Podcasts about The Big Story

26 November 2008. There's perhaps still a lingering sense of disbelief as we talk about the day.  Even 13 years after the attack, we continue to piece together all the tiny details of the events of the day through the words and memories of those who survived to tell the tale. In this special episode of The Big Story we get first-hand accounts of three journalists who covered the attack from ground zero. In this podcast you'll hear from Raksha Shetty, Mahrukh Inayat and Shai Venkatraman talk about how they went around covering the attack.  Along with that we also have with us Anjali Kulthe, Staff Nurse of Labour Room at Cama Hospital who showed extreme grit and saved the lives of several pregnant women when the hospital had come under attack.  You'll also hear from Dr Shailesh Mohite, Former Forensic Head at Nair Hospital who recounts how he had to operate on the lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab.  Tune in! Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

For a country that has a lot to worry about the repercussions of its humungous population, we seemed to have hit a positive demographic milestone.  According to the findings of the National Family Health Survey-5 data, India's total fertility rate has declined from 2.2 to 2. Another finding from the survey that is being pompously celebrated is that for the first time in the history of NFHS surveys, the sex ratio is skewed in favour of women. The data suggests there are 1,020 women for every 1,000 men. So, the two questions that come up are: Do these number indicate that India is closer to stabilizing its population?  And, given the continued prevalence of patriarchal attitudes in Indian society, gender preferences for children at birth, how we really read the sex ratio figures? Tune in!  Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha Guests: Sanghamitra Singh, Senior Manager of Knowledge Management & Partnerships at Population Foundation of India;  Dr Srinath Reddy, President of Public Health Foundation of India ; Varna Sri Raman, Lead of Research and Knowledge Building at Oxfam India Editor: Vaishali Sood Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

The entire cryptocurrency market in India had a bloodbath on the evening of 23 November as panic set in with retail investors over the news coming out that the government is tabling a bill in the upcoming Parliament to ban "private cryptocurrencies". By midnight, the entire market fell by around 15 percent, with Bitcoin down by 17 percent, Ethereum down by nearly 15 percent and Tether by almost 18 percent. The root of this volatility is The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021, which “seeks to ban all private cryptocurrencies in the country, but will allow certain exceptions to promote underlying technology and its uses.” Along with this, the document also states that the Reserve Bank of India will be introducing its own digital coin as well. But, there is no knowledge so far on how this RBI coin will work or its purpose. An unregulated market so far, for the past few months, the Centre has been dropping hints regarding its intent on regulating cryptocurrency in India. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent speech at Sydney Dialogue said that the “democratic countries need to work together on cryptocurrency and ensure that it does not end up in the wrong hands.” But with reportedly 10 crore retail investors in the crypto market, how can a ban impact India's crypto market? What is the Centre's concerns regarding cryptocurrencies? And if you are an investor, what should you do with your investment? Guests:  Subhash Garg, former finance Secretary of India and Naimish Sanghvi, the CEO of CoinCrunch, a crypto news platform. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

After nearly two years, the much-awaited and long-overdue report by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Data Protection Bill 2019 was tabled on Monday, 22 November. Though the report has not been made available in the public domain yet, as many as seven MP's from the Congress Trinamool Congress and the BJD have submitted dissent notes to the committee since some clauses give the Centre sweeping powers to collect and process data. While Congress MP Jairam Ramesh in his dissent note stated that the bill assumes that “constitutional right to privacy arises only where operations and activities of private companies are concerned”, TMC MPs Derek O'Brien and Mahua Moitra described the 2019 Bill as "Orwellian" in nature and raised questions on the functioning of the committee. Though the report reportedly has introduced a few positive provisions as well, including mandatory disclose if users' data has been passed on to a third party, the blank cheque of relaxations given to the Centre for collecting and using personal and non-personal data is a matter of grave concern. Guest: Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 November, announced that his government will repeal the three controversial farm laws, against which lakhs of farmers for the past year have been protesting.  The announcement, made on Guru Nanak Jayanti, came as a surprise to many since there was no indication from the saffron party or the Centre on any climb down on the farm laws. At first glance, the rollback of the laws is a major victory for the farmer's movement, and signals that old fashioned non-violent protest do have their way to find chinks in the BJP-led Centre's strongman  image armour.  However, it would be naive to not see the political equations running behind this decision, with two crucial states-Punjab and Uttar Pradesh- heading to Assembly polls earlier next year.  And with the most recent C-Voter opinion poll predicting a 100 seat fall for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, one would say it was imperative for the BJP to make good with the farmers if it wanted to stay in power. But what political impact will this move have for the BJP in the upcoming elections? Will it change the scenario in Uttar Pradesh or give it relevance again in Punjab? Guest: Aditya Menon, The Quint's Political Editor. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

We find ourselves in the middle of a greater Story that gives us meaning, purpose and identity. The beginning of this Story, and glimpses of its conclusion, are recorded in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, but there is still more being written.Scripture can be summed up in 5 Acts and we find ourselves in Act 5 as spirit filled partners with God in his healing and restoration of the world!

