Kashmir.Watch

Author: hamid

  • CoronaVirus | 20 persons including an Imam arrested in Srinagar

    SRINAGAR: Police on Friday arrested 20 people including an Imam for assembling and offering Friday Congregational Prayers at a mosque in Batwara area of Sonwar, Srinagar.

    Police sources told Asiannewshub that some people assembled and tried to offer Friday Congregational prayers at a mosque in Batwara area of Srinagar, thus voilating the advisory issued to contain the spread of deadly novel #coronavirus in Kashmir valley.

    Taking strong note of the incident, police booked 20 persons including an Imam and registered a formal FIR vide number 51/2020 under section 188,269 & 271 IPC against the violators. (ANH)

  • Covid-19 | Anjuman Shari Shian decides to suspend all religious activities in the holy month of Ramadhan

    ‘No international preacher to be invited this time’

    Budgam: In wake of looming threat from Covid-19, Anjuman Shari Shian has decided to cease all religious activities in the month of holy Ramadhan.

    President, Anjuman Shari Shian, Aga Syed Hasan Almosvi Alsafvi, who is facing house detention since August last year told KNT that the organization held a special meeting in wake of present crisis emerged due to Covid-19 outbreak. “During the meeting it was decided not to invite any international delegates of Qaris or NaatKhawns as has been the practice. The congregational Quran Khawani and recitation training will also not take place in the coming holy month due to the prevailing condition.

    No Chilla, the 40-day self-confinement in Masjids will be allowed until further orders,” he said. Aga Syed Hasan advised believers to pray individually at their homes and explore spirituality with Allah (SWT). “Performing social responsibility is of utmost importance so voluntarily donate alms and charity, share your surplus and make supplication for well-being of every person of the world,” he said adding that Anjuman’s Quick Reaction Team (QRT) is already in place to extend any possible help and establish links of social-caring. (KNT)

  • Govt issues SOP for resuming construction during lockdown period

    Srinagar: Government of Jammu and Kashmir has issued instructions to the concerned departments for regulating and facilitating the construction activities to be carried out during the lockdown period while following the norms of social distancing.

    According to an order issued by Chief Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir, copy of which lies with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), it has been impressed upon the departments to carry out certain construction activities under set guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOP). 

    As per the order, the concerned executive engineers shall have to identify the works to be resumed during the lockdown period and a list of such projects/works shall be shared with the concerned district magistrates.

    They have also been directed to prepare the list of the required machinery and equipment to be deployed at the identified construction sites/works and same shall be submitted to the concerned district magistrates for permission. “In construction projects falling within municipal limits, the/construction workers shall have to stay at the construction site.

    The concerned contractor in coordination with the executive engineer shall me sufficient arrangement for their stay, besides providing masks and sanitation items and keep social distancing norms place,” reads the order. The order also read that in construction projects in rural areas, the labour has to stay in the areas adjoining the construction site—(KNO)

  • Coronavirus | Madhya Pradesh reports 20 deaths in a day

    Worldwide, over two million cases cases have been reported and the overall death toll is nearly 1,40,000.

    PTI

    Madhya Pradesh reported 20 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing its death toll to 75. Of this, eight deaths took place in Indore, its most populous city.

    Indore also registered 256 new cases in a day, the most for the city till date.

    On Wednesday the count in the city stood at 586. With reports from New Delhi detecting 218 new cases and from the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, 26, the numbers grew by 43% to 842.

    As the death toll in the country exceeded 450, all residents of Indore in Madhya Pradesh are being screened for Influenza-Like Illness and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARIs) to check the spread of the novel coronavirus. This comes as the fatality rate in the city shot up to 12%, the highest in the country.

    Worldwide, over two million cases cases have been reported and the overall death toll is nearly 1,40,000.

  • Elderly Covid-19 patient dies at SKIMS Bemina, toll 5 in J&K

    Srinagar: A Covid-19 patient died at JVC SKIMS Bemina here in Srinagar on Friday. With the death of the patient, the toll in Jammu and Kashmir has touched to 5. Four persons have died of Covid-19 infection in Kashmir, while one died in Udhampur.

    Medical Superintendent JVC SKIMS, Bemina, Dr Shafia Deva told KNT that a Covid-19 patient who was admitted in the hospital after he was declared positive died this afternoon. “An elderly man from North Kashmir was admitted in our hospital on April 2 and today he died,” she said. (KNT)

  • Covid-19 | Record 4,591 Americans die in last 24 hours

    PTI

    A record number of 4,591 Americans have died in the last 24 hours due to the deadly coronavirus in the U.S., which has the highest number of COVID-19 casualties in the world.

    According to the Johns Hopkins University data, by 8 p.m. on Thursday, as many as 4,591 Americans have died in the last 24 hours, The Wall Street Journal said.

  • COVID-19 pandemic could cost millions of jobs in global tourism industry: UN body

    COVID-19 has impacted travel and tourism like no other event before in history, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said

    PTI

    Millions of jobs in the global tourism industry could be lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted travel like no other event in history and caused 96 per cent of all worldwide destinations to introduce restrictions in response to the outbreak, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has said.

    Over recent years, as the United Nations specialised agency for tourism, UNWTO has been regularly monitoring travel facilitation and observing a continuous trend towards more openness.

    However, COVID-19 has dramatically interrupted this, the UNWTO said in a new report.

    Almost all global destinations have imposed restrictions on travel since January 2020, including complete bans on all travel as they work to contain the pandemic, it noted.

    “According to research carried out for the new report, as of April 6, 96% of all worldwide destinations have introduced travel restrictions in response to the pandemic. Around 90 destinations have completely or partially closed their borders to tourists, while a further 44 are closed to certain tourists depending on country of origin,” it said.

