Other News

Supreme Court to urgently hear Uttarakhand forest fire petitions on May 8

The Supreme Court on May 6 agreed to urgently hear petitions on Uttarakhand forest fires on May 8 even as petitioners said 90% of the blazes were “man-made”. A Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai instructed the petitioners, including senior advocate Rajiv Dutta, to inform the amicus curiae, advocate K. Parameshwar. Uttarakhand government, represented by its Deputy Advocate General, said he would be present in person for the hearing and sought permission to file a status report by the next hearing.

Army releases sketches of Poonch attack suspects, announces reward

Sketches of two suspected terrorists, who are believed to be behind carrying out an attack on the Indian Air Force vehicles on May 4, were released by the Army on May 6, as the manhunt continues in the nearby forest area of Poonch. The Army has also announced a reward money of ₹20 lakhs for those who would provide any inputs. “Anyone who will give any fruitful and reliable information about the whereabouts of these terrorists, leading to their arrest will be rewarded and their identity will be kept a secret,” an Army official said, in a statement.

‘Pakistan is not wearing bangles and has atom bombs’: Farooq Abdullah on Rajnath Singh’s remark on PoK

Responding to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remark, “PoK will be merged with India,” Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said on May 5 that Pakistan is not wearing bangles and also has atom bombs that will fall on India. “If the defence minister is saying it, then go ahead. Who are we to stop? But remember, they [Pakistan] are also not wearing bangles. It has atom bombs, and unfortunately, that atom bomb will fall on us [India],” he said.

Israel begins evacuating part of Rafah ahead of threatened assault

Israel called on civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah on May 6 in what appeared to be preparation for a long-threatened assault on Hamas holdouts in the southern Gaza Strip city where more than a million war-displaced Palestinians have been sheltering. Instructed by Arabic text messages, telephone calls, and flyers to move to what the Israeli military called an “expanded humanitarian zone” 20 km away, some Palestinian families lumbered out under chilly spring rain, witnesses said.

Russia to practice tactical nuclear weapon scenario to deter West

Russia on May 6 said it would hold a military exercise that will include practice for the use of tactical nuclear weapons after what the defence ministry said were provocative threats from Western officials. The Defence Ministry said the exercise was ordered by President Vladimir Putin and would test the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to perform combat missions.

There’s terror threat to T20 World Cup, reveals Trinidad PM

The T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by the U.S. and West Indies, has received a terror threat, Trinidad’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has revealed but asserted that “extra effort in national security preparations and response readiness” will be put in to neutralise the danger. The tournament— featuring 20 teams, including India— is due to start on June 1. As of now, the threat, according to media reports, is specific to the West Indies, which aside from some preliminary matches, will be hosting the entire Super 8 stage along with the semifinals and the final on June 29.