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Welcome to The Daily Catch-Up, your three-minute evening briefing from .

Jharkhand SIR faceoff: BJP agents seek to delete voters, Booth Level Officers raise red flag

An Express investigation finds BJP booth-level agents submitting stacks of Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters from electoral rolls in Godda — with a striking number of the names belonging to the minority community. At one booth, an agent allegedly burnt 75 forms after being questioned by an election official.

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Podcast of the day

A more cautious BJP? What recent political shifts suggest

A look at whether recent protests and political pushback are forcing the BJP to recalibrate its approach, becoming more sensitive to public sentiment and grassroots mobilisation.

India is protesting again. But this time, it’s personal

From Jantar Mantar to university campuses, individual grievances — cancelled exams, disputed admissions and student deaths — are increasingly turning into collective demands for institutional accountability.

Two years after rape-murder: One long night at RG Kar

Two years after the rape and murder of a postgraduate doctor turned RG Kar into the epicentre of a nationwide movement, returns to the hospital to examine what has changed — and what has not — for doctors working night shifts.

1.5°C breach inevitable now, says new UNEP report

A new UN Environment Programme report says the world can no longer avoid breaching the 1.5°C warming threshold. The focus, it says, must now shift to limiting the scale and duration of the overshoot.

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Under paper leak shadow, NTA looks for spaces for exam centres next year

As NEET-UG prepares to move towards computer-based testing, the NTA has asked institutions to provide details of their IT infrastructure and available space for potential examination centres.

Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma scripts history as highest-ranking woman IAF officer

Shakti Sharma becomes the first woman officer from the non-medical branches of the Indian armed forces to attain the rank of Air Vice Marshal or its equivalent.

SCO declaration: Double standards in fight against terrorism unacceptable

Leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit underline the need for a consistent approach to terrorism while also addressing wider geopolitical conflicts and the principle of national sovereignty.

Agra to Chennai to Manipur: Mystery of body in suitcase takes police on a 2,000-km trail

Hundreds of CCTV recordings helped investigators trace a red suitcase containing a woman’s dismembered body from a train in Agra back to Chennai — and eventually to suspects arrested in Manipur.

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Mother runs barefoot in saree to keep daughter’s civil services dream alive

A 47-year-old woman’s remarkable run in Beed was driven by something more than a medal: her determination to support her daughter’s long struggle to clear the Maharashtra Public Service Commission examination.

3 members to join Ram Mandir trust after donation ‘theft’ shake-up

The Ram temple trust is set for changes following a row over alleged theft of offerings, with three new members likely to be inducted as scrutiny of the trust’s financial management intensifies.

China, US are in a race to connect science with industry. India must catch up

The emerging contest between Washington and Beijing is not simply about the best AI model, but about building ecosystems that connect universities, laboratories, capital, factories and markets — an area where India has work to do.

Vande Mataram was once a song of Hindu-Muslim unity

Drawing on historian Sumit Sarkar’s work on the Swadeshi movement, this essay traces how Vande Mataram once served as a shared anti-colonial rallying cry before gradually acquiring sharper communal associations.

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Sharing water post Indus Waters Treaty: The road ahead for India and Pakistan

A Court of Arbitration has ruled that India cannot unilaterally put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. What does that mean for a dispute in which the court has no direct means of enforcing its orders?

2 reasons why India bought 26% less Russian oil in August. One was China

India’s Russian crude imports fell sharply in August amid tighter availability of supplies and stronger competition from Chinese refiners.

Want a US green card? Some Indians could face a 179-year wait

A new analysis estimates that Indian professionals in the EB-2 employment-based immigration category could face an extraordinarily long wait because of the backlog and annual country limits.

Thailand cuts visa-free stay for Indians from 60 days to 30

From September 15, Indian tourists will still be able to enter Thailand without a visa in advance — but the permitted stay will be cut to 30 days.

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Thailand raids Pattaya sex workers as USS Abraham Lincoln arrives with 5,000 sailors, Marines

Thai authorities have stepped up policing in Pattaya as thousands of US sailors and Marines arrive after an unusually long deployment at sea, reviving the city’s historic association with American military rest and recreation.

Tiger Woods pleads guilty, gets 5-year licence suspension

Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving after prosecutors reduced an earlier DUI charge stemming from a rollover crash in Florida. A judge suspended his driving licence for five years.

‘You funded Red Fort blast’: Fake NIA officers put Delhi couple under 7-day digital arrest

A retired railway employee and his wife were allegedly kept under a seven-day “digital arrest” by fraudsters posing as NIA officers and lost Rs 30 lakh before police began tracing the money trail.

Doctor climbed Sion tower in suicide attempt after alleged political pressure. Days later, he was dead

The death of a young doctor is now under investigation after his family alleged that pressure following his refusal to issue a medical fitness certificate for a firearm licence, and subsequent disciplinary action, pushed him into severe distress.

 

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College student misses Delhi flight after bus takes ‘different route’, wins Rs 73,000 payout

A consumer commission found deficiency in service after a student allegedly missed his flight because an airport-bound bus deviated from its represented route and failed to arrive on schedule.

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BCCI summons Gambhir, Agarkar and Laxman to review India’s dismal away form

The BCCI has called coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and VVS Laxman for a review meeting after poor results on overseas tours and a growing injury and fitness crisis.

Kareena Kapoor regrets leaving studies after Class 11: ‘Want my sons to finish education’

The actor says not completing her education remains one of her regrets, and that experience has shaped the advice she gives her sons about finishing their studies before pursuing their passions.

Meghna Gulzar says her failures and years of no work left Gulzar and Rakhee ‘helpless’

Meghna Gulzar recalls the difficult years before Talvar, when career setbacks and periods without work left even her celebrated parents unable to help her find a way forward.

Why Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli moved to London, according to Dr Shriram Nene

Dr Nene recalls a conversation about the couple’s decision to seek greater privacy and give their children a more ordinary upbringing away from the constant attention they experienced in India.

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Nimisha Sajayan gained 14 kg for a role. Why the weight loss was tougher

The actor documents the physical and emotional strain of losing weight after gaining 14 kg for a role, highlighting how rapid body transformations can take a toll beyond the visible before-and-after.

The Daily Catch-Up is published Monday to Friday by .