3 Things

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Ravi Dutta Misra about the negotiations that have started between India and the US regarding the trade deal between the two nations and the tariffs that the US has imposed on Indian exports. 

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Anjali Marar about the heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand that has led to massive landslides. She shares the reasons behind the unusually heavy rainfall and why the hilly regions are more prone to disasters like landslides. (7:54)

Lastly, we talk about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 75th birthday and the speech that he delivered in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district. (16:45)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Link to the first episode of our series with CSF:

Episode 1

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, The Indian Express’ National Legal Editor Apurva Vishwanath talks about the Supreme Court’s latest interim order on the Waqf (Amendment) Act.and where the matter stands.

Next, The Indian Express’ Atri Mitra talks about West Bengal, where a small panchayat in the Sundarbans is at the centre of one of the biggest passport scams in India. (13:12)

And in the end, we turn to Andhra Pradesh, where a new plan to build government medical colleges under a public–private partnership model has triggered political debate. (21:38)

Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma 
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

In 2022, the Uttarakhand tourism board invited bids to promote adventure tourism on a 142 acre estate near Mussoorie, with huts, a café, museums, and even a helipad. The winning company, Rajas Aerosports, got the project for an annual fee of just Rs 1 crore. But an Indian Express investigation found that all three firms that bid had the same shareholder — Acharya Balkrishna, co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and close aide of Baba Ramdev. 

Today on the show, we speak to The Indian Express’ Aiswarya Raj and Dheeraj Mishra, who undertook this investigation to find out how the bidding played out, and what it reveals about the project.

Hosted and produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

You can read the investigation here.

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, The Indian Express’ Sukrita Baruah explains Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit in Manipur since ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023.

Next, The Indian Express’ Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy talks about India–US ties and how after months of strained trade talks and rising tariff concerns, both countries are now signalling a reset. (15:21)

And in the end, we look at the UK, which witnessed one of its largest far-right rallies in years. Organised by activist Tommy Robinson, the protest turned violent near Westminster, injuring over two dozen police personnel and leading to multiple arrests. (24:38)

Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the week by The Indian Express

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Vineet Bhalla about an exemption in the Right To Education Act. The Supreme Court is rethinking an exemption that was made for minority institutions in the RTE Act and it might be reconsidered by a larger Supreme Court bench.

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Deeptiman Tiwary about fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, a key accused in the Punjab National Bank loan fraud, who is currently arrested in Belgium. He shares the charges that Choksi faces and the process of his extradition that India is going through. (9:22)

Lastly, we talk about the Special Intensive Revision that happened in Bihar and the plans that the Election Commission has regarding implementing it across the country. (20:25)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar