# Yasin Malik

• A special NIA court in Delhi on Wednesday handed concurrent life terms to Kashmiri separatists and JKLF chief Yasin malik for funding terror in J&K and waging war against the state.
• Court rejected his contention that he had adhered to the Gandhian principal of non violence and spearheaded a “peaceful struggle” since giving up armed militancy in 1994.
• Court also mentioned that the crime for which Malik had been convicted did not fall in the realm of “rarest of the rare” as outlined by Supreme Court and hence this was not a fit case for the capital punishment.

# Army

• Captain Abhilasha Barak(26) from Rohtak in Haryana on Wednesday became the first woman combat aviator of the Indian Army.
• An engineering graduate from Delhi technological University, Barak was among 37 army officers who successfully completed the rigrous flying training at the Nashik based combat army aviation training school.
• In January last year, the Indian Army had announced to induct women as combat aviators.

# Hindustan Zinc limited

• In a fresh push to disinvestment, the Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the sale of the government’s residual stake of 29.5% in Hindustan zinc.
• This disinvestment may help may help raise much needed revenues of nearly ₹38000 crore.
• The Cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) approved the sale, which may be through the offer for sale route and will be managed by the department of disinvestment and public management (DIPAM).

# Sugar export ban

• The government on Wednesday said it has taken “timely and precautionary” measures to regulate sugar exports till October in an attempt to ensure adequate availability of sweetener during the festival season in October-November.
• Industry was aware that upto 100 lakh tonnes of sugar can be exported till the order kicks in from june.