Daily Bulletin: SC hearing on Kerala floods today; CEC OP Rawat rules out possibility of simultaneous polls, and other top stories

CEC OP Rawat says ’no chance’ for One Nation One poll Putting to rest all speculation, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Thursday emphatically ruled out the possibility of holding simultaneous elections to the state assemblies along with the Lok Sabha polls anytime soon. Rawat also said a legal framework is needed to be in place for holding simultaneous polls, which he said will take at least a year. His comments also come against the backdrop of BJP president Amit Shah’s recent call for a “healthy and open debate” among stakeholders for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies. UAE aid row: KJ Alphons asks Centre to make one-time exception Union minister KJ Alphons on Thursday requested the Centre to make a “one-time exception” to its 14-year policy of not accepting foreign aid in the face of natural calamities for Kerala. He said the Centre’s stand on Kerala was a convention “inherited” from previous governments, when during 2004’s devastating Tsunami, then prime minister Manmohan Singh had refused aid from foreign countries. [caption id=“attachment_5033491” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Flood victims unload food and relief material from an Indian Air force helicopter at Nelliyampathy Village in Kerala. Reuters[/caption] Sudden release of water from the Mullaperiyar dam caused floods: Kerala govt The Kerala government in an affidavit on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the sudden release of water from the Mullaperiyar dam by the Tamil Nadu government was one of the reasons for the massive floods in the state. The Kerala government affidavit was in response to the apex court’s order on 17 August on a petition filed by Kerala residents seeking to maintain the structural safety of the dam. The next hearing of the petition is  scheduled for 11.30 am today. Police identifies two suspects who shot at Gauri Lankesh The SIT has identified two men who pulled the trigger on Gauri Lankesh. Twelve have been arrested so far in the case with the hunt on for two more suspects. According to News18, four suspects, who are being held in Maharashtra, have revealed the identity of the two men who shot at Lankesh. There are indications of strong links between the killers and Hindu right-wing Sanatan Sanstha. Investigators on Tuesday also traced links between murders of Narendra Dabholkar, Gauri Lankesh, MM Kalburgi, and Govind Pansare. Rahul Gandhi in London Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit London on 24 and 25 August. On Rahul’s agenda is a “working lunch” with the Indian Journalists Association (established in May 1947) and a “conversation” with London School of Economics academic Mukulika Banerjee. His sessions will begin on 24 August morning with a session at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) on ‘India’s economic growth and foreign policy in an uncertain world’, followed by an on-the-record Q&A session. The even is limited to a “select group”. Donald Trump says the market would ‘crash’ if he was impeached US president Donald Trump on Thursday warned that “the market would crash” if he is impeached, amid increasing trouble for the US President after his former lawyer Michael Cohen implicated him by pleading guilty to campaign finance laws. In a stunning admission that implicates Trump, Cohen, 51, pleaded guilty to buying the silence of two women about their alleged affairs with Trump. In an interview with Fox & Friends, Trump said: “I don’t know how you can impeach somebody who’s done a great job.” Asian Games 2018, Day 6 On Friday, Indian athletes will try to win gold medals in different events including five categories of rowing. Dipa Karmakar will be in action in women’s balance beam final event. Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu will aim for gold in women’s 10m air pistol. Indian men’s hockey team will play Japan in a group match. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 goes on sale today Samsung Galaxy Note 9 which was launched on 22 August will go on sale from 24 August at Rs 67,900 onwards. The 128 GB storage variant with 6 GB RAM will be available at Rs 67,900 and the 512 GB storage and 8 GB RAM is priced at Rs 84,900. The phone will go on sale in three colour variants: Ocean Blue, Midnight Black, Metallic Copper. The highlight of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the all-new S Pen. Apple orders series based on Issac Asimov’s Foundation Apple TV has ordered a drama series titled Foundation, based on Issac Asimov’s sci-fi novel trilogy. The 10-part series will have Batman vs Superman writer David S Goyer and War of the Worlds writer Josh Friedman as showrunners.