I had to have my hand operated but it’s on the mend now. Should have the sling & cast off in a week/ten days Wrote Omar Abdullah On Twitter
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Modi to fulfil Mookerjee’s dream of scrapping Article 370, 35A: Gehlot
Raipur: Union minister Thaawarchand Gehlot expressed confidence on Saturday that Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s “dream” of scrapping Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution would be fulfilled by the Narendra Modi government.
The Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment was speaking to reporters here after launching the BJP’s membership drive, which coincided with the 118th birth anniversary of Mookerjee, the founder of the Jan Sangh, the BJP’s predecessor.
Article 370 grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir and limits Parliament’s power to make laws concerning the state. Article 35A empowers the state assembly to define ‘permanent residents’ for bestowing special rights on them.
“Mookerjee fought against (operation of) Articles 370 and 35A in Kashmir and wanted to abolish these articles from the state. We have been making efforts to fulfil his dream since the time of Jan Sangh. But now it seems the time has come,” Gehlot, a senior BJP leader, said.
“Both the issues were part of our election manifesto. We will be successful in fulfilling his dream by abrogating these articles,” he added.
Asked if the party aimed to abolish the two articles within a specified period, Gehlot said, “We will be successful in abolishing these articles in the second term of Modi government. The party manifesto is for five years, but it will be done much earlier.”
A batch of petitions have been filed in Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35A. The first petition challenging 35A was filed in July 2014 by a rightwing non-government organisation, ‘We the Citizens’. It challenged the validity of the Article on the grounds that it had been inserted into the Indian Constitution through a Presidential Order in 1954, rather than by following the procedure prescribed in Article 368 of the Indian Constitution.
Subsequent to this petition, three separate petitions were filed to challenge Article 35A. One of these, filed by Dr Charu Wali Khanna, contended that it “denies property right to a woman and her children marrying a person from outside the state”. The West Pakistan Refugees Association challenged Article 35A on grounds of discrimination in acquisition of property, government service, and voting rights.
The Supreme Court has clubbed the three subsequent petitions with the main petition filed by ‘We the Citizens’.
—PTI -
California hit by 7.1-magnitude quake, strongest in two decades
Friday’s quake was 11 times stronger than the previous day’s ‘foreshock’, seen as part of an ‘earthquake sequence’.
Southern California has been rattled by its largest earthquake in two decades as a 7.1-magnitude tremor shook buildings and cut power supplies in parts of Los Angeles but did not cause major damage or deaths, officials said.
The shallow quake struck near the small city of Ridgecrest on Friday at 8:19pm (3:19 GMT on Saturday), US seismologists said, and following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that hit the same area the day before.
The latest earthquake was 11 times stronger than the previous day’s “foreshock”, according to the US Geological Survey, and is part of what seismologists are calling an “earthquake sequence”.
The tremor was felt more than 240km away, in Los Angeles, where the fire department deployed vehicles and helicopters to check on damage and residents in need of emergency aid.
The earthquake was the largest in southern California since 1999 when a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps base, according to The Los Angeles Times.
“We have word of wires down… and localised power outages in several City of Los Angeles neighborhoods… besides a handful of apparently small issues, NO major damage to infrastructure has been identified,” the Los Angeles Fire Department tweeted.
The department later released a statement saying that its ground and air survey had found “no major infrastructure damage”.
“There has been no loss of life or serious injury that we can directly attribute to the widely felt 8:19 PM earthquake,” LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey said in the statement.
The San Bernardino Fire Department tweeted that officers in the city east of Los Angeles were dealing with 911 calls, including one reported minor injury.
“Homes shifted, foundation cracks, retaining walls down,” it wrote.
LA Police Chief Michael Moore posted on his official Twitter account that rail and bus services were not damaged, and that services were still working.
The ‘Big One‘
The tremor sent Ridgecrest residents fleeing outside for safety and reporting continued aftershocks, with one woman saying she was “not comfortable” about heading back inside for the night.The shaking stops “for a minute, and then it starts rolling again … it’s pretty bizarre. But now at the moment, I’m not comfortable inside,” said Jessica Kormelink.
The earthquake revived fears of the “Big One” – a powerful tremor along the San Andreas Fault that could devastate major cities in southern California.
On Thursday, Caltech seismologist Lucy Jones had warned a press conference that there was “about a one-in-20 chance that this location will be having an even bigger earthquake within the next few days, that we have not yet seen the biggest earthquake of the sequence.”
On Friday, Jones tweeted: “You know we say we 1 in 20 chance that an earthquake will be followed by something bigger? This is that 1 in 20 time.”
