First, Indian Express’ Chief of the National Bureau (Govt) Ritika Chopra joins us to explain why this time the Lok Sabha elections will extend all the way into the peak summer month of June.Next, Indian Express’ Anonna Dutt tells us why Karnataka has banned food coloring used in gobhi manchurian and cotton candy (09:42). And in the end, we discuss the controversy surrounding Rahul Gandhi’s ‘shakti’ remarks, along with PM Modi's response to it (16:11).Hosted, written and produced by Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Lok Sabha polls dates, artificial food colouring, and the Shakti remark row

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This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 28th of May and here are today's headlines.Delhi Rouse Avenue Court today issued summons to Delhi Education Minister Atishi in connection with a defamation case filed by Praveen Shankar Kapoor. The case relates to Atishi’s accusations that the BJP attempted to poach Aam Aadmi Party MLAs. Atishi has been ordered to appear in court on the 29th of June. Meanwhile, the court has denied the bail plea of Umar Khalid, who is accused in the ‘larger conspiracy’ case related to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. Khalid, who was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), had earlier told the Delhi court that other accused facing graver allegations than him were out on bail as well as people allegedly involved in similar activities were not even made an accused by the Delhi Police.At least 15 people have been killed in multiple landslides across Aizawl today. This included 11 deaths in a stone quarry collapse, with Mizoram witnessing storms caused by Cyclone Remal. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma told The Indian Express that more bodies continue to be trapped in the debris. The state government sanctioned an amount of Rs 15 crore for relief work, and approved Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia payment for the families of the deceased.A sessions court in Mumbai today sentenced two colleagues to life imprisonment for the murder of Kirti Vyas, a finance manager at BBlunt salon in Andheri, who was reported missing by her family six years ago. The Sessions Judge found Siddhesh Shantaram Tamhankar and a woman colleague guilty of murder, kidnapping for murder, wrongful restraint, and destruction of evidence, among other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The Punjab and Haryana High Court today acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others in the 2002 Ranjit Singh murder case. A division bench allowed the appeals filed by Ram Rahim Singh, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh, Krishan Lal and Avtar Singh against the conviction order by a CBI court in connection with the murder of the Dera manager Ranjit Singh. The high court has yet to release the detailed order.India announced immediate relief assistance worth US$ 1 million to Papua New Guinea in the wake of the devastating landslide. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi expressed deep condolences and conveyed India’s readiness to extend all possible support and assistance to the Pacific island country in its time of difficulty. More than 2,000 people were buried alive by a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea last week as treacherous terrain and the difficulty of getting aid to the site raised the fear that few survivors will be found.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

The Catch Up: 28 May

First, Indian Express' Gopal Kateshiya tells us about the fire that broke out at an indoor game zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Saturday, killing 28 people, including children, and injuring nine others.Next, Indian Express' Udit Misra explains how unemployment has fared under the Modi government and how it is distributed across religious and caste lines (11:02).Finally, we discuss why two doctors from a government hospital have been booked in the Pune Porsche crash case (26:35).Hosted by Shashank BhargavaProduced by Niharika Nanda and Shashank BhargavaAdditional support by Mahiyar Rohinton PatelEdited and mixed Vijay Doiphode

