First, Indian Express’ Uma Vishnu discusses the impact of Karnataka's Shakti scheme, which provides free bus rides for all women in the state.Next, Indian Express’ Sukrita Baruah explains the impact of Assam's delimitation exercise on the constituencies of Dhubri and Barpeta, and examines how this issue is unfolding during the polls (11:30).And in the end, we tell you why Madhavi Latha, the BJP candidate from Hyderabad, has been booked at the behest of the Election Commission of India (22:05).Hosted by Shashank BhargavaProduced and written 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 13th of May and here are today's headlines.The fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election is underway today in 96 constituencies across nine states and a Union Territory (Jammu and Kashmir). Polling is being held in all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, all 25 in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Uttar Pradesh, five in Bihar, four in Jharkhand, eight in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, four in Odisha, eight in West Bengal and one in J-K (Srinagar LS constituency). 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh are also going to polls. Additionally, 28 assembly seats of Odisha are also witnessing polls in this phase.The AIMIM lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India after a video emerged of BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate for Hyderabad, K Madhavi Latha, at a polling booth, checking the identity documents of burqa-clad women and asking them to lift their veil. Latha also warned polling officials to allow voting only after properly checking ID cards. She later claimed that there were discrepancies in the voter list and that the names of several voters were missing. The Hyderabad Collector has stated that a case has been filed against Latha at the Malakpet Police Station.The Supreme Court today fixed 17th of May as the date to hear Hemant Soren’s petition challenging his arrest on money laundering charges in a land scam-related case. The former Jharkhand chief minister referred to the SC order granting interim bail until June 1 to DElhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges in connection with the Delhi excise policy case so that he could campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.The Delhi Police today said AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal made two calls to the Police Control Room alleging assault at the Chief Minister’s house in Civil Lines.DCP (North) Manoj Meena said, quote, “Swati Maliwal called the PCR at 9.34 am stating that she has been attacked at CM House. She came to the Civil Lines Police Station and left without giving a complaint. She said she would file a complaint later.” Maliwal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Two daily diary entries have been made regarding the PCR call.In a video that went viral today during the simultaneous Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly polling in Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress MLA A Sivakumar was seen attacking a voter. The incident took place in the southern state’s Guntur district as Sivakumar reportedly tried to cut ahead in line. The brawl broke out when a voter standing in line for polling at a booth in Tenali, Guntur objected to Sivakumar cutting the queue. A large crowd gathered as the MLA repeatedly slapped the voter, who is also seen attacking the YSRCP leader. The Andhra Pradesh unit of the BJP criticised the incident on social media.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Apurva Vishwanath joins us to talk about Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal getting a bail. After his bail plea was denied multiple times, the Supreme Court finally granted him bail. Apurva talks about how it all unfolded. Next, Indian Express’ Naveed Iqbal talks to us about why the Kargil unit of the National Conference resigned collectively, along with sharing insights about the political climate in Jammu and Kashmir as it moves towards its first Parliamentary elections post the revocation of article 370. (12:00)And in the end, Indian Express' Avaneesh Mishra joins us to talk about the increasing frequency of forest fires in Uttarakhand and why it is happening. (20:33)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced and written by 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 10th of May and here are the top stories of the week.The third phase of the Lok Sabha elections was held on Tuesday in 93 parliamentary constituencies across 11 states and Union Territories. The voting percentage edged closer to the 2019 figure for these corresponding seats, with Election Commission estimates at 10 pm Wednesday showing a 2024 turnout of 65.68% against 67.33% last time — a dip of 1.65 percentage points. This comes after the first two phases of the elections saw turnout dipping by just under 4 percentage points and 3 percentage points, respectively, compared to 2019.Sam Pitroda, one of the closest associates of the Gandhi family, stepped down as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress on Wednesday after his politically incorrect remarks to underline India’s diversity triggered a firestorm. It drew sharp reactions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s chief ministers in the Northeast. Emphasising the diversity of India, Pitroda in an interview to The Statesman, stated, quote “People in the East look like the Chinese, people in the West look like the Arabs, people in the North look like, maybe, White, and people in the South look like Africans,” adding, “It does not matter. All of us are brothers and sisters.” Unquote.Vehemently opposing granting any interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections, the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday told the Supreme Court that “any special concession” to him “would.. amount to anathema to the rule of law and equality”. This follows the Supreme Court's Wednesday deliberation that it “may” pass an order on Friday on whether