(1) Escalating tension on the Israel-Lebanon border
On September 23, 2024, Israel launched a series of strikes on Lebanon that killed more than 490 Lebanese, the deadliest attack since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Israel warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to leave their homes ahead of a spreading air campaign against Hezbollah.
This comes in light of a rapid escalation in the nearly yearlong conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. First came two days of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah — deadly attacks pinned on Israel that also maimed civilians across Lebanon on September 17, 2024.
Hezbollah’s leader vowed to retaliate, and on September 20, 2024, the militant group launched a wave of rockets into northern Israel. Later in the day, the commander of Hezbollah’s most elite unit was killed in a strike in Beirut that killed dozens more people.
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The cross-border attacks ramped up early on September 22, 2024, with Hezbollah launching more than 100 rockets deeper into northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa.
Later, a wave of air raids hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early on September 28, 2024, as Israel stepped up attacks on Hezbollah, after a massive strike on the Iran-backed movement’s command centre that apparently targeted leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Many fear the escalating violence could lead to an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, which would further destabilise a region already shaken by the fighting in Gaza.
(2) 14 deaths, 10 encounters by police in Chennai since 2019
On September 18, 2024, notorious history-sheeter Kakkathoppu Balaji was gunned down by police at a secluded place in Vyasarpadi. Police said Balaji had more than 50 criminal cases and was also wanted in a murder case. When he was surrounded, he opened fire at a police vehicle, and a police inspector retaliated by opening fire at him.
Human rights activists and advocates have condemned the series of encounters and said it should be prevented. People’s Union for Civil Liberties(PUCL) General Secretary V.Suresh said Tamil Nadu has always been a police state, irrespective of who is ruling the State.
From 2019 onwards, Chennai and its surrounding areas witnessed 10 extra-judicial killings by the police, involving 14 men, including history-sheeters.
Read more about the encounter killings in Chennai here.
(3) Unemployment rate stagnant: Government survey
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the period between July 2023 and June 2024, released by the Labour Bureau on Monday (September 23, 2024), reported no major change in the unemployment rate.
In rural areas, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) increased from 50.7% in 2017-18 to 63.7% in 2023-24 while for urban areas it increased from 47.6% to 52.0%. “LFPR for male in India increased from 75.8% in 2017-18 to 78.8% in 2023-24 and corresponding increase in LFPR for female was from 23.3% to 41.7%,” the release said.
In rural areas, the unemployment rate (UR) decreased from 5.3% in 2017-18 to 2.5% in 2023-24 while for urban areas it decreased from 7.7% to 5.1%. “UR for male in India decreased from 6.1% in 2017-18 to 3.2% in 2023-24 and corresponding decrease for female was from 5.6% to 3.2%,” the Centre said. The overall unemployment rate is 3.2%, similar to last year.
(4) Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls: Phase two
The Election Commission on Friday (September 27, 2024) said the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Wednesday (September 25, 2024) recorded a voter turnout of 57.31%, lower than the phase one turnout of 61.38%.
Polling in 26 constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir was held on Wednesday, with a turn out of 58.35% male voters , 56.22% female voters and 30.19% third gender voters.
Habbakadal in Srinagar had the lowest turnout among the 26 constituencies at 19.81%, while Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat had the highest at 80.45%.
In the first phase of polling on September 18 in 24 constituencies, the EC recorded a turnout of 61.38%, with male turnout at 63.75% and female turnout at 58.96%. Six of the seats had a higher female turn out than male.
The third and final phase of polling is scheduled to be held on October 1, with counting of votes on October 8.
(5) Haryana Assembly is still a man’s world
It is still a man’s world in the Haryana Assembly polls, with only 51 women candidates — most of them either having the backing of a political family or celebrity status — being fielded by frontline political parties. Since it was carved out from Punjab in 1966, the state, known for its skewed gender ratio, has sent only 87 women to the assembly. Haryana has never had a woman chief minister.
According to Haryana Vidhan Sabha records, in the five assembly elections beginning in 2000, a total of 47 women have become legislators in the state, notorious for its skewed gender ratio — 916 female births per 1,000 males in 2023.
In the 2019 elections, 104 women candidates, including those contesting as Independents, were in the fray. The 2014 elections witnessed the highest number of women candidates — 13 out of 116 — winning their seats. That number fell to nine in the 2019 elections.
Elections for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on October 5 and the results declared on October 8.
Published - September 30, 2024 12:59 pm IST
