Morning briefing: ‘High alert’ in Bengal ahead of Ram Navami; US reacts to PM Modi's terrorism statement, and more

Several police stations across West Bengal are on high alert to avert any communal tension ahead of Ram Navami celebrations in the state, The Indian Express has reported. The Hindu Jagran Manch will reportedly take out about 5,000 religious processions at ward or panchayat-level in all districts of the state. The organisation, affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has also planned big processions in Barasat, Siliguri and Kolkata’s Burrabazar. The district administration in Hooghly, Howrah, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur, Asansol and Barrackpore — which have experienced communal tensions in the past during Ram Navami celebration— are also on alert, the newspaper reported. Dig deeper

More news: Row over Ram Navami across parties ahead of Phase 1 voting

‘TMC hatched conspiracies to stop Ram Navami celebrations’: PM Modi in Bengal

The United States reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Rajnath Singh's recent statements where the two leaders claimed that India won't hesitate to kill terrorists in their homes. The Joe Biden administration said that while the US has encouraged India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue, it would not get involved in the matter. When questioned about Modi's “ghar mai ghus ke maarenge” statement on terrorism, US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller, while addressing a press briefing, said, “As I have said before, the United States is not going to get into the middle of this. But we do encourage both India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue.” Dig deeper

More news: S Jaishankar on cross-border terrorism: ‘Answer can’t have any rules'

Jaishankar on rising deaths of Indian students in US: ‘Big concern for us’

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Trending

Heavy rains lashed Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), causing severe flooding in different areas. Multiple videos have taken over social media showing the scary state of Dubai. One of those clips shows the flooded tarmac of Dubai airport. In the viral video, a flydubai flight is seen wading through a waterlogged runway. As the camera pans to the other side, other vehicles are seen standard in water. Since being shared a day ago, the video has accumulated over 8.9 lakh views. The share has also collected several comments from people. Dig deeper

Global Matters

The White House has said that president Joe Biden is set to impose new sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone programs after Tehran attacked Israel on April 13. In what can be called a vague announcement, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke about the penalties amid bipartisan pressure to act. “Following Iran’s unprecedented air attack against Israel, President Biden is coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response. In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program as well as new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defense Ministry,” Sullivan said in a statement. Dig deeper

Entertainment Focus

AR Rahman recently called Taylor Swift a “case study” for musicians, and even said he'd compose anything she wants for a chance to collaborate with her. Ten years ago, in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Taylor also had high praise in store for the Grammy-winning Indian composer. “I have heard a lot about AR Rahman. I think he is a fantastic musician. His music touches the soul. I would love to hear him live in performance once," Taylor told Hindustan Times in a 2014 interview. She also expressed her desire to do a Bollywood movie then. “Indian cinema has a lot of music and dance, which excites me. I think Indians share a big passion for song and dance in the movies, which I love. It is a great way of connecting with the audience,” she had said. Dig deeper

Lifestyle and Health

Zendaya's sartorial journey throughout the Challengers movie press tour has been about delivering one ace look after another with her stylist, Law Roach. The duo never fail to serve internet-winning fashion moments, and today, as the Euphoria actor arrived for her film's premiere in Los Angeles, California, they proved the same again. Law dressed the actor in a pink and black Vera Wang custom corset gown for the event. See what the actor wore and how she styled the look inside. Zendaya's pictures and videos from the event made it to social media, showing the actor walking the black carpet at the Challengers movie premiere in Los Angeles and posing for the press photocall. Dig deeper

Sports Goings

Chasing Kolkata Knight Riders' improbable target of 224 in the first versus second clash of the Indian Premier League season 2024 on Tuesday, former champions Rajasthan Royals were 178/7 at the end of the 17th over. What was the equation? Sanju Samson's men needed 46 runs off the final 16 balls. Even though the asking rate was skyrocketing, the Knight Riders never considered themselves as the overwhelming favourites at Eden Gardens. Why? Because Jos Buttler was batting on 67 off 47 balls. Before RR squared off against KKR in the City of Joy, Buttler won his battle against Virat Kohli by smashing a brilliant century to ace the chase for Rajasthan against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Dig deeper

That’s all we have at this hour in our Morning briefing. Catch you in the afternoon