Morning Brief: SC To Hear Plea For CBI Probe In Kathua Case; Taliban Abducts Seven Indians In Afghanistan; ISRO Develops Atomic Clock For Satellites
Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today.
Kathua Case: SC To Hear Pleas For CBI Probe Today
The Supreme Court will today hear pleas seeking shifting of the trial in the alleged rape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua to Chandigarh and handing over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Some sections in Jammu, including many in the village that the accused belong to, have been demanding a CBI probe in the case. The demand for a CBI probe has intensified after a Zee News report raised serious questions on the accuracy of the on chargesheet filed by the Crime Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir police. Earlier, the apex court had said it would not direct the CBI to investigate “unless there is a strong reason for getting another agency to probe”. The accused have opposed the plea filed by the victim’s family to shift the case from Kathua to Chandigarh on grounds of safety.
Taliban Abducts Seven Indian Engineers In Afghanistan
Seven Indian engineers, who were working on a power plant in Baghlan province of Afghanistan, have been abducted by the Taliban. According to the governor of the province, the men have been moved to Pul-e Khumri, 230 kilometres north of Kabul. He added that the administration was trying to rescue the men with the help of tribal elders. According to Kabul-based TOLO News, the Taliban have said that they abducted the engineers believing they were employees of the government. No group has, however, officially claimed responsibility. A large number of Indians work in Afghanistan, mostly on projects linked to the government’s effort to contribute to the war-torn country’s rebuilding. Since 2001, New Delhi has pledged at least $2 billion in form of development assistance to Kabul.
ISRO Develops Atomic Clock For Navigation Satellites
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed an atomic clock that will be used in navigation satellites launched by the agency to get precise location data. This development comes after the agency imported atomic clocks from European aerospace manufacturer Astrium for its navigation satellites. Each satellite launched as part of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) or NaVIC has three imported Rubidium atomic clocks. Imported atomic clocks used in one of these navigation satellites had failed in 2017, forcing ISRO to launch IRNSS-1I to replace it. The agency is now planning to launch at east four backup satellites for the navigation system carrying atomic clocks developed in India.
BrahMos’ Indigenous Content To Increase To 76 In Six Months
Indigenous content in BrahMos, the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile, will increase to 76 per cent from the current 65 per cent in the next six months. The announcement was made by BrahMos Aerospace Managing Director Sudhir Mishra following the handing over ceremony of the prototype Quad launcher manufactured by Larsen & Toubro Defence on Sunday. The launcher will keep cruise missiles in an inclined configuration on-board Indian Navy ships. In March this year, the missile was successfully flight-tested for the first time with an indigenous seeker. Until now, the missile was guided by a seeker supplied by a Russian firm.
13 States On Storm Alert
The India Meteorological Department has warned of thunderstorm accompanied with squall at isolated places in at least 13 states and two Union Territories across the country between 7 and 8 May. Heavy rains are likely in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. Parts of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh are likely to witness thunderstorms and gusty winds. In view of the warning, private schools in Haryana will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday. Over 120 people were killed and at least 300 others were injured in five states due to dust storms and lightning last week.
All Terrorists Who Appeared With Burhan Wani Killed
All the terrorists who appeared with Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in a group picture that went viral in 2015 have been killed by the security forces, except the one who was captured alive in 2016. Saddam Paddar, one of the five terrorists neutralised by security forces at Badigam in South Kashmir’s Shopian on Sunday, was the last of the group of 11 terrorists to be killed in an encounter. The lone surviving member of the group, Tariq Pandit, is lodged in jail. At least three of these terrorists - Adil Ahmad Khanday, Afaaqullah Bhat and Waseem Malla - were neutralised by the security forces before Wani’s killing. The group had released the photo, which shows young terrorists donning army fatigues and holding firearms, to attract young men to join terror groups. According to reports, the picture seemed to be been clicked in orchards of Shopian or Pulwama in South Kashmir.
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