The controversial deaths of two civilians in Kashmir's Hyderpora have sparked outrage across the valley, with the next of kin asserting that their relatives were used as human shields by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police during an encounter with militants. The two deceased civilians, identified as Dr Mudasir Gul and Altaf Bhat, were both local business persons and owned shops in a commercial complex in Hyderpora where the encounter took place on the evening of 15 November. According to police statements, they cordoned off the complex after receiving inputs claiming that militants were present at an “illegal call centre”. The two civilians then accompanied the police to the building. According to the police, they were killed in the crossfire as the search operation turned into a gunfight. The police later claimed that one of the civilians, Dr Gul, was an overground worker. The J&K police, citing law and order concerns, also performed the last rites of the two civilians and have not turned over the bodies to the next of kin. But their families are not taking no for an answer, demanding the bodies of the relatives to be released to them. They have also sought proof that their deceased loved ones were associated with militants, or were Over Ground Workers (OGWs) as the police have claimed. To learn more about the case and the situation on the ground, for today's episode, we spoke with Srinagar-based freelance journalist Shakir Mir. Tune in! Guest: Shakir Mir, Srinagar-based freelance journalist. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shelly Walia Also listen: What is the Intent of Terror Groups Behind Recent Civilian Killings in J&K? Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

What can a comedian in India joke about that is acceptable to the audience and the public? The debate on this has been stirred time and again and was sparked once again on Tuesday, 16 November. Stand-up comedian Vir Das has been caught in a storm of applause and criticism on his recent stand-up video recorded at Washington DC's John F Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts titled "I Come From Two Indias" In a six-minute video, Vir Das talks about the duality of India and speaks on topical issues the country is facing from the pandemic to the farmers' protests, and targeted attacks towards comedians as well. While many on social media have said that India can't take criticism and applauded Das for his candid words, the other side has condemned the comedian for generalising incidents and projecting a negative image about India abroad. The negative comments and hate speech regarding his monologue reached such an extent that at least two police complaints have been filed against Das for “derogatory statements against India”. In a clarification, Das on Twitter stated that his intention was to remind people that despite the issues, India is “great” and requested people to not be fooled by edited snippets. But the bigger question here is, was Das wrong in saying what he did about India? If he was, do comedians need to start self-censoring before they bring their material out? What do comedians feel about this? We took these questions to Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guests: Stand-up comedians Neeti Palta, Sanjay Rajoura, and Agrima Joshua. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Every year, like clockwork, the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) is blanketed in smog in the winter months and the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in different parts of the capital spike through the roof. This year, despite there being strict enforcement on bursting crackers, Delhi woke up to a thick smog the day after Diwali and the AQI remained at a “severe” level for days till 14 November when it reduced to “very poor”. Even the Supreme Court (SC) had to step in and pull up the Delhi government. A three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana, sought to know what measures the Union and the Delhi government were taking to control pollution. The SC also contemplated measures like placing the entire city under a lockdown or an odd-even system of managing vehicular traffic. But how significant are these band-aid-like measures? And fingers, of course, were also pointed towards stubble burning in the Punjab and Haryana. However, this time, the tables turned as contribution of stubble burnings to Delhi's pollution was reportedly only 10 percent. But can we always place the blame on farmers when it comes to air pollution in the capital? Is there a win-win solution for all parties? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Santosh Harish, a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research  Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Billed as the “last, best hope” to save humanity, the COP26 summit ended on a bitter-sweet note after two weeks of gruelling negotiations and bargaining over language and provisions of the Glasgow Pact. Nearly 200 nations participated in the conference to make progress on slowing down global warming. However, it was in the last few hours of the conference that a handful of countries changed the entire atmosphere of the summit. A last-minute demand by India, backed by China and other countries, watered down the language in the pact which called for a “phase-out” of coal. Instead, China demanded the wording to be “phase down” and India wanted the pact to only cover “inefficient” coal. But with no alternative solution other than countries voluntarily agreeing to reduce emissions, where does the world go from here? Was COP26 a success or a failure? Have we made any headway in limiting climate change? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Chandra Bhushan, environment, and climate expert and senior journalist Nabanita Sircar. Editor: Shelly Walia Audio of COP26 Speeches: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

China, a country that is so singularly determined to expand its territorial claim in the Asia-Pacific, has now built an entire village inside a disputed territory with India. You read that right. According to several media reports and satellite images, China has built a village that can house thousands in the disputed territory in Arunachal Pradesh. And though the news about the village being constructed is not new as NDTV had broken the story earlier this year, it got reignited after the US Pentagon published a report on 3 November, highlighting China's growing claim along the LAC. In its annual report, the Pentagon pertinently notes that China has been taking “incremental and tactical actions to press its claims” at the LAC with India and that sometime in 2020, China built a “large 100-home civilian village inside a disputed territory”. Taking note of this report, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday, 11 November, stated that it does not accept “such illegal occupation” and the “unjustified Chinese claims”. But in a bizarre contradiction to both the MEA and Pentagon report, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat stated that China's construction “were well within their part of the LAC” and that "they have not transgressed anywhere". To make matters worse and more confusing, China has also introduced a new land boundary law, which sends a clear signal that the country plans to use its civilian population to safeguard “territorial integrity”. With Sino-India relations already on a tightrope since the most recent core-commander talks reaching a deadlock, China's recent actions at the border may have only soured the relations between the neighbours further. Their actions throw up the following questions: What is China trying to signal by upping the ante in the disputed regions? Does the new land boundary law state that China is no longer interested in a border resolution with India? And lastly, how worrying are these moves for India?  Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Harsh V Pant, Director, Studies & Head, Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

The much-awaited IPOs of Paytm and Nykaa, the homegrown fashion brand, finally came to an end on Thursday, 11 November, with the latter having a blockbuster start on listing day with its valuation crossing Rs 1 lakh crore.  The issue price for Nykaa was Rs 2,018 apiece, with a premium of 79 percent over its issue price. But the strong demand from all categories of investors resulted in the company making it to the top 100 mid-caps on the Bombay Stock Exchange, ahead of giants like State Bank of India and even Coal India. The rally in the markets also resulted in the company's founder, Falguni Nayar, net worth touching USD$ 7 billion, making her India's wealthiest self-made female billionaire. But while on one end Nykaa made out like a bandit, Paytm's parent company, One97 Communications, struggled to garner a full subscription, with less than 50 percent of the stock being subscribed even on the second day of listing. And according to analysts, one of the reasons for the weak response could be the massive size of the issue itself. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Niraj Shah, Markets Editor at Bloomberg Quint Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

