Bombs, borders, and blaming the Brits

Hey there,

Since I started writing this on Friday morning, the world has changed has quite a bit. Pakistan and Afghanistan are bombing each other. The US and Israel have launched an attack on Iran. Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP MPs who were jailed around the last Delhi elections have been given a clean chit making it quite obvious that it was BJP's tactic to win that election.

So quite naturally, I have very little to say here this week. I am going to take some time to read up on all these various conflicts and educate myself but the thing is I am not even sure what reliable sources are anymore. If there is one thing I took away from the chaos that has ensued since the DOJ started releasing the Epstein files, besides the fact that the rich will get away with anything, is that I don't know anything, including what to believe.

Haah! What a bright note to end this on. Anyway, one thing I know is that I am grateful for you all who show up week after week! Also, a big welcome to our 2 new DoorDesis. Get comfortable, this is going to be a bumpy ride. :)

So thanks!

Just the gist

🔗Airtickets now cater to your buyer's remorse

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revised the airfare refund norm that now includes a 48 hour refund period after purchase. Under the new rule you can cancel or modify your air tickets free of additional charges within 48 hours of booking provided that the planned trip is more than 7 days away from the purchase date.

The only 'extra' charge you might have to pay is the price difference between your current booking and the new ticket. You'd be shocked to know how much money I have lost in the past because of these rigid (non-) refund policies and my lack of attention to detail. Those post-midnight flights always confuse me about my travel date.

The new rule also states that there will be no fee for correcting the name of a passenger if an error is reported within 24 hours of booking. Also also, it mandates that airlines either offer refund or credits in case a passenger or a family member on the same PNR is hospitalised during the travel period.

➡️Almost wild to think that consumer protection is back in vogue again, slowly but surely. The IndiGo fiasco of 2025 was hopefully the wake-up call that government agencies needed to remember that consumers come before corporations.

🔗From Passport Raj to eVisa Raj

People with Indian passports (among others) are now required by the UK to get eVisas. Those with nationalities that are visa-exempt also need to get Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) now.

So you and your family will still need to visit visa application centres for biometrics but will no longer have to part ways with your passports and check your IndiaPost tracking ID daily hoping and praying that it comes back unharmed.

While this system was launched last year, physical documentation was still being accepted. No more, sir! Get on with the times, said the king. ;)

➡️ While I take major issue with countries that have colonised others in the past enforcing visa requirements on their previous colonies ("I can come and suck you dry of your resources but you must jump through hoops to see what we did with your wealth"), this new ruling feels a little equitable. Even the US, France, The Netherlands, among 82 other countries have to get it.

🔗Peace is just a word

So you wanna hear the joke of the week? India and Israel elevated their ties to a “Special Strategic Partnership for PEACE, Innovation and Prosperity”. Hypocrisy ki bhi seema hoti hai. Who said that? ;)

Yep, so after the Non-Aligned Movement, after being the first non-Arab nation to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1974 and the state of Palestine in 1988, after its own colonial past, India has entered into a strategic partnership with Israel for peace.

The very eloquent Netanyahu whose eloquence is most apparent when he is warmongering eloquently said, "This is an amazing visit, an amazing conclusion to an amazing visit." -_-

Now, putting my rant aside for a second, the main focus of the meeting between with the leaders of the two countries was 'technological' partnership which includes areas such as AI, cyber security, innovation research, and startups. Overall there were 27 outcomes and 17 pacts in the areas mentioned above. This will lead to investment in areas such as agriculture, technology, and security for both parties. The good thing to come out of it is you can now pay with UPI on your next trip to Israel. #priorities

➡️ Israel's spyware Pegasus was used to spy on multiple prominent people around the globe from leaders of opposition, journalists, civil society actors, state leaders, and more. Also, AI has been reportedly used in many countries to squash human rights, including by Israel in the Gaza Strip and in India for surveillance. I am mentioning this here because this Strategic Partnership between the two countries especially with a focus on AI and technology should not be seen in isolation of how these two countries have used said technology to repress people.

🔗 EU extends welcome mat but don't tell their voters

Speaking of bi- or rather multi-lateral ties, the European Union inaugurated the first-ever European Legal Gateway Office in New Delhi. This is the first of its kind and will facilitate "safe, legal, and well-informed migration and mobility from India to EU Member States in the ICT sector".

It will provide students, ICT professionals, and researchers with reliable information and support regarding migration requirements across all of the 27 EU Member States. This initiative will also include a digital tool that will be a one stop shop for information on work, study, and research mobility opportunities

This comes at a time when anti-immigration sentiment is on the rise in most European countries. As economic hardships increase courtesy inflation, global instability, climate crisis, more and more people are looking at immigrants to blame, including several political parties across Europe. And at the same time EU is looking to strengthen its competitiveness by giving European company access to a larger talent pool by means of connecting Indian ICT talent with EU employers and higher education institutions. Colour me confused.

➡️ Moving to Europe may have just gotten easier for Indians. But this also comes at the cost of brain drain that India has been facing for decades now. While India is by no means the worst affected it is not an issue that has gone unnoticed with the Indian government announcing new schemes to encourage high skilled NRIs to return home.

In the neighbourhood

🔗 A simmering war

Pakistan and Afghanistan are in an 'open war' as described by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Hours after Kabul launched an 'offensive' attack on Pakistani forces along the Durand Line early Friday morning, Pakistan retaliated by bombing Kabul and two other Afghan provinces. The escalation follows Pakistani airstrikes last Sunday along the Afghan border where they claim to have targeted camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) but Afghanistan says that the strike hit civilians. Whatever the cause, the two countries are now staring down the barrel of each other's guns.

TTP is a militant group that Pakistan claims operates against Pakistan from Afghan soil. They have been linked to several bombings in Pakistan and were the ones who shot Malala Yousafzai in 2012.

A major part of the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan can be traced all the way back to the British rulers in India who established the Durand Line effectively splitting Pashtun territory into two - one that is still in Afghanistan and one that is now in Pakistan. Afghanistan refuses to recognise the Durand Line as an international border and wishes to reunite all Pashtun land under Afghanistan.

This is a developing story that I hope ends here and with bilateral talks because the brunt of war is borne most heavily by civilians.

➡️ Any of this sound familiar? Brits came, Brits divided, Brits left, people fought. The story of most of the world. So when in doubt, blame the Brits.

👋 That's all for this week. If you are reading this then here, 💌, take my heart because you deserve it.

Take care and see you next week!

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