The Morning Brief

Koo, the locally developed microblogging site that allows users to share their thoughts in Indian languages, is gaining ground as Twitter-government standoff continues. But do alt social networks work? Aprameya Radhakrishna, Founder & CEO of Koo, and ET's Surabhi Agarwal and Venkat Anath discuss its strategy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A suspected glacial collapse led to a destructive flash flood in Uttarakhand. What is the impact of global warming and large-scale development projects on ecologically fragile regions, and how can they be mitigated? Farooq Azam, Glaciologist, Anjal Prakash, lead author of a UN report on the issue, and ET's Urmi Goswami discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social media platforms Twitter and Facebook are at a crossroads over whether to uphold freedom of expression or follow the government’s orders to take down several accounts in the wake of the farmer protests. Apar Gupta, Executive Director of Internet Freedom Foundation and ET’s Anumeha Chaturvedi explain what's happening.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bunch of Redditors in the US shook Wall Street by banding together to buy up shares of ailing video game seller GameStop, taking short-sellers by surprise. Nithin Kamath, Co-Founder of Zerodha, and Pravin Palande of ET Prime decode the saga and tell us if a similar frenzy can take place in India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sensex closed at a record high on Wednesday as the stock markets continued to cheer measures proposed in the budget. Aditya Sood, Fund Manager at InCred Finance, and Nishanth Vasudevan, ET's Markets Editor, discuss the options and precautions for investors riding this bull run.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year after the Covid-19 outbreak, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented a budget aimed at spending and job creation in a bid to spur economic growth. ET's Chief Editor (news) Sugata Ghosh and Consulting Editor Mythili Bhusnurmath tell us why this budget has brought industry and markets cheer, although questions remain on the execution of plans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It remains an obvious source of funds for the government and the Modi government had even kickstarted big bang privatisation of PSUs. But like always intent has not yet translated into reality. Former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg and ET's Gulveen Aulakh examine why.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tata Group’s plan to buy BigBasket & 1 mg is considered a stepping stone to creating a one-stop digital service, a super app. ET’s Senior Editor Kala Vijayraghavan and Mumbai Deputy Resident Editor, Arijit Barman tell us why these acquisitions are important for the Tatas and the chances of their super app succeeding in the highly competitive consumer internet space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The roar of Rafale jets may make up for the absence of a chief guest and fewer spectators at India's 72nd Republic Day parade in New Delhi. ET’s Vikram Doctor and Manu Pubby discuss the history of this annual procession, its appeal among today’s social media-obsessed youth and whether it is truly representative of modern India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the 46th US President, Joe Biden has a host of challenges awaiting him, senior journalist and ET Columnist, Seema Sirohi and Deputy Executive Editor, Pranab Dhal Samanta discuss how it will affect India on matters such as immigration, trade, climate change and international security.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.