New Delhi, Jan 5: When India reached a free-trade agreement with New Zealand in a record time of nine months towards the end of December, this was a clear signal of New Delhi’s plan to diversify the country’s exports away from the US and this approach is expected to gather pace going ahead, according to an article in the South China Morning Post.

The article highlights that ever since US President Donald Trump imposed penal import tariffs of 50 per cent on India last year, New Delhi has maintained a resolute approach to the punitive levies, even as it has kept the door open to negotiations.

The article points out that the trade deal with New Zealand last month was the third such deal that came close on the heels of the free trade agreements with the United Kingdom and Oman.

The US is India’s largest export market, receiving about 18 per cent of its total goods exports, including items such as garments and leather products, with a vast diaspora readily snapping up products shipped from their homeland.

While it remains unclear whether the two countries can negotiate a trade deal given India’s firm position on opening sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy to US products, experts are sceptical that Washington will significantly roll back its tariffs, the article states.

However, it observes that India is not putting all its eggs in the US basket and is actively seeking free trade pacts with other countries to diversify its export markets amid the uncertainty created by the Trump administration.

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has already said that India’s effort to diversify trade across geographies and sectors is paying off. There is positive export momentum that is likely to consolidate in the coming months.

The article also highlights that India’s exports in 2025 showed strong resilience and growth, reaching a record US$825.25 billion in the financial year 2024-25. The robust growth has continued into the current financial year, with exports in the April to November period rising 5.43 per cent to US$562.13 billion.

Mumbai: A horrifying case has surfaced in Mumbai’s Mira Bhayandar under Valiv police station limits, where a 15-year-old girl fell victim to abduction, forcible religious conversion and sexual assault by a local youth, officials said on Monday.

The accused has been identified as Javed.

The two developed a friendship in their neighbourhood. Javed exploited the friendship by secretly recording her explicit photos and videos, then blackmailing her into accompanying him to Madhya Pradesh.

After the minor was taken to Madhya Pradesh, she was kept there for six months, during which she faced relentless abuse, officials said.

Javed escalated the horror by creating a fake Instagram profile using the girl’s name and photos, posting a rate card for her services per night to auction her online, they added.

According to the information received, Javed also forced her to convert to Islam and attempted to make her eat beef, compounding the trauma for the minor whose father had passed away recently.

She somehow managed to escape from the single room in Madhya Pradesh and came back home to Mumbai.

Following this, she narrated the months of abuse to her family members, who then filed an FIR at the Valiv police station.

Despite the girl filing an FIR at Valiv police station, Javed remains at large.

The victim has said that this has left her terrified as the police have failed to arrest him, and she fears for her life.

Terrified, the victim is now writing a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking urgent intervention in the case.

The police said that they are investigating the case and searching for the accused.

Further details are awaited.

This incident comes at a time when Maharashtra has experienced a continuous, well-planned campaign by Hindutva groups aimed at compelling the state government to implement a strict anti-conversion law, commonly referred to as an ‘anti-love jihad’ law.

Mumbai, Jan 5: As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled for January 15 draw closer, the political contest for Mumbai has sharply intensified.

The Thackeray cousins — Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray — on Sunday released a joint Vachan Nama (manifesto), signalling a rare show of unity. In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled an “Aarop Patra” (charge sheet), alleging large-scale corruption during the Thackeray-led administration’s 25-year control of the BMC.

The Thackeray camp has framed the election around a “Save Democracy” narrative, alleging “vote theft” through unopposed victories and appealing to the idealism of young voters. In contrast, the BJP has launched digital “Aarop” campaigns portraying the existing BMC structure as outdated and corrupt, arguing that it obstructs Mumbai’s transformation into a “Global City” that the youth aspire to.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), along with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), have presented a unified vision for Mumbai under the slogan “Shabd Thackerencha” (word of the Thackerays).

Their manifesto includes a range of welfare promises such as the Swabhiman Nidhi — a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 for domestic workers and Koli women — construction of one lakh affordable homes within five years, the creation of a dedicated BMC Housing Authority, 100 units of free electricity for residential users through BEST, subsidised meals at Rs 10 for breakfast and lunch, reduction of minimum bus fare to Rs 5, employment allowance and interest-free loans for gig workers, and the establishment of five new medical colleges.

The Vachan Nama also explicitly calls for a “Marathi Mayor” and asserts that Mumbai’s land should primarily be reserved for “Mumbaikars.”

Meanwhile, the BJP’s Aarop Patra alleges a corruption scam amounting to Rs 3 lakh crore over the past 25 years of Thackeray-led governance in the BMC. The party claimed that despite spending Rs 21,000 crore on road construction over a decade, Mumbai continues to suffer from severe pothole issues.

The BJP further alleged irregularities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the so-called “Body Bag Scam,” where body bags were allegedly procured at Rs 6,721 each despite costing around Rs 1,500, and discrepancies in oxygen plant installations worth Rs 320 crore. It also claimed that approximately 1,700 bar and restaurant owners were subjected to extortion during the Maha Vikas Aghadi tenure.

The BJP accused the Thackeray camp of insincere commitment to the Marathi language, citing a 70 per cent decline in Marathi-medium students and the closure of 114 BMC-run Marathi schools.

While the Thackeray cousins emphasise “Marathi pride,” the BJP maintains that major infrastructure projects such as the Coastal Road and Mumbai Metro were completed only due to the efforts of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Centre.

Political observers note that the Thackerays try to build a combined appeal of “social security” and “identity.” By promising a Marathi Mayor and asserting Mumbaikar rights over land, they aim to consolidate the traditional nativist vote that weakened after the Shiv Sena split.

The reunion of Thackerays has also created a strong visual and emotional impact, projecting a “united family” image intended to counter the BJP’s organisational strength. Welfare promises, including free electricity and subsidised meals, are seen as key strategies to attract slum dwellers and chawl residents.

Observers argue that the BJP’s charge sheet strategy is designed to focus on “performance and accountability,” targeting the tax-paying middle class by alleging misuse of public funds under the previous regime. The party is positioning itself as the only force capable of modernising Mumbai, highlighting the rapid execution of infrastructure projects under the current Mahayuti government while contrasting them with what it describes as “25 years of failure.”