On the heels of an early exit from the 2021 T20 World Cup, the BCCI has announced the T20 squad for the New Zealand series starting 17 November, with the baton of captaincy being passed to Rohit Sharma. Alongside as his deputy is KL Rahul and the new coach Rahul Dravid. But what has also been making headlines is the induction of fresh faces in the squad as with many senior players being put on rest, notably Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya.   The new squad includes freshers like Venkatesh Iyer, who made his mark in the 2021 IPL in Dubai, Avesh Khan, and Harshal Patel. And one of the key reasons for these fresh faces in the squad is due to exhaustion faced by the players who have been travelling for 6 months and living in bio-bubbles without adequate breaks in between. Fatigue is also reportedly one of the key factors which contributed toward's India's losses at the T20 cup.  But with a new captain handling the team, a new coach managing the players and several new players in the squad, how will India fair in the upcoming T20 series? Will this reset of players work? What can we make of the new squad? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Sports commentators and analysts Amrit Mathur and Chandresh Narayanan.  Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

The world for the past few months has been speaking a lot on COVID vaccines and how it is our way out of this pandemic. But it will be a long time before the entire world is vaccinated. So what do we do to prevent severe symptoms or hospitalisation till then? A new anti-viral pill for COVID-19 treatment from pharma giants Merck and Pfizer Inc, aims to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and even death. These new drugs – Merck's Molnupiravir and Pfizer's Paxlovid – are currently in their clinical trials but have shown promising results, especially the latter, which claims to reduce the risk of hospitalisation by 89 percent. And countries have already started recognising the significance of these pills, with the United Kingdom being the first country to approve Molnupiravir and purchased nearly half a million courses. So what are these new drugs exactly? How do they work and more importantly, are they safe? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Vaishali Sood, The Quint's Health Editor and Dr Rakesh Mishra, the former Director of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and an Advisor to CEBM. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

On the heel of a mixed bag of wins and losses in the recently concluded bypolls, the Bharatiya Janta Party held their first national executive meeting since the start of the pandemic on 7 November. Though the meeting was largely devoted to applauding Prime Minister Narendra  Modi's government on a range of actions, primarily COVID-19 and his intervention at the COP-26 summit, what was also front and centre was the focus on the upcoming assembly elections in early 2022.  And this was pertinent from Modi's reported exhortations at the party meeting, asking the BJP top brass and workers to become the “bridge of faith” for the common man. Party chief JP Nadda in his inaugural speech added to this, stating that the “BJP's best is yet to come”. They also announced a “resolution for victory” in the upcoming polls.  But a significant takeaway from the meeting was the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the only BJP CM to attend the meeting physically. Adding more to his profile was him presenting the parties political resolution mentioned earlier, indicating a rise in importance in the party. The saffron party also slammed the opposition on various counts like reduction in VAT on fuel and even went a step further, accusing them of “opportunism” and acting with a mindset of “extreme hate”. While the party applauded the Centre for its measures regarding farmer welfare and COVID, there was no direct mention of the contentious farm laws, CAA, nor the unclear border disputes with China.  So what does this meeting tell us about the BJP's elections strategies? What is this “resolution for victory'?  To discuss this, joining me today is author and senior journalist Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay and Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author and senior journalist and Aditya Menon, The Quint's Political Editor.  Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

The T20 World Cup may not be going as we expected but there is light at the end of this tunnel with Rahul Dravid waiting for the Indian men's cricket team to take over as the new coach. Dravid has come on board on a two-year contract and his first assignment with be the home series against New Zealand starting 17 November. But how did a man, who made it pretty clear that he didn't want the job, get selected for it? Guest: Chandresh Narayanan, senior sports journalist and cricket commentator Host: Mendra Dorjey  Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

To understand how direct-to-consumer marketers are handling the loss of identity signals online, special guest Chip Malt, CEO of the cookware brand Made In, shares his take on testing UID 2.0  –  and even pursuing identity-less radio – to adapt.

It was a bittersweet day for the Bharatiya Janata Party as the results of the bypolls held in 29 Assembly seats and three Lok Sabha seats were out on Tuesday, 2 November.  The saffron party and its allies made a clean sweep in the northeast, winning all nine seats, which went to poll in Assam, Mizoram, and Meghalaya and won the Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa. But it was the surprise blow by the Congress in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, which became a major setback for the BJP. In the BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh, the GOP wrested the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and the Assembly seats of Jubbal. It also retained the Arki and Fatehpur Assembly seats. With the state going to polls next year, the loss is significant since it has now triggered the speculation whether the BJP will replace the incumbent CM Jairam Thakur. And in Rajasthan, the Congress won both seats-Dhariawad and Vallabh Nagar with comfortable margins, while the BJP was unable to make a dent and slid further down in the vote share ladder. To further rub salt in BJP's wounds, the victory parade of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal continued as it snatched away all four seats that went to poll with average margins of 75 percent. This results in the TMC's strength in the 294-member Bengal Assembly rising to 219. Along with these setbacks, the BJP also lost the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha seat to the Shiv Sena, making this the Sena's first Lok Sabha victory outside of Maharashtra. So what caused this major rollback of votes for the BJP? Is this a warning signal for the ruling party before the upcoming polls ? And looking ahead, how will this affect the 2024 polls? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Aditya Menon, The Quint's Political Editor. Tune in! Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

