New Delhi: The world is witnessing the first Full Moon of 2020 this weekend – with the best views expected on Sunday.
As per NASA, the full moon will appear for nearly three days, from Friday to Monday, with Supermoon sight expected on Sunday.
While most people are aware of the full moon phenomenon, the term Supermoon could be new to many people.
So, let’s understand what is a Supermoon and how it is different from a full moon.
A full moon occurs when the moon lines up on the opposite side of earth from the sun. On a full moon night, the moon is visible in its complete form, or fully illuminated from the earth.
The Supermoon phenomenon is almost similar to the full moon phenomenon, with a slight difference.
The moon never orbits earth in a perfect circle. Instead, it travels in an ellipse which brings it closer to and farther to earth.
In scientific terms, the farthest point in during the ellipse is known as apogee, while the closest point is known as perigee.
A Supermoon only occurs when the moon occurs at or near the perigee.
The moon looks slightly larger and brighter than a typical full moon on this day – that’s what the term “supermoon” refers to.
When will be the Supermoon visible in India?
According to NASA, the Supermoon will appear on February 9 at 2:33am EST. The data provided by Norwegian site TimeandDate.com indicates that the full moon phase will occur at 1:03pm IST on Sunday. This means that the first supermoon of 2020 will only appear partially for stargazers in India sometime in the evening.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Nagpur: A 36-year-old tuition teacher and her friend were arrested for allegedly stealing gold ornaments from her student’s house in Maharashtra’s Nagpur, the police said on Saturday.
The police have recovered the stolen jewellery and a mobile phone collectively worth Rs 1.50 lakh from their possession, he said.
“The teacher stole the ornaments from the bedroom of her student by diverting the attention of her mother, while her friend kept watch,” a police officer said.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
“The whole horizon was lit up and there was no sound.”
A man’s doorbell camera captured an exploding meteor in Derby, UK. According to Metro News, Gary Rogers received a text from his smart doorbell alerting him to suspicious activity outside his home. The 52-year-old was shocked when he realised that the suspicious activity was actually a celestial light show in the night sky.
The doorbell camera footage shows the meteor streaking across the sky before exploding into a fireball.
“I was in bed and was about to go to sleep when my phone pinged. I couldn’t believe it,” said Mr Rogers to Metro News.
Watch Video:
“I’ve seen shooting stars before but never a meteor. I thought it’s definitely not a firework, it was too bright for that. The whole horizon was lit up and there was no sound,” the Derby resident added.
According to BBC, experts at the National Space Centre in Leicester said the natural phenomenon captured was probably a bolide – a large meteor and often extremely bright meteor which explodes in the atmosphere.
Rob Dawes, chairman of nearby Sherwood Observatory, said: “Mr Rogers was very lucky to get such a nice bright one. But you’d be surprised how many of these do come into the atmosphere at any time of year.”
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi [India]: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday claimed that it received information that officials were trying to take away electronic voting machines (EVMs) in an “unauthorised manner”. “Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Prashant Kishor and I had a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Information has been received that officials are trying to take away EVMs at several places in an unauthorised manner. The EVMs which should have been sealed and have gone straight to strongrooms. How are these machines with the officials?,” AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said while speaking to ANI.
Showing a video on his cell phone of poll officers alighting from a DTC bus with EVMs in their hands, Mr Singh said: “This is from Babarpur, Shanti Vidya Niketan. Here people have caught an official with EVMs. Similar information has come from Vishwas Nagar in Shahdara (east Delhi).”
The AAP leader said it is a “big incident” which has come to the fore and they would apprise the Election Commission about it.
“Arrangements should be made so that our workers and MLAs could be outside strongroom so as to see that it is not tampered with,” he said.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
An eerie silence envelops Kashmir’s Dal Lake, the stillness interrupted by nothing more than the sound of water breaking against its rocky banks.
For centuries the lake has been a major attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists, but today not a single visitor is enjoying this area of breathtaking beauty.
“Neither Dal Lake nor the Gulmarg resort is witnessing any tourism now; there is no business at all,” says Manzoor Pakhtoon, gazing out from the balcony of the houseboat he rents out to visitors.
The collapse of Kashmir’s vital tourism industry began last August when the Indian government ordered all non-Kashmiris to leave the state, claiming it had received intelligence of a potential terror threat.
Hundreds of thousands of foreign and domestic tourists, Hindu pilgrims and workers from elsewhere in India scrambled to leave.
Manzoor Pakhtoon, owner of Bulbul Group of houseboats CREDIT: Joe Wallen
“Police created such a scare among my guests and forced them to leave. Since then, no tourist has arrived here,” said Mr Pakhtoon.
Both India and Pakistan claim ownership of Kashmir, with the region currently divided along a heavily militarised “line of control” where artillery fire is traded almost daily.
But fearing a violent backlash, the government announced it would cut the state’s internet until law and order could be guaranteed. However, six months on internet access has still not been restored in Kashmir creating the longest communications blackout in the history of any democracy.
