Researched by: Rachel John, Anannya Parekh & Aarthi Ramnath
Bombshell accusations against RAW
ICYMI, a Guardian investigation published late last week shows that India was responsible for up to 20 assassinations on Pakistani soil. The report is based on interviews with Indian and Pakistani officials—plus documents shared by the Pakistanis. They say these killings are part of a policy adopted by RAW since 2019. That’s the Research and Analysis Wing—our version of the CIA. RAW is directly controlled by the PM’s office.
The shocking bits: These operations were allegedly led by Indian sleeper-cells operating out of the UAE. They paid millions of rupees to local goondas or poor Pakistanis to do the job. The Indian agents also recruited jihadis to carry out the shootings—tricking them into thinking they were killing “infidels”. The targets were mostly Khalistani or Kashmiri terrorists—charged with serious and violent crimes. The aim was to kill the terrorists abroad before they could kill anyone on Indian soil.
One example: is the notorious commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed Shahid Latif. After multiple attempts, he was finally killed by an illiterate 20-year-old who worked in an Amazon packing warehouse. RAW paid him Rs 1.5 million (15 lakh) to track Latif down—and another Rs 1.5 million (15 lakh) to kill him. The trigger for this killing campaign was the Pulwama attacks in 2019.
Why this matters: The government appears to be torn between claiming credit and denying the story. The Ministry of External Affairs called it “false and malicious anti-India propaganda.” But Defence Minister Rajnath Singh repeated a version of Modi-ji’s chest-thumping promise: “Yadi woh bhaag kar Pakistan mein jayega, to Pakistan mein ghus kar maarenge” (If a terrorist runs away to Pakistan, we will go there and kill him). And Modi himself said at a campaign rally—“today’s India goes inside enemy territory to strike.” This is the first time that New Delhi has acknowledged carrying out extra-judicial killings.
What’s really interesting: The government seems willing to risk Washington’s displeasure when the US is leaning heavily on India for allegedly trying to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (explained here). (The Guardian)
Meanwhile, in Canada: Newly declassified documents reveal that Pakistan and India allegedly interfered in Canadian elections in 2019 and 2021, respectively:
In 2021, the government of India had "intent to interfere and likely conducted clandestine activities," including the use of an Indian government proxy agent in Canada, according to an unclassified summary written by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
Two years earlier, in 2019, "Government of Pakistan officials in Canada attempted to clandestinely influence Canadian federal politics with the aim of furthering the Government of Pakistan's interests in Canada.”
But, but, but: The reports note that the summaries aren’t necessarily fact. They could be “uncorroborated, single-sourced or incomplete” accounts. (CBC News)
War on Gaza: The latest update
The Al-Shifa nightmare: A WHO team visited Gaza’s largest hospital and found “a sprawling complex of charred and destroyed buildings, hastily dug shallow graves”—the result of a week-long raid by Israeli forces. Washington Post has more on this horror story. Very much on point—this clip from a recent Bassem Youssef interview with Christiane Amanpour:
Israel’s odd pullback: The military said it withdrew a division of soldiers from southern Gaza—which means there are no active troops in the area. In recent months, the IDF has been intent on reducing ‘boots on the ground’. As a result, it has not held any of the territory—despite its vow to eliminate Hamas. It’s not clear what this latest withdrawal—to “rest” the troops—means either. (New York Times)
A related good read: Wall Street Journal (splainer gift link) on the dramatic shift in Israel’s standing on the global stage.
Mexico breaks up with Ecuador
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ordered the immediate suspension of diplomatic ties with Quito. The reason: Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas—who is wanted on corruption charges. It was a shocking and flagrant breach of international norms—according to which a country’s embassy is its sovereign territory.
The bigger picture: Relations between the two countries have never been warm. But this move has earned the wrath of other Latin American countries—such as Brazil and Argentina. Nicaragua has severed ties with Ecuador in solidarity with Mexico. You can see a clip from the raid below, (CNN)
BBC India is a private company now
The context: In February 2023, income tax officials and police officers conducted a ‘tax survey’ at the BBC India offices. It happened soon after the BBC aired a two-part documentary on the 2002 Gujarat violence—which also looked at the role of then CM Modi. Months later, officials claimed that they had found evidence of tax evasion. Read our Big Story for more.