or not to grant interim bail to Kejriwal, who has been arrested by the ED in connection with the excise policy case.As flight disruptions due to cabin crew shortage continued on Thursday, Air India Express has agreed to withdraw termination letters issued to over 25 members. The protesting crew members, meanwhile, ended their strike as the airline management also agreed to look into their issues, as per sources. The decisions come after a conciliation meeting between the cabin crew representatives and the airline representatives at the Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) in New Delhi on the same day. Around 25 senior cabin crew members were sacked by the airline following the mass sick leave by over a hundred senior cabin crew on Wednesday.President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization says it has only three days of fuel for its medical operations in southern Gaza, with shortages already forcing one of three remaining hospitals in the city of Rafah to shut down. The Rafah border crossing with Egypt has been closed since Israel’s military took control of the Palestinian side early Tuesday, blocking the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid. The U.N. says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, veteran journalist and contributing editor to The Indian Express, Neerja Chowdhury, takes stock of the current Lok Sabha elections.Next, The Indian Express’ Jatin Anand discusses Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommending a probe by the National Investigation Agency against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly receiving political funding for the AAP from the banned extremist organisation Sikhs for Justice (20:08).Finally, we provide the latest update on the case involving West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose. Last week, he was accused by a contractual employee of the Raj Bhavan of molesting her (27:44).Hosted, written and produced by 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 9th of May and here are today's headlines.A day after announcing that he would back the Opposition Congress against the BJP government in Haryana, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala announced today that he has written to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya seeking a floor test in the Assembly. The Congress followed suit by seeking an appointment with the governor on May 10 to “present a memorandum regarding the present political situation in the state”. Meanwhile, Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda replied to Chautala’s statement, quote “All our 30 MLAs are intact, but the issue is that his [Dushyant’s] MLAs are running here and there. First, he should analyse if he has all his MLAs intact…it would have been better if Dushyant had paraded all his MLAs in front of the governor. Unquote.As Air India Express faces cancellation of 74 of its flights owing to an ongoing protest by a section of its cabin crew, Air India has stepped in to aid passengers facing disruptions, stating that it will run flights on 20 of its subsidiary’s routes. The airline released in a press release, quote, “We will be operating 283 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 85 of our flights are cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport,” Unquote.The Enforcement Directorate filed an affidavit in Supreme Court opposing interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today. 'Right to campaign in polls is neither fundamental nor constitutional,' ED told the Supreme Court and also said that no political leader was ever granted interim bail for his own campaigning if in custody. Earlier today the Supreme Court said that it may pass an order on Friday on whether or not to grant interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy scam case.A 26-year-old Indian student has been reported missing in Chicago since May 2, India’s mission in the US city. It is the latest case in the country as the community grapples with a string of such incidents involving students. Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi has been missing from the 4300 block of N. Sheridan Rd, the Chicago Police said in a statement. The Consulate General of India in Chicago said it was in touch with the police and Indian diaspora to locate/reestablish contact with Rupesh.Two Indian-origin brothers wanted in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old MTech student from India have been arrested by Australian police. Abhijeet and Robin Gartan were arrested in the New South Wales country town of Goulburn police are preparing to extradite them to Victoria reportedly. The brothers were on the run since the early hours of Sunday after Navjeet Sandhu from Noble Park was killed and a 30-year-old man, also from Noble Park, was injured at an Ormond home in Melbourne’s southeast.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Deeptiman Tiwary joins us to talk about the views and opinions of people from Bihar on the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, the challenges that they face and who they will be voting for. Next, Indian Express’ Sohini Ghosh talks to us about the new verdict given by the Gujarat High Court regarding the murder case of RTI activist Amit Jethwa which acquits the formerly convicted Dinu Solanki and six others. (14:22)And in the end, we talk about a recent controversy over Sam Pitroda's comments followed by his resignation from the position of the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress. (26:10)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced and written by 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 8th of May and here are today's headlines.Fresh remarks by Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda, where he seeks to emphasise the diversity of India, prompted a sharp reaction from the Prime Minister as well as BJP chief ministers from the Northeast. In an interview to The Statesman, Pitroda said, quote, “People in the East look Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North