In this episode, Amitabh Sinha joined host SnigdhaSharma to discuss the new variant of concern, first flagged by South Africa. From what makes the omicron a cause of worry to how countries including India are responding to the new variant, they discuss it all.

Omicron: All you need to know

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First, Indian Express’ Manoj CG and Kamal Saiyed inform us about how the BJP candidate from the Surat Lok Sabha constituency won unopposed, and the allegations made by the Congress and the BSP.Next, Indian Express’ Ritika Chopra discusses the Election Commission's unprecedented move of issuing notices to both the Congress and the BJP, rather than their candidates or star campaigners (04:50).And in the end, in response to Prime Minister Modi mentioning it in a recent speech, Indian Express’ Apurva Vishwanath discusses the efforts to provide reservations to all Muslims in Andhra Pradesh (10:30).Hosted, written and produced by Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar(In the episode image: BJP's Mukesh Dalal with Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil)

What happened in Surat, EC's unprecedented notices, and quota for Muslims

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 25th of April and here are today's headlines.In the second phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections tomorrow, 89 seats across 12 states and UTs will go to polls. By the end of the day, a third of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats — including all the seats in Kerala, Rajasthan, Manipur and Tripura, and 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka — will have completed polling. In Outer Manipur, 13 Assembly segments are voting in the second phase; the remaining 15 had voted in the first phase along with the Inner Manipur seat. Of the 89 seats, 9 and 7 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, respectively.In an unprecedented move, the Election Commission of India issued notices to political parties, seeking responses to alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct by their star campaigners. On Thursday, the poll panel wrote to BJP President J P Nadda regarding complaints about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge concerning complaints related both to him and party leader Rahul Gandhi.At least six persons died and over a dozen people were injured in a fire that broke out in a hotel in Patna today. While more than 40 people have been rescued, the injured were admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital. The incident took place at around 10.45 am when an LPG cylinder at the hotel kitchen caught fire during cooking. While some people escaped the blaze by taking the staircase and jumping from the windows of the first floor, several others were engulfed in the fire that spread quickly because of strong wind.Maharashtra cyber cell summoned actor Tamannaah Bhatia in connection with the alleged promotion of the viewing of Indian Premier League matches on a subsidiary app of the Mahadev online gaming and betting application. The actor has been asked to appear before the Maharashtra cyber personnel on the 29th of April. Bhatia has been summoned by the Maharashtra cyber cell for allegedly promoting the viewing of the IPL matches on the Fairplay betting app. The Maharashtra cyber cell has already recorded the statements of singer Badshah and the managers of actors Sanjay Dutt and Jacqueline Fernandez in the case.The US Supreme Court will decide on the power of the presidency in arguments over Donald Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The justices will hear Trump's appeal after lower courts rejected his request to be shielded from four election-related criminal charges on the grounds that he was serving as president when he took the actions that led to the indictment obtained by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Trump is the first former U.S. president to be criminally prosecuted.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

The Catch Up: 25 April

First, Indian Express’ Apurva Vishwanath joins us to talk about the petition that was filed by the Indian Medical Association against Patanjali, claiming that their advertisements violated the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.Next, Indian Express’ Anonna Dutt talks to us about Blue Origin, a private space company owned by Jeff Bezos, giving people a chance to experience space travel. (9:00)And finally, we talk about Sam Pitroda's comments on the US's inheritance tax and what reactions it got from the BJP. (14:32)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The case against Patanjali, space tourism, and Sam Pitroda controversy

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 24th of April and here are today's headlines.Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of stabbing Babasaheb Ambedkar in the back by promising to give reservations based on religion. Speaking at a rally in Madhya Pradesh, he said our Constitution bars reservation on the basis of religion, but the Congress promised it in their poll manifesto. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that PM Modi has “panicked after seeing after seeing our revolutionary manifesto”. He said the Congress manifesto aims to give back 90% Indians a part of Rs 16 lakh cr given to big businessmen as a loan waiver.The Supreme Court today reserved judgment on a batch of petitions seeking 100 per cent cross-verification of vote count in electronic voting machines (EVMS) with voter verifiable paper audit trail paper slips. Earlier in the day, the court posed a set of queries to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the functioning of EVMs and sought the presence of an ECI official in the court to answer them.A day after the chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda was on the receiving end over his comments on the US inheritance tax, he issued a clarification saying that his statements were twisted. He added that the comments had nothing to do with the Congress party or their manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The comments, however, faced the backlash of the BJP with their spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla saying that the “Congress want to grab ones hard earned tax payed resources”.Day after the Supreme Court questioned the size of the public apology issued by Patanjali Ayurved over misleading advertisements, the firm issued another unconditional apology in newspapers on Wednesday — this time, more prominent. The apology mentioned non-compliance with the court's orders and directives and for errors in their advertisements. They expressed their commitment to avoiding such mistakes in the future and pledged to adhere to the court's instructions diligently and sincerely.Iran and Pakistan called on the United Nations Security Council in a joint statement issued today to take action against Israel. The statement released by Pakistan's foreign ministry, read, quote, "Recognizing that the irresponsible act of the Israeli regime forces was a major escalation in an already volatile region, both sides called on the UN Security Council to prevent the Israeli regime from its adventurism in the region and its illegal acts attacking its neighbours...," This a three-day visit to the country by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express

The Catch Up: 24 April

First, Indian Express’ Manoj CG and Liz Mathew discuss Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on the Congress party and the Muslim community. Manoj CG fact-checks the claims made by the Prime Minister, while Liz explains the significance of the regions where the comments were made and why they raise concern.Next, Indian Express’ Mihir Vasavda details the challenges that wrestler Vinesh Phogat faced while trying to qualify for the Paris Olympics. (18:12)And finally, we give a quick update about Avani Dias, the South Asia Bureau Chief for the Australian broadcasting firm ABC News, who claims that she was denied a visa extension by the Indian government because her reports "crossed a line." (27:18)Hosted by Shashank BhargavaProduced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika NandaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Omicron: All you need to know

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