Morning Filter: Divided NCP

1. Maharashtra political crisis A day after the vertical split in his party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar announced the expulsion of MPs Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare for their “anti-party activities”. Top NCP leaders have alleged that Mr. Patel, a former Union Minister, “struck a deal” between Mr. Ajit Pawar and the BJP, and engineered the coup in the party, which was founded by Mr. Sharad Pawar in 1999. 2. MLAs of Maharashtra Congress will meet to discussion on Opposition leader’s post likely Maharashtra Congress has convened a meeting of its legislators on Tuesday where the issue of staking a claim to the post of the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly may come up for discussion, a party leader said. All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary HK Patil will attend the meeting. The post of the Leader of the Opposition fell vacant after NCP leader Ajit Pawar resigned on Friday. He joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government on Sunday as deputy chief minister while eight MLAs of NCP took oath as ministers. 3. PM Modi to host virtual summit of SCO; Putin, Xi and Shehbaz Sharif to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin, Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders of the SCO nations at a virtual summit of the bloc on July 4 that is expected to focus on regional security situation and ways to boost connectivity and trade. It will be Mr. Putin’s first participation in a multilateral summit after a mercenary group launched a short-lived armed rebellion last week that rocked Moscow. The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) under India’s presidency is also set to welcome Iran as the new permanent member of the grouping. 4. Heavy rains lash Kerala leading to one death; Red alert in two districts As heavy rains lashed Kerala on Monday leading to the death of a girl, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan advised people to be vigilant and avoid going near rivers, travel to hilly areas and trips to the beach. The advisory by the Chief Minister came in the wake of the red alerts issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in two districts -- Idukki and Kannur -- of the state for Tuesday. Besides that, the IMD issued orange alerts for 10 of the remaining 12 districts in the state on that day. Orange alert was also issued for all districts except Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam for Wednesday as well. 5. Crowds across France show solidarity at town halls targeted in rioting following police shooting Crowds gathered at town halls across France Monday to show solidarity with local governments targeted in six nights of unrest touched off by the police shooting of a 17-year-old. The riots, which seemed to be easing overnight into Monday, were driven by a teenage backlash in the suburbs and urban housing projects against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them. 6. Feeling neglected by Scotland, some in the Orkney Islands mull rejoining Norway Sick of being ignored by far-away politicians, officials on Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands are mulling a drastic solution: rejoining Norway, the Scandinavian country that gave them away as a royal wedding dowry more than 550 years ago. Orkney Islands Council is due to debate options for “alternative models of governance” on Tuesday, including exploring the “Nordic connections” of the archipelago, which lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the Scottish mainland. Council leader James Stockan said the islands have been failed by both the Scottish government, 300 miles (480 kilometers) to the south in Edinburgh, and the U.K. government in the even more distant London. 7. Karnataka budget session begins; BJP gears up for a battle, Congress has task cut out The budget session of the Karnataka Legislature began on Monday with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot emphasising on the need to eradicate corruption in the state, and the ruling Congress and opposition BJP gearing up for a battle both inside and outside the Assembly. Expressing serious concern over corruption, Gehlot in his address to the joint session of both Houses of the State Legislature said corruption has become almost institutionalised and the state government would take administrative and legislative measures to meet the challenge and eradicate it. Gehlot said, “Eradicating it is a major challenge. I seek your cooperation to meet this challenge and root out corruption. The government will take all necessary administrative and legislative measures in this regard.” He also said in the next five years, the state government would place emphasis on a people-centric economy. 8. United Airlines gets a handle on cancelled flights, the CEO outlines how to prevent another meltdown Air travellers could breathe a little easier on Monday, as a break in stormy weather — and lighter schedules a day before the July 4 holiday — helped airlines keep more flights moving on time. By late morning on the East Coast, fewer than 100 US flights had been cancelled, although 1,000 were late, according to FlightAware. United Airlines, the worst-performing US carrier for more than a week, laid out steps to improve, including reducing flights at its hub airport in Newark, New Jersey. 9. SAFF Championship: India eye ninth title Defending champions India would look to preserve a proud record and add a ninth title to their shelf when they face a tough Kuwait in the SAFF Championship final here on Tuesday. India were stretched to a penalty shootout by Lebanon in the semifinals before winning 4-2, while Kuwait had to wait till extra time to eke out a 1-0 victory over Bangladesh. In fact, this will be the second time India will face Kuwait in the tournament. They had played out a 1-1 draw in an acrimonious Group A match last week. 10. Sindhu, Sen look to regain lost touch in Canada Open Star Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will look to find their mojo and gain valuable ranking points in the ongoing Olympic qualification cycle when they begin their campaign at the Canada Open World Tour Super 500 tournament here on Tuesday. Former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu has hit a rough patch after returning from an injury. The former world No. 2 slipped to 12 in the BWF women’s singles rankings and she will have to make up for the lost time in the Paris Olympics qualification cycle (May 1-April 28, 2024). [logo] The Morning Filter 04 July 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Morning Filter newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories and events to follow today. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today 1. Maharashtra political crisis [NCP president Sharad Pawar addresses party workers in Satara.] A day after the vertical split in his party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar announced the expulsion of MPs Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare for their “anti-party activities”. Top NCP leaders have alleged that Mr. Patel, a former Union Minister, “struck a deal” between Mr. Ajit Pawar and the BJP, and engineered the coup in the party, which was founded by Mr. Sharad Pawar in 1999. 