The buzziest word over the past 24 hours has been “net-zero” and it is because India – in a significant first – has pledged that it will cut its emissions to net-zero by 2070, a target which may be far from ideal but still transformative. The announcement, accompanied by four other climate-related targets, was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 26th UN Conference of the Parties or better known as COP26 on 1 November.  And the announcement came as a surprise to many, given that India, up until just a few days ago, rejected all global pressures to announce such a commitment. Along with the net-zero pledge, India has promised to increase its installed renewable capacity and the share of non-fossil fuel energy sources from 40 percent to 50 percent by 2030. All of these commitments do sound great as pledges but how substantive are they in nature?  And with a significantly later net-zero deadline than many other countries, have we set ourselves an ambitious enough target or have we left enough just enough wiggle room to get by? Are these pledges another set of low hanging fruit or will they have a real impact on the climate? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Anjal Prakash, Research Director and Associate Professor at Bharti Institute of Public Policy at Indian School of Business and an IPCC author. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

A 10 wicket thrashing at the hands of Pakistan followed by an 8 wicket loss to New Zealand and pre-tournament favourites India are staring at a dangerously early exit from the 2021 T20 World Cup. Yes, the Men in Blue are not yet out of the tournament, but their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals went from bad to worse on Sunday and what's more - their fate no longer rests in their own hands. Only two teams qualify from the two groups at the t20 World Cup and with Pakistan on a winning-spree, they are set to book the first spot. Meaning, it will come down to India, New Zealand and maybe even Afghanistan fighting for that second spot.  For India to win that race, they not only need to win the remaining three matches with a significant margin but also hope that Afghanistan upset New Zealand.  On Sunday night, Virat Kohli made two changes to the squad that lost to Pakistan and brought in Ishan Kishan in place of the injured Suryakumar Yadav and got Shardul Thakur to play in Bhuvneshwar Kumar;s place.  Ishan opened, Rohit batted at three but all the experiments failed as the team was put into bat first and managed to only score 110/7- their lowest ever score batting first in a T20 World Cup. The team was also unable to secure any boundaries between 6th-17th overs.   Several factors, from the batting order to the bowling performance may have worked against the India team, with top pacer Jasprit Bumrah stating that the toss becomes a very crucial factor in these matches given the nature of the pitch To speak on India's performance in the match and the road ahead for the team, we spoke with sports commentator and analyst Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest:  Chandresh Narayan, sports commentator and analyst. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Metaverse. Sounds straight out of a sci fi novel, right? Well, it is. From a 1992 dystopian novel "Snow Crash" by American writer Neal Stephenson that envisioned a digital universe as a 3D space that one can come in and out of. And, that sci fi concept that has been the plot of movies like Matrix or Inception, is exactly what Mark Zuckerberg is aiming for, as he announced that Facebook is rebranding itself as Meta. The social media platform will still be called Facebook but with the rechristening of the company name from Facebook to Meta it's not just a social media company anymore but hopes to be a "metaverse company"—something that wants to make this sci fi concept into a reality. But where is this reinvention coming from? Well, Zuckerberg the Chief Executive of the company explained the name “Facebook” doesn't fully encompass everything that the company does anymore, let alone the future. So, the rebranding in fact, is heralding a transition in the company towards building the next generation of the internet that'll blend the real and virtual worlds for its users. But what is Meta's futuristic vision going to look like in practice? Is this going to be the next big thing? As the social media company faces trust deficit over data privacy issues, what are some of the concerns that arises as this social media giant takes a plunge into the AR-VR world? Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha Guest: Udbhav Tiwari is a public policy advisor at Mozilla Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

After twenty-four days in jail under charges of purchase, abetment, conspiracy, and possession of drugs – none of which were admissible in court – Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Thursday, 28 October. The cruise ship drug case has been dominating the headlines for close to a month and buzzing with new updates since his arrest on 2 October. And despite the extensive pursuit and media hype around this high-profile case, the NCB investigation raised more questions than answers. Appearing on behalf of Aryan Khan, former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi stated that his arrest was in direct violation of constitutional guarantees and none of the “unbelievable and shocking” WhatsApp chats recovered from Khan's phone relate to the cruise party. What has further muddied the waters in the NCB's case, are allegations made by a witness in the case Prabhakar Sail, against Sameer Wankhede, who is the Mumbai NCB chief and in-charge of the investigation. In an affidavit, Sail claimed that he was made to sign blank pages by Wankhede and that he overheard conversations that point to corruption and extortion of money. And parallel to the NCB case, something else is brewing, with Wankhede now being investigated for extortion and bribery by the Mumbai Police after four separate complaints were lodged against him. Seeing this, Wankhede has now been given interim relief from arrest by the Bombay HC. The Aryan Khan case saga shows us how despite legal experts pointing out big holes in the probe, the NCB continued with their investigation for weeks. So, what were the arguments made by the NCB and Khan's defense in the court order, which led to the bail order? And looking back, did the NCB probe have any ground? And did those holes in the investigation along with allegations against NCB officials, stand to weaken the case? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor and Suhas Gokhale, a former senior official in Mumbai Narcotics Drugs Bureau. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Jury selections continues for The Killing of Ahmaud Arbery Murder trial, so we've asked Court TV's Michael Ayala to join host Vinnie Politan to discuss three other big legal stories that have grabbed headlines.  First up, the husband of missing mom Maya Millete has been arrested and charged with her murder even though her body has yet to be found. Can prosecutors get him to reveal all he knows?  Then we're off to Florida were the body of Brian Laundrie, the primary suspect in the murder of Gabby Petito, has been found in the nature preserve his parents said he was in.  Could his parents be facing charges soon?  And finally, we'll discuss the tragic story of Alec Baldwin accidently shooting and killing cinematography Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.  Could Baldwin face criminal charges and if not who could?  Get the latest updates on Court TV and CourtTV.com. And join Vinnie Politan and the entire Court TV team nightly as they discuss the biggest legal stories of the day on Closing Arguments from 8pm to 11pm.    To see more of our coverage of the Rust movie set shooting, click here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stating that the Centre can't get a free pass every time by stating “national security”, the Supreme Court on 27 October appointed an external committee to investigate the allegations of unauthorised use of the Pegasus spyware on citizens. After weeks of back and forth between the Centre, the petitioners, and the court on Pegasus, the apex court sharply noted in its order that the “vague denial from the government is not sufficient”, and that it had no option but to set up a panel to examine the allegations made by the petitioners. The court's stern observations on the issue comes after hearing a clutch of petitions, which requested a probe into the allegations of the Centre's use of the spyware on over 142 Indian citizens.  The revelations regarding the use of spyware were made after a consortium of media organisations around the world reported in July, the use of the spyware on prominent politicians like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, 40 Indian journalists, and several private citizens. However, the Centre has to date refused to take a clear stand on whether it has purchased or used the spyware. And given the Centre's stonewalling on this issue, how significant are the observations made by the court? Will an expert committee be able to unearth the answers that the court has been unable to do so thus far? What powers will this committee have? Joining me today to discuss the significance of the order and also what functions the expert committee will possess is  Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Apar Gupta, the Executive Director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, and Gunjan Chawla, Programme Manager of Technology & National Security at the Centre for Communication Governance at NLU Delhi. Editor: Shelly Walia Interviews: Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor. Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