A lone shikara travels across Dal Lake against the backdrop of Zabarwan hills CREDIT: Joe Wallen
The internet ban, as well as the uncertain political situation, has had a catastrophic impact on the economy with the Kashmiri Chamber of Commerce (KCC) estimating that it cost the state £1.85 billion between August and December.
And one industry that has been particularly devastated by the online shutdown is tourism.
Described as paradise on earth, the state has been a popular holiday destination for centuries thanks to its snow-capped mountains, rolling green valleys and hospitable people.
In 2018, 850,000 tourists visited the state, generating £862 million, with 450,000 Kashmiris dependent on the industry for their livelihoods.
However, the six-month communication shutdown has meant Kashmiris have been unable to advertise their tourism businesses, communicate over email with tourists or travel agents, accept bookings online or transfer money.
The lack of internet has also made tourists fearful of becoming isolated from the outside world especially when their own safety might be at risk.
Shikara rowers sitting idle on a parapet along Dal Lake CREDIT: Joe Wallen
As a result, there was an 87 per cent drop in tourist arrivals between August and November 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. The effect was immediate with a mass cancellation of bookings and no shows – in September 2018 around 83,000 tourists visited the region, compared to just 4,500 in the same month in 2019.
The Kashmiri tourism industry has lost £270 million since August 5, with only 50 of its 2,500 travel agents still operating and approximately 100,000 people made unemployed.
Losses are expected to increase even further over the next six months as the tourist season peaks between March and July.
“We are near to economic collapse, mark my words, this season has been the worst of my entire life,” said Sheikh Ashiq, the president of the KCC. “Tourism is the backbone of the Kashmiri economy and we need the internet so the industry can function.”
Mr Pakhtoon’s family has welcomed tourists to their houseboat for eight generations but he has not made any money since August as he cannot use the internet to take bookings. “I am not even able to log into my emails,” he says.
Two women work on a Kashmiri shawl at their home in Dal Lake CREDIT: Joe Wallen
Since 2006, Sameer Ahmad Khan, 36, has supported his family of eight with his wage as the manager of a large hotel in Srinagar. He was laid off along with 30 other employees in August as the hotel had received no bookings.
“Youth working in hotels in Srinagar have been rendered jobless and businesses have been shut for months without any hope of normalcy,” said Mr Khan.
Mr Ashiq says it has become an all too familiar sight to see former tourism business owners selling family possessions by the roadside.
“If there are more jobless people around and there is no work there is sure to be trouble long-term,” he said. Encouraged by the KCC many young Kashmiris took out loans in the years preceding the blackout to set up their own tourist businesses.
Now, they have to try and pay back their loans, including interest, without having had any source of income for the previous six months.
A row of empty shikara anchored to the banks of Dal Lake CREDIT: Joe Wallen
Mr Khan borrowed £10,775 to set up a travel agency outside of his hotel job and is now being forced to sell the land his family has owned for generations to keep up with repayments.
In January, the Indian Supreme Court ordered the government to review the ongoing internet shutdown, ruling any indefinite suspension is illegal under the constitution. Nevertheless, it stopped short of ordering an immediate cessation.
Human rights activists argue the measure has been used to suppress the civilian Kashmiri population. “Because the internet is so essential to people’s lives, there is nothing in a community which is untouched,” argues David Kaye, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion.
But criticism from the international community has been muted with India viewed as a vital strategic and economic partner. The European Union announced last week it would defer a vote until March on whether to implement resolutions against India.
The Indian government restored 2G internet access to Kashmir last month but residents say this is a pointless gesture.
The lack of tourists means houseboats which would have normally been busy now sit empty on Dal Lake CREDIT: Joe Wallen
“Honestly, the 2G connection is so poor, people in Kashmir are still unable to even send an email,” said Mr Ashiq. “It has not helped at all and I am still being visited by hundreds of Kashmiris owning tourism businesses who cannot operate.
“If the Indian government wants to ensure development here then they have to allow for fully-fledged, high-speed internet to return.”
Mr Kaye told the Telegraph requests from the United Nations to conduct a field visit in Kashmir had gone unanswered by New Delhi. “The impression that they give of their democracy is that it is robust. If it is so robust, why not show it off to the world?” he said.
Back on Dal Lake, Mr Pakhtoon says it will take many years for his family’s finances to recover from the shutdown. He is now unable to pay for higher education for his two children.
“The shutdown has devastated our lives, my family’s survival is completely dependent on earnings from the tourism sector,” he said. “We have earned no money since August, right now it seems there will be no end to our misery.”
