Morning Filter: One Nation, One Election committee to meet today

1. Rain likely to continue till December 19 in Tirunelveli Unprecedented rainfall has hit normal life in Tirunelveli district and according to the forecast from the Indian Meteorological Department, the rain will continue till December 19 afternoon in the region. Several districts have declared a holiday on December 18 due to the rains. 2. Winter Session enters last week, impasse continues As Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla maintained that the suspension of 13 MPs from the Lok Sabha had nothing to with the security breach but for showing placards in the House, the Opposition parties have decided to review their floor strategies on December 18, amid the continuing stand-off in Parliament. The government is likely to table the Telecommunications Bill 2023 in Lok Sabha on December 18. The Telecommunications Bill 2023 aims to replace the 138 years old Indian Telegraph Act that governs the telecom sector. 3. ‘One Nation, One Election’: Panel under former President Kovind to meet on December 18 The high-level committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’ under former president Ram Nath Kovind will meet on December 18 to review the progress made so far, including on the responses by political parties to the idea of holding simultaneous polls. Sources said while no written agenda has been circulated for the “informal” meeting, it could discuss the responses received from political parties. 4. PM Modi to launch development projects in Varanasi On December 18, PM Narendra Modi will participate in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra programme at Barki Gram Sabha of Sewapuri development block. 5. First session of 16th Madhya Pradesh assembly to commence on December 18 The first session of the newly elected Madhya Pradesh assembly will begin from December 18. The four-day-long session of the 16th assembly, during which newly elected members take oath among other necessary business of the house, will end on December 21. 6. Congress announces crowdfunding campaign ahead of Lok Sabha polls Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will formally launch the digital mode of the party’s nationwide crowd funding campaign, ‘Donate for Desh’, on December 18, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and the party treasurer Ajay Maken had said. 7. Israel-Hamas war | Lloyd Austin to visit Israel amid growing pressure for ceasefire Some of Israel’s closest European allies pressed for a cease-fire in the war with Hamas, underscoring growing international unease with the devastating impact of the conflict. The concerted push by top European diplomats comes ahead of a visit to Israel on December 18 by U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is also expected to put pressure on Israeli leaders to end the war’s most intense phase and transit to a more targeted strategy against Hamas. 8. Badminton National Championship | Lakshya Sen will be the star attraction Lakshya Sen will be the star attraction in the 76th Inter-State-Inter-Zonal and 85th Senior National badminton championships to be held here from December 18 to 24. The 22-year-old, however, will compete only in the open events (singles) starting on December 20. [logo] The Morning Filter 18 December 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. Rain likely to continue till December 19 in Tirunelveli Unprecedented rainfall has hit normal life in Tirunelveli district and according to the forecast from the Indian Meteorological Department, the rain will continue till December 19 afternoon in the region. Several districts have declared a holiday on December 18 due to the rains. 2. Winter Session enters last week, impasse continues As Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla maintained that the suspension of 13 MPs from the Lok Sabha had nothing to with the security breach but for showing placards in the House, the Opposition parties have decided to review their floor strategies on December 18, amid the continuing stand-off in Parliament. The government is likely to table the Telecommunications Bill 2023 in Lok Sabha on December 18. The Telecommunications Bill 2023 aims to replace the 138 years old Indian Telegraph Act that governs the telecom sector. 3. ‘One Nation, One Election’: Panel under former President Kovind to meet on December 18 The high-level committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’ under former president Ram Nath Kovind will meet on December 18 to review the progress made so far, including on the responses by political parties to the idea of holding simultaneous polls. Sources said while no written agenda has been circulated for the “informal” meeting, it could discuss the responses received from political parties. 4. PM Modi to launch development projects in Varanasi On December 18, PM Narendra Modi will participate in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra programme at Barki Gram Sabha of Sewapuri development block. 5. First session of 16th Madhya Pradesh assembly to commence on December 18 The first session of the newly elected Madhya Pradesh assembly will begin from December 18. The four-day-long session of the 16th assembly, during which newly elected members take oath among other necessary business of the house, will end on December 21. 6. Congress announces crowdfunding campaign ahead of Lok Sabha polls Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will formally launch the digital mode of the party’s nationwide crowd funding campaign, ‘Donate for Desh’, on December 18, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and the party treasurer Ajay Maken had said. 7. Israel-Hamas war | Lloyd Austin to visit Israel amid growing pressure for ceasefire Some of Israel’s closest European allies pressed for a cease-fire in the war with Hamas, underscoring growing international unease with the devastating impact of the conflict. The concerted push by top European diplomats comes ahead of a visit to Israel on December 18 by U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is also expected to put pressure on Israeli leaders to end the war’s most intense phase and transit to a more targeted strategy against Hamas. 8. Badminton National Championship | Lakshya Sen will be the star attraction Lakshya Sen will be the star attraction in the 76th Inter-State-Inter-Zonal and 85th Senior National badminton championships to be held here from December 18 to 24. The 22-year-old, however, will compete only in the open events (singles) starting on December 20. 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