0:00 Intro 10:01 Interviews 33:09 Big Story 38:58 Australia 45:08 New Zealand 50:05 Communist Nations 52:30 Minneapolis For more updates, visit: http://www.brighteon.com/channel/hrreport NaturalNews videos would not be possible without you, as always we remain passionately dedicated to our mission of educating people all over the world on the subject of natural healing remedies and personal liberty (food freedom, medical freedom, the freedom of speech, etc.). Together, we're helping create a better world, with more honest food labeling, reduced chemical contamination, the avoidance of toxic heavy metals and vastly increased scientific transparency. ▶️ Every dollar you spend at the Health Ranger Store goes toward helping us achieve important science and content goals for humanity: https://www.healthrangerstore.com/ ▶️ Sign Up For Our Newsletter: https://www.naturalnews.com/Readerregistration.html ▶️ Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport ▶️ Join Our Social Network: https://brighteon.social/@HealthRanger ▶️ Check In Stock Products at: https://PrepWithMike.com

Money cowries were used for thousands of years as currency across the Indo-Pacific world but introduced into Atlantic commercial networks relatively late.

13 April 1919 — the unspeakable horrors at Jallianwala Bagh on that day still resonates with those who visit the walled city of Amritsar and the site. On that horrific day, thousands of innocent civilians, without warning, were gunned down at the orders of Brigadier-General Dwyer, where a platoon of soldiers surrounded the bagh and fired on those who were peacefully protesting. Over the past 100 years, many books, TV shows, and movies have tried to capture the scale of the tragedy that took place. And the most recent attempt that has been lauded by critics and audience reviews is the new movie Sardar Udham, which captures the unrelenting journey of freedom fighter Udham Singh to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, Sardar Udham, navigates the life of Udham Singh from his time in prison in India to his journey to London, and eventually his motives to assassinate Sir Michael O'Dwyer. The film has received rave reviews for actor Vicky Kaushal's performance as Udham Singh and also for, according to one movie review, separating nationalism from jingoism. This of course goes without saying that this episode contains a few spoilers for the movie. Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Shoojit Sircar, Director of Sardar Udham Interviews: Suresh Matthew and Abira Dhar Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

The number 13 may be a bit daunting for a lot of people, but for the Pakistani Men's cricket team, turns out 13th time's the charm!  After a 29-year-long dry spell of losing all of the 12 previous ICC World Cup matches against India Pakistan's cricket team turned the tide for themselves and how! Until 24th October, India had seven wins in 50-over World cup matches and five wins in 20-over matches against Pakistan, but Babar Azam became the first Pakistani captain to lead his team to an emphatic victory over India by 10 wickets, in a men's ICC World Cup event.  Our men in blue are no doubt a formidable lot, with an incredible record backing them, which is why perhaps the outcome at Dubai International Stadium was rather unexpected. But in the spirit of sportsmanship most of our listeners will agree that it was quite an enthralling match to watch, nonetheless. Humbly accepting defeat at the post-match presser, skipper Virat Kohli said that credit goes where credit's due, but the Indian cricket team is aware of where it faulted and will be moving forward in a positive way. To understand what put team India in the back foot, we spoke to sports commentator and analyst Mr Chandresh Narayan in this episode. We also speak to Mr Hemant Buch, a broadcast consultant who's managed LIVE sports broadcast around cricket, about the Pakistani cricket team and how they managed to break the jinx. But losing a game more often than not, ends up taking an intolerant route in the country.  We saw team members of the women's hockey team being subjected to casteist slurs online after the lost the quarterfinals in Tokyo Olympics. And similarly, since last night's loss, there have been several reports of Kashmiri students being harassed. Indian bowler Mohammed Shami has found himself to be the target of hate messages and trolling on social media platforms.  For our third guest, we speak to Seema Chishti, a writer and journalist based in Delhi about how sports getting co-opted into jingoistic and nationalistic politics can stand to harm the game itself. Tune in! Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha Guest:  Chandresh Narayan, Sports Commentator and Analyst Hemant Buch, Broadcast consultant Seema Chishti, Writer and Journalist Editor: Vaishali Sood Music: Big Bang Fuzz References:  WHO Approves World's First Malaria Vaccine: All You Need To Know Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Hey Families, we're now moving from stories about Kings, to stories about Prophets - people who listened to God and shared it with His people.

