The editorial Page: For iran’s third republic, america is the defining question 10 WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2026 Journalism of Courage mumbai, late city, 20 pages ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com da i ly f R o m : a h m e da b a d , c h a n d i ga R h , d e l h i , j a i p u R , ko l k ata , l u c k n o w , m u m b a i , n ag p u R , pat n a , p u n e , va d o da R a reg.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 rNI regN. NO. 1543/57 Late night meeting with Fadnavis fuels buzz over NCP(SP)’s NDA shift Alok Deshpande Mumbai, July 14 Political sPeculation over sharad Pawar’s next move intensified late tuesday after senior leaders from both factions of the nationalist congress Party (ncP) held a closed door meeting with chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, just days after ncP (sP) leaders indicated that a section of the party favours joining the BJPled national Democratic alliance (nDa). sources informed the indian express that ncP (sP) 126 154 192 98 THE BIg PIcTUrE ‘Counsel, you are on mute’ The world of virTual courTs Page 13 statepresidentJayantPatilfirst met sharad Pawar at his south Mumbai residence, silver oak, before heading to meet Fadnavis later in the evening. ncP leaders sunil tatkare and Praful Patel, too, held a meeting with cM Fadnavis in the night. the meetings come against the backdrop of a rethink within the ncP (sP) over the party’spoliticaldirection.Party sources told the indian express that at least half of its 10 Mlas favour joining the ruling nDa, arguing that remaining in the opposition has made it »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 After nearly 2 decades, author Taslima Nasrin set for Kolkata return Ravik Bhattacharya TRUMP U-TURN: NO HORMUz TRANsIT fEE, wANT TRADE, INVEsTMENT DEAls INsTEAD Another Indian killed as Iran hits UAE tankers in Hormuz Vikas Pathak shubhajit Roy New Delhi, July 14 astheusandiransteppedup attacks and battled for control over the strait of hormuz, two uae-flaggedoiltankerswithindian seafarers came under fire from tehran on tuesday, leavingonedeadand10injured.the Ministry of external affairs (Mea) summoned the iranian Deputy chief of Mission and lodged a strong protest. business as usual By EP UNNY Kolkata, July 14 alMost tWo decades after she was forced to leave Kolkata following protests against her writing, Bangladesh-born author taslima nasrin is set to appear in a public event in the city on august 1. the programme at the city’s rabindra sadan cultural centre is being organised by three organisations: secular Mission, Paschimbonger Jonno (For West Bengal), and human rights Beyond Frontiers. the organisers said chief Minister »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Dashboard to monitor seafarers, liaison officers for families, says Govt MEA summons Iran’s deputy chief of mission, lodges protest AvesselattheStraitofHormuz seenfromOman,Tuesday. ReuteRs relATed repOrTS, pAgeS 9, 16 (Reuters adds: us President Donald trump stepped back from a proposal to charge a 20% transit fee to guard the strait, saying he would instead seek investment deals with gulf states. us forces carried »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Dheeraj Mishra New Delhi, July 14 Satluj Director: Do not abDuct Khalra again… let uS tell hiS Story Page 9 aDayafterTheIndianExpress reported that about 1.27 crore linenitemswerestolenfromac coaches of the indian railways over four years, railway Minister ashwini vaishnaw directed officials to come up with a reform to curb such theft. turning to top railway officialsatapressconferencetuesday on railways’ “52 reforms in 52 weeks” initiative, vaishnaw referred to The Indian Express MEGA E AUCTION Good people to grow with Don’t miss your chance Own Your Dream Property Date 23.07.2026 SCAN HERE TO KNOW MORE Indian Overseas Bank Invites you to participate in the Mega E-Auction of SARFAESI Secured Properties. @IOBIndia With another indian seafarerbeingkilledintheus-iran conflict,thecentreontuesday ordered a series of measures, including an operational dashboard to track every indian on everyvessel—regardlessofthe country it belongs to — and a dedicated liaison officer for every seafarer who is killed or injured, to act as the “single point of contact” for the affected family. the decisions were taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by sarbananda sonowal, union Minister of Ports, shipping and Waterways, soon afterthefreshattacksontwooil tankers with indian crew on tuesday. according to sources in the ministry, nine indian seafarers have died, one is presumed »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Tough measures on table as Railways seeks to curb linen theft in AC coaches IOB www.iob.bank.in New Delhi, July 14 1800 890 4445 | 1800 425 4445 +91 96777 11234 The Indian Express report on linen theft published Monday reportandsoughtatimelinefor the issue to be resolved. the officials responded by seeking two months to formalise a way to fix the issue. onMonday,TheIndianExpress reported that between January 2022, when bedroll services had fully resumed after thepandemic,andMay2026,at least 1.27 crore bedroll pieces were stolen from the ac coaches. a linen bedroll consists of two bedsheets, a blanket,apillow,apillowcover,and a face towel. the report was based on right to information (rti) »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Amid new US tariff plan, Govt prohibits import of goods made using forced labour Ravi Dutta Mishra New Delhi, July 14 thecoMMerceandindustry Ministryontuesdayprohibited the import of goods manufacturedusingforcedlabour,weeks after the united states trade representative (ustr) proposed 12.5 per cent tariffs on india linked to the issue. the us had launched two section 301 probes on india in March and subsequently proposedfreshtariffsonJune3after theoutcomeofitsfirstinvestigation found that india failed to “effectivelyenforce”aforcedlabour import prohibition, which had purportedly hurt us commerce. the outcome of the secondinvestigationrelatingtoexcesscapacityisyettobereleased. the Directorate general of Foreign trade (DgFt), in an E. ExplainEd global benchmark Experts say the notification on forced labour indicates India is tightening its domestic legal framework to match global benchmarks. The move could strengthen its position in trade negotiations and discussions on market access. orderdatedJuly13,hasinserted a new paragraph in the Foreign trade Policy (FtP) regarding “forcedlabour”,statingthatthe import of goods produced or manufactured, “wholly or in part”, through the use of forced labour is “prohibited”. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Worli concert death: FSL finds MDMA in samples Manish Kumar Pathak Mumbai July 14 Forensic investigation into the death of a 28-year-old law graduate after attending a technomusiceventatthensci DomeinWorliinJune,hasconfirmed the presence of MDMa andalcoholinhissamples.the findings by the Forensic science laboratory (Fsl) have prompted the tardeo police to widentheinvestigationtotrace the source of the contraband and identify those involved in supplying the drug. according to police, the deceased rushil gangurde attended the techno music event with a group of around eight »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Indian Express Limited is an Indian news media publishing company. It publishes several widely circulated dailies, including The Indian Express and The Financial Express in English, the Loksatta in Marathi and the Jansatta in Hindi.
