Episode · 3 Things
The Catch Up: Opposition’s silent protest at Raj Ghat (8 October)
8 Oct 2026 · 3 min
Episode notes
The headlines of the day by The Indian Express
Transcript
Read the transcript · about 440 words, follows along as you listen
Speaker 1:This is the catch-up on three things by the Indian Express and Aan Ichha Sharma. Today is the 8th of October and here are today's headlines. Starting with major news, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Vatra and opposition lawmakers from the Congress-led India Opposition Bloc are at Rajghat in Delhi, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, for day three, round three, of protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and to demand his resignation from the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the special intensive revision. Meanwhile, the GST Council today scrapped the arrest bar of tax officers four days after the Indian Express reported that the move was on its way.
Speaker 1:The Finance Ministry also announced that the prosecution threshold was raised to Rs 5 crore from Rs 1 crore. The proposal was expected to be taken up during the GST Council meeting in a bid to boost investor sentiment and allay concerns about overreach by tax authorities, the Indian Express had reported, citing two persons aware of the development. In other major news, cancer patients could soon see a sharp drop in the price of some of the country's costliest medicines, with the government moving to cap trade margins at 30% of the cost to distributors. The move will cover expensive cancer drugs, including some patented medicines, and could bring down their retail prices by as much as 70%, Department of Pharmaceuticals sources said. Meanwhile, in news making global headlines, Elon Musk has hit out at unnamed oligarchs over the long wait for Starlink's launch in India. In a post on X, the SpaceX founder said the satellite internet service was being stopped to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people and added, you can guess who they are. He did not name anyone. Starlink has a license to offer satellite
Speaker 1:internet services in India, but it is still waiting for security clearances and spectrum band allocation before it can start commercial services, Bloomberg reported. The company says it has built 20 gateway sites on India-specific security controls and is ready to begin once India gives the go-ahead. Meanwhile, China has opened a new military training and logistics facility in Laos, extending Beijing's security presence deeper into mainland Southeast Asia and potentially giving the Chinese Air Force its first dedicated foothold overseas.
Speaker 1:The China-Laos Joint Support and Training Centre at Banqion Airport, north of the capital Viettiana, formally began operations late last month alongside the new China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy. Beijing says the centre will primarily help train Lao Air Force pilots and will be jointly maintained and operated by the two countries.
Transcript supplied by the publisher with the episode.
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