like, maybe, White, and people in the South look like African.” Unquote. At a rally on Wednesday, Modi referred to the remarks along with Rahul Gandhi and said, quote, “Shehzada will have to answer. The nation and Modi will not tolerate insulting our citizens on the basis of skin colour.” Unquote.The Civil Aviation ministry today sought a report from Air India Express on cancellation of flights after a section of cabin crew reported sick evidently to protest against changes in the human resources policy. The ministry has asked the Tata-group airline to resolve issues promptly. The ministry has further advised the airline to ensure facilities to passengers as per DGCA norms. Around 80 Air India Express flights have been disrupted, including cancellations and long delays, due to the crew shortage since Tuesday night as over 200 cabin crew called in sick.The judicial custody of JD(S) leader and former Karnataka Minister HD Revanna, who was arrested on May 4 by Special Investigation Team (SIT) in a kidnapping case, was extended till 14th of May. A sexual abuse case was registered against Revanna and his son and Hassan MP Prajwal on 28th of April at Holenarsipur in Hassan district.Explicit videos of alleged sexual abuse by Prajwal had gone viral days before the April 26 polling in parts of Karnataka. The state government formed the SIT soon after, and multiple cases were registered against the MP. To encourage more victims to come forward, the SIT launched a helpline to provide protection or legal assistance to victims, by keeping their identities confidential.Amidst the diplomatic strain in India-Canada relations, India’s Canadian envoy has warned that the Sikh separatist groups in Canada were crossing “a big red line” that New Delhi sees as a matter of national security and of the country’s territorial integrity. Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma said, quote, “Indians will decide the fate of India, not the foreigners."Unquote. Verma told the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent think-tank that relations between India and Canada are positive overall despite “a lot of noise”.Washington had halted a shipment of powerful bombs that Israel could have potentially used in a full-scale assault on Rafah. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington had carefully reviewed the delivery of weapons that might be used in Rafah, and as a result paused a shipment consisting of 1,800 2,000-lb bombs and 1,700 500-lb bombs. This would be the first such delay since the Biden administration offered its "ironclad" support to Israel after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. The White House and Pentagon declined to comment.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Kiran Parashar brings us a ground report from the Hassan constituency, where over the past 10 days, survivors of the alleged sexual assault case involving JDS leader and MP Prajwal Revanna have had to flee their homes.Next, Indian Express’ Parthasarthi Biswas tells us about the Centre lifting the export ban on onions ahead of the polls in Maharashtra, and why farmers in the state are expressing discontentment over this move (11:46).And finally, Indian Express’ Abhishek Angad provides us with the details of the latest raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate in Jharkhand and how they have led to political mudslinging between the Congress and the BJP (20:35).Hosted by Shashank BhargavaProduced and written 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 7th of May and here are today's headlines.The third phase of the Lok Sabha elections is underway today with voters in 93 parliamentary constituencies across 11 states and Union Territories casting their ballot to elect the new government. The state of Gujarat and the union territories of Goa, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu will complete polling in a single phase on Tuesday. Among the other constituencies voting in the third phase are four in Assam, five in Bihar, seven in Chhattisgarh, eight in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, 10 in Uttar Pradesh and four in West Bengal.The Supreme Court today said that if it grants interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal, he cannot function as the chief minister as it will have “cascading effect” on other issues. The court noted, quoted, “We are on the issue of propriety today, not on legality. We do not want anything to affect the functioning of the government," Unquote. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's judicial custody in the excise policy corruption case has been extended until 15th of May.In his first-ever comments on the sexual assault allegations against now-suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there was “zero tolerance” for such people. During an interview with a national TV channels, he also hit out at the Congress party, questioning the timing of the release of the videos, during an interview with TV channel Times Now. He questioned, quote, “...if it happened in Karnataka, then the Karnataka government is responsible to take action,” Unquote.The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Jharkhand Congress Minister Alamgir Alam’s personal secretary Sanjiv Lal and the officer’s domestic help. This follows raids conducted at various premises yesterday which led to the seizure of around Rs 34.50 crore in cash. Hours later, a Special Court in Ranchi remanded Lal and his house help to seven-day ED custody, after the agency submitted that names of senior bureaucrats and politicians have emerged. The agency also alleged that “officials from top to bottom” of Rural Development Department were involved in a money laundering nexus.The Israeli military said it had established “operational control” over the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip overnight Monday into Tuesday. Footage broadcast on Israeli media showed an Israeli flag flying on the Gaza side of the crossing, though the Israeli army refused to comment on the flag. On Monday night, the Israeli military said it was carrying out “targeted strikes” in eastern Rafah. It said 20 Hamas militants were killed in the operation and it discovered three tunnel shafts. An Israeli army official said the vast majority of people located in the evacuation zone have left.