The Catch Up: 12 March

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain. Today is the 12th of March and here are the headlines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius PM Navin Chandra Ramgoolam announced an "enhanced strategic partnership" between their countries on Wednesday. India also pledged new projects worth 500 million Mauritian rupees (around Rs 100 crore), including building Mauritius' new Parliament building. Both nations agreed to conduct mutual trade in local currencies. Modi also outlined a vision for the Global South under the MAHASAGAR initiative, which focuses on mutual growth and security across regions, strengthening India-Mauritius ties in both trade and diplomacy. Opposition parties, including Congress and DMK, staged a protest in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday against a renewable energy project near the India-Pakistan border. Manish Tewari (Congress) raised concerns about national and energy security, arguing the project’s proximity to the border violates security protocols. According to Tewari, major infrastructure should be at least 10 km away from the border. Meanwhile, the Immigration and Foreigners Bill 2025 was introduced, aimed at modernizing India's immigration laws. Opposition parties called it unconstitutional and demanded its referral to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. Jio Platforms announced a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Wednesday to bring Starlink’s internet services to India. The partnership follows a similar announcement by Bharti Airtel and is contingent on SpaceX securing approval to operate in the country. Jio and SpaceX, historically at odds over satellite spectrum allocation, will move forward after the government opted for an administrative allocation. SpaceX has applied for security clearance with the Indian government, which is currently under review by the Home Ministry. Ukraine has proposed a 30-day ceasefire in its war with Russia, contingent on Moscow’s agreement. The announcement came after high-level talks in Saudi Arabia, where the United States declared it would lift its freeze on military aid to Ukraine. This marks a significant shift in efforts to pause the devastating conflict, which began in 2022 with Russia’s full-scale invasion. According to a joint statement from the White House and Kyiv, the temporary ceasefire could be extended if both sides agree to further terms. On Tuesday, separatist militants attacked the Jaffar Express, a passenger train in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, carrying 500 people. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility, stating they derailed the train, killed 30 security personnel, and took 214 passengers, including military personnel, hostage. According to Radio Pakistan, 27 militants were killed, and 155 passengers were rescued. The BLA issued a 48-hour ultimatum, demanding the release of Baloch political prisoners, threatening to execute the hostages if their demands are not met. This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by the Indian Express.