3 Things

First, on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the 22km long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, also known as the Atal Setu Nhava Sheva Sea Link. To understand the kind of work that went into building such a massive bridge and how it will aid commuters, we have Indian Express’ Sweety Adimulam, in this segment.Second, back in 2018, the Mumbai police department established a fund, the Mumbai Police Foundation. However, a recent RTI filed by The Indian Express has brought to light that the Mumbai police also received contributions from entities that were being investigated by the department. In this segment, we speak to Indian Express’ Mohamed Thaver who filed the RTI for the paper. 11:12Lastly, we talk about the arrest of two suspects in connection with the killing of police officer Anand Kumar, in Manipur’s Moreh, which caused tension in the town. 9:03Hosted by NIharika NandaWritten and Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika NandaEdited 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 January and here are the headlines.The Kerala Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on 8th of February to take a stand against the “neglect of the Union Government towards the state”. For the last several months, the Kerala government and the Left Democratic Front have been in a protest mode in the state, highlighting how “the BJP-led government is economically stifling the state by slashing down the state’s borrowing limit”, among other factors.A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court today delivered a split verdict on a plea by former Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu challenging the high court order refusing to quash the FIR against him in the Skill Development Corporation scam case. The bench differed on the interpretation and applicability of section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act in the case. The bench has referred the matter to the Chief Justice of India to consider placing it before a larger bench.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today stated that it was difficult for the party to accept the invitation for Ram Temple inauguration as the "BJP-RSS have given it an election flavour". He was speaking at a press conference in Nagaland's Kohima during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Rahul further stated that the "status of the INDIA alliance is good". On being asked about seat-sharing talks in the Opposition bloc, Rahul added that most of the discussions were easy, and though they are complicated at some places, they can be easily resolved.India's Sumit Nagal defeated World No 31 Alexander Bublik in straight sets to advance into the second round of the Australian Open. He stunned Bublik 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(5. He will face the winner of Mackenzie McDonald and Shang Juncheng up next in the second round. Nagal became the first Indian since Ramesh Krishnan at the 1989 Australian Open to beat a seeded player at a Grand Slam.Vivek Ramaswamy, a multi-millionaire former biotech executive, ended his White House bid on Monday. He endorsed Donald Trump after his longshot bid caught attention but failed to catapult him high enough in the Republican Party's first nominating contest in Iowa. Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old born in Ohio to immigrant parents from southern India, was one of the surprises of the 2024 Republican race dominated by former President Trump.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, the town of Ayodhya is all set for the inauguration of the Ram temple, scheduled for next week. The town, once described as simple not too long ago, has now undergone a complete transformation. In this segment, we speak to Indian Express’ Maulshree Seth, who recently wrote about Ayodhya’s transformation in the paper.Second, we talk about the HPV Vaccine. The vaccine, which is 97% effective against preventing cervical cancer, will be administered in three phases under a government programme over the next three years. To understand more about the HPV infection and the vaccination roll out, we are joined by Indian Express' Anonna Dutt in this segment.Lastly, we discuss the incident in which a passenger on board a Delhi to Goa flight of Indigo Airlines was arrested on Monday after he allegedly assaulted the plane’s pilot following an alleged delay of 13 hours.Hosted by Shashank BhargavaWritten and Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika NandaEdited 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 January and here are the headlines.President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with political leaders across the nation lauded the Army personnel on the occasion of 76th Army Day today. Army Day is celebrated in India on January 15th every year to commemorate the day when General K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1949. The event marks the transition of the Indian Army from British control to being led by an Indian officer.The Madhya Pradesh government has declared 22nd of January as a ‘dry day’ to observe the ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav posted on his official X account and said all types of shops including liquor, Bhang outlets will remain closed. