Top stories on 7 May in a capsule

Chennai tourist killed in Kashmir after being hit in stone pelting incident

A tourist from Chennai who was visiting Jammu and Kashmir, reportedly passed away after sustaining injuries during a stone pelting incident. Deceased Thirumani succumbed to his injuries in late Monday night after a vehicle he was travelling in got caught in the clashes between security forces and stone pelters. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who visited the deceased’s family in the hospital expressed her grief and said "My head hangs in shame,” according to news reports. Slamming the PDP-BJP government, former CM Omar Abdullah on microblogging site Twitter said, “Let’s try and wrap our heads around the fact that we stoned a tourist, a guest, to death while we glorify these stone pelters & their methods."
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Congress’ Mani Shankar creates new controversy with anti BJP comments in Pak

Ousted Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday made controversial remarks against the BJP as he alleged that the BJP’s ideological icon VD Savarkar gave the original idea of creating India and Pakistan separately. “In 1923 VD Savarkar invented the word 'Hindutva' and so was the first proponent of the two-nation theory was ideological guru of those who are currently in power in India," Aiyar was quoted by news reports while addressing a gathering at Pakistan’s Lahore. The leaders comments come at a time when his party is gearing up to save their bastion Karnataka in the May 12 elections. Aiyar, had commented on PM Modi in a similar controversial fashion before the Gujarat Assembly elections last year.
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No official bungalow for ex UP Chief Ministers: SC

In a huge blow to the VIP culture in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Monday struck down the state’s rule that allowed former Chief Ministers to hold on to government bungalows. The top court in 2016 had ruled that ex CMs cannot hold government accommodation. But the then ruling Samajwadi Party under CM Akhilesh Yadav amended the rule for the ministers to hold on to government bungalows. The apex court bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi said “Such laws create a separate class. Once you leave office, you are not entitled to hold any special privilege." As per the ruling now, six ex CMs including Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav and father Mulayam Singh and Home Minister Rajnath Singh will lose their bungalows.
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Free UPSC coaching for Muslim aspirants, approves Ministry

The Ministry of Minority Affairs on Monday approved the proposal of the Haj Committee for UPSC aspirants from Muslim community to be provided free coaching across all states and union territories. Delighted at the order, Chief Executive Officer of Haj Committee of India, Maqsood Ahmed Khan was quoted by news reports that they would begin the coaching service from next year. Currently, Muslim civil aspirants are being provided free tuition in Mumbai’s Haj committee for the last seven years. The move has been seen as an encouragement for the students to apply for the UPSC exams.  This year saw 51 Muslim candidates clearing the same, out of which 2 were trained from Haj Committee headquarters.
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PM Modi has only Speaker mode and Airplane mode: Rahul

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday took out a cycle rally against the Modi government to protest the rising prices of petrol and diesel. Gandhi, took the ride while campaigning in Karnataka’s Kolar district ahead of the state elections to be held on May 12. In a veiled attack on Prime Minister’s foreign trips, Gandhi said the PM, like a cell phone has only ‘speaker mode and airplane mode but never uses work mode.’ Addressing the gathering Gandhi also alleged that the PM is taking money from the common man to give it to his ‘rich friends.’ "Earlier in the international market, the price was USD 140 per barrel, now it is USD 70 per barrel. Lakhs of crores of money is being saved. Where is the money going?" he asked.
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Crude oil prices touch $70/barrel, first time since 2014 

Crude oil prices have risen above $70 a barrel on Monday for the first time since November 2014 and Brent crude climbed to the fresh highs. Oil’s advance to the highest since 2014 is squeezing the carry-trade returns on the Indian rupee to a point where they are the worst in Asia. Crude prices have jumped 67 percent since June, touching the $70 a barrel level last seen when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power four years ago. The cost increase in India’s biggest import item widens its current-account and fiscal deficits and has turned the currency into Asia’s worst performer. The rupee too, was down 0.4 percent to 67.1325 at 2:25 p.m. in Mumbai, breaching the 67 to a dollar mark for the first time since Feb. 2017.
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Australia left with only 20 days of Petrol, 21 days of diesel

Australia is left with only 20 days of fuel in the country owing to the emerging geopolitical tensions in the middle-east and the south-China sea with media reports quoting several experts that the situation will get worse. Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg launched a review on Monday after the latest government figures showed Australia had only 22 days supply of crude oil, 59 days of LPG, 20 days of petrol, 19 days of aviation fuel and 21 days of diesel. The last National Energy Security Assessment was launched in 2011, where Australia's fuel reserve was well above the 990-day requirement.  Australia depends on the Middle East for 91 per cent of its transport fuel imports, but recent instability in the region amid US-led air strikes on Syria has prompted warnings that the country has no 'plan B' in case of an oil and fuel supply interruption.

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No PM has ever gone so ‘low’: Manmohan Singh on PM Modi

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh slammed his successor Narendra Modi on Monday for degrading the quality of the PM's chair as he ‘has stooped too low’ to criticize his opponents. "No Prime Minister in our country has used the Office of the Prime Minister to say things about his opponent that Mr. Modi has been doing day in and day out,” Singh was quoted in a press conference in the poll-bound state of Karnataka where elections are slated on May 12th. Singh’s comments came in reaction to PM Modi asking the Congress party ‘to learn patriotism from Indian army’s Mudhol hound breed of dogs.’ Manmohan also said that the biggest blunders of the Modi government have been the implementation of demonetization and the GST.
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Supreme Court shifts Kathua rape case to Pathankot, Punjab

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the shifting of the rape and murder case of the 8-year-old victim from the state of Jammu and Kashmir to the Pathankot District and Sessions court in Punjab, and in-camera, day-to-day trial will be held in the case. The J&K government on Monday had moved the top court to appeal that a fair trial will be managed within the state and there is no need to shift the case. But the SC bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, taking the victim’s father's appeal into consideration said, “Free and fair cannot be allowed to exist together.” The hearing of the case is scheduled for July 9.

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Putin sworn in as Russian President for 4th term

Vladimir Putin took over as the President of Russia for the fourth consecutive term, renewing another six-year term in office on Monday. The 65-year-old Russian leader took oath at an official ceremony in the Grand Kremlin Palace in the capital, Moscow. Some 5,000 guests attended the lavish ceremony in an ornate Kremlin hall where he promised to pursue an economic agenda that would boost living standards across the country. Having been sworn in, Putin now has the right to appoint his preferred candidate for prime minister. “A new quality of life, well-being, security and people’s health — that’s what’s primary today,” he said.

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