Episodes
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First, Indian Express’ Sukrita Baruah informs us about the ongoing tensions in Manipur and recounts the events of the state's first day of polling.
Next, Indian Express’ Amit Kamath discusses the achievement of 17-year-old Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh, who has become the youngest ever to win the prestigious candidate tournament. This tournament is held to determine who will challenge the reigning World Chess Champion (12:10).
And in the end, discuss the Election Commission’s notice issued to the Shiv Sena (UBT) regarding its new theme song and examine Uddhav Thackeray's response to this development (23:48).
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This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 22nd of April and here are today's headlines.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh today, said the lives of Muslim women have been secured with “Modi making a law against triple talaq”. Talking about the increase in Haj quota, he also mentioned that he requested the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia to increase the Haj quota for the “Muslim brothers and sisters”. The PM also accused the Congress and Samajwadi Party of practising “appeasement politics” and “never doing anything for the political, social and economic upliftment of Muslims”.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today wrote to Tihar Jail authorities alleging that he was not being administered insulin despite flagging his peaking sugar levels. He accused the prison authorities of lying over the issue under “political pressure”. Referring to newspaper reports, the AAP national convenor wrote he was “pained” that the prison authorities had made “false and misleading statements” regarding his health.
A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday cancelled the illegal recruitment of 23,753 teachers and non-teaching staff by the 2016 School Service Commission , ordering them to return their salaries with interest. The court also ordered fresh recruitment against the posts within 15 days. Terming the verdict “illegal”, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to appeal against it. The bench observed that the OMR sheets of Group C, Group D, Class IX and X were manipulated in 2016, making all the recruitments illegal.
Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge while speaking at The Indian Express Idea Exchange said that Narendra Modi is the first PM who exaggerates so much. Stating that INDIA alliance will come back with strong numbers and defeat the BJP, Kharge added that it’s not the Opposition but the people who want change. He said, quote, "The BJP’s nervousness is evident from the fact that its leaders are campaigning intensely in every gully compared to the past when they would hold just two or three meetings in a district. Modiji is nervous himself." Unquote.
D Gukesh, the 17-year-old from Chennai who was the second youngest player ever to compete at the prestigious Candidates tournament, has become the youngest ever winner of the event. It will also make him the youngest ever to compete at the World Chess Championship. This comes after his draw against Hikaru Nakamura in the final round of the Candidates chess tournament. He became India’s youngest grandmaster ever at the age of 12 years, seven months, 17 days and overhauled the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as the country’s top ranked player for the first time after 36 years last year.
This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express. -
Missing episodes?
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First, Indian Express’ Adrija Roychowdury tells us about India's first ever elections that happened over 72 years back. She also talks about how western media and publications described India's first experiment of democracy.
Next, Indian Express’ Jayprakash S. Naidu explains what happened in Bastar last week when 29 alleged Maoists were killed in an encounter by the security forces and how the timing of this encounter is of key importance. (14:30)
And finally, we discuss the Maldives' parliamentary elections and why they are of significance to India. (22:46)
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Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda
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This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 19th of April and here are the top stories of the week.
The first phase of the Lok Sabha elections are underway with voters in 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states casting their ballot to elect the new government. The 18th Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases, between April 19th 19 and 4th June, involving close to 97 crore voters. The results will be declared on the 4th of June, twelve days before the term of the current House expires.
A Delhi Court today extended Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s judicial custody on Monday, till 23rd of April in connection with the excise policy case. The Enforcement Directorate had sought a 14-day extension of the Delhi CM’s custody. He will now be produced in court with co-accused K Kavitha on the next date. In more news, the Supreme Court today sought the ED’s response in a plea filed by Kejriwal against his arrest in the same case. Also, former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody has been extended till 26th of April.
The two men who fired shots outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra area early Sunday, took several precautions to evade the police, including disposal of phones and use of multiple travel modes. The Mumbai Police personnel, arrested them from inside a temple in Gujarat on Monday with the help of human and technical intelligence. The duo, belonging to Champaran in Bihar, were allegedly working on the directions of Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of the jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who had claimed responsibility for the firing soon after the incident.
The lone woman crew member from Kerala, who was among 17 Indians on board Israeli-affiliated container ship seized by Iran’s military near the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman, returned to Kerala on Thursday. She was received by the Regional Passport Officer at the airport. The Ministry of External Affairs said, quote, “With the concerted efforts of the Indian Mission in Tehran and the Iranian government, Indian deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph from Kerala’s Thrissur, who was among the Indian crew members of container vessel MSC Aries, has landed safely at the Cochin International Airport today afternoon.” Unquote.
This week, the United Arab Emirates struggled to recover from the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation on Tuesday, as its main airport worked to restore normal operations even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and roads. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, allowed global carriers on Thursday morning to again fly into Terminal 1 at the airfield.