2. MLAs of Maharashtra Congress will meet to discussion on Opposition leader’s post likely Maharashtra Congress has convened a meeting of its legislators on Tuesday where the issue of staking a claim to the post of the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly may come up for discussion, a party leader said. All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary HK Patil will attend the meeting. The post of the Leader of the Opposition fell vacant after NCP leader Ajit Pawar resigned on Friday. He joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government on Sunday as deputy chief minister while eight MLAs of NCP took oath as ministers. 3. PM Modi to host virtual summit of SCO; Putin, Xi and Shehbaz Sharif to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin, Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders of the SCO nations at a virtual summit of the bloc on July 4 that is expected to focus on regional security situation and ways to boost connectivity and trade. It will be Mr. Putin’s first participation in a multilateral summit after a mercenary group launched a short-lived armed rebellion last week that rocked Moscow. The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) under India’s presidency is also set to welcome Iran as the new permanent member of the grouping. 4. Heavy rains lash Kerala leading to one death; Red alert in two districts As heavy rains lashed Kerala on Monday leading to the death of a girl, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan advised people to be vigilant and avoid going near rivers, travel to hilly areas and trips to the beach. The advisory by the Chief Minister came in the wake of the red alerts issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in two districts -- Idukki and Kannur -- of the state for Tuesday. Besides that, the IMD issued orange alerts for 10 of the remaining 12 districts in the state on that day. Orange alert was also issued for all districts except Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam for Wednesday as well. 5. Crowds across France show solidarity at town halls targeted in rioting following police shooting Crowds gathered at town halls across France Monday to show solidarity with local governments targeted in six nights of unrest touched off by the police shooting of a 17-year-old. The riots, which seemed to be easing overnight into Monday, were driven by a teenage backlash in the suburbs and urban housing projects against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them. 6. Feeling neglected by Scotland, some in the Orkney Islands mull rejoining Norway Sick of being ignored by far-away politicians, officials on Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands are mulling a drastic solution: rejoining Norway, the Scandinavian country that gave them away as a royal wedding dowry more than 550 years ago. Orkney Islands Council is due to debate options for “alternative models of governance” on Tuesday, including exploring the “Nordic connections” of the archipelago, which lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the Scottish mainland. Council leader James Stockan said the islands have been failed by both the Scottish government, 300 miles (480 kilometers) to the south in Edinburgh, and the U.K. government in the even more distant London. 7. Karnataka budget session begins; BJP gears up for a battle, Congress has task cut out [Governor Tawar Chand Gehlot addressing the Joint Session at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. ] The budget session of the Karnataka Legislature began on Monday with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot emphasising on the need to eradicate corruption in the state, and the ruling Congress and opposition BJP gearing up for a battle both inside and outside the Assembly. Expressing serious concern over corruption, Gehlot in his address to the joint session of both Houses of the State Legislature said corruption has become almost institutionalised and the state government would take administrative and legislative measures to meet the challenge and eradicate it. Gehlot said, “Eradicating it is a major challenge. I seek your cooperation to meet this challenge and root out corruption. The government will take all necessary administrative and legislative measures in this regard.” He also said in the next five years, the state government would place emphasis on a people-centric economy. 8. United Airlines gets a handle on cancelled flights, the CEO outlines how to prevent another meltdown Air travellers could breathe a little easier on Monday, as a break in stormy weather — and lighter schedules a day before the July 4 holiday — helped airlines keep more flights moving on time. By late morning on the East Coast, fewer than 100 US flights had been cancelled, although 1,000 were late, according to FlightAware. United Airlines, the worst-performing US carrier for more than a week, laid out steps to improve, including reducing flights at its hub airport in Newark, New Jersey. 9. SAFF Championship: India eye ninth title Defending champions India would look to preserve a proud record and add a ninth title to their shelf when they face a tough Kuwait in the SAFF Championship final here on Tuesday. India were stretched to a penalty shootout by Lebanon in the semifinals before winning 4-2, while Kuwait had to wait till extra time to eke out a 1-0 victory over Bangladesh. In fact, this will be the second time India will face Kuwait in the tournament. They had played out a 1-1 draw in an acrimonious Group A match last week. 10. Sindhu, Sen look to regain lost touch in Canada Open Star Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will look to find their mojo and gain valuable ranking points in the ongoing Olympic qualification cycle when they begin their campaign at the Canada Open World Tour Super 500 tournament here on Tuesday. Former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu has hit a rough patch after returning from an injury. The former world No. 2 slipped to 12 in the BWF women’s singles rankings and she will have to make up for the lost time in the Paris Olympics qualification cycle (May 1-April 28, 2024). [Sign up for free]( Today’s Best Reads [[‘Human error’ led to Balasore train tragedy, says report, pins fault on Signal & Telecommunication department] ‘Human error’ led to Balasore train tragedy, says report, pins fault on Signal & Telecommunication department]( [[The View from India | What a weakened Putin means for India-Russia relations] The View from India | What a weakened Putin means for India-Russia relations]( [[In workaholic Japan, 'job leaving agents' help people escape the awkwardness of quitting] In workaholic Japan, 'job leaving agents' help people escape the awkwardness of quitting]( [[Musk's Twitter rate limits could undermine new CEO, ad experts say] Musk's Twitter rate limits could undermine new CEO, ad experts say]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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