In a detailed judgment, a special NDPS court denied bail to Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, on grounds of him knowing others travelling with him carrying drugs and that this amounted to “conscious possession”. The NDPS court in its judgment stated that WhatsApp chats indicate Aryan Khan was involved in “illicit drug activities for narcotic substances on a regular basis”. But it's important to point out that no drugs were found in possession of Khan when he was arrested and that WhatsApp chats the NCB provided as evidence are messages like “let's have a blast”. An outpour of support came for SRK and his family ever since Aryan Khan's arrest and especially after the recent bail denial, with many on social media alleging “police harassment”. But why was bail denied by the special NDPS court, given the lack of evidence against Khan provided by the NCB, even after two weeks of custody? Why is it so hard to get bail under the NDPS Act? Is this really a case of police harassment or is bail being unreasonably denied? To analyse the latest developments in the Aryan Khan drugs case, we spoke with The Quint's Legal Editor Vakasha Sachdev and Dr NC Asthana, who is the former DGP of Kerala, and ADG BSF/CRPF. Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor and Dr NC Asthana, former DGP of Kerala, and ADG BSF/CRPF.  Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

The Big Story Ep 114: Are there enough ICU beds as Covid-19 cases strain Singapore hospitals? 6:51 mins Synopsis: This is a special episode of The Straits Times' video series The Big Story, hosted by Hairianto Diman and Olivia Quay. On Wednesday (Oct 20), the Health Ministry said that the surge in Covid-19 cases has placed significant pressure on public hospitals here with 89 per cent of isolation beds and 67 per cent of intensive care unit beds occupied. Produced by: ST Video team Edited by: ST Video team and Penelope Lee Discover The Straits Times Videos: https://str.sg/JPrc Discover ST podcasts: Channel: https://str.sg/JWVR Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2PwZCYU Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Lu4rPP Google podcasts: http://str.sg/googlestbt Websites: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Follow Hairianto Diman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamhairianto/?hl=en Follow Olivia Quay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviaquayhere/?hl=en --- Discover more ST podcast series: Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Life Weekend Picks Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa2 #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India administered its 1 billionth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, 21 October, passing a major milestone for a country where, just a few months ago, the Delta variant of the virus ripped through. The occasion was met with a lot of song and dance, with the Centre launching a new song and an audiovisual film to mark the landmark event. Along with that, the largest national flag, weighing 1,400 kg will be hoisted at the Red Fort. Soon after the country hit the milestone, PM Modi paid a visit to Delhi's Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital to interact with health workers and vaccine beneficiaries. And given the hurdles that India faced in the initial days – from vaccine shortages, vaccine distribution problems to states and the deadly second wave that crippled our health care system for nearly three months – hitting one billion doses is no small achievement. But as India celebrates this major milestone, it's also important to remember that millions of people are still waiting to receive the vaccine and according to official figures, we have only fully vaccinated 30 percent of our nearly 1.4 billion population. And this statistic does not include children under 18, who make up nearly 40 percent of the population. Even though 74 percent of the population is vaccinated with one dose, the issue of vaccine hesitancy still exists, with at least 10 percent of the population according to a recent survey not planning on taking the vaccine at all. The Center also announced earlier in May that India's adult vaccine drive will be completed before December 2021. But are we on track to meet that target? What hurdles is India currently facing in our vaccination drive, and nine months later, what lessons have we learned from them? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: njela Taneja, who is the Inequality Campaign Lead at Oxfam India and Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, an epidemiologist and a public policy expert. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Ahead of the highly anticipated India-Pakistan T20 World Cup series match, a growing chorus of fans in India are urging the men-in-blue to boycott the match with their historic arch-rivals. The call for the boycott comes at the heels of targeted killings of civilians and deaths of Indian Army personnel in Jammu and Kashmir over the past few weeks where 11 civilians were gunned down. The uproar by fans reached to such an extent that on 19 October, the hashtag #BoycottPakistan started trending on social media. Though several politicians, including Union Minister Giriraj Singh stating that playing the match should be reconsidered given the current relations with the country, some in the sports industry like badminton legend Prakash Padukone feels that sports should not be mixed with politics. So what should the Indian teams play be here? And is boycotting a cricket match the best option in our hands? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest:  Ayaz Memon, renowned sports writer and journalist. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Welcome back families! We're doing so well on this big story journey together!

Targeted killing of migrant workers in Kashmir is triggering fear and anxiety across the valley, with hundreds now fleeing the region.  Since 1 October, a total of eleven people have been the victim of targeted killings. After a spate of attacks in the region between 5-10 October, where at least seven civilians were killed, four more civilians-all of them migrant workers-were gunned down by militants between 16-17 October.  Arbind Kumar Shah from Bihar's Banka village and Sageer Ahmad from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh were gunned down in Srinagar and Pulwama respectively on 16 October. And just a day later, Raja Reshi Dev and Joginder Reshi Dev lost their lives after gunmen barged inside their rented rooms and opened fire at them in the Wanpoh area of Kulgam. Along with Raja and Joginder, the militants reportedly also shot and injured Chun Chun Reshi. All three belonged to Bihar and had moved to Kashmir for work.  A terror outfit which calls itself the United Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Wanpoh while another outfit, The Resistance Front claimed that attacks in Srinagar last week. Kashmir has been a source of employment for lakhs of migrant workers for years, with close to 3-4 lakh labourers reportedly travelling to the Valley every year for work due to lack of employment in their state. From Arbind Kumar to Joginder Reshi Dev to Sageer Ahmad, all of them were the sole breadwinners for their families. In an earlier episode, we took a deep dive into why these killings are happening and the larger agenda behind them. You can find a link to that episode in our show notes.  In today's episode, we bring you voices of the migrant workers in Kashmir and family members of the migrant workers killed in the attacks. We also speak with Shakir Mir, a freelance Srinagar based journalist to understand the ground reality of Srinagar.   Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Shakir Mir, a freelance Srinagar based journalist  Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Also check out: What is the Intent of Terror Groups Behind Recent Civilian Killings in J&K? Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Rod Thompson (Acts 3:1-26)