This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express. -
What are the biggest narratives dominating these polls? What is at stake for the BJP and the opposition parties? And how do these polls differ from the ones we witnessed in 2019? To answer these questions and more, veteran journalist and contributing editor for The Indian Express, Neerja Chowdhury, joins us.
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This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 18th of April and here are today's headlines.
The first phase of the Lok Sabha elections will kickstart tomorrow with voters in 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states slated to cast their ballot to elect the new government. The 18th Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases, between April 19th 19 and 4th June, involving close to 97 crore voters. The results will be declared on the 4th of June, twelve days before the term of the current House expires.
The Election Commission of India informed the Supreme Court today that the manufacturer of the electronic voting machines does not know which button is going to be allotted to which political party or which machine is going to be allotted to which state or constituency. A senior official of the commission also informed the bench that the voting unit comprises a ballot unit, control unit and a VVPAT unit, which is basically a printer.
Former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody has been extended till 26th of April 26 in the money laundering case related to the now scrapped excise policy. Sisodia had moved an interim bail application before the Rouse Avenue Court earlier citing campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Enforcement Directorate had then told the apex court that it would conclude the trial in the next six to eight months. Almost six months have passed, but the charges have still not been framed against him in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case.
A school run by a missionary congregation in Telangana was vandalised by a group of villagers of another community after some students wearing saffron-coloured religious attire were allegedly told that their parents had to seek prior permission if they wanted to come to school without wearing uniforms. The video of the subsequent vandalism by a mob of saffron-clad villagers shouting ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogans is being widely shared on social media. According to the police, the students were observing ‘Hanuman deeksha’, a penance for 41 days.
The Enforcement Directorate said today it has provisionally attached properties worth Rs 97.79 crore belonging to businessman and actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband, Raj Kundra, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the Bitcoin investment fraud case. ED’s investigation revealed that Kundra received 285 Bitcoins from the mastermind and promoter of the Gain Bitcoin Ponzi Scam Amit Bhardwaj for setting up a Bitcoin mining farm in Ukraine.
This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express. -
First, Indian Express’ Deputy Editor Liz Mathew tells us on why the BJP is concerned about achieving the goal of winning 400 seats, what it plans to do in its third term, and what concerns voters have right now.
Next, Indian Express’ Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy explains what has caused the latest tensions between Iran and Israel, and why India is concerned about it. (13:24)
And finally, we discuss the unprecedented rainfall witnessed in the UAE, and what might have caused it. (21:18)
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Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar -
The headlines this evening from The Indian Express.
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How much has the BJP veered away from the Vajpayee style of governing? Could you really have called Vajpayee a moderate and LK Advani, a hardliner? And what can be learned from the sense of unity in the BJP? In this episode, Sandip talks to political scientist Dr Vinay Sitapati about his latest book, Jugalbandi: The BJP before Modi, in which he deals with these questions, and writes about the movement which led to Vajpayee and Advani coming to power.
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar. -
This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 16th of April and here are today's headlines.
Stating that the court will not let them “off the hook” at this stage, the Supreme Court today gave one week’s time to Yoga guru Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna to tender a public apology in a case against the company for publishing “misleading adverstisements”, claiming cure for some diseases and criticising the allopathy branch of medicines. The bench said, quote, "You are doing good work but you can’t degrade allopathy." Unquote.
At least six people, including two minors, have drowned while two others are under treatment after a boat they were taking to cross the river Jhelum this morning capsized. The children were on their way to school. Water levels in the Jhelum have risen post incessant rains over the last three days. While it is unclear how many children are still missing, two are admitted at Srinagar’s SMHS hospital.
The two suspects, arrested from Gujarat in connection with the shooting outside actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence on Sunday, have been remanded to police custody till 25th of April. Identified as Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, the two men were arrested from Bhuj in Gujarat where they had escaped after the incident. They belong to Champaran in Bihar.
Cricketer Hardik Pandya’s comeback to the Indian team for the T20 world cup might well depend on how well and how often he bowls in the remainder of the IPL. In a meeting between India head coach Rahul Dravid, chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai last week, it’s understood that a decision was taken that Hardik has to bowl regularly if he wants to make a comeback. The Indian Express understands that the major part of the discussion in the two-hour meeting was about the seam bowling all-rounder which the team is looking for in the USA and West Indies, which will host the world cup.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has postponed his visit to India this week in view of the evolving situation in West Asia following escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran. The senior Biden administration official was scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on the progress in implementation of the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies besides other issues. It was the second time this year that Sullivan has postponed his trip to India.