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Aditi Raja joins us to talk about the Tribal belt of Gujarat that cast its votes yesterday for the Lok Sabha elections and the challenges that they have been facing.Next, Indian Express’ Nihal Koshie talks to us about the BJP fielding Karan Bhushan Singh from the Kaiserganj seat instead of father and former President of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. (13:02)And in the end, we talk about the Election Commission of India issuing an advisory for all the parties to remove all the deepfake content, audios and videos from their social media pages which have been used as a part of the election campaigns. (20:13)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced and written by 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 6th of May and here are today's headlines.Exuding confidence that the BJP would form the government in Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government’s “expiry date” was 4th of June– the day the results come out. Addressing a rally in Berhampur parliamentary constituency, Modi said, quote, “Today is May 6. By June 6, a BJP chief minister will be nominated and on June 10, an oath-taking ceremony will be held. Write it down. I have come here to welcome you to the BJP government’s oath-taking ceremony. The double engine government will come to Odisha for the first time,” unquote. Odisha Assembly elections will be held simultaneously with Lok Sabha polls.A day ahead of polling in all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, 16 schools in Ahmedabad received bomb threat emails today. According to JCP (Crime Branch) Sharad Singhal, 12 schools in Ahmedabad city and four in Ahmedabad rural jurisdiction received the threat emails around 6 am. The emails were received from a Russian domain name ‘mail.ru’. He further stated that combing operations were undertaken in all the schools and “nothing was found”, terming the threats to be “hoax”.National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today warned about Pakistan being a nuclear power in response to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s comment on people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir wanting to merge with India. Abdullah said, quote, “If the defence minister is saying it then go ahead. Who are we to stop? But remember, they (Pakistan) are also not wearing bangles. It has atom bombs, and unfortunately, that atom bomb will fall on us." Unquote. Reportedly, Rajnath on Sunday stated that India won’t have to capture PoK with force because “its people, on their own, would want to be part of the country after seeing the development in Kashmir”.The Bombay High Court today granted temporary bail of two months, on health grounds, to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, arrested in a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate. Goyal was arrested by the central agency in September last year and had approached the high court after a special court denied his bail plea. The court also asked Goyal to surrender his passport and directed him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with sureties.The third phase of the Lok Sabha elections will be held on 7th of May with voters in 94 parliamentary constituencies across 12 states and Union Territories casting their ballot to elect the new government. By tomorrow evening, over 280 constituencies will have gone to polls, meaning that more than half of the total seats in Lok Sabha will have been decided. That leaves polling in 263 constituencies in the four remaining phases. The state of Gujarat and the union territories of Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu will complete polling in a single phase on Tuesday.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Maulshree Seth tells us why Rahul Gandhi decided to contest from Raebareli instead of Amethi, and why Priyanka Gandhi chose not to make her electoral debut in these polls.Next, Indian Express’ Mohamed Thaver informs us about the incident of firing outside Salman Khan's residence and the key suspects in the case (13:35).Lastly, we provide you with the details of the latest terror attack in Jammu's Poonch district (22:40).Hosted by Shashank BhargavaProduced and written 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 3rd of May and here are the top stories of the week.Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a rally in UP’s Bareilly attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying he started his party’s campaign with Bharat Jodo Yatra that will end with a ‘Congress Dhoondho Yatra,’ suggesting that the party will get a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a rally in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new attack on Congress saying “it is a mureed (follower) of Pakistan.” In Shivamogga, Rahul Gandhi raked up the many allegations of sexual abuse against Prajwal Revanna and said, “PM Modi has asked for votes for a ‘mass rapist’.”Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Thursday that Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna, who is at the centre of a sexual abuse case, travelled to Germany on a diplomatic passport and no political clearance was either sought from or issued by the MEA with respect to his travel to the country. Meanwhile, the SIT probing the allegations of sexual abuse against Prajwal has issued a lookout circular after he failed to appear before it officials following a notice of appearance served on Tuesday.After around 100 schools across Delhi-NCR received hoax bomb threats by email on Wednesday, the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued an advisory asking schools to ensure timely checking of emails received on their official email ID. It added that “if anything unwanted is noticed,” the deputy director of education in the district or zone and the Delhi Police are to be informed immediately.Global pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca has admitted that its Covid-19 vaccine, developed by researchers from the Oxford University, can cause a rare side effect of blood clotting and low platelet count after immunisation. In India, the same vaccine, called Covishield and manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute, has been administered through 175 crore doses. Reportedly, the company made this admission of a side effect, Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), in court as it faces a lawsuit alleging severe harm and deaths caused by the vaccine.Breaking days of silence as police crack down on campus protests over the war in Gaza, US President Joe Biden on Thursday said “destroying property and threatening people was not a peaceful protest” and asserted that it was “against the law.” In his first remarks on the ongoing student protests over the war in Gaza, Biden said the protests have put to the test the right to speech and the rule of law, adding that both must be upheld. “American people must have the right to be heard, but rule of law must be upheld,” he said in an address at the White House.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Anonna Dutt joins us to talk about AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical company that produced the Covid-19 vaccine - Covishield and its admission of the fact that its vaccine causes blood clots. She also shares the severity of the situation and whether or not it's a cause for concern. Next, Indian Express’ Anjali Marar talks to us about why the month of April was warmer than usual and what to expect from the upcoming months according to the India Meteorological Department. (8:16)And finally, we talk about the BJP fielding Karan Bhushan Singh from Kaiserganj instead of father Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. (17:43)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced and written by 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 2nd of May and here are today's headlines.Intensifying the attack against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the “partnership between Congress and Pakistan” has been “exposed” as leaders in Pakistan are “offering duas” for Rahul Gandhi to become India’s prime minister. While addressing an election rally in Gujarat, Modi said Pakistan “has been crying” as the Congress, which “only handed terror dossiers” to Pakistan, continues to lose ground in India. All 26 seats of Gujarat will go to poll on May 7 in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024.Meanwhile, in Shivamogga, Rahul Gandhi raked up the many allegations of sexual abuse against Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and said, “PM Modi has asked for votes for a ‘mass rapist’.” Speaking of Revanna, the Special Investigation Team probing the allegations of sexual abuse against him has issued a lookout circular after he failed to appear before it officials following a notice of appearance served on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he sought seven days to appear before the SIT. The SIT also issued notices to his father H D Revanna, who has been named as accused based on the complaint of one of the women, on the same day.The Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved the removal of 223 contractual staffers at the Delhi Commission for Women, deeming their employment “irregular” and “illegal”. It is alleged that the former chairperson of the DCW, Swati Maliwal, had appointed the staffers without permission, going against the rules. Maliwal asked, quote, "If all the contract staff is removed, the Women’s Commission will be locked. Why are these people doing this? This institution has been built with blood and sweat. Instead of giving it staff and protection, you are destroying it from its roots?” Unquote.A Mumbai school principal has been asked by the school management to resign, allegedly over her posts on social media platform X on the issue of Palestine and the Hamas-Israel conflict. Parveen Shaikh, who has been with the school for 12 years and became its principal 7 years ago, has refused to resign. She said, quote, “I live in democratic India; I hold the principle of freedom of speech in high regard as it is a cornerstone of democracy. It is unimaginable that my expression would provoke such a malicious response, furthering their biased agenda. I will not resign because I have given hundred per cent to the organisation,” Unquote.Arguing that immigrants have made the United States stronger, President Joe Biden said that xenophobia from India, China, Russia and Japan has stalled their economic growth. Speaking at a fundraising event in Washington, he said, quote, “Why is China stalling so badly economically, why is Japan having trouble, why is Russia, why is India, because they are xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants. Immigrants are what makes us strong. One of the reasons why our economy is growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Unquote.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First Indian Express’ Kiran Parashar and Liz Mathew tell us about the Karnataka sex abuse case, in which Janata Dal (Secular) MP and its Hassan candidate Prajwal Revanna is the main accused. They delve into the allegations, the timeline since the matter surfaced, and the statements made by the JDS’ alliance partner, the BJP, regarding the issue.Next, Indian Express’ Apurva Vishwanath discusses the Delhi liquor policy case and outlines a common challenge that the defense side is facing in the matter (12:32).And in the end, Indian Express’ Arnabjit Sur reports on the recent bomb threat received by nearly 100 schools in Delhi and the NCR region, which the police claim to be a hoax (20:12).Hosted, written, and produced by 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 1st of May and here are today's headlines.Around 100 schools in Delhi and the National Capital Region received a bomb threat