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  • Coronavirus | Commercial passenger flights to remain suspended till May 17 midnight: DGCA

    PTI

    A day after the Modi government announced extension of the coronavirus-induced lockdown till May 17, the DGCA on Saturday said all commercial passenger flights will remain suspended till midnight of May 17.

    “It is reiterated that foreign and domestic airlines shall be suitably informed about the opening of their operations whether international to/from India or domestic, respectively, in due course,” a circular of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated.

    India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of coronavirus. All commercial passenger flights have been suspended for this period.

    However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights and special flights permitted by the DGCA are allowed to operate.

    Coronavirus has infected over 37,000 people and killed more than 1,200 people in India till now.

    The first phase of lockdown in India was from March 25 to April 14. The second phase started on April 15 and would end on May 3. The third phase would be from May 4 to 17.

  • Families borrow money to bring their loved ones back to home from Agra Jail arrested under PSA

    Srinagar: Relatives of three Kashmir youth who were recently released from Agra Jail borrowed money to get them back to home. A couple of days back, government revoked the detention under Public Safety Act of two Kashmiri youth while court on 16 March also quashed the detention of an auto driver under PSA. All these three Kashmiri youth were released from Agra Jail of Uttar Pradesh; however, they couldn’t make it to home in time owing to their poor background.

    Mudasir Ahmed Wani son of Ghulam Ahmed, a resident of Pazalpora Bandipora is an auto driver by profession. Mudasir was arrested after the abrogation of special status in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 and subsequently, he was booked under PSA and shifted to Agra Jail.

    His Counsel Advocate Bashir Ahmed Tak pleaded his case and got his PSA quashed in the High Court. His wife told KNT that they visited their relatives who pooled money to get Mudasir back to his home from Agra. “We collected Rs 20,000, paid fare to the cab driver and managed to get Mudasir back to home. Now we have to pay this money back to relatives,” she said.

    Mudasir reached his home yesterday.

    Another youth Javaid Ahmed Parray son of Ghulam Muhammad, a resident of Parray Mohalla, Rafiabad also reached home from Agra Jail. His family narrated the same ordeal saying that they borrowed Rs 27,000 from their relatives and neighbours to bring Javaid back to home from Agra Jail.

    “Javaid like others was also arrested in August last year when Government of India read down special status. His detention under PSA was revoked by the government and he was released a fort night ago. We were informed by the jail authorities, but were able to get him back, as we had no money,” said the brother of Javaid Ahmed.

    He said Javaid reached home in a Sumo two days back.

    Another family from Beehama Ganderbal in Central Kashmir also arranged Rs 20,000 to get their son Bashir Ahmed Rather son of Ghulam Rasool back to home.

    “The detention of Bashir Ahmed under PSA was revoked by the government by we had no money to visit Agra Jail and bring him back to Ganderbal. We borrowed money and brought Bashir back to home in a Taveera,” the family members said.

    They said it is easy to get Kashmiri prisoners shifted to outside jails but once they are released, families find it hard to get them back. (KNT)

  • 27 fresh cases take J&K’s Covid-19 tally to 666

    Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday reported 27 fresh cases of novel coronavirus in last 24 hours, taking the number of Covid-19 patients in Jammu and Kashmir to 666.

    Official sources told GNS that 15 persons include eight members of a family of a deceased elderly woman from Rainawari area tested positive in Srinagar. The other seven in Srinagar include 5 from Batpora (Abikarpora) area of Rainawari and one each from Narwara Eidgah and a nursing orderly from LD hospital who had been already under quarantine.

    With these cases, Srinagar’s Covid-19 tally jumped to 106, second-highest in J&K after Bandipora which has 128 cases. It is pertinent to mention that 69 persons in Srinagar and 35 persons in Bandipora have recovered while three persons have died in these two districts.

    Reports said Anantnag reported four cases, Shopian and Baramulla districts reported three cases each.

    Samba in the Jammu division reported two fresh cases, taking the number of Covid-19 patients in the district to six even as four of them have recovered already. (GNS)

  • Soldier killed, another injured as grenade goes off accidentally in Kupwara

    Srinagar: An army soldier was killed and another suffered injuries in an accidental grenade blast at Tanghdar area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

    Station House Officer (SHO) Tanghdar Waseem Ahmad Budoo told GNS that the grenade blast occurred inside the army’s 2 JAT post along the Line of Control (LoC) during an anti-militancy drill. The police officer said amid the drill senior officers were carrying out the inspection of arms and ammunition when the grenade explosion took place accidentally.

    In the blast, two soldiers sustained splinter injuries and were immediately evacuated to army’s nearby health facility where one among them namely Naik Joginder Singh succumbed. The other injured have been identified as Naik Jitender Singh and is being treated upon, he said.

