The Catch Up: 18 October

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha Sharma.Today is the 18th of October and here are this week’s headlines.India strongly refuted Canada's claims on Tuesday regarding evidence of Indian involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Government sources indicated that no specifics had been provided and criticized Canada for shifting the burden of proof onto India. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the importance of their upcoming national security advisor meeting, but no progress was reported. Indian officials dismissed Canadian assertions as vague accusations, asserting that they are unfounded and misleading.The Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday that the Maharashtra assembly polls will be held on 20th of November, while Jharkhand will vote in two phases on 13th and 20th November. Results for both elections will be revealed on 23rd of November. The BJP aims to regain power in Maharashtra, where it partners with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and seeks to gain ground in Jharkhand.The Indian Express learnt that days after receiving multiple bomb threats against flights on social media, Indian intelligence agencies traced the originating IP addresses to London and Germany. The agencies requested X to provide the IP addresses linked to the posts and to deactivate the associated accounts. Initial reports indicate that three accounts were involved, with two IPs traced to London and Germany. Users appeared to have utilized a VPN to conceal their identities, while details of the third account are still pending.OBC leader Nayab Singh Saini was sworn in as Chief Minister of Haryana for a second term in Panchkula on Thursday, following the BJP's historic success in the recent Assembly elections. Saini staked his claim to form the government, hours after being unanimously elected as the BJP's state legislature party leader, The swearing-in ceremony attended by Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah among other prominent leaders coincided with Valmiki Jayanti, and 14 cabinet ministers, including Saini, took their oaths. In a landmark decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which grants citizenship to immigrants who entered Assam before January 1, 1966. The court called for stricter enforcement of laws against illegal immigration and judicial oversight of citizenship legislation. While Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and three justices supported the ruling, Justice J.B. Pardiwala dissented. The bench clarified that immigrants entering Assam after 25th of March, 1971, are deemed illegal.Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar — a mastermind of the 7th f October, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war — was killed on thursday in an Israeli military operation in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza Strip. The death of Sinwar represents a major boost to the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a string of high-profile assassinations of prominent leaders of its enemies in recent months. Sinwar became the leader of Hamas following the assassination of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in August. He had not been seen in public since the Hamas attacks, and was believed to be hiding in the extensive network of tunnels beneath Gaza.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express.-----------------------------------------------------------CSF Episode links:Episode 1Episode 2Episode 3