Will the Israel-Hamas conflict escalate into larger war? And an unfortunate death puts the stray dog menace back in the spotlight

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Market Watch

• Indian benchmark indices ended the day in the red, with the Sensex decreasing 825 points at 64,571 and the Nifty falling 260 points at 19,281.
• Sectorally, all the indices fell, with Nifty Media (-4.98%) and PSU Bank (-3.77%) shedding the most.

Where does the Israel-Hamas conflict stand 17 days into the war?

Israel's military has conducted limited ground raids into the Gaza Strip and is focusing airstrikes on sites where Palestinian militants are amassing for any broader Israeli invasion.

• Nir Barkat, Israel's Minister of Economy has warned that Iran's leaders will be 'wiped off the face of the earth' should Hezbollah, their proxy terror group in Lebanon, attack Israel.
• This comes after Hezbollah and the Israeli military repeatedly traded fire across Israel's northern border with Lebanon last week.

Will the conflict escalate into a regional war? Israel's main ally, the US, has warned Iran and its backers against any escalation after the Pentagon increased its military readiness in the region. 

Meanwhile, up to six Chinese warships have been reported in the Middle East over the past week, raising fears that this could escalate into a larger war.

• Although Russia and China haven't picked any sides in the conflict, both have been critical of Israel's attack on Gazan civilians and have strongly called for the 'two-state solution' to end the war.

Foreign aid is finally flowing in: Following the United States' request, Israel agreed to allow aid to enter Gaza through the Rafah border from Egypt-- the only gateway into Gaza not controlled by Tel Aviv.

• Although an "accidental" Israeli strike near the border, which injured Egyptian personnel, threatened this agreement, Israel quickly apologized and Egypt confirmed that the strike would not disrupt the passage of aid to Gaza.

Meanwhile, US Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has offered a solution to the crisis. He says, Israel's decision to strike all of Gaza is counterproductive and is not in the best interests of Israel, the US or the world.

• Instead, Ramaswamy advocates for a Munic Olympics-like targeted assassination of Hamas' leadership - something the US could help out with in terms of intelligence sharing. He says this is a more pragmatic and viable solution to the conflict. He explains from 09:55 onwards in the clip below.

Stray dog problem back to the limelight again after the death of Wagh Bakri scion Parag Desai

The death of Parag Desai, the Executive Director of Wagh Bakri Tea Group, due to a stray dog attack has brought the issue of stray dog menace back into the spotlight.

• Desai succumbed to a brain haemorrhage after suffering a fall while being attacked by stray dogs outside his residence.

A recurring problem: India has faced a series of stray dog attacks, leading to nearly 16 million stray dog bites reported between 2019 and 2022, averaging over 10,000 cases per day.

What they're saying: Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "We really need to have a pro-active policy in place to handle the stray dog menace - active stray animal shelters especially dogs, neutering them, their vaccinations etc."

• She also highlighted the challenges faced by NGOs working towards this cause due to lack of funds and inadequate prioritization by local governments.
• Deepak Shenoy, CEO and founder of Capitalmid, said, "We do need to address the stray dog menace in India. The fear is enough reason, even if it causes people to fall and hurt their head because they're getting attacked - the problem is pack dog behaviour. Need to take them off the streets - too many such incidents.”

The big picture: India's laws make it illegal to remove a dog from the streets, and those dogs cannot be driven away. The law mandates sterilization and vaccination but also allows the dogs to return to the streets, fostering the growth of the stray dog problem. 

• Moreover, the government's efforts, including the Animal Birth Control program and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, have been inadequate due to lack of funding, corruption, and poor coordination among agencies. 
• Animal activists emphasize addressing root causes, like implementing birth control programs and responsible feeding systems, rather than mass culling.

ICYMI

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India is likely to resume the issuance of visas to Canadians if progress is seen in ensuring the safety of Indian diplomats in Canada.
• The U.S. immigration authorities have proposed major changes to the H-1B visa program, which will significantly impact professionals, students, and startup founders, particularly those from India.
• Disney+ Hotstar has set a new global streaming viewership record during the India versus New Zealand Cricket World Cup 2023 match, peaking at 43 million concurrent viewers.
• Apple is developing a framework called “Ajax” to create large language models and a chatbot service called “Apple GPT.” 
• Elon Musk recently made an offer to donate $1 billion to Wikipedia, on the condition that they change their name to “Dickipedia” for at least one year.
• Disney is close to finalising a multibillion-dollar India deal with the Ambani group.