Rajkot game zone fire, unemployment under Modi govt, and Pune crash update

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 27th of May and here are today's headlines.Union Home Minister Amit Shah, discussed the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in an exclusive interview with the Indian Express. He expressed confidence in forming the government based on the results from the first five phases, with a projected tally of 300-310 seats. He said, quote, “We are somewhere between 300 and 310. This is without counting the sixth phase. We are in a comfortable position. This time, we went to the people with 10 years of track record and 25 years of a powerfully positive agenda.” Unquote.In the Pune Porsche crash that resulted in the deaths of two young engineers, the Pune police said that doctors of Sassoon General Hospital the blood sample of the minor driver in a dustbin and sent another person’s blood to the forensic lab. Dr Ajay Taware, the head of the Sassoon Hospital’s forensic medicine department, and Dr Shrihari Harnol have been arrested for allegedly changing the blood sample of the minor boy.The Pune Police Commissioner said the second blood sample of the minor was sent to another government-run hospital in Aundh as a preventive measure.The Gujarat government today suspended 7 officials for negligence and dereliction of duty in the Rajkor gaming zone fire incident. The seven officials included two police inspectors, two executive engineers, one assistant engineer, one town planner and a fire station officer. An official release from the state government said the officers were suspended following instructions from Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who visited the Rajkot fire site on Sunday. It said the officers allowed “the gaming zone to open without due approvals and thereby showed utter carelessness and committing dereliction of duty”.The National Commission of Women today directed the Delhi Police to obtain call records of all relevant individuals in the Swati Maliwal assault case investigation, including those of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In a post on social media platform X, the NCW also mandated strict action against individuals issuing rape and death threats to Maliwal. Earlier, the Tiz Hazari court heard Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar’s bail plea in relation to the alleged Swati Maliwal assault case.JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna who is facing sex abuse allegations spoke out a month after the case surfaced, saying that he will return to India and appear before the Special Investigation Team on 31st of May. In a video statement aired on a local channel, Prajwal said  he will cooperate with the investigation and will respond to it (charges). PTI news agency reported the statement where he said, quote, "I have faith in court and I am confident I will come out of false cases through court,” Unquote.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

The Catch Up: 27 May

First, Indian Express' Hamza Khan joins us to talk about the BJP and what challenges it might face when it comes to Rajasthan. The party that made a clean sweep in the state for two consecutive elections, might not be able to do so this year. Next, Indian Express’ Flora Swain speaks to Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs editor Shubhajit Roy about a post-Raisi Iran and how everything will function now that the President and the Foreign minister of the country are no more. (12:14)And in the end, we talk about a massive fire that broke out in a children's hospital in east Delhi killing seven newborn babies. (21:48)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

BJP's Rajasthan challenges, post-Raisi Iran, and 7 infants die in fire

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 24th of May and here are the top stories of the week.The voter turnout in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections in 49 constituencies on Monday was higher than the polling in the same seats in 2019, as per provisional figures at 10.30 pm on Tuesday. Though the final turnout figure is expected to be released by the Election Commission today, the EC’s Voter Turnout app, showed Monday’s turnout at 62.15%, higher than the 2019 final polling figure of 61.82%.Six people were killed and 48 were injured in a boiler blast at a chemical company in Mahrashtra's Thane on Thursday afternoon. According to officials, the number of deceased and injured may go up as several workers and residents were feared trapped in the factory in Dombivli’s MIDC phase-2 region. Officials of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation said a massive blast occurred in the Amudan Chemicals Pvt Ltd. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased.Days after a recent Porsche car accident in which a minor, driving under the influence of alcohol, killed two techies, the Regional Transport Office Pune has decided to cancel the car's temporary registration for 12 months and has also decided not to give a licence to the 17-year-old boy till he turns 25. Meanwhile, the JUvenile Justice Board remanded the minor to an observation home until 5th of June.Former PM H D Deve Gowda warned his grandson and Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing several sexual abuse allegations, that he would be isolated from the family if he did not return and surrender before the police. In a letter, the JD(S) national presidentsaid, quote, "This is not an appeal that I am making, it is a warning that I am issuing. If he does not heed to this warning, he will have to face my anger and the anger of all his family members. The law will take care of the accusations against him, but not listening to the family will ensure his total isolation,” Unquote.Iran interred its late president Ebrahim Raisi at the holiest site for Shiite Muslims in the Islamic Republic today. Raisi's burial at the Imam Reza Shrine in Iranian holy city of Mashhad caps days of processionals through much of Iran after the crash that killed him, the country's foreign minister and six others earlier this week. Many thousands of mourners packed the streets of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad. World leaders paid their respects to Raisi and met Iran's supreme leader and interim president at University of Tehran, before the burial.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

Lok Sabha polls dates, artificial food colouring, and the Shakti remark row

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