    The SHO said that a police team also reached the spot and have taken the cognizance of the incident. (GNS)

  • North Korea’s Kim Jong Un makes first appearance in nearly three weeks, says state media

    Reuters

    After weeks of intense speculation about the health of Kim Jong Un, state news agency KCNA said on Saturday the North Korean leader attended the completion of a fertiliser plant north of Pyongyang, the first report of his appearance since April 11.

    Reuters could not independently verify the KCNA report.

    KCNA said Mr. Kim cut a ribbon at the ceremony on Friday and those attending the event “burst into thunderous cheers of ‘hurrah!’ for the Supreme Leader who is commanding the all-people general march for accomplishing the great cause of prosperity.”

    Mr. Kim was seen in photographs smiling and talking to aides at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and also touring the plant. The authenticity of the photos, published on the website of the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, could not be verified.

    Asked about the KCNA report, U.S. President Donald Trump said: “I’d rather not comment on it yet.”

    “We’ll have something to say about it at the appropriate time,” he told reporters at the White House.

    Speculation about Mr. Kim’s health has been rife after he missed the birth anniversary celebrations of state founder Kim Il Sung on April 15. The day is a major holiday in North Korea and Mr. Kim as leader usually pays a visit to the mausoleum where his grandfather lies in state.

    He last made a public appearance on April 11 attending a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party politburo.

    Following his absence from the anniversary, a South Korean news outlet specializing on the North reported that Mr. Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure. A flurry of other unconfirmed reports about his condition and his whereabouts followed.

    Officials in South Korea and the United States expressed scepticism about the reports, however.

    The former top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Russel, said the pieces of the puzzle of Mr. Kim’s disappearance would take time to assemble.

    His reappearance showed that authoritative information about the well-being and whereabouts of a North Korean leader were very closely guarded, and rumours about him needed to be regarded with considerable skepticism, Mr. Russel said.

    “The rumours had, however, served to focus attention on North Korea’s succession plan, which in a monarchical and cult-like dictatorship is filled with risk, and the absence of a designated adult heir compounds that risk many times over,” Mr. Russel said.

    Earlier, a source familiar with U.S. intelligence analyses and reporting said that U.S. agencies believed that Kim Jong Un was not ill and remained very much in power.

    “We think he’s still in charge,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

    The source could not immediately confirm the KCNA report.

    The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees engagement with Pyongyang, said it was plausible Mr. Kim was absent as a precaution over the coronavirus pandemic, in view of the stringent steps taken to head off an outbreak in the country.

    Harry Kazianis, senior director of Korean studies at the Center for the National Interest think tank in Washington, said this still could be the case.

    “The most likely explanation for Kim’s absence is with North Korea declaring the coronavirus pandemic an existential threat … he most likely was taking steps to ensure his health or may have been impacted in some way personally by the virus,” Mr. Kazianis said after the KCNA report.

    In his appearance at the fertiliser factory, Mr. Kim expressed satisfaction about the production system and said the plant made a significant contribution to the progress of the country’s chemical industry and food production, KCNA said.

    Mr. Kim was accompanied by several senior North Korean officials, including his younger sister Kim Yo Jong, KCNA said.

  • Respond to anti-CAA activist’s appeal, court tells Delhi govt.

    Club all sedition cases filed in various States, says petitioner

    The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Delhi government to respond to a plea made by anti-Citizenship Amendment Act activist Sharjeel Imam to club the five sedition cases registered against him in different States and to have them investigated by a single agency.

    A Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan gave the Delhi government 10 days to file a response even as it said there was nothing wrong in the registration of an FIR if the police had information about a cognisable offence.

    Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, for Mr. Imam, referred to how the top court had urgently heard the case of journalist Arnab Goswami even as it stayed all multiple FIRs against him except for the one in Nagpur, which was shifted to Mumbai. Mr. Dave asked why his client, whose personal liberty was also at stake, should not be provided with a similar relief.

    Mr. Dave, in a hearing held through videoconferencing, said FIRs were registered against his client in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. He has been booked under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

    Mr. Imam was arrested by Delhi police’s Crime Branch on January 28 from Jehanabad in Bihar for allegedly making inflammatory speeches in Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh, during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

    The PhD student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) Centre for Historical Studies has been booked on sedition and other charges after videos of his alleged inflammatory speeches were circulated on social media.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Amid attack from Trump, WHO praises China for handling coronavirus pandemic

    Many countries, including Germany, Britain and Australia, are blaming China for the spread of coronavirus

    PTI

    The World Health Organisation has praised China for handling the coronavirus pandemic and said that the countries need to learn from Wuhan on how the epicentre of the virus was bringing the society back to normal, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump likened the global health body to a public relations agency for Beijing.

    Trump on Thursday said the WHO should be “ashamed” of itself, as he compared the UN’s health organ to a public relations agency for China amidst the coronavirus pandemic after it originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

    The Trump administration has launched a probe into the role of the WHO on coronavirus, and has temporarily suspended the U.S.’ financial assistance to it.

    Many countries, including Germany, Britain and Australia, are blaming China for the spread of coronavirus, that has killed over 2,35,000 people globally, including 64,000 Americans, and has infected 3.3 million.

