1. India Concerned but Maldives Opposition Wants More, Says Yameen Acting Under China Influence
Under pressure from Maldives Supreme Court judges and Opposition to act, India on Tuesday said it was disturbed by the declaration of emergency in the country, following the refusal of the Abdulla Yameen government to abide by the by the unanimous court ruling ordering release of political prisoners and also by the suspension of Constitutional rights of the people of Maldives.
"The arrest of the Supreme Court Chief Justice and political figures are also reasons for concern. Government continues to carefully monitor the situation," said MEA in a statement.
The opposition in Maldives, though, seemed a disappointed lot on Tuesday. While former president and main opposition party MDP leader Mohamed Nasheed called for a military intervention by India, other opposition leaders said it was unfortunate that India had not even bothered to send a special envoy until now. It also alleged that Yameen might be acting under the influence of China.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Markets Fall for Sixth Day Amid Global Rout
Indian stocks saw their value fall by Rs 2.7 trillion on Tuesday, mirroring the fall in US and global markets caused by Friday’s report that showed wage inflation on the rise in the US.
Indian investors had already signalled their unhappiness at the long term capital gains tax imposed on equities in the Budget on 1 February and probably needed a trigger to let off steam; happenings in US markets provided that. Sensex, the benchmark index of BSE Ltd, closed 68 points down on 1 February, 839 points lower on 2 February, 309 points down on 5 February, and 561 points lower on Tuesday.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Unnao: At Least 38 Test Positive for HIV After Fake Doctor Uses Single Syringe
At least 38 have tested positive for HIV in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao over the last 10 months after a fake doctor used a single syringe to treat his patients, UP health officials said Tuesday. The state government has registered a case against the fake doctor, Rajendra Kumar, and has intensified efforts to arrest him.
Unnao Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr SP Chaudhary said a probe was ordered after noticing a spike in HIV cases between April and November, 2017. “During a routine screening from April to July, 12 HIV positive cases were reported from Bangarmau tehsil alone. During another screening in November, another 13 cases were reported from the same place,” he said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. 2 Cops Killed, LeT Man Freed as Terrorists Strike Srinagar Hospital
In a well-planned and brazen attack, a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist escaped from the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital in the heart of Srinagar after having his two police escorts killed on Tuesday morning.
The terrorist, identified as Naveed Jati alias Abu Hanzullah, a Pakistan national, was brought to the hospital for a medical check-up after he had complained of abdominal pain in jail, Srinagar SSP Imtiyaz Ismail Parray said.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Congress Alleges ‘Huge Scam’ in Rafale Deal, Accuses Modi Govt of Compromising ‘National Security’
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called the Rafale deal with France a scam after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Parliament that details of the agreement for 36 jets could not be disclosed as it was “classified information”. Gandhi, who had also raked up the issue during the Gujarat elections, alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally went to Paris to change the deal and favour a “businessman”.
“The Defence Minister says that we will not reveal the amount paid for buying Rafale aircraft. What does this mean? This only means there is a scam. Modi ji personally went to Paris, he changed the deal. The whole country knows about it,” ANI quoted Gandhi as saying.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. Likely Misuse No Ground to Strike down Aadhaar Law: Justice Chandrachud
Aadhaar number could be used to “establish the identity of an individual for any purpose, whether by the state or any body corporate or person, pursuant to any law for the time being in force”.
The mere possibility of misuse cannot be a ground for striking down the Aadhaar Act, Justice DY Chandrachud orally observed during a Constitution Bench hearing on the validity of the unique identity scheme on Tuesday.
“There has been a long list of judgments holding that a mere possibility of misuse will not lead to the striking down of legislation. We have a little bit of a problem with that line of your argument,” Justice Chandrachud, a member of the five-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, told the Aadhaar petitioners. To this, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said misuse has ceased to be a “possibility.”
(Source: The Hindu)
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7. Waste Report Junked, Supreme Court Tells Centre: Don’t Dump Garbage on Us
Lashing out at the Centre for not doing enough work on solid waste management, the Supreme Court Tuesday pulled up the government counsel for trying to file an 845-page affidavit containing inadequate details and said, “We are not garbage collectors.”
“What are you trying to do? Are you trying to impress us? We are not impressed. You are trying to dump everything on us. We are not going to accept it,” a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta told advocate Wasim A Qadri, representing the Centre, when he produced the affidavit. The court continued, “Whatever junk you have, you dump it before us. We are not garbage collectors. Be absolutely clear about this.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Oil Tanker With 22 Indian Crew Released by Pirates
A Panama Flag tanker with 22 Indian crew members on board that went missing on February 1 was released early Tuesday morning. The owners of the company told The Indian Express that the ship was attacked by pirates but released on Tuesday morning, with both its crew and cargo safe.
The tanker was carrying gasoline worth $8.1 million when it faced a pirate attack in Benin in West Africa. However it is not clear if ransom was paid to secure the safety of the crew and the cargo.
“Anglo Eastern Singapore, managers of the oil products tanker ‘Marine Express’ which was the subject of a pirate attack and seizure on 1 February are pleased to report that the vessel was back under the command of the master and crew at approximately 0400 hrs Singapore time today. All crew members are reported to be safe and the cargo of 13,500 tons of gasoline remains on board,” read the statement released by the company.
“A full investigation will take place into the hijack of the vessel and Anglo Eastern wishes to express its gratitude to the officers and crew of the Marine Express and their families for their courage and fortitude in dealing with this difficult situation over the past 6 days. All families of the crew of the Marine Express have been advised of the situation,” the statement added.
(Source: The Indian Express)
9. Communal Incidents Rose 17 Percent Last Year from 2016
Communal incidents across the country rose to 822 last year from 703 in 2016, reversing the falling trend seen in the preceding year. As many as 111 persons were killed and 2,384 injured due to communal violence in 2017, up from 86 killed and 2,321 injured in 2016.
In 2016, communal incidents were down from the levels seen in 2015 (751). The death toll in 2017 was the highest in past three years, as was the number of injured, according to data on communal violence over the past three years shared on Tuesday along with written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
(Source: The Times of India)
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