Morning Brief: Men Linked To Suspected Cow Slaughter Arrested In UP Priests Murder Case; India’s Next Indigenous Fighter To Fly By 2032; And Other News

Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today.

Men Linked To Suspected Cow Slaughters Arrested In Priests Murder Case

Five men, associated with suspected cow slaughter, have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the killing of two Hindu priests, the Press Trust of India reported. The men, identified as Salman, Nadeem, Shahzad, Majnu and Jabbar, were reportedly arrested on Saturday. Eight members of the group are absconding. According to the report, the men had killed the priests as they were passing on information to the police “that resulted in the arrest of the accused's family members and relatives for suspected cow slaughter (sic)”.

The five men have confessed to killing the priests, NDTV reported. The incident had happened inside a temple in Kudarkot, around 180 km west of Lucknow, on Tuesday night. The men had tied the priests to their beds before stabbing them multiple times, the police had said. The accused had also broken the lock of the donation box to paint the entire incident as a loot, it added. Around a dozen police teams headed by senior officials were formed to investigate the murders.

India’s Next Indigenous Fighter Jet To Make First Flight By 2032

India’s next indigenous fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), is likely to fly for the first time by 2032, The Hindu has reported. The fighter, a fifth-generation aircraft, will have stealth features. This means that the fighter will have a low radar cross-section, making it difficult for the enemy to spot it. The Indian Air Force has provided land to the Defence Research and Development Organisation to set up facilities for the project.

The agencies have frozen the basic design after wind tunnel testing. They will now be working on three critical technologies need for the jet -- stealth, thrust vectoring and super cruise. The technology and expertise developed while working on the Light Combat Aircraft will be put to use while developing the fighter. China has already pushed into service its stealth fighter.

Torrential Rain Finally Let Up In Flood-Hit Kerala

After two weeks of nearly non-stop downpour, Kerala got some relief from rain on Sunday. Red alert has been lifted from several districts of the state. According to reports, the intensity of rain has been decreasing for the past two days and there is no alert for heavy precipitation for the next four days in the state. At least five satellites of the Indian Space Research Organisations have been providing data for the assessment of the situation in the rain-battered state.

Over seven lakh people have been displaced by rains in the state. Around 80 dams had to be opened resulting in flooding and heavy loss of life and property. Close to 300 people have perished. The military has been conducting rescue efforts to reach people cut off for days. Prime Minister Modi on Saturday conducted an aerial survey and announced a relief package of Rs 500 crores.

UAE Deports Kashmiri Engineer For Suspected ISIS Links

A man from Kashmir, working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been deported by the gulf country for being a sympathiser of terror outfit Islamic State (IS). The man, identified as Irfan Ahmand Zargar, is not the first Kashmiri to have been deported by the UAE on these charges. Last year, the country had deported Azhar ul Islam, a man from Ganderbal in Kashmir, on similar charges. Turkey had also deported a man from Kashmir on charges of being an IS sympathiser.

Zagar, a resident of Chattabal in old Srinagar city, was deported after on August 14 after the intervention of the Indian consulate general in Dubai. The consulate general intervened on the request of Zagar’s family. A relative had asked on Twitter for help from foreign minister Sushma Swaraj. The man was arrested at the airport by the Dubai police while entering the country from Oman.

GDP Back Series Data Not Official Estimates, Says Government

The GDP back series data with 2011-12 base year are not official estimates as the calculations are still a work in progress, the Modi government has clarified. In a statement yesterday, it said that the methodology for back-casting GDP series has not yet been finalised and various alternative methods are being explored. It added that the methodology will be worked out using the suggestions made by the Committee on Real Sector Statistics.

The government’s clarification comes at a time when the Congress is using this data to defend it’s track record and management of the Indian economy during the United Progressive Alliance’s 10-year rule. The numbers had revealed that the economy grew twice in double digits during the UPA’s tenure. India had shifted to a new GDP series, with a base year of 2011-12, in 2015.

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We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!