News Brake - The Explainer

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is all set to present her sixth budget on February 1. Besides accommodating inflation worries and challenges of deficit financing, the finance minister will need to factor in all the key elements of GDP while drafting the budget- private consumption, gross private investment, government spending, net exports .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

With the Union Budget and Kerala Budget around the corner, former Finance Minister Dr Thomas Isaac and expert commentator on banking and finance S Adikesavan join News Brake to discuss the future prospects Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), infrastructure development and multiplier effect.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nayanthara's latest film 'Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food' was removed from Netflix almost 2 weeks after it began streaming on the OTT platform. Deepa Soman, senior journalist from Onmanorama's features team joins News Brake to discuss censorship, cuts and cinema. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year after hundreds of wrestlers took to the streets to protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Singh, the issues within the WFI still remain unresolved. Senior Sports journalist Leslie Xavier joins News brake to discuss the issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From an Oscar win, a lunar exploration mission to unresolved violent ethnic clashes, India witnessed quite a few exhilarating highs and some debilitating lows in 2023. This week's News Brake provides a time capsule of the events that changed India in 2023.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the wild tusker Arikomban who took the state government for a toss to a series of tragedies and controversies, 2023 remained an eventful year for Kerala. This week's News Brake provides a time capsule of the events that changed Kerala in 2023.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Indian space programme, which began on November 21, 1963 with the launch of a Nike Apache rocket from Thumba, recently celebrated 60 years. Dr V R Lalithambika, distinguished scientist and former Director of the Directorate of the Human Spaceflight Programme at ISRO speaks about the journey of India's space programme in the past 60 years.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In light of the recent floods in Chennai, Former Kerala Chief Secretary and chief architect of Thiruvananthapuram city's Operation Anantha Jiji Thomson IAS joins News Brake to discuss the problem of urban flooding and the need for better drainage systems and holistic town plans.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a tumultous week, the Open AI has finally reinstated Sam Altman as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Here's a look at the boardroom drama that led to Altman's ouster and return. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Expert virologist Dr Rajendra Pilankatta, Dean of School of Medicine and Public Health in Central University joins News Brake to give us some insight into the nature and severity of the new Covid-19 strains- JN.1 and HV.1 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy has stirred up a little storm with his remarks that young people should work 70 hours a week to level up the country's productivity. News Brake catches up with Canada-based Employee Relations Specialist and former HR Lead in an Indian IT firm Athira Antony to know her thoughts on the work-life balance debate. Vishnu Muraleedharan, Anju Kunjumon and Deepa Soma...

In a setback to gay rights activists, the Supreme Court has refused to accord legal recognition to same-sex marriage.   Kerala's first transgender lawyer Adv Padma Lakshmi; queer affirmative therapist Shibili Suhanah; and  Kerala-based non-binary couple Ponnu and Navya join News Brake podcast to share their disappointment and aspirations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the occassion of International Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr Arunima Poulose, Consultant Surgeon at the Breast And Endocrine Surgery Unit at Believer's Church Medical College Hospital, Tiruvalla talks about the taboos surrounding breast cancer, its symptoms and treatment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Onmanorama's Kannan V joins Haritha Benjamin to discuss why government employees are hitting the streets demanding a reintroduction of the Old Pension Scheme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Indian diplomat TP Sreenivasan joins News Brake to shed light on the escalating diplomatic war between India and Canada. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Onmanorama's Deepa Soman joins Haritha Benjamin to discuss the provisions of the Women's Reservation Bill  and the controversies surrounding it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nipah virus infection has once again reared its ugly head in Kerala's Kozhikode. Dr AS Anoop Kumar, Director of Critical Care Medicine at Aster MIMS hospital in Kozhikode, who helped in identifying the infection first in 2018, and expert virologist Dr Rajendra Pilankatta, Dean of School of Medicine and Public Health in Central University speaks on News Brake about the deadly virus. See omnystu...

Former Kerala MP and legal expert Sebastian Paul joins News Brake as it examines the new proposed electoral scheme and the plausibility of simultaneous polls. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Puthuppally constituency which has been a UDF fortress for the past 53 years is all set to choose its next MLA. Onmanorama correspondents Ayyappan R, George Poikayil and Ragesh G join News Brake to discuss the prospects of UDF candidate Chandy Oommen and LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas in Puthuppally. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of News Brake, Digital Lending and Fintech Expert Mr Parijat Garg decodes RBI's rationale for launching a Central Bank Digital Currency and spells out the difference between e-Rupee, UPI and cryptocurrency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kerala government is contemplating electricity usage restrictions including load shedding and power tariff hikes to tackle the power crisis in the state. In this episode, Onmanorama correspondent Ayyappan R answers some vital questions on electricity production, consumption and distribution in Kerala. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advocate Prasanth Sugathan, Legal Director of Software Freedom Law Center, Delhi and practising lawyer at Kerala High Court joins News Brake to talk about the implications of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports of meek rainfall in Kerala, and unexpected surplus in other parts of India, comes amidst massive heatwaves that wrecked life in the Middle East. Kerala has reported a 37% deficient rainfall since June. Dr Sivananda Pai, scientist at the Environmental Monitoring and Research Centre, India Meteorological Department and Dr Sabin T P, scientist from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology...

As the last date for filing income tax returns approaches, Subin VR, a chartered accountant specialised in taxation, joins News Brake to discuss the rights and wrongs of claiming exemptions like HRA and housing loan interest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's News Brake walks the audience through the life and times of veteran Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.