Express daily briefing: Karnataka trust vote today, what next for Pakistan after ICJ verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav; and more

From the floor test in Karnataka Assembly today to how ICJ raises bar for Kulbhushan Jadhav’s due process to how Kargil tipoff travelled, here's the top news this morning.

Karnataka trust vote today: Speaker’s call on resignations, says SC, but gives rebel MLAs a shield

A floor test will be held in the Karnataka Assembly today to decide the fate of the H D Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) coalition government. This comes a day after the Supreme Court left it open to the Speaker of the House to take a call on the resignations of 15 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs, but ordered that the MLAs should not be “compelled” to attend proceedings.

What next for Pakistan: how ICJ raises bar for Kulbhushan Jadhav’s due process 

The International Court of Justice suspending Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence puts pressure on Pakistan by raising the bar for the next steps in the former Indian Navy officer’s due process. By allowing legal representation for Jadhav, the ICJ has, essentially, forced Pakistan to follow a more rigorous process to ensure an effective review as per the court’s ruling. Even as India’s request for the acquittal, release and return of Jadhav was denied, the court refused every claim made by Pakistan.

After Masood Azhar blacklisting, ICJ verdict in Kulbhushan case isolates Pakistan

The ICJ verdict needs to be seen in the context of a string of India’s diplomatic successes in the last few years — a culmination of the painstaking diplomatic and legal groundwork to isolate Pakistan. According to Indian officials, the pressure mounted against Pakistan on terrorism seems to have worked. 

Editorial: Sabka saath 

The Congress managed to rule India for decades as an “umbrella party”. And if Mahatma Gandhi could turn the Congress from an elite concern to a mass party with four-anna membership, why can’t people join the New India project with an SMS? The only problem is, it might mean the abandoning of “Congress mukt Bharat” for a “Congress yukt BJP”.

20 years after Kargil: Newsroom to Govt, reporter to father, how Kargil tipoff travelled

While much of what happened during the war on the icy heights of Kargil in 1999 has been extensively debated and analysed, little known are the details of how senior ministers of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet first learnt of the intrusions in the area. Sushant Singh provides an account on what made PM Vajpayee swing into action, taking control of the conflict.

Virat Kohli won’t have a say in choosing new coach 

The final decision on the Indian team’s new head coach will be taken by a steering committee, headed by former India skipper Kapil Dev, and approved by the SC-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA). The BCCI has decided that the senior selection committee will pick the support staff this time, which was earlier done by the head coach.

Explained: Taking stock of monsoon rain

After remaining very active until recently, the southwest monsoon has shifted to the Himalayan foothills. Reports of good rainfall have emerged from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and even parts of Delhi. However, the problem this season was due to a delayed start (onset) and its effects are still lingering. How long will it take before it covers the entire country? An expert explains monsoon forecasts and climate technology.  

And finally… 

The World Health Organization Wednesday declared the deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo an international health emergency. More than 1,600 people have died since August in the second-worst outbreak of the disease in history.

Source: Read Full Article