What happened
A vehicle blast close to Delhi’s Red Fort landmark has left at least eight people dead and about 20 others injured, according to local authorities. The explosion occurred early yesterday evening when a small car stopped at a traffic signal near a metro station in the busy old city district. The shockwave damaged nearby vehicles and caused panic among commuters in the historic area, which attracts a large number of visitors daily.

Who said what
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended condolences to the families of those killed, while Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called the news “extremely heart-breaking”. Police are investigating the cause of the explosion and are “exploring all possibilities”, Delhi City police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi told the BBC.

The vehicle involved in the blast appears to have been owned by numerous people. “Fictitious IDs” used in its purchase have “raised eyebrows”, said Raj Shekhar Jha in The Times of India. This is a “preferred modus operandi of terrorist groups”.

What next?
Authorities have increased security in neighbouring regions, including Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh. Senior officials are expected to meet today to review the initial findings of the investigation and coordinate further action.

What happened
The International Olympic Committee is poised to ban transgender women from participating in female competitions following a study presented to it during a speech by medical and scientific director Dr Jane Thornton.

Who said what
Sources told The Times the presentation by Thornton, a former Canadian Olympic rower, stated that “scientific evidence showed there were physical advantages to being born male that remained with athletes, including those who had taken treatment to reduce testosterone levels”.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said in January that “protecting the female category and female sports is paramount – it’s a priority that we collectively come together”.

Donald Trump announced in February that he would “deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the US while identifying as women athletes to try and get into the games” in Los Angeles in 2028.

What next?
The IOC could announce its new policy at the IOC session to be held prior to the Milan-Cortina winter Olympics in early February, said The Times.

Starbucks is selling a majority stake in its business in China after its popularity waned in the East Asian nation.

Yet as the US chain has struggled in recent years, China’s coffee consumption has been “increasing by double-digits annually”, said the South China Morning Post, and it now has a 300 billion yuan (£32 billion) industry. So what gives?

Starbucks opened its first outlet in China nearly 30 years ago. There was “much fanfare”, said CNN, including a “troupe” performing a traditional “golden lion” dance and “eager customers” sampling cappuccinos.

The arrival of the US brand “helped spur the rise of a thriving coffee culture among the middle class” in a country that traditionally drank tea and, by 2017, the giant was opening a new outlet every 15 hours in China.

But “dozens” of domestic chains have “exploded on to the scene” in recent years, offering coffee at “steep discounts”.

Last year Luckin Coffee opened its 20,000th store in China having “doubled its footprint in a single year”, said marketing news site Campaign. “The message is clear”: the nation’s “coffee game” is being “rewritten by local players”.

Chinese brands are “constantly dropping seasonal specials with local ingredients, herbs, superfoods, the works”, Roolee Lu, food and drink category director at Mintel China, told the outlet. There are “lattes drizzled with pork sauce” or “spiked” with Chinese alcohol, said NBC News.

So although tea has “long been the drink of choice” for Chinese people, a “coffee culture has boomed”, added the South China Morning Post.