Newslaundry Podcast

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley snuck in 27 amendments in the 31-page long Finance Bill. Some of these remove the cap on political contributions from corporations, also doing away with the requirement to disclose the name of the party to which contributions are made. It also empowers IT officials to raid people without disclosing the reason and makes Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns. We have Meghnad S, a public policy analyst, who discusses the bill at length. Plus, we have the regular Hafta gang, Abhinandan Sekhri, Deepanjana Pal, Madhu Trehan, Manisha Pande and Anand Vardhan. We also talk about Yogi Adityanath, UP's anti-Romeo squads, and the shuttering of illegal slaughterhouses. And finally, the question that's been plaguing us all, will BJP finally build the Ram Mandir?For references visit: https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/03/24/hafta-112-kya-ab-ram-mandir-banega See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, there are beasts and heroes popping up all over the world of pop culture. The new version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast is raking in the moolah across the world. Find out what Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen thought of the retelling of this beloved fairy tale. Hint: they're not very impressed with Belle. However, they've got a lot enthusiasm for the leading ladies of Feud and Big LIttle Lies. As far as Aparna Sen's new film Sonata is concerned, they're a tad bit dubious. Find out why. Sen and Pal also discuss Chetan Bhagat's new plan to become India's Elon Musk and develop an electric car. There's scandal in Bollywood with Nawazuddin Siddiqui taking on Filmfare, a Times of India publication, and asking for an apology because the magazine claims his marriage is on the rocks. Sen is very excited about Spirited Traveller, a new cooking show anchored by chef Kiran Jethwa. All this and more, discussed and dissected in this episode of The Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap.For reference visit:https

Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly round up of sports. This week they discuss Australia's performance in the third Test against India at Ranchi. The two also had advice for Indian captain Virat Kohli. Moving on to football, they talk about the Champions Leagues' clash between Zidane and Ancelotti. Khan and Puri laud Roger Federer for winning his fifth Indian Wells title against Stan Wawrinka. Listen up. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Economist Arun Kumar talks to Abhinandan Sekhri about his book, Understanding The Black Economy And Black Money in India. Kumar explains why demonetisation did not have a compelling effect on the growth, how black money is calculated, and how movements can bring change in India. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Abhinandan Sekhri speaks to Dr Vishal Rao, a Bangalore-based oncologist, who has developed a voice prosthesis called Aum that can help throat cancer patients speak after surgery. And unlike the expensive ones available in the market today, this device will cost Rs. 50.The two also discuss the obstacles facing healthcare in India and what it costs to solve the healthcare needs of a country.Read the full article here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/03/20/how-an-indian-doctor-is-giving-voice-to-the-voiceless See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bharatiya Janata Party made a clean sweep in the recent UP assembly elections, but practically no one in the media called it. What gives? Mayawati alleged the EVMs had been tampered and this allegation was echoed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal later when he spoke to the press about Aam Aadmi Party's dismal performance in the Punjab elections. J Gopalakrishnan, Special Correspondent with The Pioneer and the man who broke 2G scam, joins us on Hafta this week to discuss the news of the week. We also have regulars Abhinandan Sekhri, Anand Ranganathan, Deepanjana Pal and new edition to the NL Team, Anand Vardhan. We also discuss the sexual harassment allegations against The Viral Fever's founder Arunabh Kumar, Modi’s recent speech at BJP headquarters, the appointment of Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga as BJP’s Delhi spokesperson, the vandalism on Sanjay Bhansali's Padmavati's sets, and a whole lot more. Listen up!For references visit:https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/03/17/hafta-111-hafta-111-why-did-the-media-mi

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So, here’s a little sneak peak into the episode in which we discussed the recent assembly election results, Bharatiya Janata Party’s clean sweep in Uttar Pradesh elections, sexual harrassment allegations against The Viral Fever’s Arunabh Kumar and more of the week's news. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Let's Talk About... has gone behind the paywall, but because we love our listeners, here's a sneak peak into the latest episode. Here's Let's Talk About: Privacy. Privacy -- is it a personal or a policy issue? The dictionary defines privacy as a state in which one is free of attention and today, that state is harder and harder to achieve. Our privacy is often being invaded without us even realising it and many shrug at this fate. "What do I have to hide?" is the standard response to privacy being lost but the real question is "Why is your privacy so precious to others?" With the data collected by the Unique Identity project, aka Aadhaar, surfacing in unexpected, unauthorised places, you must know what your rights are and how the government helps you uphold them (or not). In this episode of Let's Talk About, Meghnad S, a public policy nerd and compulsive Lok Sabha TV watcher, speaks to lawyers, journalists, researchers, and businessmen to figure out what privacy is in the digital age and whether Aadhaar really

