5 min readMumbaiDec 19, 2025 09:58 AM IST First published on: Dec 19, 2025 at 09:58 AM IST
Good morning,
Overnight protests broke out in Bangladesh after the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi late on Thursday. Hadi was a key figure in the July uprising that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. He was also a candidate for the upcoming general elections and was shot in the head by masked assailants last Friday while launching his poll campaign in Dhaka. He was flown to Singapore for treatment, but succumbed to his injuries last night.
The Mohammed Yunus interim government, which came to power after Hasina’s exit, has faced several protests over delayed reforms and warnings of unrest from the Awami League. Earlier in the week, fresh anti-India protests broke out, demanding the return of Hasina, who’s considered to be ‘hiding’ in India.
Follow the latest developments with our live blog.
On that note, let’s get to the rest of the edition👇
🚨 Big Story
India signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with Oman on Thursday, amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Gulf country. This comes at a time when Indian exports are facing steep tariffs in the US market, which is hurting trade and investment.
Zoom in: Trade between India and Oman exceeded $10 billion in 2024-25, providing a strong foundation for greater economic cooperation. India will get zero-duty access on 98 per cent of Oman’s tariff lines, benefitting sectors from gems and jewellery to engineering products. The two countries have also agreed to enhance services exports, allowing a more liberal entry and stay conditions for skilled professionals.
Zoom out: This is India’s second agreement with a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nation after the UAE. This helps Delhi’s rapid expansion into new markets amid uncertainty around a trade deal with the US, as well as its push for a bigger footprint in West Asia. A deal with Oman could provide the springboard India needs to find other markets in the region and in Africa.
⚡Only in Express
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was a guest at Express Adda, where newsmakers appear for a candid chat, earlier this week. Abdullah said that the Central government’s conduct towards his administration has left him “with limited scope to complain,” besides interference from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. He also said that the issue of J&K statehood remained “a matter of disappointment”. Read.
📰 From the Front Page
It’s allowed: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday observed that while the concept of live-in relationships “may not be acceptable to all”, it was not an “illegal” relationship, nor does “living together without the sanctity of the marriage constitute an offence.” The court was hearing petitions from 12 women in live-in relationships who were seeking protections as the feared threat to their lives.
Twist: A letter from the J&K police to Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) in November flagged that 29 of the people the firm had engaged for the construction of the 850 MW Ratle Hydro Electric Project had alleged militant links or criminal background. A controversy over the project had earlier broken out after the BJP MLA in Kishtwar, Shagun Parihar, had raised questions about the workers, and MEIL Chief Operating Officer (COO) Harpal Singh had accused her of causing delays to the project.
📌 Must Read
Hot potato: Both Houses of Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, or VB-G RAM G Bill, amid strong protest from the Opposition. For the ruling party, the Bill strikes at the root of the Congress, replacing its key legislation, MGNREGA. However, the Congress party sees it as fresh ammo against the BJP ahead of the upcoming elections, contending that the Bill dilutes the rural jobs guarantee scheme. Liz Mathew decodes.
Done deal: Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into federal law a major cooperation agreement between India and Russia: The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS). It gives India access to Russia’s air and naval bases in the Arctic for refuelling, repairs or boosting operational readiness. Reciprocally, Russia gets greater access to the Indian Ocean. RELOS further strengthens India’s position in the QUAD. Here’s how.
⏳ And Finally…
Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar has created quite a stir both inside and outside the box office. With opinions sharply divided, we aimed to answer: What lies behind the controversy around such films?
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, the filmmaker behind films like The Bengal Files and The Kashmir Files, asks: “Who gets to decide when a film is labelled ‘political’, and why is that label applied selectively?” Read.
Pooja Pillai, senior assistant editor, writes that beyond negative reviews a film might receive, what demands rethinking is the shrinking space of good-faith criticism. “Propaganda does not just seek approval, it demands moral submission… it views any attempt to puncture consensus as an existential threat. Seen this way, any review short of glowing becomes proof of sabotage or ideological bias.”
🎧 Don’t forget to tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode. The lineup: The long waitlist for organ transplants, inside the Tejpur University protests, and the looming crisis in Tamil Nadu’s textile towns.
That’s all for today, folks! Happy weekend! Sonal Gupta
Business As Usual by EP Unny