Morning Digest: India warns against ‘double standards’ over Russian oil; PAC calls for Aadhaar review, flagging high failure rate of biometric verification; and more-OxBig News Network

India warns against ‘double standards’ over Russian oil

India has cautioned against “double standards”, even as U.S. lawmakers consider a Bill that would impose 500% duties on India and other countries buying Russian oil.

PAC calls for Aadhaar review, flags high failure rate of biometric verification

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has called for a review of the functioning of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), flagging several concerns, including the high rate of failure of Aadhaar biometric verification which can lead to many beneficiaries being excluded from social welfare schemes.

Supreme Court backs ST woman’s heirs in property rights case

The Supreme Court on Thursday (July 17, 2025) upheld the right of the legal heirs of a Scheduled Tribe woman to an equal share in their maternal grandfather’s ancestral property.

AAIB urges public, media to avoid ‘premature narratives’ on Air India plane crash

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has issued an appeal to the public and the media “to refrain from spreading premature narratives” about the Air India crash of June 12 and even targeted international media for “selective and unverified reporting”.

‘No association’ with Satyajit Ray: Bangladesh on house in Mymensingh that is being demolished

Bangladesh on Thursday (July 17, 2025) said that a house in Mymensingh district that is being demolished due to “dilapidated, risky and unusable” structure has “no association” with eminent filmmaker and author Satyajit Ray.

U.S. designates The Resistance Front responsible for Pahalgam attack as terrorist organisation

In a significant development, the U.S. has designated The Resistance Front, a proxy of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that was behind the Pahalgam attack, as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Custody row: Supreme Court directs Centre to issue LOC against Russian wife, child on Indian man’s plea

The Supreme Court on Thursday (July 17, 2025) directed senior Delhi Police officials to immediately trace a child of a Russian mother and an Indian father while asking the Centre to issue a look-out notice about the woman and the minor to ensure she did not leave the country.

A day after Gopalganj clashes, India reiterates call for Bangladesh election ‘with everybody in its fold’

India on Thursday (July 17, 2025) reiterated that the next election of Bangladesh should be “inclusive” and have “everybody in its fold”. 

Trump will not recommend special prosecutor in Epstein case

President Donald Trump will not recommend appointing a special prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein case, his press secretary said on Thursday (July 17, 2025), amid pressure from some of his supporters and renewed public scrutiny on the convicted sex offender’s connections to powerful figures.

Ons Jabeur announces break from tennis ‘to rediscover joy of living’

Ons Jabeur is taking a hiatus from the women’s tennis tour, with the three-time major runner-up saying on Thursday (July 17, 2025) she wants to “rediscover the joy of simply living.”