Current Affairs
Morning Brief: At Least 17 Killed In Florida Shooting; PNB Fraud: ED Files Money Laundering Case; Rouhani To Arrive In India Today
Swarajya Staff
Feb 15, 2018, 08:12 AM | Updated 08:12 AM IST
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Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today.
At Least 17 Killed In Florida High School Shooting
At least 17 people were killed after a 19-year-old former student, identified as Nikolaus Cruz, opened fire at a High School in South Florida on Wednesday afternoon. The shooting happened despite the presence of police officers at the school. Cruz, who had been expelled for disciplinary reasons from the High School in Parkland, has been arrested in the neighbouring city of Coral Springs. He was arrested about an hour after leaving the school. According to the County Sheriff, the gunman was armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle and “countless magazines.”
PNB Fraud: ED Files Money Laundering Case
The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case against Nirav Modi and others in connection with the Rs 11,400 crore cheating of Punjab National Bank on the basis of a first information report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI had booked the diamond merchant after the PNB said on Wednesday it had been defrauded of about Rs 114 billion by the jeweller. It had also raided the residence of Modi, his brother Nishal, wife Ami, Mehul Chinubhai Choksi and others who were named in the FIR as accused.
Army Slams Owaisi
In a snub to Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who on Tuesday spoke about the “Muslim soldiers killed in the Sunjuwan attack,” the Indian Army has said that it is above religion and does not “communalise martyrs.”
“We do not communalise martyrs, those making statements don’t know the Army well,” Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command said at a press conference, without naming Owaisi.
Giving a communal colour to the sacrifices of soldiers in Sunjuwan and Karan Nagar attacks in Jammu and Srinagar, Owaisi had said, “Five Kashmiri Muslims have laid down their lives. Why aren't you talking about it? This is a reminder to all those nationalists who question my integrity and love for this country.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani To Arrive In India Today
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will arrive in India today on a three-day visit. Rouhani will land in Hyderabad, where he will address a gathering of Muslim intellectuals and clerics. This will be Rouhani’s first visit to India after taking charge as the president in August 2013. Ahead of his arrival in New Delhi, a National Iranian Oil Company delegation will hold talks with Indian authorities to reach a deal on developing Iran’s Farzad-B gas field. Iran and India have been trying to reach a deal since 2007. Rouhani’s visit comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed a four-nation tour of West Asia and the Gulf region.
Over 50 Per Cent Jan Dhan Accounts Held By Women
More than half of the accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana are held by women and are being used to carry out transactions, a financial inclusion survey has found. According to the survey, there has been a more than 200 per cent increase in volumes of cash-in and cash-out between 2015 and 2017.
Government-to-people payments such as direct benefit transfer of cash has led to an increase in transactions. The survey also reveals that women form only 2 per cent of the total basic banking service gents.
Indian Mujahideen Terrorist Arrested
The Delhi Police has arrested an Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative who had reportedly escaped from the scene of the 2008 Batla House encounter and was involved in serial blasts in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Faizabad, Lucknow and Jaipur. The alleged IM operative, identified as Ariz Khan, was apprehended from the Indo-Nepal border. Khan was working in Nepal as a primary school teacher, the police has said. He carried a total reward of at least Rs 20 lakh on his head.
Congress Vs BJP On Bahmani Utsav
Calling Bahmani rulers 'killers' of Hindus and destroyers of temples, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the ruling Congress in Karnataka of appeasing the Muslim minority by celebrating Bahmani Utsav. The Congress government in the state is planning to celebrate thevBahmani Sultanate's culture and art.
"Who are Bahmani Sultans? Who killed lakhs of Hindus, who burnt villages, who raped Hindu women, who destroyed temples... now Congress is celebrating their festival... more dangerous (sic)," BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje said in a tweet.
However, defending the Congress, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that his government has no plans of organising the Utsav. "Which Bahmani Sultanate Utsav? I don't know anything," he said.
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