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Assam have already made such a declaration.Amid the ongoing diplomatic row with the Maldives, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently said that "it can't be guaranteed that every country will support or agree with India every time". He said, quote, "But, seriously, as a solution, what we have been trying to do in the last 10 years, with a lot of success, is to build a very strong connect, so that, though the politics may go up and down, the people of the country, the society, generally have good feelings towards India and understand the importance of having good relations with India," Unquote.A children's court in Panaji extended the police remand of Suchana Seth, accused of killing her four-year-old son, by five days. The Goa Police had sought eight days custody of the accused, submitting to the court that she was "only talking in bits and parts" and "not disclosing certain things" in the investigation.In the wake of an unprecedented fog situation in Delhi, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia took to social media platform X today to address concerns. He assure passengers that measures are being taken to mitigate the impact of adverse weather conditions on air travel and acknowledged the challenges faced by Delhi due to the dense fog, with visibility fluctuating. Expressing understanding for the inconvenience caused to travellers, Scindia requested cooperation during this challenging period.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, we talk about the Bengaluru-based start-up CEO, Suchana Seth, who has been taken into custody for allegedly murdering her four-year-old son at a hotel in Goa. In this segment, we are joined by The Indian Express' Pavneet Singh Chadha, who tells us how this crime unfolded.Second, we talk about Milind Deora's resignation from the Congress to join the Shinde Sena in Mumbai. To understand the reasons behind this, Indian Express’ Alok Deshpande joins us in this segment. 12:55Lastly, we discuss Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu's deadline for India to withdraw its military personnel from the country, amid the ongoing diplomatic row between Maldives and India. 22:07Hosted by Rahel PhiliposeWritten and Produced by Rahel Philipose, Shashank Bhargava and Niharika NandaEdited 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 12th of January and here are the top stories of this week.The Supreme Court, on Monday, struck down the Gujarat government’s remission orders that allowed the early release of 11 men convicted in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case of 2002. The bench said the Gujarat government’s decision to remit the convicts’ sentences was “illegal”. The court ruled that the Gujarat government had no jurisdiction to entertain the remission applications or pass orders granting remission as the trial took place in Maharashtra, making the Maharashtra government the “appropriate” one to decide on the remission.Suchana Seth, the Bengaluru-based CEO of a tech start-up was arrested on Monday night for allegedly killing her four-year-old son in a Goa hotel. She was caught from Karnataka while allegedly trying to flee in a cab with her son’s body stuffed in a bag. She and her husband are embroiled in divorce and custody proceedings. She was brought to Goa on Tuesday and remanded in police custody for six days by a court in Mapusa town.A day after the Maldives government suspended three of its ministers over ‘derogatory comments’ on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lakshadweep pitch, the High Commissioner to Maldives met the Ministry of External Affairs officials on Monday. PM Modi’s posts promoting Lakshadweep as a tourist spot last week had triggered a social media row after Maldivian users started making derogatory comments on it. President Mohamed Muizzu suspended Maldivian ministers who contributed to it, but the matter has now become a full-blown diplomatic row.Senior government officials on Wednesday said that all the states and union territories will get equal opportunity to display their tableaux in the next three Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path, under an MoU signed between the Ministry of Defence and governments concerned. The clarification over the new selection process for the tableaux comes amid criticism from states with the opposition in power, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, over the rejection of their tableaux.Canada’s High Commissioner to India Cameron Mackay on Thursday said notwithstanding the recent tensions, the strategic interests of India and Canada are “absolutely aligned”, and he was encouraged by the continuance of bilateral trade and investment relationship. Speaking at a seminar on ‘India-Canada Business: The Way Forward’ at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit here, he said business-to-business ties will support job creation, technology partnership and prosperity of both the countries.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, back in October last year, the Financial Times reported that the US had prevented a conspiracy to assassinate Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. According to US authorities, an Indian official named Nikhil Gupta was implicated in the plot to kill Pannun. Gupta was arrested in Prague last June and has been in custody, undergoing trial ever since. To know more about the charges against him, my colleague Niharika Nanda speaks to Indian Express' Chief of the National Bureau Ritika Chopra.Second, with the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections, parties will be making promises as they want to come to power. Promises that will include the implementation of direct benefit transfer schemes.Now over the years, these schemes have been criticised for making people lazy, and simply increasing the government’s spending. But is that really the case? To find that out, we speak to Indian Express’ Udit Misra in this segment.Lastly, Indian Express’ Parthasarthi Biswas explains the reasons behind the skyrocketing garlic prices.Hosted by Shashank BhargavaWritten and Produced by Shashank Bhargava, Niharika Nanda and Rahel Philipose

