Current Affairs
Morning Brief: ISRO To Launch Another Navigation Satellite; ‘Kerala’s Zakir Naik’ Arrested; China To Set Up Ocean Observatory In Maldives
Swarajya Staff
Feb 26, 2018, 07:50 AM | Updated 07:50 AM IST
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Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today.
ISRO To Launch Another Navigation Satellite
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch satellite IRNSS-1H to replace the faulty IRNSS-1A in the Indian Navigation Satellite Constellation (NavIC). The satellite could be launched in March end or April. NavIC, however, is already functioning as four satellites are sufficient for navigation. Six functioning satellites are already in place, ISRO chairman K Sivan has said.
Talking to The Hindu, Sivan said the space agency is developing hypersonic reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator that could be ready in a year or two. He also said that the launch of Chandrayan-II is likely to take place in April. “The plan is to land on the moon’s south pole during the day and one moon day is 14 earth days. Which means we have this window of 14 days each month,” he noted.
Preacher Called 'Zakir Naik Of Kerala' Arrested
MM Akbar, an Islamist preacher and the managing director of Kochi-based Peace International School, was arrested in Hyderabad on Sunday based on a tip-off from Interpol. Akbar, who had arrived in Hyderabad from Australia and was scheduled to board a flight to Doha on Monday, is often called ‘Kerala’s Zakir Naik’.
He has been accused of inciting communal hatred by preaching objectionable content in his schools. In January, Kerala government had shut down his school near Kochi. Abdul Rasheed, who is suspected to be the ring leader of the group of 21 people who went missing from Kerala and reportedly joined the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Syria, was an employee of his school.
China To Set Up Ocean Observatory In Maldives
China could soon set up an Ocean Observatory in the Maldives’ Makunudhoo atoll, not far from India’s Lakshadweep Islands. The agreement for setting up an observatory was finalised last year, officials have confirmed. By setting up an observatory in the Maldives’ northernmost part, China would have a permanent presence close to important sea lines of communication. According to the Times of India, the observatory will have provision for a submarine base.
The Maldives is currently in the midst of a deep political crisis. Embattled President Abdulla Yameen, who has refused to accept the Supreme Court’s order to free jailed political opponents, had declared a state of emergency in the country. He appears to have China’s backing, which has increased its footprint in the country in the past few years. Yameen’s government has repeatedly ignored India’s security concerns in face of rising Chinese influence and investment in the country.
Campaigning In Meghalaya, Nagaland Ends
Poll campaigning in Meghalaya and Nagaland, during which parties traded barbs thick and fast, ended on Sunday. Voting in the two states will take place on Tuesday while the results will be declared on 3 March along with that of Tripura, where elections were held on 18 February. Both the states have 60-member assemblies. Encouraged by its performance in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party is expecting to see its footprint expand in the North East. The Congress has been in power in Meghalaya for the last 10 years.
India To Seek Red Corner Notice Against Pakistani Diplomat
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is working to secure an Interpol red corner notice against Pakistani diplomat Amir Zubair Siddiqui. The NIA has taken this step after it chargesheeted the diplomat last week for conspiring to launch terror strikes similar to 26/11 on the US and Israeli consulates in South India. Once the paperwork is completed, a request would be sent to the Interpol headquarters.
Siddiqui had planned the attacks during his stint as a visa counsellor at Pakistani High Commission in Sri Lanka in 2014. As part of the plan hatched by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, two terrorists were to be flown in from the Maldives. The Intelligence Bureau busted the conspiracy in April 2014. The diplomat was repatriated to Pakistan after India mounted pressure on Sri Lanka.
CBI Officials Quiz PNB Director
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials questioned Punjab National Bank’s executive director K V Brahmaji Rao for the second day on Sunday in connection with the Rs 11,400 crore scam involving jewellers Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi. CBI’s examination was focussed on understanding how the crime was detected by the bank and other procedural issues. Rao is not being treated as accused, CBI officials said. Rao is in-charge of the bank’s integrated risk management division. Several other officers of the bank are being questioned.
India To Host Mega Naval Exercise In Andaman and Nicobar
Starting 6 March, India will host navies of at least 16 countries for a mega eight-day exercise in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Countries participating in the exercise include Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Vietnam, Thailand, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya and Cambodia. The exercise comes amid an ongoing crisis in the Maldives and the rise in Chinese forays into the Indo-Pacific region. China’s growing presence in the region could be a topic of discussion among navy chiefs of the participating countries at the event.
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