Good morning,

Eight decades after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose disappeared, presumed dead in an air crash in Taihoku (Taipei, Taiwan) in 1945, his daughter, Anita Bose Pfaff, appeared before the Supreme Court on Thursday in “support” of a petition seeking the return to India of his mortal remains. His remains are believed to have been preserved at the Renko-ji temple in Tokyo. While the bench declined to entertain the plea filed by Netaji’s grandnephew, it said Pfaff, who is Netaji’s sole heir, should “step forward” and file a petition herself. With the bench not inclined to entertain the plea, Senior Advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Pfaff, sought permission to withdraw it, with liberty to return with a fresh petition. The court agreed to the request.

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

🚨 Big Story

‘Serious situation’: In his first conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian since the start of the war in West Asia on February 28, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure”. Modi, over a post on X, said he “urged for dialogue and diplomacy” and “reiterated India’s commitment to peace and stability”. He also flagged the security of Indian nationals and the movement of maritime traffic as India-bound fuel ships remain stuck in the Persian Gulf after Tehran closed the key Strait of Hormuz.

Work in progress: Delhi is currently in talks with Tehran to let India-bound fuel ships transit the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has significantly impacted LPG imports in the country. The spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, informed that EAM S Jaishankar and Iran’s Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi had three conversations in the past few days.”The last one discussed issues pertaining to safety of shipping and India’s energy security. Beyond that, it would be premature for me to say anything,” Jaiswal said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in his first message, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba, has ordered all US bases to be “immediately closed in the region.” He said that the Strait of Hormuz will continue to remain closed to pressure Iran’s enemies. Asserting that “Tehran will seek compensation from enemies,” he said that the country will also “avenge” the killings of citizens in war. Mojtaba was formally elected after his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israel joint strikes on Tehran on February 28.

⚡ Only in Express

“In a situation where the stakes are high, sovereign states may have to step in to indemnify parties not just against loss of life and assets, but also against environmental damage.”

Before the war in West Asia, a fifth of the world’s oil and gas demand passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime traffic was halted two weeks ago, with the flow of oil and gas slowing down to a trickle. The International Energy Agency has flagged it as the “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market”. Considering the significance of the Strait, a solution will have to be found soon, even if it arrives at a high cost, said Ajay Singh, an energy expert and shipping industry executive from Tokyo. In an interview with Anil Sasi, Singh said that none of the world’s major economies can tolerate an indefinite closure of the passage.

📰 From the Front Page

From Delhi to Bengaluru: A war being fought thousands of kilometres away from India, in the deserts and straits of West Asia, had just arrived at food stalls across the country. The blocking of the Strait of Hormuz has sent shockwaves rippling through India’s supply chains with a speed and intimacy that few anticipated. While restaurants across the country have shuttered or retreated to skeletal menus, in the back lanes and food courts of Indian cities, a black market in cooking gas has quietly taken hold. The Indian Express spoke to Indian restaurant owners, who revealed that the black market is now the only viable route to procurement – at prices that are frequently more than double the regulated rate.

Amid growing concerns over LPG supplies in India, the government is activating alternate fuel options such as kerosene, fuel oil, biomass and even coal to ease pressure on LPG for commercial users. The Centre has also decided to allocate for commercial use 20% of the average monthly commercial LPG requirement. Noting that bookings for LPG cylinders have shot up multifold due to misinformation and concern, the government also appealed to consumers to not fall prey to panic and avoid rush-booking of cylinders.

Lapse: The Centre has initiated an inquiry into the security lapse in the attack on Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday night, when a 63-year-old man, Kamal Singh Jamwal, armed with a loaded revolver, walked right up to the former chief minister at a wedding function and opened fire. Even though Abdullah escaped, a senior police officer admitted “a security lapse to some extent in respect to the CPT (close protection) and the person (carrying the gun)”. While police have ruled out any terror angle, officers said they will probe for any “deep-rooted conspiracy”.

📌 Must Read

Surplus: The US launched an investigation on Wednesday under Section 301 (b) of the Trade Act of 1974 into 16 countries, including India and China, citing structural excess capacity and over-production in specific manufacturing sectors. This is the first such probe launched by the Trump administration after the US Supreme Court declared his reciprocal tariffs as illegal in February this year. The Section 301 Committee will convene public hearings on May 5, which means that fresh tariffs could be imposed on India and other countries after May. Targeting India, the US Trade Representative said India had a trade surplus of $58 billion with the US in 2025, within sectors including textiles, health, construction goods, and automotive goods.

In our Opinion section today, Sanjaya Baru sheds light on the strategic relevance of India’s policy of self-reliance (atmanirbharta) amid increasing weaponization of trade by the United States. He suggests that this policy needs to stand up to the challenge of neo-imperialism posed by Trump’s aggressive moves. Baru writes: “While Prime Minister Modi seems to have adopted Indira Gandhi as his role model on a range of policy issues and in his style of prime ministerial governance, he has not yet acquired her sense of personal courage and confidence to stand up to such external bullying. Standing up to Pakistan is okay. But she stood up to the Big Powers.”

⏳ And Finally…

Near future of Indian cricket: As India lines up to play more ODIs than it was originally scheduled in the Future Tours Programme, the presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as mascots could lead to fixture congestion for the team over the next 12 months. Post the Indian Premier League, the team will once again face a packed schedule. “Playing more ODIs will also help India with an eye on the September-October 2027 World Cup in South Africa, played under conditions that will need adapting. Although the T20 team has been unbeatable, in ODIs India are still not a rounded outfit. It lacks balance, and their recent series defeat against New Zealand at home proved to be a reality check,” Venkata Krishna B writes.

🎧 Lastly, tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the impact of LPG shortage on eateries across multiple Indian states, the country’s very first case of passive euthanasia, and a new oil refinery in the US with a unique India connection.

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

Until next time,
Ariba