SOURCE: AFP NEWS AGENCY
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Tunisia bans Niqab in government offices
Tunisia’s prime minister has banned the full-face veil in all government buildings due to security concerns. It comes after a deadly double suicide bombing in Tunis in late June.
Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has barred women from wearing the full-face veil — or niqab — after the latest suicide attack in the capital, Tunis, at the end of June left two dead and seven wounded.
Chahed signed a government circular “banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered,” his office said. The decision was made for “security reasons.”
On Tuesday, the mastermind of those bombings blew himself up in a Tunis suburb to evade capture, the Interior Ministry said. But it denies that he was wearing a niqab to disguise himself, which witnesses had claimed.
As far back as February 2014, police had been instructed to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab — which covers the whole head apart from the eyes — as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as a disguise or to escape justice.
Niqabs and other forms of Islamic dress had been banned in Tunisia under secular presidents Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Habib Bourguiba until a 2011 coup overthrew Ben Ali. (Agencies)
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Eid Al Adha likely to fall on August 11
Eid Al Adha is likely to fall on Sunday, August 11, according to the International Astronomical Centre (IAC) in Abu Dhabi.
Eng Mohammed Shawkat, Director of the Centre, said there will be no dispute over the sighting of the Helal or new moon of the lunar month of Zul Hijjah.
“Most Arab and Islamic centres will be able to easily and clearly see the new moon of Zul Hijjah by naked eyes and telescopes,” he said.
As is the case every year, Saudi Arabia will announce the sighting of the new moon of Zul Hijjah and “most countries will approve this sighting which is linked to the season of Haj or pilgrimage.”
He added that most Arab and Muslim countries will sight the Helal of Zul Hijjah on Thursday, August 1, 2019.
“All these countries will be able to sight the new moon after the sunset by telescopes and even naked eyes at some regions.”
It’s worth mentioning that the new moon of Zul Hijjah last year was sighted on Sunday, 12 August, 2018, while the Eid Al Adha fell on Tuesday, August 21 last year.
Echoing the same, Ibrahim Al Jarwan, member of the Arab Union for Space and Astronomy Sciences (Auas), said the new moon of the lunar month of Zul Hijjah, the season of Haj or Pilgrimage, is expected to be on Thursday, August 1, around 7:11am.
“It will disappear 28 minutes after the sunset.”
“Therefore, the first day of the month of Zul Hijjah is predicted to fall on Friday, August 2, and Eid Al Adha will be on Sunday, August 11,” Al Jarwan said. -
Pakistan Beat Bangladesh By 94 Runs
Pakistan Beat Bangladesh By 94 Runs In Their Last Match
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Pakistan officially knocked out of CWC 2019
Pakistan team is out of the ongoing cricket world cup after Bangladesh crossed the calculated net run rate margin, which Pakistan needed to reserve a seat in semis, today in Lord’s Cricket Stadium.
Earlier, Pakistan chose to bat after winning the toss and scored 315 at the loss of nine wickets.
Chasing was not an option for Pakistan as then the net run rate differential margin with New Zealand was impossible to achieve batting second. Pakistan are currently on 9 points from 8 matches with 4 wins, 3 losses and one washout. Their current net run rate sits at -0.792 while New Zealand are at 0.175.
They made a remarkable comeback in the ongoing tournament but could not make it to the semis.
Earlier, Pakistan lost three of their first five matches with West Indies, India and Australia.
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Land of sufi saints—Kashmir is now a ‘drug abusers paradise’
2018 shows registration of 46,000 OPD patients at SMHS, over 12000 treated at ODP in 2019 so far; 88 per cent were male, 12 per cent females, say doctors, cannabis, anti- depressants, Heroine most favourite substances
Srinagar, July 05: Kashmir, the land of sufi saints and a place known for its conservativeness is fasting turning into drug abusers paradise given the alarming figures disclosed by team of doctors at the Srinagar Maharaja Hari Singh hospital to Kashmir News Observer (KNO) on Friday. In year 2018, more than 40,000 patients were admitted for consuming various substances that include anti-depressants, cannabis and heroine and shockingly while as 88 per cent of total drug abusers were found males 12 per cent were females.
The official figures accessed by the KNO shows the data of people who had fallen prey to the drug abuse since 2014. The figures paint a dismal picture as the numbers of drug abusers have shown a sudden surge in the past eight years with majority youth showing their addiction towards the use of cannabis (charas), alcohol and also some were seen addicted to the use of heroine. “Twelve percent of the females were also found involved in drug addiction. Some of them were also addicted to use of alcohol while majority were seen taking anti-depressants especially Benzodiazepine.”
