This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
Today is the 18th of September and here are the headlines.
The Union Cabinet has cleared the proposal to hold simultaneous elections in India, as recommended by a high-level committee headed by ex President Ram Nath Kovind. Addressing media persons, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said simultaneous polls would be held in two phases. In the first phase, Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections will be conducted simultaneously, while the second phase will cover local body elections, within 100 days of general elections. The Kovind committee had recommended that the government take a “one-time transitory measure”, which would require the Union government to identify an “appointed date” immediately after a Lok Sabha election. All state assemblies that go to poll after the said date would have their terms expire with the Parliament.
India has sent a formal notice to Pakistan seeking a review of the Indus Water Treaty, according to sources. India and Pakistan signed the IWT on September 19, 1960, after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory to the pact. It set out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two sides on the use of the waters of several cross-border rivers. Sources said the notice was issued to Pakistan on August 30 and the notification highlights fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of obligations under various articles of the treaty.
Junior doctors in Kolkata today sought another meeting with the state government over their unfulfilled demands, including suspensions, security in hospitals, and the resignation of the state Health Secretary. After their last meeting on Tuesday, they sent a fresh letter to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to request another. In a press conference last night, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front also announced that they will continue their cease work until “all demands are met”.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh announced today that the party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who resigned as the Delhi chief minister, will “live among the common people” after vacating the official residence at Civil Lines in 15 days. Addressing a press conference, Singh said Kejriwal would also give up all other facilities such as security, car, driver, and staff. He, however, did not share where Kejriwal and his family would move after vacating the Civil Lines residence. As the head of a national political party, Kejriwal can avail of an accommodation provided by the government.
A day after multiple pagers exploded across Lebanon and Syria, killing at least 12 people, officials stated that Israel had tampered with pagers imported to Lebanon. The company behind the pagers has said that while its brand was on the devices, they were manufactured by a Budapest-based company. According to a report in the New York Times, around 1 to 2 ounces of explosive material was implanted next to the battery in each pager. Officials said that a switch was also embedded that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosives.
This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express.
