3 Things

First, Indian Express’ Bijin Jose explains the significance of OpenAI’s latest generative AI tool, Sora, and its potential applications.Next, Indian Express’ Mihir Vasavda talks about Janneke Schopman, the first female to coach the Indian women’s hockey team, opening up about the challenges she has faced in India (06:44).And in the end, we give you a quick update about a Sikh IPS officer who hit back at a group of protesting West Bengal BJP leaders and activists who allegedly called him 'Khalistani' (13:48).Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced by Rahel Philipose, Niharika Nanda, and Shashank BhargavaEdited 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 20th of February and here are the top stories of the week.In a special session of the state legislature, the Maharashtra government today unanimously passed the bill extending 10 percent reservation to Marathas under the socially and economically backward category in education and job sectors. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde tabled the bill based on a report submitted to the state government by the Maharashtra Backward Class Commission (MBCC) headed by chairman Justice (Retired) Sunil Shukre.The Supreme Court today directed recounting in the Chandigarh mayoral polls by treating 8 ‘invalid’ ballots to be valid. These 8 votes were cast for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). During the hearing, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud orally observed that the votes cast during the polls be counted again, treating the ballots defaced by returning officer Anil Masih as valid.Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and Brinda Karat of the CPI(M) were stopped by the police from visiting the troubled area of Sandeshkhali in the state’s North 24 Parganas district this morning. This comes a day after the Calcutta High Court had granted permission to Adhikari to visit Sandeshkhali.In a jibe at the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he was glad Jammu and Kashmir is “getting freedom from dynastic politics”. Addressing a public rally in Jammu, PM Modi said, quote, “Jammu and Kashmir had to bear the brunt of dynastic politics for decades. They are only concerned about their families, not about your interests, your families.” Unquote. Blaming Article 370 for stalling development in J&K, PM Modi said the BJP government was responsible for its abrogation.Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher today urged the Centre to call a one-day Parliament session and bring legislation on MSP guarantee. He said, quote, “PM can call a one-day Parliament session and bring legislation on MSP guarantee. All the Opposition parties should clear their position that if the Centre brings a law on MSP in the Parliament then they would vote for it. from Congress. From Akali Dal to Congress to Trinamool Congress, everyone should clear their stand." Unquote.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Ravik Bhattacharya and Atri Mitra inform us about the allegations of sexual harassment against certain TMC members in the village of Sandeshkhali, West Bengal.Next, Indian Express’ Jayprakash Naidu shares the details of a new bill slated to be introduced in the Chhattisgarh assembly, aimed at regulating religious conversions in the state (09:20).And in the end, we give you a quick update on the Chandigarh Mayoral polls, including the recent statements made by the Supreme Court (15:24).Produced by Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh PawarFurther listening: The Chandigarh Mayor Polls controversy- YouTube- Spotify- Apple Podcasts

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 19th of February and here are the headlines.Calling it an "abuse of power", the Bombay High Court said that the arrest of former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak by the Central Bureau of Investigation in December 2022 was done "without application of mind". The court made the observation in its order confirming the interim bail granted to the couple. The two were arrested on 23rd of December 2022 in connection with alleged irregularities in loans provided by the bank to the Venugopal Dhoot-led Videocon Group.The Supreme Court today stayed further proceedings on a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee to West Bengal officials, to appear on a complaint by BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar over alleged "misconduct, brutality and life-threatening injuries" to him. Majumdar had complained to the parliamentary committee about a breach of privilege as an MP after he was allegedly injured last week during protests in Sandeshkhali where leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress have been accused of sexually assaulting women villagers.Following a closed-door meeting between former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath and his supporters, his loyalists have claimed Nath would stay with the Congress. After emerging from the meeting today, former state home minister Bala Bachan said, quote, "There was no question of (Nath) joining the BJP. Kamal Nath is a national level politician of the Congress and has given his entire life to the party." Unquote.The Enforcement Directorate today said that it has filed a complaint against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for "intentionally disobeying the first three summons issued to him." Sources in the ED said, quote, "The court has taken cognisance of the same, thereby the court has prima facie accepted that Kejriwal has done an offence for which he is liable to be prosecuted. The question in front of the court is not about the validity of the summons rather the illegal act on part of Kejriwal of intentionally disobeying three summons." Unquote.In another setback to the Opposition INDIA alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is set to give a miss to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi and Raebareli. Akhilesh today said that he will join Rahul’s Yatra only after the finalisation of seat-sharing between the SP and the Congress for the UP seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Raakhi Jagga joins us to talk about the AAP government in Punjab and how the farmer's protest offered them some relief.Second, we talk to Indian Express' Anonna Dutt about the successful launch of the ISRO rocket which has been nicknamed the ‘naughty boy’. (9:09)Lastly, we talk about Rahul Gandhi's visit to his constituency, Wayanad. (17:24)Hosted by Niharika NandaWritten and Produced by Niharika Nanda, Shashank Bhargava and Rahel PhiliposeEdited 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 February and here are the top stories of the week.A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court gave its verdict on the legality of the electoral bonds scheme on Thursday, holding it “unconstitutional”. Prioritising voters’ right to information regarding political parties’ sources of funding, the Supreme Court struck down the EBS. Introduced by the Centre in 2018, EBS allowed individuals and corporations to anonymously fund political parties by purchasing electoral bonds from the State Bank of India.The Dilli Chalo march of the protesting farmers of Punjab and Haryana has been making headlines this week. While chaos ensued during the march on Wednesday, security personnel fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowds. Delhi’s borders were further fortified, with security personnel deployed in large numbers and barricades laid out across all possible entry points. Farmers staged ‘rail roko’ at several locations across Punjab on Thursday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the World Governments Summit, inaugurated Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan temple,UAE’s first Hindu stone temple and addressed a diaspora event on a two-day UAE trip this week. Post that, he visited Doha where he was accorded a ceremonial welcome and also held a bilateral meeting with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday.Prior to the PM's visit, Qatar freed 8 ex-Indian Navy men jailed on espionage charges. Three months after they were sentenced to death, seven out of the eight former Indian Navy personnel were released from Qatar’s custody and brought back to India. While seven sailors returned to India early Monday morning, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, whose death sentence was commuted but still received the harshest punishment of a 25-year life term, hasn’t returned yet. He, too, is expected to be back in India soon.With the deadline to submit nomination papers for the February 27 Rajya Sabha elections over on Thursday, the BJP and Congress released their official list of candidates for the polls. Among the 28 names announced by the saffron party – the same as the number of seats held by it currently – 24 are new, with only four repeated. The Congress’s current strength in the Upper House is 30, which will remain the same after the February 27 elections, with the party hoping to win 10 seats amid an equal number of its retiring MPs.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