Heavy rains and flash floods have lashed southern and central parts of Kerala since 14 October, resulting in at least 25 deaths and many more feared missing. This untimely havoc on the state has devastated districts across the state, with landslides and flash floods sweeping away houses and buildings. In one instance, rescue teams in Kerala's Idukki district, while rummaging through debris, found the bodies of a mother and her son hugging each other. In another instance, three generations in a family of six were washed away in Kottayam district. Though the rain has reduced and a fresh spell is expected from Wednesday, 20 October, what has puzzled many experts is why such an extreme weather event took place in October, a time where monsoons in southwestern India have historically retreated. And no prizes for guessing why, it is all pointing to climate change. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that a low-pressure system in the Arabian Sea is the reason but the recurrent nature of this kind of extreme rain event in Kerala has led to many experts pointing towards climate change as the reason. So, are more extreme weather events expected in Kerala's future? What systems need to be in place to detect this kind of event, and what lessons have the Kerala government learned from previous extreme weather events? Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Anjal Prakash, Research Director and Associate Professor at Bharti Institute of Public Policy at Indian School of Business and an IPCC author, and KA Shaji, a senior Kerala-based environment journalist. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

In a major step towards privatisation of State assets, the Union governement was finally able to sell Air India after trying for 20 years.  Tata Sons, the original owners, took full control of the 'maharaja of the skies', as Air India is known, with its winning bid of Rs 18,000 crore, of which Rs 15,300 will go into financing the airline's debt and the rest as an upfront cash payment. For the Tata's, purchasing Air India is both an emotional and a long-term bet. At one end, they have regained control of one of the company's first major projects, started by JRD Tata way back in the 1930s and on the other, it's a re-entry into the competitive Indian airline industry and rebranding Air India with the Tata business values will be a big financial challenge. How big exactly? According to a Hindu report, Tata could be looking at forking out an additional Rs 24,000 crore for just covering the operation and terminal services costs. And this is not counting the additional expenses of wages, pensions, and rebranding. So Tata's upcoming journey with Air India is certainly a long-haul flight. In today's episode, we discuss the challenges that Tata Sons may face with Air India, the current competition in the industry, and what it must do to make the airline fly high again. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Jitender Bhargava, the former Executive Director of Air India and author of “The Descent of Air India”. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

In big news in India's vaccination drive, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) recommended to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to grant emergency use authorisation for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for children as young as two years. On 12 October, the expert panel in a statement said that “after detailed deliberation, the committee recommended for grant of market authorisation of the vaccine for the age group of 2 to 17 years for restricted use in an emergency.” This announcement makes Covaxin the second vaccine after Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D DNA based vaccine, to be approved for vaccinating those under the age of 18, and the first vaccine in the world to be approved for children below the age of 12. Though DCGI has not given the formal nod yet, the lack of publicly available data regarding the clinical trials and the fact that Covaxin has still not been approved by the World Health Organisation has raised some concerns with health experts on how effective the vaccine will be on children. What also does not help Bharat Biotech's case is its previous lack of transparency about the conduct of Covaxin clinical trials in adults and how it reported adverse side effects. And this brings up the pertinent questions on every parents mind-how safe is Covaxin for children? How many doses should be administered? And do children already affected with COVID-19 need the vaccine? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Dr Gagandeep Kang, a renowned virologist with CMC Vellore and a member of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur To help us answer these questions, for today's episode we spoke to Dr Gagandeep Kang, a renowned virologist with CMC Vellore and a member of the COVID-19 World Group the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

Seventeen months after the Galwan Valley standoff, India-China relations have moved from a deadlock to now a breakdown as the 13th round of Corps Commanders talks failed to reach any agreement. On 11 October, after India-China met at the Moldo border for the talks, both blamed each other for the failure to conclude the disputed Hot Springs area and exchanged sharp words in their statements. The Indian Army squarely blamed China in their statement, which said that “the Chinese side was not agreeable and also could not provide any forward-looking proposals”. In response, China criticised India, saying that “instead of misjudging the situation, the Indian side should cherish the hard-won situation in China-India border areas.” Ahead of the 13th round of talks, Indian and Chinese PLA forces had also been facing off at the tense border, with the latter intruding the LAC as recently as 28 September in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh with reportedly over 150 troops. But with the talks now reaching a stalemate over the Hot Springs area and both sides refusing to disengage troops, where do India-China border talks stand? Should we expect a more militarised LAC in the coming winter months? And what should India's strategy be now to counter China's growing assertiveness in the region? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Srikanth Kondapalli, Professor in Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Since 5 October, seven civilians—Satinder Kour, Deepak Chand, Majid Ahmad Gojri, Mohammad Shafi Dar, Virendar Paswan, Mohammad Shafi Lone and ML Bindroo—were all killed in separate incidents in Srinagar and Bandipore. This year, according to The Indian Express, at least 28 civilians have been killed in Kashmir till 7 October. Some victims from the recent killings also belonged to religious minority groups. So far, a terror outfit that calls itself “The Resistance Front” (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, no suspects have been apprehended yet by the J&K police. But the question which looms in the air is what is the intent behind these killings? Is it to instil fear in the community or is there a larger agenda behind it? And what does the spike in killings speak of the functioning of the J&K security forces? For this, for today's episode, we spoke with political commentator and author Varad Sharma and former GoC of Srinagar based 15 Core Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Varad Sharma, political commentator and author and  Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, former GoC of Srinagar based 15 Core. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Are you more into scientific facts or science fiction? This episode, you don't have to choose. We're celebrating podcasts that explore pasts and futures, both real and imaginary. Featuring: Darts & Letters, The Big Story, Episodic Table of Elements, Star Trek: The Pod Directive, Ars Paradoxica.

