Top stories on 5 February in a capsule
Maldives' Chief Justice, SC Judge arrested
Two Supreme Court judges, including the Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed, were arrested early on Tuesday. President of Maldives Abdulla Yameen on Monday announced the State of Emergency in the country for 15 days, over law and order tension. Announcing the move live on national television, the President’s representative Azima Shukooron said all basic rights of the citizens stand suspended and the government has the power to detain or arrest suspects. The political crisis in Maldives started with the clash between President Yameen and the Supreme Court, after the top court had asked him to release members of the opposition parties that he has jailed and to excuse his predecessor, former President Mohammad Nasheed from a 13-year-old jail term.
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Boys handled the pressure well: Rahul Dravid on U19 World Cup win
The Under 19 Indian cricket team came home amidst much praise and applause for winning the World Cup for the fourth time. Coach Rahul Dravid addressing a press conference, expressed his happiness at the win and said “the boys handled the pressure really well.” The veteran batsman maintained that there can be no comparison between the U19 performance at his time and the generation today. “You can’t really compare the generations. Facilities for the players are better than what I had when I played for India.” Captain of the young team, Prithvi Shaw who was also present at the event talked about how ‘the coach was more of a friend to them’.
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BJP calls out Samajwadi Party for ‘Pakoda Training Centre’ event
The BJP lashed out at Samajwadi Party’s ‘Pakoda Training Centre’, calling it an insult to the youths who do not have a job. “They are known for their anti-poor policies. During Akhilesh Yadav government there was no job creation in UP,” BJP state spokesperson Chandra Mohan said. The ruling party referred to Sunday’s event where the Samajwadi party ‘pakoda (fritters) training centre’ for unemployed youths in Bareilly in reaction to PM Modi’s comment on job creation. SP leader Ata-ur-Rehman had said, “We have Modi pakoda for Btech and MTech holders, Shah pakoda for PhD and MBA, Jaitley pakodas for MCom and Yogi pakodas for graduates and other unemployed youth.”
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Amit Shah hails GST, Healthcare scheme in Rajya Sabha debut
BJP President Amit Shah delivered his first speech in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, hailing the NDA government’s achievement in the last few years. The minister lauded the implementation of GST and introduction of Triple Talaq Bill. Shah remarked on the safety of Kashmir, saying “it is the safest now in 35 years. "Praising the Healthcare scheme of Budget 2018 Shah said, “No democracy in the world had courage to give health insurance of Rs 5 lakh to 5 crore people.” He also took a direct hit at Congress, remarking “it is better to sell pakodas than be unemployed,” reacting to the opposition’s criticism on PM Modi particular statement on employment in a TV interview.
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CBI files charge-sheet in Ryan murder case
The 16-year-old accused in Ryan International School student’s murder case was charged with murder on Monday, as the CBI filed a 5000 page charge-sheet. Submitting the charge-sheet in Gurugram Sessions court, the CBI is also further probing the role of Gurugram police, whose allegedly lapses in investigation led to wrong framing of bus conductor Ashok as the murderer, earlier. The juvenile, who is currently lodged in an Observation Home, is being tried as an adult, irrespective of his age, after the Juvenile Justice Board, on 20 December declared that the teenager was mature enough to understand the consequences of killing Class II student Pradhyuman Thakur.
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SC to Khap: Attack on inter-caste adult couple is absolutely illegal
The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Khap Panchayats for playing ‘conscience keeper’ of the society. The bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Mishra, Justice DY Chandrachud and AM Khanwilkar rapped the Khaps for discouraging inter-religionmarriages. “You don’t have to play the conscience keeper of the society. Law and courts will take care of all relationships,” the bench said. The court also added that attacking couples who marry outside their caste, is ‘absolutely illegal’. The Khap, in its defense, said it only discourages marriages between Sanpidas (third generation relatives). The SC has asked Centre to respond how to prevent honor killings and harassment of inter-religion couples.
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CBI books celebrity jeweler Nirav Modi in Rs 280 cheating case
The CBI registered an FIR against celebrity jewelry designer Nirav Modi in a case of allegedly cheating Rs 280 crores off Punjab National Bank (PNB) in 2017, on Monday. The CBI received a complaint from PNB, against Modi, his brother Nishal, wife Ami and aide Mehul Chinubhai Choksi, of ‘conspiring with some bank officials’ that caused the bank to have ‘wrongful loss.’ The FIR charges Modi and company under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. On January 31, Modi’s offices in Delhi, Surat, and Jaipur were raided by the IT Department.
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Pakistani actress killed for rejecting performing at private event
A Pakistani theatre actress was shot dead by three assailants after she refused to go with them for a private event. The incident that took place in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday evening started with the men breaking into the actress' residence and opened fired on her, upon her rejection. “The men fled the crime scene after killing her. But they have been identified on the search is on to nab them,” Pakistani daily newspaper Dawn reported.
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Padmaavat crosses Rs 200 crore mark at the box office
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's controversial period drama 'Padmaavat', finally achieved Rs 200 crore benchmark at the box office after eleven days of its theatrical release. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to Twitter and posted the new box office collection of the film. “#Padmaavat biz at a glance… Week 1: ₹ 166.50 cr Weekend 2: ₹ 46 cr Total: ₹ 212.50 cr India biz. SUPER-HIT,” he said. It has earned $20 million overseas at the close of the second week. It has thereby surpassed Salman Khan starer Tiger Zinda Hai. It is now the highest all-time overseas grosser.
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US celebrity Kylie Jenner gives birth to baby girl
After several months of speculation, US reality TV star Kylie Jenner confirmed on Monday, that she has given birth to a daughter. Jenner who has been in a relationship with 25-year-old rapper Travis Scott for months now, took to Instagram to share the news. While most women of the Kardashian family spoke about their pregnancy, Kylie took a different route. “I knew my baby would feel every stress and every emotion so I chose to do it this way for my little life and our happiness,” she said in the post.
