Good evening. The Gen Z protest in Nepal, against the ban on social media platforms and government corruption that turned violent and resulted in the death of over a dozen people, dominated the news headlines on Monday, September 8. But much more has happened in the worlds of politics, business, technology, sport, and entertainment. Don’t worry, Express Catch-up is here to bring you up to speed.
- 01
SC tells EC to accept Aadhaar as 12th document in Bihar SIR
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of India to accept Aadhaar as the twelfth document for identification in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in Bihar. While noting that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, the SC said it is a document for the purpose of establishing the identity of any person. The SC further stated that among the other 11 documents, it had approved earlier, only the passport and birth certificate were conclusive proof of citizenship. Read more
- 02
5 killed, several injured in shooting in Jerusalem
At least five people were killed and twelve others were injured in a shooting in Jerusalem on Monday. The incident happened at the Ramot Junction on Yigal Yadin Street in Jerusalem at 10.13 am local time. The attacker, a Palestinian from the West Bank, used a makeshift “Carlo” submachine gun, otherwise known as a Carl Gustav. The attack comes at a time when there are reports that Israel was considering the annexation of parts of the West Bank, which it occupied after the Six-Day War in 1967. Read more
- 03
WHO asks Taliban to lift restrictions on female aid workers
The World Health Organization has asked Taliban authorities to lift restrictions on Afghan female aid workers and allow them to travel without male guardians as parts of the country continue to reel under the devastation left behind by the series of earthquakes last week. Women have been hit particularly hard as the Taliban has imposed restrictions on them being treated by male doctors. According to the WHO, 90 per cent of their medical staff are male and the remaining 10 per cent were often midwives and nurses, rather than doctors. Read more
- 04
Meta hiring contractors to build AI chatbots in Hindi
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is planning to develop AI-powered, role-playing chatbots in Hindi and other local languages in some of its key non-English speaking markets. According to reports, Meta will be working with third-party contractors to help customise the chatbots with more cultural nuances. For this, the social media giant is hiring US-based contractors who will collaborate with local residents in India and other key markets such as Indonesia and Mexico. Read more
- 05
J&K AAP MLA Mehraj Malik detained under Public Safety Act
Mehraj Malik, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Doda, was apprehended by the police on Monday on charges of disturbing public order. He was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act for one year, making him the first sitting legislator in Jammu and Kashmir to be detained under the law, which allows the administration to keep a person under preventive detention without trial. Malik, a first-time MLA, is accused of abduction, attacking officials on duty, locking them inside their offices, and abusing and intimidating them in public. Though he has been held under PSA, the detention will not affect his membership in the assembly. Read more