What happened now: The BBC has handed over the publishing licence of its India office to a private company called ‘Collective Newsroom’—run by four former BBC India employees. The move ensures compliance with mandatory limits on foreign investment introduced in 2020. BBC UK owned more than 99% of its India wing—but the rules cap foreign investment at 26%. Now, it has applied to the government for a 26% stake in Collective Newsroom. It is an unprecedented arrangement for the BBC to give up its licence. FYI: BBC’s India office is its largest outside the UK. (Indian Express)
More news of a scorching hot planet
Red hot Karnataka: Several parts of the state have been experiencing extremely hot weather. The highest temperature on Sunday was 43.1°C—recorded in Kalaburagi district. Bangalore hit 37.6°C—the hottest in eight years. Reminder: the meteorological department has predicted a scorching summer for most of the country—until June. Down To Earth has more on why South India is heating up. (The Telegraph)
Meanwhile, in Antarctica: Scientists have long assumed that the region is too cold to suffer as greatly from climate change as its Arctic counterpart. But that is no longer true. Around 2015, Antarctica went through an “abrupt critical transition”—and suddenly started heating up. According to a new study, temperatures jumped 38.5°C above the seasonal average on March 18, 2022—the largest spike ever recorded. Scientists are calling this world record “mind boggling” and “unprecedented.” (The Guardian)
Vistara’s on a cancellation spree
The airline has cancelled nearly 1,000 flights for the month of April—in a bid to deal with a rebellion of its pilots. Many of them have been refusing to show up for work—to protest recent pay cuts. According to Vistara: “We are carefully scaling back our operations by around 25-30 flights per day, that is, roughly 10% of the capacity we were operating.” What this means for you: Expect airfares to soar even higher this summer. (The Hindu)
China’s AI disinfo plan
Microsoft Threat Intelligence released a report warning that China will attempt to disrupt a number of elections this year—in the US, India and South Korea. The company has uncovered an online operation “backed by the Chinese Communist Party, known as ‘Spamouflage’ or ‘Dragonbridge’.” An example of its tactics: In Taiwan, Spamouflage used AI to make fake audio clips of a candidate—who had dropped out of the race—endorsing someone else. Irony alert:
A U.S.-backed independent review board blamed Microsoft in a report released earlier this week for security failures that allowed a Chinese hacking operation—this one called “Storm-0558”—to access emails of top U.S. officials.
Embarrassing. Quartz has more on the China warning.
A shocking death in Kerala
A Kerala veterinary student died by suicide after being “continuously” assaulted for 29 hours by seniors and classmates. According to the FIR:
“…They assaulted Sidharthan…continuously with hand and using a belt and subjected him to cruel ragging. This made him in an utter stage of mental stress and feeling that he can neither continue study in the Institute and complete this course nor go home dropping the course.
It’s being described as a case of “ragging”—but Sidharthan was a second year student. The CBI has taken over the investigation. (Indian Express)
Wipro gets a new CEO
Wipro CEO Thierry Delaporte is headed for the door after four years as CEO. He only had 14 months left in his five-year contract. The resignation was sudden but not entirely surprising. Delaporte has been dogged by media reports that claimed founder-chairman Azim Premji was unhappy with his performance. Wipro’s profit margin declined from 19% in June 2020 to 16% in December 2023. He will be replaced by Srini Pallia—who has been at the company since 1992. FYI: Delaporte is the seventh CEO to exit Wipro without completing his tenure. Economic Times has a profile on Pallia. (CNBC TV18)
Two things to see
One: Mount Etna in Sicily—the largest active volcano in Europe—blew spectacular “vortex rings” into the sky last week. The chainsmoker-like rings occur when “a mix of smoke, steam and other gases is released from volcanic vents at high speeds.” (Associated Press)
Two: A rare issue of ‘Action Comics’ No. 1 from 1938 fetched a record $6 million at a US auction—making it the most valuable comic book in the world. This edition introduced the character of Superman for the first time—and there are only 100-odd copies of it. The previous record was held by a copy of ‘Superman No. 1’—which sold for $5.3 million in 2022. (Hollywood Reporter)
