1. LeT Commander Abu Ismail Killed
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Ismail, the mastermind behind the 10 July attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims, was among two terrorists killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowgam on Thursday, police said.
At a press briefing, IGP Kashmir Munir Khan said that following intelligence reports about the presence of the terrorists in the area, security forces launched an operation and neutralized the two terrorists. Two AK-47 rifles were recovered from them. Ismail’s associate was identified as Abu Qasim.
“I congratulate the team. He was one of our prime targets. It hardly took half-an-hour to complete the operation,” said Khan. He added, “Militant leadership has to be eliminated because they misguide our children and lure them into this.”
Source: The Indian Express
2. Modi, Shinzo Abe Vow to Fight Terrorism, Strengthen Strategic Cooperation; Bullet Train by 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Thursday held talks on wide-ranging subjects including bilateral ties, regional and international issues and chiefly on terrorism.
At the annual India-Japan summit held in Gandhinagar in Gujarat, the two countries vowed to strengthen cooperation in order to tackle terrorist groups such as the al-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. A joint statement issued after the summit said the two leaders demanded Pakistan to initiate action against these terrorist outfits responsible for attacks in Mumbai (2008) and Pathankot (2016).
“They shared the view that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is a global scourge that must be forcefully combated through concerted global action in the spirit of ‘zero tolerance’,” the statement read.
Source: The Indian Express
3. Ryan Murder: Bombay HC Rejects Anticipatory Bail Pleas of Founders
The Bombay High Court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of the founders of Ryan International Group of Institutions, Augustine Pinto, Grace Pinto and Ryan Pinto.
On Wednesday, the Pintos had approached the court seeking anticipatory bail apprehending arrest in connection with the murder of Pradyuman Thakur last week. The court order comes a day after the father of Pradyuman Thakur, who was killed on the Ryan International School premises in Gurugram on 8 September, had filed an intervention application opposing the Pintos’ anticipatory bail pleas.
The family of Pinto will approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday and file anticipatory bail plea.
Source: The Indian Express
4. UK's Serious Fraud Office Starts Probe Into Laundering by Mallya
In a major development that may spell more trouble for controversial businessman Vijay Mallya, Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is conducting a probe against the liquor baron for alleged "money laundering" in UK and beyond.
Top sources told TOI that British investigators are probing alleged use of several companies for laundering money from India to UK through a circuitous route and a complex web of companies, and further to Switzerland and other countries.
In fact, sources said, SFO has already collected substantial information about Mallya's movable and immovable assets, his investment and shares in various companies in the UK and bank account details. The financial investigation agency decided to initiate an independent probe against Mallya to examine whether the alleged money laundering involved British companies linked to him.
Source: Times of India
5. Rohingya Refugees Are a Security Threat: Govt's 'Unfinalised Affidavit'
An affidavit prepared by the government for possible filing in the Supreme Court said Rohingya refugees are a security threat and they must be deported to Myanmar, a stand that is likely to rile human rights activists.
The affidavit was not filed, and the government said it was ‘unfinalised’ and did not necessarily reflect its final position. A copy of it emerged in the media on Thursday after the government mistakenly served it to a lawyer who has moved the Supreme Court against a plan to deport the refugees.
Rohingyas are a minority in Myanmar’s Rakhine, where an intense military crackdown – likened to an ethnic cleansing by the United Nations – has driven hundreds of thousands to flee to countries such as Bangladesh and India.
Source: Hindustan Times
6. 19 Die as Boat Capsizes in Uttar Pradesh; Angry Villagers Vent Ire on Officials
At least 19 people, including 13 women, have died after a boat that was carrying around 62 people capsized in the Yamuna in Katha village of Baghpat district early Thursday morning.
The District Magistrate (DM) of Baghpat, Bhawani Singh said that the tragedy was caused by the overloading of the boat beyond its capacity. “The boat was ferrying passengers more than its capacity. Most of them were women,” Mr Singh said.
According to the Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Meerut, Prashant Singh, while ten of the passengers swam to safety, 11 were rescued from the river and sent to nearby hospitals. The rest were still missing.
Source: The Hindu
7. After Maha & UP, Rajasthan 3rd BJP State to Waive Farm Loans
Rajasthan became the third BJP-ruled state, after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, to waive farm loans. The government made the waiver announcement late on Wednesday night after reaching an agreement with farmers who had been agitating since 1 September.
As per the agreement, farm loans up to Rs 50,000 would be written off, putting an additional burden of about Rs 20,000 crore on the Vasundhara Raje government. The loan waiver announced by UP chief minister Yogi Aditya Nath and his Maharashtra counterpart, Devendra Fadnavis, had cost the two state governments Rs 36,000 crore and Rs 34,000 crore, respectively.
"On farmers' demand to waive loans up to Rs 50,000, a high-level technical committee would be constituted to study procedures adopted by different states, like UP, Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala," state agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini said. The committee would submit its report in a month.
Source: Times of India
8. Karti Refuses to Appear Before CBI in Aircel-Maxis Case
Karti Chidambaram on Thursday refused to appear before the CBI in the Aircel-Maxis case, his lawyer said.
The agency had called Mr. Karti for questioning on September 14 in connection with the foreign investment clearance given in 2006 in the Aircel-Maxis deal when his father P Chidambaram was the Finance Minister.
Mr Karti, through his lawyer, has refused to appear before the agency saying a special court had discharged all the accused in the matter.
“All proceedings connected with the said [case]... were also terminated,” the response said.
Source: The Hindu
9. China Has a Message for India and Japan: Form Partnership, Not Alliance
China on Thursday sent out a clear message to India about its deepening ties with Japan – New Delhi and Tokyo should forge a partnership conducive to peace in the region instead of an alliance.
During Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s two-day official visit to India, India and Japan discussed their joint role in the India-Pacific region where China is increasingly becoming assertive.
The message from the foreign ministry in Beijing was couched in diplomatic terms but the message was sharp – close ties between India and Japan should not be an effort to counter China.
“We advocate that regional countries should stand for dialogue without confrontation and work for partnership instead of alliance,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
Source: Hindustan Times