India Drops Anti-piracy Charges against Italian Marines
India has dropped a plan to prosecute two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen under a tough anti-piracy law, a government lawyer said on Monday, offering a chance to end a diplomatic row between the two countries. Italy had strongly opposed India invoking the law, arguing that it would amount to treating the men as "terrorists" and last week it recalled its ambassador to New Delhi in protest against the delay in the two-year-old case. The sailors, part of a military security team protecting a privately-owned cargo ship, say they mistook the fishermen for pirates and fired warning shots into the water during the incident in February 2012, off the coast of Kerala state.
Court Verdict Threatens World's Largest Shipbreaking Yard
“Alang may have to stop operations if the direction of Apex Court on banning import of all hazardous and toxic wastes under the BASEL Convention is implemented,” president of Ship Recyclers Association, Vishnu Gupta said. However, it is to be noted that hearing the same case earlier, the Apex Court had issued two directions in 1997 and 2003, add the DNA report. “According to SC guidance, a committee was set up and there are 18 guidelines which ship breakers follow at the time of import, beaching and breaking so as to avoid any hazardous or toxic wastes,” Gupta added.“As the Supreme Court’s recent order has created confusion, only Union government can clarify the matter.