email in the early hours today. The schools received the threats on their official email IDs around 4 am. Speaking to reporters, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, said that the Delhi Police has found out the origin of the threat emails and that an investigation is underway. He added, quote, “I want to assure the people of Delhi that Delhi Police is fully prepared and we will try to prevent any untoward incident from happening.” Unquote.In other news, Anuj Thapan, one of the accused in the case related to firing outside actor Salman Khan’s Bandra home, has died by suicide in the lock-up of Mumbai Police’s crime branch. According to police officials, Thapan attempted to die by suicide at around 11am. “The incident took place in the bathroom of the police lock-up on the first floor,” the official said. Thapan, 32, was arrested on April 26 from Punjab by a team of Mumbai police crime branch.India’s gross Goods and Services tax collections rose to a record-high level of Rs 2.10 lakh crore in April (for year-end sales in March), as per data released by the Finance Ministry today. Driven mainly by a rise in domestic transactions, the gross GST collections increased by 12.4 per cent in April. This is the highest level of GST collections recorded since the July 2017 of the indirect tax regime. The previous highest level registered under GST was Rs 1.87 lakh crore in April 2023, reflecting year-end sales of March 2023.Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara today said there is no question of protecting anyone including Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna over an alleged sex scandal involving him and that action has been initiated in accordance with law by forming a Special Investigation Team. He was reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on Tuesday wanting to know why the Congress government in Karnataka did not take any action against Prajwal Revanna. In the latest development in the sexual abuse case against Revanna, his father and party MLA H D Revanna, the SIT has issued notices to them. They have been asked to appear before SIT for probe.In international news, dozens were reportedly arrested Tuesday after Columbia University called in police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on the New York campus. The demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall more than 12 hours earlier, spreading their reach from an encampment on the grounds. Before officers entered the campus, the New York Police Department received a notice from Columbia authorising officers to take action, a law enforcement official told AP news agency.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Anonna Dutt joins us to talk about why Hong Kong and Singapore withdrew products from MDH and Everest and how FSSAI has responded to it. Next, Indian Express’ Damini Nath talks to us about the voting process and the verdict that was recently given by the Supreme Court of India regarding the EVMs and VVPATs. (5:15)And finally, we talk about  AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical company that created the Covid-19 vaccine - Covishield and its admission of the fact that their vaccine causes series health issues. (12:12)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced and written by 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 30th of April and here are today's headlines.The Janata Dal(Secular) today suspended Hassan MP and the party’s Lok Sabha candidate Prajwal Revanna, in connection with the explicit video clips allegedly involving him. The decision was made following a meeting of the JD(S) core committee held in Hubballi. Addressing media persons, JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy said the duration of the suspension “was until the completion of the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). If allegations against him are proved, then he will be suspended permanently.”Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah broke his silence on the alleged sex abuse case involving Prajwal Revanna, an MP with BJP’s alliance partner in Karnataka, the JD(S). Speaking in Guwahati, Shah, when asked about the allegations against Prajwal, who is also the JD(S) Lok Sabha candidate and the grandson of H D Deve Gowda, said, “It cannot be tolerated.” However, he sought to turn the tables on the Congress government in Karnataka for delaying the investigation in the case.In other news, AstraZeneca, for the first time, reportedly admitted in its court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause rare side effects, paving the way for a multi-million pound legal payout. The pharmaceutical company is being sued in a class action over claims that its vaccine against Covid-19, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury, including TTS — Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome — which causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.The Supreme Court came down heavily on the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority stating that they should be “honest to the court if they wanted sympathy and compassion”, a day after the body informed the court that it had “suspended manufacturing licences for 14… products” of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and Divya Pharmacy. Expressing dissatisfaction over the explanation offered by the body, the bench observed it appeared that the licensing authority took action in accordance with the law only after the apex court’s 10th of April order.British police have arrested a man armed with a sword following reports of people having been stabbed during a serious incident in northeast London. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that the 36-year old man was arrested after police were called to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in the area close to Hainault train station. The capital’s police force said the suspect had attacked members of the public and two officers, although it was not thought to be terrorism-related.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.