This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express. -
First, we talk to Indian Express’ Mohamed Thaver, about why the Anti Corruption Bureaus have been left toothless after the amendments made to the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Second, Indian Express' Divya A joins us to talk about the Lalit Kala Akademi and why the Ministry of Culture has curtailed the powers of the Akademi's Chairman, V Nagdas. (11:51)
Lastly, we discuss the details of the issues PM Modi addressed in his recent interview. (21:40)
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Written and Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda
Edited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar -
This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 15th of April and here are today's headlines.
A Delhi Court today extended Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s judicial custody till 23rd of April in connection with the excise policy case. The Enforcement Directorate had sought a 14-day extension of the Delhi CM’s custody. He will now be produced in court with co-accused K Kavitha on the next date. In more news, the Supreme Court today sought the ED’s response in a plea filed by Kejriwal against his arrest in the same case. The court asked for the response to be filed on or before 24th of April and a rejoinder by 27th of April. The court will hear the matter on 29th of April 29.
One of the suspects allegedly involved in shooting outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai on Sunday was arrested in a case of motorbike theft for the first time in 2020 and sent to Tihar jail. Vishal alias Kalu, associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was one of the two suspects on a motorcycle who fired five rounds at Salman’s residence. He is allegedly working for gangster Rohit Godara and along with his two associates, reportedly killed a Gurgaon-based bookie on 2nd of March.
Wholesale inflation in the country rose marginally to 0.53 per cent in March compared to 0.20 per cent in the preceding month due to increase in prices of vegetables, potato, onion and crude oil. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was in the negative zone from April to October and had turned positive in November at 0.26 per cent. The inflation in March 2023 was 1.41 per cent.
Iran will permit Indian authorities to meet with the 17 Indian crew members onboard the Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel MSC Aries, seized by the Iranian military near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs. This came during the telephonic call between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday in the aftermath of Iran’s attack on Israel. During the call, Jaishankar urged for the release of the Indians aboard the ship. The seizure of the ‘MSC Aries’ by the Special Naval Forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps reportedly occurred due to the vessel’s alleged connections with Israel.
The India Meteorological Department today said the rainfall is likely to be 106 per cent of normal this monsoon season. The cumulative rainfall is estimated at 106 per cent of the long-period average of 87 cm, according to IMD. IMD also said that above-normal rainfall is expected in most parts of India, except in some regions of northwest, east and northeastern states.
This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express. -
With four days remaining until the Lok Sabha polls begin, we are joined by The Indian Express’ Chief of National Political Bureau Manoj CG to discuss the Congress party’s preparations for the polls, the challenges it faces, and the reasons behind its delay in announcing a candidate from Amethi.
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This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 12th of April and here are the top stories of the week.
The Delhi High Court dismissed a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam on Tuesday. Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud the next day said he will look “immediately” into the request to take up Kejriwal’s plea challenging his ED arrest. Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha, who is accused of allegedly paying Rs 100 crore to Aam Aadmi Party leaders in return for liquor licences in the Capital.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will not accept the “unconditional and unqualified” apology tendered by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna. The apology was tendered in response to the contempt of court notices issued by the court in a case in which they had been sued by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for allegedly publishing misleading advertisements, claiming cure for some diseases and criticising the allopathy branch of medicines.
A 25-year-old Indian student named Mohammed Abdul Arfath, who went missing last month, has been found dead in Cleveland, Ohio late on Monday, weeks after the Indian Consulate in the US said it was working with law enforcement authorities to find him. The Consulate General of India in New York expressed deepest condolences to Arfath’s family in a poston X. It added that it was in touch with local agencies to ensure a thorough investigation into the student’s death.
A total solar eclipse, which is a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event for most people, swept across North America Monday night. The eclipse began at 9.13 PM IST on Monday, April 8 and continued till 2.22 AM IST on Tuesday, April 9. Although Indians were not able to watch the eclipse this time, they will be able to view the next one on March 20, 2034.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has raised the issue of the killing of a Khalistani Sikh separatist on the country’s soil last year and asserted that his government stood up to defend the rights and freedoms of all Canadians. Trudeau, who was testifying at a high-profile public inquiry looking into foreign interference in Canada’s electoral process on Wednesday, also alleged that the previous government was “cosy” with the Indian government.
This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express. -
First, Indian Express’ Anonna Dutt discusses the new line of diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy that have taken the world by storm. She explains how these drugs work, the extent to which they actually reduce weight, and their potential side effects.
Next, Indian Express’ Damini Nath informs us about the concerns raised regarding VVPATs and how the Election Commission responded to them (11:15).
Lastly, Indian Express’ Apurva Vishwanath tells us about BRS MLA K Kavitha, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, being arrested by the CBI (17:10).
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Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar -
This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 11th of April and here are today's headlines.