Apurva Vishwanath discusses the Electoral Bond scheme and the Supreme Court's verdict. Amrita Nayak Datta talks about Chinese nationals occupying villages near the India China border. Mimi Chakraborty's resignation is also discussed.

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 15th of February and here are the headlines.The Supreme Court today held the changes made in the law to introduce the electoral bonds scheme as unconstitutional, in a unanimous verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the legal validity of the Centre’s scheme which allowed for anonymous funding to political parties. A five-judge Constitution Bench presided by CJI D Y Chandrachud also directed that “the issuing bank shall herewith stop the issuance of electoral bonds” and asked the State Bank of India to “submit details of the electoral bonds purchased since the interim order of the court dated 12th of April 2019, till date to the Election Commission of India”.Farmers of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner) began ‘rail roko’ at several locations across Punjab at 12 noon today, including railway stations at Mansa, Barnala and Rajpura. Farmer leaders are set to hold talks today with Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityananad Rai, for the third time in a row, in Chandigarh. Speaking to The Indian Express, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary, Sarvan Singh Pandher hoped for a resolution after talks are held between the Centre and farmer leaders.Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani today. PM Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome during his Qatar visit. PM Modi arrived in the Qatari capital last night and met his counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The duo discussed ways to bolster ties between India and Qatar and PM Modi said he had a “wonderful” meeting. The external affairs ministry said that PM Modi is scheduled to hold talks on bilateral as well as regional and global issues.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said 17 people have been arrested in restive Sandeshkhali, while asserting that “none involved in any wrongdoing will be spared.” Referring to the area which has been witnessing protests over alleged atrocities on locals by ruling TMC leaders, Banerjee said in the state Assembly that she has never allowed and will never allow any injustice to anyone.In yet another setback to the INDIA alliance, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah today said that his party will go solo in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. He further said the J&K Assembly polls could potentially take place at the same time as the Lok Sabha election. During a press conference, Abdullah said, quote, “As far as seat sharing is concerned, NC will contest alone and there’s no doubt about it."This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

The podcast discusses the demand for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and its implications, a ground report from the protest site, and why the BJP is not overly concerned about the protests despite the upcoming elections.

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 14th of February and here are the headlines.Moments after the protesting farmers resumed their march to the National Capital today, chaos ensued at the Shambhu border. Security personnel fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowds. Meanwhile, Delhi’s borders were further fortified, with security personnel deployed in large numbers and barricades laid out across all possible entry points. Among other things, the farmers are seeking MSP guarantee for 23 crops, waiver of their debts and withdrawal of cases registered against them during the 2020-21 farmers’ agitation.Prime Minister Modi began his speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai by thanking ‘his brother’ the UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for a warm welcome to the country. The PM also said, quote, "Over the last few years, people's trust has increased in the Indian government. People have trust in the intent and commitment of the Indian government. This was possible only because we prioritised public sentiments in governance." Unquote.With a day left for the deadline to submit nomination papers for the February 27 Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP and Congress released their official list of candidates for the polls. The Congress nominated veteran leader Sonia Gandhi as its candidate from Rajasthan, spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi from Himachal Pradesh and former minister Chandrakant Handore from Maharashtra. In Bihar, the party re-nominated party leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh. The BJP, meanwhile, announced Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan as its Rajya Sabha candidates from Odisha and Madhya Pradesh respectively.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has cancelled the Jharkhand leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which was scheduled to start today. He will instead join the ongoing farmers’ protest. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on X, quote, "The Yatra will resume at 2 PM on the 15th of February, with a public rally in Aurangabad, Bihar that will be addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi." Unquote.PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, who was widely expected to be the next Prime Minister of Pakistan, has instead nominated his brother, former PM Shehbaz Sharif to lead the next coalition government. Party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Nawaz’s daughter and party’s senior vice president Maryam Nawaz has been nominated for the post of Punjab Chief Minister. In other news, the workers and supporters of Imran Khan’s PTI have launched nationwide protests over the alleged "rigging in the general elections".This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.