‘$21 Million USAID Fund to India’: What’s the Controversy About?
NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora

‘$21 Million USAID Fund to India’: What’s the Controversy About?

U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that the Biden administration allocated $21 million through USAID for “voter turnout” in India, now calling it a “kickback scheme” without providing evidence or elaborating on who really benefitted. He suggests that the funds were meant to influence India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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Is the Targeting of Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina a Prelude to Censorship?
NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora

Is the Targeting of Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina a Prelude to Censorship?

An op-ed in The Hindu by Apar Gupta, a lawyer and advocate for digital freedom, suggests that the central government might be leveraging controversies involving crude remarks made by YouTubers Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina on their show, “India’s Got Latent,” to advocate for stricter regulation of digital media.

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Nepalese Student’s Death in Odisha Spurs Demands for Justice, Anti-Racism Protections
NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora

Nepalese Student’s Death in Odisha Spurs Demands for Justice, Anti-Racism Protections

A 20-year-old Nepalese engineering student, Prakriti Lamsal, at the private university Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, died in an alleged suicide on Feb. 16, sparking demands for justice for her family and enforce measures against racial mistreatment.

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Manipur’s ‘Territorial Integrity’ Is a Risky Narrative

Manipur’s ‘Territorial Integrity’ Is a Risky Narrative

In his resignation letter, former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh urged the Central government to protect the state’s “territorial integrity.” And then days after President’s Rule was imposed, his BJP colleague Sambit Patra gave the same assurance. Both politicians seem to have ignored the risks of refusing to consider state reorganisation, which is not the same as separatism.

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Delhi Earthquake: Why a 4.2 Quake Felt Strong; What Comes Next?
NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora

Delhi Earthquake: Why a 4.2 Quake Felt Strong; What Comes Next?

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck the Haryana-Delhi-Uttar Pradesh region early on Feb. 17, at 5.36 am, sending tremors across the National Capital Region. Occurring at a shallow depth of 10 km, the earthquake felt stronger than expected and led to concerns about the possibility of aftershocks, and whether it could be a precursor to a larger event.

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President’s Rule Alone Can’t Resolve Crisis in Manipur

President’s Rule Alone Can’t Resolve Crisis in Manipur

Manipur’s Governor has imposed President’s Rule days after N. Biren Singh resigned as the Chief Minister – a belated official acknowledgment that the state government could not function according to constitutional provisions. The critical issue now is whether President’s Rule can ensure that Manipur will be able to operate within the constitutional framework within its maximum allowable period of three years.

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Manipur Chief Minister’s Resignation: What Next? How Soon?

Manipur Chief Minister’s Resignation: What Next? How Soon?

The February 9 resignation of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, which conveys little remorse or admission of failure, must at least be followed by swift and constitutionally sound action from Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to ensure that this potential first step toward resolving the prolonged conflict is effective.

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Tamil Nadu Govt. Tells Court Governor Acting as a Political Opponent
NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora

Tamil Nadu Govt. Tells Court Governor Acting as a Political Opponent

The Tamil Nadu government told the Supreme Court that Governor R.N. Ravi behaved like a political opponent by withholding assent on multiple bills, arguing that his actions blocked duly passed legislation and undermined the authority of the state assembly. The court questioned the Governor’s decision to keep some bills pending for three years before declaring his intention to withhold assent and refer them to the President.

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Manipur: Prolonged, Preventable Suffering of Meiteis, Kuki-Zos, Nagas

Manipur: Prolonged, Preventable Suffering of Meiteis, Kuki-Zos, Nagas

What does India have in common with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, South Sudan and Ethiopia? Like these four African countries, India has been experiencing armed conflict between two ethnic groups in Manipur for over 21 months. However, unlike these nations, India possesses a significant capacity to control armed unrest, an area in which it can be considered “privileged.”

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Assam’s NRC Misstep: Court Demands Deportation of ‘Illegal Foreign Nationals’
NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora

Assam’s NRC Misstep: Court Demands Deportation of ‘Illegal Foreign Nationals’

The Supreme Court has rebuked the Assam government for keeping people it has declared as “foreigners” in indefinite detention and for its slow pace in arranging their deportation. State officials claim they do not know where to send them. It exposes a fundamental problem rooted in the National Register of Citizens (NRC): if individuals are declared foreign solely because their documents are considered insufficient, what happens next?

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Analysis of Independent Forensic Report on ‘Manipur Tapes’
NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, February 2024 Vishal Arora

Analysis of Independent Forensic Report on ‘Manipur Tapes’

Leaked audio recordings, known as “Manipur Tapes” and purportedly featuring the voice of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, were examined by an independent forensic lab, Truth Labs Forensic Services. The examination concluded with over 93% certainty that the voice in the recordings belongs to the Chief Minister. Based on the report, below is an analysis of how the tapes were analysed and how forensic experts arrived at their conclusion.

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