A local journalist in Kashmir provided additional reporting for this story but does not want to be named for security reasons
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by KASHMIR TODAY staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Srinagar, Feb 8: Seventy three people including 65 Kashmiri students with China travel history are being quarantined in Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi. However, no one has tested positive for Coronavirus so far. In Jammu, six people who have travel history from China and Thailand are being quarantined along with an elderly couple. Out of there two business men arrived from Thailand and four of a family had gone to China on tourist visa. The four family members have elderly couple in the family who are also being quarantined and their samples have also been sent for testing, Out of 8 samples taken from Jammu, 7 have tested negative and report of one is awaited. In Kashmir, 31 students arrived from China over the last two weeks and samples of 9 have been taken for testing. One test report of a female student is negative and results of the other samples is awaited. They are all being quarantined in their homes and a Health department team of officials visit them daily for medical check ups. And in the meantime, 34 Kashmiri students arrived from China early this week in New Delhi and they are being quarantined at a medical facility that has been set up by Ministry of Health Services Government of India in national capital. The Nodal Officer for J&K UT to deal with the Coronavirus, Dr Shafqat Khan, told Excelsior that Financial Commissioner Health Atul Dullo held video conferencing with Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudhan to discuss the measures being taken to deal with the coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir. Dullo said that UT is fully geared up to deal with coronavirus. He said that four more sample taking facilities have been set up at Kathua, Rajouri, Anantnag and Baramulla Medical Colleges. The Financial Commissioner Dulloo has asked all the Chief Medical Officers across the UT to maintain the SOPs strictly. They have been asked to transport such people from airport and home to test lifting facilities in designated ambulances. He said that Health Department of the UT is in continuous touch with National Center for Disease Control in New Delhi and National Institute of Virology Pune. It may be mentioned that Government has established 33 bedded isolation ward at Government Medical College Jammu for Coronavirus cases and 22 bedded such facility at GMC, Srinagar, SKIMS Soura and Maternity Hospital Sanatnagar in Kashmir valley. Government is not taking any chance on the issue of Coronavirus and all those arriving from China, Nepal and other countries are being monitored. The new strain of Coronavirus, which originated in Hubei province in central China late last year, has so far killed more than 630 people amid more than 31,000 total reported cases Globally with maximum cases reported from China.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A tigress and three cubs were killed by five locals in Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary last month. (File)
Panaji: Even as the issue of tiger killings was discussed in the Assembly on Wednesday, NCP MLA Churchill Alemao said tigers should be “punished” for eating cows when humans are punished for the same.
A tigress and three of her cubs were killed by five locals in Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary last month.
The issue was raised by Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat through a calling attention motion on the floor of the House during the Assembly session on Wednesday.
“What is the punishment for a tiger when he eats a cow? When a human being eats cow, he is punished,” he said. As far as wildlife is concerned, tigers are important but as far as human beings are concerned, cows are important,” Alemao said.
The human angle in the entire episode should not be ignored, the MLA added.
Responding to the calling attention motion, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said locals had killed the tigers as the wild cats had attacked their livestock.
A compensation would be paid within three or four days to farmers who have lost their cattle to animal attacks, he added.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Srinagar: Senior Peoples Democratic Party leader Naeem Akhtar has been booked under stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), Hindustan Times reported.
Former minister and legislator Akhtar is now 6th regional leader to be booked under the PSA, which allows detention from 3 months to 2 years without a trial.
Akhtar will be lodged in M-5 hut located on Srinagar’s Gupkar Road.
Kashmir crown jewel of India, my Govt has faith in Kashmiris
Describing Jammu and Kashmir as the crown jewel of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said the identity of Kashmir was buried when the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits began in 1990. He said no one can side with the statements of three detained chief ministers of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir who had said that abrogation of provisions of Article 370 will separate Kashmir from India. “Who made Kashmir only about land grabbing? Who made Kashmir’s identity only about bombs and guns? Can anyone forget that dark night of January? In reality, Kashmiri identity is closely linked with harmony,” he said replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Lok Sabha. Modi said Kashmir’s identity was buried on January 19, 1990 when Kashmiri Pandits started leaving the valley due to militancy. The prime minister said statements made by former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah on the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 are not acceptable. “Many said that Kashmir will be on fire if Article 370 is removed. Many are questioning us for detaining some political leaders. On August 5, Mehbooba Mufti said that India had betrayed Kashmir and we would have been better with deciding otherwise in 1947. Can we accept such people? “Omar Abdullah said that removing Article 370 will separate Kashmir from India. Farooq Abdullah said that if Article 370 is removed then no one will unfurl the national flag in Kashmir. How can we side with them,” he asked. Modi said such statements made by the former chief ministers were unacceptable. “These are leaders who don’t trust Kashmiri people that is why they used such language. But we trusted Kashmiris and abrogated Article 370,” he said. The prime minister said Kashmir is the crown jewel of India and his government has faith in the people of the valley where development measures are being taken. “The abrogation of Article 370 has led to the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country,” he said. He said the real identity of Jammu and Kashmir is its egalitarian attitude towards all faiths and its Sufi tradition, and added that the region cannot be left behind. The prime minister said the restrictions imposed in the Union Territory are being removed and union ministers are going to various of parts of the region, getting direct feedback from the people. “The government would definitely act upon the feedback”. Modi said his government is committed to work for the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and for its all round development. He said Ladakh would be developed as a carbon neutral Union Territory.