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 11th of January and here are the headlines.The police told The Indian Express that Suchana Seth, the Bengaluru-based CEO arrested for allegedly killing her four-year-old son in a Goa hotel, had booked the room from 6th to 10th of January, but checked out earlier. According to police, at 9.10 pm on 7th of January, she told the staff of the service apartments in North Goa’s Candolim that she wanted to check-out since she had "urgent work in Bengaluru" and requested them to arrange a taxi. The FIR stated that she left at 12.30 am.Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande today flagged that there have been infiltration attempts along the Line of Control, which the Army has foiled. He said that India is continuing to hold "talks at military and diplomatic levels to find resolution to balanced issues" in eastern Ladakh, where Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a standoff that began in 2020. Last week, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had also stated that though China’s relationship with India was "not normal", the two sides have continued to hold talks.The US government has objected to providing defence materials to Indian national Nikhil Gupta, detained on murder-for-hire charges in a foiled assassination attempt on a Khalistani extremist. The US government said it will provide the information only upon his appearance in a New York court and arraignment in the case. Gupta is cuurently being held in Prague and the US government is seeking his extradition to America.Indore and Surat have been adjudged India’s cleanest cities as part of the Swachh Survekshan 2023 Awards given out by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. Navi Mumbai was named the third cleanest city in the country. Meanwhile, Maharashtra bagged the cleanest state award, followed by Madhya Pradesh.The Karnataka Police arrested two people in connection with a case where an interfaith couple was attacked by a six-member gang during their stay at a hotel in Haveri. A police officer said that a Muslim married woman was having a consensual relationship with a Hindu man and the couple had checked into the hotel on 7th of January when they were assaulted. The woman along with her husband claimed that the accused later took her to an isolated place and gangraped her.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

We are taking a break from our regular programming today to present a special feature story about a woman who might just have the most unique job in the world — Melody G Fanai, who through her voice, mends relationships and brings people together.Reported by Tora AgarwalaHosted, written and produced by Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar(This episode was originally published on the 3rd of November, 2023)

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 10th of January and here are the headlines.While inaugurating the 10th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Central government is working towards making the country a developed nation in the next 25 years. He said, quote, "We have the goal of making it a developed country by the time it celebrates 100 years of independence. Therefore, these 25 years is India’s Amrit Kaal." Unquote. Vibrant Gujarat is a biennial summit organised by the Gujarat government with a focus on bringing investment from other states and countries.The police questioning of Suchana Seth, a Bengaluru-based start-up CEO who allegedly murdered her four-year-old son at a Goa hotel in Goa, and the child’s post-mortem has revealed that the boy was "smothered". A Karnataka government doctor who conducted the post-mortem, said the body did not show signs of rigor mortis – stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemical changes in the muscles. This indicated that the alleged murder took place at least 36 hours earlier.While Republic Day preparations are on full swing at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi, several Opposition-ruled states and the Central government have been engaged in a war of words over their tableaus being rejected. While Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called the Centre’s move as an insult towards Kannadigas, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said that the Central government was suffering from an anti-Punjab syndrome". The Centre, however, has stuck to its decision, issuing clarifications regarding the disqualifications.A senior police official in Dahod has said they have not yet received any information about the surrender of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case after the Supreme Court quashed the Gujarat government’s decision to grant them remission. A police force remains deployed in the area where the convicts are living in order to maintain peace. He also said the convicts are "not incommunicado" and some of them are visiting relatives.Flagging concerns regarding the "influence" that social media platforms can have on democratic processes, Union Minister of Communications, IT and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that while India currently has a regulatory framework that can deal with the issue to an extent, a "much more comprehensive legal structure" was needed.Speaking at The Indian Express Idea Exchange event, he also emphasised that there is a need for these platforms to be subjected to increased accountability.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.