    “COVID-19 has impacted travel and tourism like no other event before in history. Governments have put public health first and introduced full or partial restrictions on travel.

    “With tourism suspended, the benefits the sector brings are under threat: millions of jobs could be lost, and progress made in the fields of equality and sustainable economic growth could be rolled back,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said.

    The UNWTO called on all governments to continuously review travel restrictions and ease or lift them as soon as it is safe to do so.

    The UNWTO world review shows that the global regions are largely consistent in their response to COVID-19.

    In Africa, Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East, 100% of destinations have adopted COVID-19-related restrictions since January 2020. In the Americas, 92% of destinations have taken similar steps, while in Europe, the proportion is 93%.

    The analysis identified four key types of restrictive measures, namely complete or partial closure of borders to tourists, destination-specific travel restrictions, total or partial suspension of flights and different measures, including requirements for quarantine or self-isolation, medical certificates, invalidation or suspension of visa issuances.

    It said in many instances, destinations have already adjusted their restrictive measures as the situation has evolved. UNWTO will continue to regularly track and analyse the evolution of travel restrictions, in an effort to effectively support the responsible but also timely recovery of the tourism sector.

  • Coronavirus | Backing Trump, U.S. Republicans call for WHO chief to resign

    The U.S. President said the WHO had promoted China’s “disinformation” about the coronavirus and been too lenient with Beijing.

    Reuters

    Republican U.S. lawmakers echoed President Donald Trump’s criticism of the World Health Organisation on Thursday, with some suggesting he withhold aid until the U.N. agency’s director general resigns while others called for an international investigation of its handling of the coronavirus.

    Seventeen of Mr. Trump’s fellow Republicans on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee wrote a letter to Mr. Trump supporting his announcement this week that he was withholding funding for the WHO, and saying he should make the resumption of contributions conditional on the resignation of Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

    Mr. Trump drew immediate condemnation on Tuesday from many world leaders and health experts, as well as U.S. Democrats, after saying he would halt U.S. funding of the Geneva-based WHO over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

    They said the WHO may need reorganisation but that Mr. Trump should have waited until after the current crisis, which has killed more than 1,38,000 people globally and devastated economies.

    The U.S. President, who has reacted angrily to criticism of his own handling of the virus outbreak, said the WHO had promoted China’s “disinformation” about the coronavirus and been too lenient with Beijing.

    ‘Lost faith in WHO chief’

    In their letter, the House Republicans said they had lost faith in Mr. Tedros and blamed the WHO and Chinese Communist Party for the extent of the current global health crisis, although they praised the “vital role” the WHO plays around the world.

    “However, it is imperative that we act swiftly to ensure the impartiality, transparency, and legitimacy of this valuable institution,” said the letter, led by Representative Mike McCaul, the committee’s ranking Republican.

    Also on Thursday, a group of eight Senate Republicans wrote to Mr. Trump asking him to work with countries such as Japan, South Korea and European nations to investigate the origins of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and WHO decision-making.

    Their letter, led by Senator Marco Rubio, did not include any specific recommendation, such as Mr. Tedros’ dismissal.

  • Two militants shot dead in Kashmir’s Shopian

    They were spotted and engaged in a firefight at Dairoo, Keegam, operation is going on

    PTI

    Two militants were killed after they were surrounded and engaged in a gunfight by the security forces during an anti-militancy operation in south Kashmir’s Shopian on Friday.

    An official said at least two militants were spotted and engaged in a firefight at Dairoo, Keegam of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday.

    “The operation is on. The bodies are being retrieved from the encounter spot,” said the official.

    It is a joint operation of the Jammu and Kashmir police, the Army’s 44RR and the CRPF.

    The trapped militants belonged to the Hizbul Mijahideen outfit.

  • Coronavirus: 80 containment zones declared in Kashmir

    The total number of positive cases in the union territory has risen to 314.

    PTI

    Restrictions on the movement of people in Kashmir to contain the spread of coronavirus completed one month on Friday, even as the number of red zone areas in the valley has risen to 80, officials said.

    They said the security forces have sealed off main roads in most places in the valley and erected barriers at several other places to check the unwanted movement of the people and to enforce the lock down.

    Only persons with valid passes were allowed to move, they added.

    The declared containment or red zones across the valley have been sealed to ensure strict adherence to the standard operating procedure.

    The officials said there were 80 red zones in the Kashmir valley and all such areas would remain as red zones up to 42 days, unless no new positive case of COVID-19 is detected.

    If any new case is detected in those areas, then from that date, the area will again remain a red zone for another 42 days, they added.

    They said those areas have been sealed off and strict restrictions would were being implemented there.

    The officials said rapid anti-body testing would be initiated in red zones very soon and Jammu and Kashmir will be among the few states in the country to do that.

    Meanwhile, the markets across the valley were shut and public transport was off the roads with only pharmacies and groceries allowed to open, the officials said.

    Educational institutions across Kashmir are closed, while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants were shut down more than a week before the nationwide lock down announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    While the Prime Minister announced the country-wide lock down on the evening of March 24, the union territory administration here had on March 22 announced a lock down across Jammu and Kashmir till March 31 as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

    The administration said the essential services including healthcare personnel have been exempted from the restrictions.

    Restrictions were first imposed in many parts of the valley on March 19 to contain the spread of the virus infection. The measures were taken after the detection of the first positive case of coronavirus in the valley.

    The total number of positive cases in the union territory has risen to 314. Four patients have died in Jammu and Kashmir and 36 have recovered.

    More than 58,000 people have been kept under surveillance including those who are either in government established quarantine facilities or in home isolation.

    Till date 58,076 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance which include 7463 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 265 in hospital quarantine, 272 in hospital isolation and 29366 under home surveillance. Besides, 20706 persons have completed their surveillance period, the officials said.