    Noting that there are zero COVID-19 cases in Wuhan, Maria van Kerkhove, the technical lead for the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme at a virtual press briefing in Geneva, said, “that’s very very welcome news to hear that there are no more severe cases, no more patients in Wuhan.”

    “So congratulations on this achievement,” state-run Xinhua news agency quoted her as saying on Saturday.

    “The world has learned from China and we need to continue to learn from Wuhan on how they are lifting those measures, how they are bringing society back to normal, or a new normal, in terms of how we’re going to live with this virus going forward,” she said.

    Health officials in Wuhan, where the coronavirus emerged in December last year, said all COVID-19 cases were cleared from hospitals on Sunday.

    The Hubei province and its capital Wuhan have not reported coronavirus cases for 28 consecutive days since April 4, the local health commission said on Saturday.

    The central province also lowered its emergency level from highest to next level on Saturday.

    The lowering of the emergency level shows a major breakthrough in Hubei’s prevention and control against COVID-19, Vice-Governor of Hubei Yang Yunyan told the media on Friday.

    The province, however, reported 647 asymptomatic cases, which are under medical observation. Hubei has so far reported 68,128 confirmed COVID-19 cases in total, including 50,333 in Wuhan.

    Amid criticism of under reporting of cases, Wuhan on April 17 revised its death toll by 50%, taking the number of fatalities to 3,869.

    The death toll in China stood at 4,633 as of Thursday, with 82,874 overall confirmed cases.

    As one of the China-WHO joint experts, who visited China in February for a field study, van Kerkhove said, “China has worked very hard to bring the outbreak under control.”

    “I was there for two weeks and working directly with ministry officials, and officials from all different sectors, from hospitals, through communities, to really see what was put in place to bring those numbers down,” she said.

    Van Kerkhove said she appreciated the “tireless efforts” of the people in Wuhan “not just the healthcare workers but the individuals who stayed in their homes, who adhered to the public health measures.”

    “We take our hats off to you, and we thank you for your commitment and your service, and for sharing with us in the world what you’ve been able to do,” she said.

    She also asked people in Wuhan to “remain vigilant,” in case new cases appear.

  • Pulwama encounter: Two militants killed, search on

    Pulwama: Two militants have been killed in an ongoing encounter that raged between government forces and militants in Dangerpora area of main town Pulwama in South Kashmir on Saturday morning.

    A senior police official confirmed to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that two militants have been killed in the gunfight, adding that search operation is on in the area.

    Earlier, an official said that  Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) was launched in the area by joint team of forces including 55 RR, CRPF and Pulwama Police following specific inputs about the presence of militants.

    “As forces zeroed towards suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon forces which was retaliated, thus triggering an encounter,” he said

    Meanwhile, the internet services have been snapped in Police district Pulwama as a precautionary measure—(KNO)

  • South Kashmir: Gunfight breaks out in Pulwama

    Srinagar, May 02: Gunfight breaks out between militants and goverment forces in Dangerpora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday.

    Reports reaching GNS said that a joint team of Police, army’s 55 RR and 182BN, 183BN of CRPF launched cordon search operation in Dangerpora.

    As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, triggering an encounter.

    A senior police officer also confirmed to GNS about the exchange of firing between forces and militants. As per the sources two to three militants believed to be trapped.

  • Uri Shelling: 2 critically wounded soldiers succumbed

    Baramulla: Two army soldiers who were earlier injured critically in cross-border shelling in Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district succumbed to injuries in a military hospital on Friday late evening.

    Official sources told GNS that four soldiers were injured in the shelling and were evacuated to nearby army’s health facility where two of them later succumbed to injuries and have been identified as Havaldar Gokaran Singh and Naik Shankar S P Coy.

    Two other injured soldiers were identified as Havaldar Narayan Singh and Naik Pradeep Bhat.

    “Today at about 15:30 hours, Pakistan initiated an unprovoked Ceasefire Violation (CFV) along the LoC in Rampur Sector, District Baramulla (J&K). Three soldiers have been injured in the CFV,” army’s Spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia had said. “Indian Army is retaliating befittingly,” the spokesman had said.

    Earlier, four persons namely Shanaza Bano (12) daughter of Bashir Ahmad, Tahira Bano (20) wife of Liyaqat Ali , Touseef Ahmad Khatana (4) son of Bashir Ahmad Khatana and Hassan B wife of Husan Din Koli suffered injuries at Churanda village. According to police, the incident occurred after several shells landed in civilian areas which also created panic at Chrunda, Batgran, Hathlanga, Mothal, Sahoora, Silikote, Balkote, Nambla, Garkote areas.

    Some splinters also landed in main town Uri and was also seen near the SDM office.

    Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Uri Reyaz Ahmad Malik had also confirmed the injuries due to the shelling. Among the injured, the SDM said that 3 are seriously wounded and have been shifted to Sub-District Hospital Uri for treatment. (GNS)