You may think that it's been an unsteady week for Facebook, with all its platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram going dark for six hours on 4 October, affecting billions around the globe. But, this wasn't the worst thing to happen to Facebook this week. Based on a trove of over 10,000 documents provided by a whistleblower, The Wall Street Journal over the past few weeks revealed that Facebook fully understands how its products influence and harm society. And just a day after the outage, the crisis deepened after the whistleblower, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, came forward and testified before the US Congress and gave lawmakers a candid view on how the company functions and its efforts to keep people hooked on the platform despite knowing its ill effects. For example, in an internal study by Facebook, the company knew the negative impact Instagram has on teenage girls, how certain algorithms designed to make the platform a healthier place were actually having the opposite effect and the fact that Facebook senior management, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, knew all of this. In this episode, we break down what exactly was revealed by the whistleblower, its impact and also answering the bigger question-whats next for Facebook? Are more stringent regulations in its future? and what would they be? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Apar Gupta, Executive Director of the Internet Freedom Foundation. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Malaria has been prevalent long enough for it to be able to make it to a Bollywood song. But we finally have a breakthrough to be able to prevent this infectious parasitic disease, that has caused lakhs and lakhs of deaths worldwide, year after year. On 6 October, the World Health Organisation recommended the world's first malaria vaccine — Mosquirix that has been developed by British pharmaceutical GlaxoSmithKline in 1987, for malaria prevention in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission of this disease. Children under five, it has been found out, are the most susceptible to malaria. In 2019, they accounted for 67 percent (274 000) of all malaria deaths worldwide. The WHO's recommendation for administering Mosquirix to children is based on the data of an ongoing pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has been able to provide more than 2.3 million doses to over 8,00,000 children, since 2019. The efficacy of the vaccine has been proven to be around 40 percent so basically it can prevent four out of ten cases of malaria. Sure, that's not foolproof but experts have a reason to believe that it is a remarkable development.  The pilot drive found out that the vaccine is safe, it's cost effective, it improves health and can saves lives with good and equitable coverage that can be assured through routine immunization. And, most importantly, this vaccine was found to be able to prevent three out ten cases of severe malaria. But how does Mosquirix work? Why did it take so long to develop this vaccine? What will be the impact of scientific development in developing countries in Africa and also India where malaria infections are prevalent? Tune in! Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha Guest: Dr Ambarish Dutta, Associate Professor of epidemiology at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar Editor: Vaishali Sood Music: Big Bang Fuzz References:  WHO Approves World's First Malaria Vaccine: All You Need To Know Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Coal, which is used to produce almost 70 percent of electricity in India, is alarmingly depleting in the country, with stockpiles plunging to their lowest record since 2018 and may only last three more days according to the power ministry. As of 4 October, out of the 104 thermal power plants in India, 16 plants which bring in the significant chunk of the power generation capacity have zero days of stocks. Forty-five of these plants report stocks only for the next couple of days. And with half the countries coal plants on high alert, India is reportedly staring at crisis which could go on for as long as six months according to the power minister. In an interview with The Indian Express, Power Minister Raj Kumar Singh was quoted saying that it is a “touch and go” situation for the next few weeks. This shortage also comes at a time when the global prices of coal and natural gas, which is predominantly used to power industrial factories and also heat homes, is at a multi-year high. This increase in price has been attributed to several countries coming out of the depths of the pandemic and thus the demand of electricity increasing. With India stepping into the festival month of October and winters just around the corner, what will be the impact of this shortage on the end consumer? Does this mean an increase in your electricity bills or more than usual power cuts in the coming months? Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Narendra Taneja, a leading energy expert and the chairman of Independent Energy Policy Institute. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

At the moment, Gabby Petito's fiancé Brian Laundrie is still missing, but what has made the social media rounds is the term "missing white woman syndrome" where the majority of the media does mass coverage if a pretty, white, well-to-do woman goes missing.   Is there such a thing? Is it like a feeding frenzy, where one news outlet talks about it, so then other news outlets feel compelled to cover it, and pretty soon, everyone is on board because the worst thing that can happen in the eyes of your news director is that you're not covering “The Big Story.”    We're taking a deep dive with this week's guest, Dr. Kim Anderson, professor at the University of Central Florida's School of Social Work.   About This Podcast   Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

A high-profile drug bust case from Mumbai has been grabbing headlines since the weekend and raking up the hotly pursued pitch of "bollywood drug nexus". Part of the reason for this enormous attention is because it involves Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's 23-year-old son Aryan Khan, who was arrested with seven others by the Narcotics Control Bureau after they allegedly uncovered cocaine, charas, MDMA, and ecstasy from the accused from a Goa-bound cruise ship. Though no drugs were found on Aryan Khan, he has not been granted bail since the NCB claimed that it has recovered “shocking and incrementing evidence” on his phone. The NCB sought for custody for Khan and others till 11 October but it was only granted till 7 October by a magistrate's court in Mumbai. While many TV news channels have given it “Bollywood drug nexus” or the “international drug racket” spin, an angle that amply discussed during the Sushant Sing Rajput case in 2020, what do we know so far about the case? How legally sound are the charges against the accused in this case, and why is this case making all headlines across the country? To discuss the developments in the case, for this episode we spoke with former DGP of Kerala and author Dr NC Asthana and Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor. Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Guest: Dr NC Asthana, former DGP of Kerala and Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor. Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

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https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/rr22021/RelicRadio756.mp3 Our first story on this week's Relic Radio Show comes from The Big Story. We'll hear The Deadline Murder, their episode from May 19, 1948. (30:20) Cavalcade Of America brings us The Hated Hero Of 1776 for our second offering this week. That story was first broadcast September 27, 1943. Download RelicRadio756