Privacy -- is it a personal or a policy issue? The dictionary defines privacy as a state in which one is free of attention and today, that state is harder and harder to achieve. Our privacy is often being invaded without us even realising it and many shrug at this fate. "What do I have to hide?" is the standard response to privacy being lost but the real question is "Why is your privacy so precious to others?" With the data collected by the Unique Identity project, aka Aadhaar, surfacing in unexpected, unauthorised places, you must know what your rights are and how the government helps you uphold them (or not). In this episode of Let's Talk About, Meghnad S, a Public Policy nerd and compulsive Lok Sabha TV watcher, speaks to lawyers, journalists, researchers, and businessmen to figure out what privacy is in the digital age and whether Aadhaar really is the way forward. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What, dear listener, is freedom? Is it the aghori rolling around on the banks of the Ganges so that the American camera crew films him? Is it watching Lipstick Under My Burkha? Is it something that Randeep Hooda and his curly beard will give you? This week, Rajyasree Sen and Deepanjana Pal ponder on all this while they talk to director Alankrita Shrivastava about her "lady-oriended" film, Lipstick Under My Burkha. Hear their reviews of CNN's Believer With Reza Aslan and Hooda's new show on MTV, The Big F. Also, was Mira Rajput's comment on working women worth this much fuss? And both ladies have a lot to say about the allegations of sexual harassment against The Viral Fever's Arunabh Kumar. Also, Baahubali 2! All this and a lot more discussed and dissected in this episode of Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly round up of sports. This week, they preview the third test between India and Australia. They also talk about the DRS drama that refuses to die down despite Indian withdrawing the complaint. Khan and Puri also discuss FC Barcelona's spectacular comeback in the Champions League tie against PSG. Listen up. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Voting in all the five states have concluded, and as we wait for the results to be announced, news channels are busy predicting the results. Some news channels are relying on pollsters and some are asking parrots and tarot card readers. But can anyone actually predict the results? Saurabh Dwivedi, editor, TheLallantop.com, joins us on Hafta this week. Dwivedi has just returned to Delhi after travelling in Uttar Pradesh and covering as many constituencies as Akhilesh Yadav did. Dwivedi reflects on the ground realities of poll bound states, often ignored by prime time reports. The regular Hafta gang – Abhinandan Sekhri, Deepanjan Pal, Anand Ranganathan & Manisha Pande also discuss Swami Aseemanand’s acquittal in the Ajmer Dargah blast case, Rajeev Chandrashkhar’s temporary injunction notice against stories published in TheWire.in. Everyone weighs in on The Quint’s silence on gunner Roy Mathew’s death and a lot more. Listen up!For references visit:https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/03/10/hafta-110-up-elections

Chances are, you know journalist, author and economist Mihir Sharma. You've read his columns, dissecting social, cultural and political phenomena. You've seen the tweets in which he highlights some news, debunks myths or gets into an argument. Who better to discuss the role of technology and journalists in this hi-tech future? At Jaipur Literature Festival, Sharma sat down to chat about the media, the narratives politicians create to connect with their voters, and that which everyone talks about but no one seems to really be able to define: post-truth. Listen up. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week #justsports discuss India’s win in the Bangalore test match and Virat Kohli's comments on the use of the Decision Review System. Rahul Puri and Samar Khan argue if cricket is ready to make a comeback in Pakistan, and the worth of promises made by politicians to winning athletes. The two also debate the fate of Arsene Wenger whose contract with Arsenal expires at the end of the season. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen discuss Hugh Jackman's latest film, Logan. It's Wolverine's last stand and both our culture vultures gave the films two thumbs up. They also discuss Karan Johar blaming Kangana Ranaut for playing the victim card and nepotism in Bollywood. Also, Johar is now a father, which is a good reason to discuss surrogacy in India. On Air With AIB is back. Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi, Gursimran Khamba and Ashish Shakya chatter about nationalism. Could they be India's answer to John Oliver? All this and a lot more discussed and dissected in this episode of Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap.Fro references visit:https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/03/08/the-awful-and-awesome-entertainment-wrap-episode-34 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Manu Joseph, a journalist, novelist and the former editor of OPEN magazine speaks to Editor in Chief Madhu Trehan about journalism in India, Post-Truth and the rise of the right and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

British journalist Luke Harding is the foreign correspondent for The Guardian, and has also served as South Asia Bureau chief in Delhi.To his distinction, he was deported from Russia because his reports upset the Putin administration. He speaks to Editor in Chief Madhu Trehan about the freedom to report, the era of President Donald Trump in America, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Halfta gang discuss how the debates surrounding Gurmehar Kaur's appeal for peace amidst the chaos of the Ramjas College protests is indicative of all that is wrong with mainstream television journalism in India. Our panelists Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan, Anand Ranganathan, Manisha Pande, Deepanjana Pal are on fire. Joining them is Sandeep Bamzai, Editor-in-Chief of the Financial Chronicle. Bamzai think that Ramjas College's literary society was "baiting" the rest of the students by inviting PhD student Umar Khalid, who was charged with sedition last year. There are clashes of opinion as we discuss the new juvenile law and Casey Affleck receiving an Oscar. Sekhri and Ranganathan butt heads, Bamzai explains why the growth in our Gross Domestic Product could be for real and find out what our panel thinks of the Supreme Court's decision to reject a woman's request to abort her 26-week-old foetus. Also Bamzai coins a new term, Teleguerrillas. Tune in to find out who this is. All this and more on this week'