The Central Bureau of Investigation today arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha, who is accused of allegedly paying Rs 100 crore to Aam Aadmi Party leaders in return for liquor licences in the Capital. She is currently under the Enforcement Directorate’s custody at Tihar jail over the matter. This comes days after a Delhi court had given permission to the central probe agency to interrogate her. She was arrested from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on 15th of March.
Addressing an election rally in Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra today sought to draw a contrast between his “strong government”, which he said brought safety and security to the country, and previous “weak and unstable” governments. Targeting the Congress, he said that for the party’s leaders, their families always came first. He also repeated his criticism of the Opposition party for declining the invitation for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Apple has sent a fresh round of threat notifications to some of its users in India, along with 91 other countries. It has warned them that their iPhone could have been potentially attacked by “mercenary spyware,” including the Israeli NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus malware. Last October, it had sent a similar notification to Opposition leaders across parties warning of a “potential state-sponsored spyware attack” on their iPhones. After pressure from the government, the company had later clarified that it “does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker”.
More than 6,000 Indian workers will arrive in Israel during April and May to help the country’s construction sector meet a labour shortage post the Israel-Hamas conflict. They will be will be brought to Israel on “air shuttle” following a joint decision by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), finance ministry and the construction and housing ministry on subsidising charter flights. The construction industry of Israel employs workers in specific fields where there is a lack of Israeli workers.
Eleven men and one woman, all said to be Indian nationals, have been arrested by the UK’s immigration authorities in a series of raids on suspicion of being in breach of their visa conditions and working illegally at a bedding and cake factory. Meanwhile, the two businesses could now face substantial fines if it is established they employed illegal workers at their factories and failed to conduct relevant pre-employment checks. In February this year, the Home Office tripled fines for employers who allow illegal migrants to work for them.
This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express. -
First, we talk to Indian Express’ Vikas Pathak about the BJP's plan to invite foreign political parties from across the globe to witness the scale of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and to understand the party’s campaign strategies.
Second, Indian Express' Amrita Nayak Dutta joins us to talk about the infrastructural upgrades that are happening in the Andaman and Nicobar islands to make them a military base. (12:56)
Lastly, we talk about another setback that the Aam Aadmi Party faced - the resignation of MLA and Cabinet Minister Raaj Kumar Anand. (20:13)
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Written and Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda
Edited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar -
This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 10th of April and here are today's headlines.
The Calcutta High Court today ordered a court-monitored CBI probe into the sexual assault and land grabbing allegations made by villagers of West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders. The CBI was already probing the January 5 attack by supporters of TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, who had gone to Sandeshkhali-I to raid his house in connection with the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the state’s public distribution system.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud today said he will look “immediately” into the request to take up Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy case. on Tuesday, the Delhi High Court rejected Kejriwal’s petition challenging the arrest. Appearing for Kejriwal, Senior Advocate A M Singhvi informed the bench presided by CJI Chandrachud that the High Court ruling was based on an “unrelied document which was suppressed” from him.
The Supreme Court today said it will not accept the “unconditional and unqualified” apology tendered by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna. The apology was tendered in response to the contempt of court notices issued by the court in a case in which they had been sued by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for allegedly publishing misleading advertisements, claiming cure for some diseases and criticising the allopathy branch of medicines.
With revamped airfields and jetties to additional logistics and storage facilities, habitat for troops to a robust surveillance infrastructure, the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands are in the middle of a major military infrastructure upgrade, revealed senior officials familiar with the developments. The enhanced infrastructure is aimed to facilitate deployment of additional military forces, and facilities for larger and more warships, aircraft, missile batteries and troops.The ongoing large-scale construction activities come amid growing Chinese attempts to expand its influence in the region.
A prominent Indian diaspora body has urged various agencies of the US government, universities and student associations to work towards addressing the spike in the deaths of Indian-origin students in the US in recent months. An analysis of the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) found the causes of these incidents range from suspicious shootings/kidnapping, environmental deaths due to lack of safety knowledge (monoxide poisoning, hypothermia), mental issues triggering suicides, and even suspicious accidents to violent crimes.
This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express. -
First, with the Congress manifesto promising "to enact a law on bail that will incorporate the principle that 'bail is the rule, jail is the exception' in all criminal laws," Indian Express’ Apurva Vishwanath talks about how some of the most stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) were actually introduced during the previous UPA government.
Next, Indian Express’ Anjali Marar tells us what makes a total solar eclipse so special and how this phenomenon aids scientists in their study of the Sun (13:40.
Lastly, we provide an update on how the film ‘The Kerala Story’ is once again sparking controversy in Kerala (21:38).
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Produced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar -
The headlines this evening from the Indian Express.
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