“Though the use of Heroin was not much among the patients admitted here but majority were consuming anti-depressants and cannabis and some were also seen addicted to alcohol,” a doctor at SMHS hospital told KNO, wishing not to be named. Official figures reveal that in the OPD at SMHS hospital total of 22791 were treated while as the figure rose up to 25823 in 2015. “In year 2016, the figure went up dramatically as 33747 patients were treated at the OPD. In 2017, the figure showed further upward trend as 33747 patients were treated at the OPD,” the figures reveal.
In 2018, the data shows 46629 patients were registered at the OPD of the SMHS and in 2019 so far, 12615 patients were registered at the OPD of the hospital.The doctor said that the use cannabis was found at 35 per cent among the patients treated at OPD while as ten per cent was Alcohol usage, and 30 per cent multiple substances. “The figure includes 37 per cent Urban population and 62 per cent Rural Population. Srinagar tops the list of abusers followed by Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam, Baramulla andBandipora. Kulgam has shown only two per cent population involved in the drug abuse,” another doctor revealed, stating the situation was alarming in Kashmir.
A patient, who was addicted to the use of heroine, told KNO that heroine was easily available and he was getting it from his friends in Srinagar. “Whenever I consumed it, I lost my senses and preferred myself to keep locked inside a room in my house. Ever since I was treated here, I have stopped consuming heroine and won’t touch it again. But there is a huge market of drug peddlers in Srinagar and that can be gauged from the fact that heroine is just a phone call away,” he said, wishing anonymity.(KNO)
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Hurriyat appealed people to pray for speedy recovery of Syed Ali Shah Geelani
Srinagar: July 05, 2019: Seriously concerned about the worsening health of its chairman Syed Ali Geelani, All Parties Hurriyat Conference said that although physical weakness is because of his advanced age, but continued confinement in his house has grossly effected his well being.
Keeping a political personality away from his routine engagements and forcibly preventing him from participating in any social, religious or family function puts a lot of stress. It is surprising that mighty Indian establishment is scared of an old, frail man and feels comfortable by putting curbs on his activities.
Hurriyat said that pulling all along through his turbulant political carrier, Syed Ali Geelani has always been an eyesore for the opponents, both oppressor and their paid pawns.
To force this powerful voice to subjugation, first his close associates and amalgam workers have been booked in fabricated cases and put behind bars. When they failed to get him in line, they started targeting his children and grand children through so-called investigating agencies.
Hurriyat said that it is only by the grace of Almighty Allah and prayers of his well-wishers—that he faces the oppressive onslaught so bravely and is determined to stand his ground.
Hurriyat said that despite his bad health he chaired an important meeting of the forum, but because of his chest infection and physical weakness, he is under strict advice of doctors and is recovering.
Hurriyat appealed people to pray for speedy recovery of Geelani.
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New Delhi following Israeli policy: Shehla Rasheed
SRINAGAR, JULY 05 : People from different walks of life joined today the sit-in protest organized by People United Front (PUF) at Press colony Srinagar against highway ban and abandoning rail services between Banihal and Kashmir.
The protesters were holding play cards and banners and chanting slogans “Yatri agar Insaan Hein, Kya Kashmiri Haiwaan Hein”, Yatri Agar Mehmaan Hein, Kashmiri Bhi Insaan Hein”.
On the occasion while talking to media Er. Rasheed denounced the ban and called it gross violation of fundamental rights of people of Kashmir. He said “Who doesn’t know that more than security agencies Kashmiris make Yatra a success but by creating issues just to defame Kashmiris and make their life miserable New Delhi is exposing its colonial mindset and hatred towards Kashmiris.
It is unfortunate that Yatra is being communalized for political gains and New Delhi is giving notion that Kashmiris are anti-Hindu. Not only common men but students, patients, government employees and business community is suffering and entire Kashmir feels caged and jailed”.
Er. Rasheed challenged government to withdraw the security cover on highway and see how Kashmiris Muslims will facilitate and protect the Yatris and make Yatra success. Er. Rasheed criticized NC leadership and said that people have a right to know what NC is doing over the issue.
He said “NC is crying about just votes and elections. If party claims to be representing regional aspirations, it must join hands with other forces to fight the state suppression. However despite having three MPs in Lok Sabha the party seems to have compromised everything.” On the occasion JKPM General Secretary Shehla Rasheed came down heavily on government and said “New Delhi is following path of destruction and using Israeli sort of policies to suppress Kashmiris and communalize religious pilgrimage.
While common Kashmiri is suffering the Union government is forcing state administration to take harsh measures just to make Kashmiris feel helpless. Life of people in south Kashmir has become miserable and government is enjoying from the sufferings of Kashmiris”.