State Guest House-cum-Cultural Centre.” A senior official told The Indian Express, “Whenever there is a meeting or event with guests from elsewhere in the country or abroad, the government has to make arrangements for their stay and hospitality. As this property is readily available, it was proposed to develop it into a state guest house.” The premises would have rooms for guests, a conference hall, meeting spaces, and an auditorium in which various cultural and artistic programmes, exhibitions, and official ceremonies can be held, officials said.

📌 Must Read

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‘G Minus Two’: In our Opinion section today, C Raja Mohan highlights the importance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the east as the consolidation of a new Indo-Pacific approach that might be called “G Minus Two.” This pattern, the author writes, could shift India’s Indo-Pacific debate beyond slogans of American intentions or Chinese ambitions. Mohan writes: “The objective is neither an anti-China coalition nor an alternative to the American alliance system. Nor is it an attempt to create an independent bloc of middle powers. It is a practical effort to strengthen India’s partnerships with the major industrial, technological and maritime powers of Asia.”

Trust: In what constitutes the biggest administrative overhaul of the Ram Temple Trust that runs the Ayodhya temple since it was constituted in 2020, two of its most influential office-bearers, Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, submitted their resignations on Monday. Soon after accepting their resignations, the Trust announced it will appoint a Chief Executive Officer for the first time. But what exactly is this Trust, officially called the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra? Who runs it? Who oversees it? And why does it function differently from India’s other major temple bodies? Deeptiman Tiwary explains.

⏳ And Finally…

Ronaldo’s dream: Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest for the trophy ended in a heartbreak as Spain edged Portugal 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time victory and Ronaldo’s defeat closed the curtain on the latter’s sixth and final World Cup. His campaign yielded just three goals, while Spain’s disciplined defence kept him quiet when it mattered most. As Portugal exited, Ronaldo was left confronting the brutal irony that football’s greatest individual achiever would retire from the World Cup without ever lifting its most coveted prize. “It was the dream, to kiss it, to hold it into the skies, to cradle it like a baby; the fuel that kept him burning at 41, that made him rise above the aches and niggles of sculpted but battered body; the trolls and memes; the tactical burden he put on his team, the shimmering ego that many have long whispered should send him into the shadows,” Sandip G writes.

🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the problem battled by e-rickshaw drivers in Delhi due to Bluetooth applications; mosques demolished in Rajasthan’s Barmer and Bikaner; and concerns over child sexual abuse videos circulated over Instagram.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,

Ariba

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