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  • 16 year old Boy Died when Came Under Mud In Pattan Area

    SRINAGAR (PTK): A 16 year old boy died after he came under a mud loaded in a tractor in Yakhwanpora pattan of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

    As per sources he was walking along the road when the mud fell on him and he fell lying on the roadside.
    After the incident locals rushed towards the spot and the boy was trapped in the mud and taken him to the hospital were doctors declared him brought dead on arrival said a local.

    An official confirmed
    his death and identified the deceased as mohd Amir Khanday S/O Gh Rasool Khanday a resident Yakhwanpora pattan. (PTK)

  • Video | Visuals From Kulgam Encounter 3 Militants Killed Operation ON

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  • Kulgam Encounter: One more militant killed, toll reaches to 3, operation ON

    Srinagar, April 04: One more militant has been killed taking toll to 3 in an ongoing encounter between militants and government forces in Hardmanguri area of Khur Batpora of South Kashmir’s Kulgam District on Saturday.

    As per the official sources to GNS, one more militant has been killed taking toll to 3, however their identification is yet to be ascertained.

    A senior police officer told GNS that this group of militants was involved in killing 3 civilians recently.

    He further said that the operation is in its final stage and would be over soon.

    Earlier a joint team of 34RR and Police Kulgam launched a cordon and search operation in an orchard of Hardmanguri Batapora after having specific information about presence of some militants in the area.(GNS)

  • U.S. President’s family firm faces financial woes

    It seeks delay in loan repayment

    AFP

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s family company is asking creditors such as Deutsche Bank if it can delay loan payments as the economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic deepens, The New York Times reported Thursday.

    The Trump Organization — the conglomerate of companies created by Mr. Trump and now run by his sons — is, like many others, losing money as the restrictions put in place to lessen the spread of deadly COVID-19 bring the U.S. to a grinding halt.

    The NYT said the company contacted Deutsche Bank, seen as the only major lender willing to do business with the company, at March-end for extension of some repayment deadlines. “These days, everybody is working together,” Mr. Trump’s son Eric, the Organization’s executive vice president, said.

    The Trump Organization still owes Deutsche Bank several hundred million dollars, according to the Times.

    The group also contacted Palm Beach County to see if it could suspend rent payments on the Trump International Golf Club, a 27-hole course and clubhouse on more than 120 hectares.

  • Mosques remain open in Pakistan as coronavirus cases rise to nearly 2,500

    The mosques made announcement urging people to pray at home, but some people defied the instruction and visited mosques, according to reports.

    PTI

    Several mosques remained opened on Friday across Pakistan and people offered prayers there despite a government ban on big congregational gatherings in order to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-19 that has killed 37 people and infected nearly 2,500 others in the country.

    The Sindh government had announced curfew like restriction from 12 noon to 3 p.m. to stop people from visiting mosques, while the Punjab government had issued fatwa for people to offer prayer in their homes.

    The mosques made announcement urging people to pray at home, but some people defied the instruction and visited mosques, according to reports. Some clerics also encouraged people to attend prayers in mosques.

    “The government and police are making statements to create a sense of fear. Nothing will happen. Karachi is a city of 20 million, the government cannot implement its decision in every nook and cranny, the prayer leader of the Jamia Mosque Quba told The Express Tribune.

    Majority of mosques in Karachi followed government orders. However, some continued to hold regular prayers.

  • US sets new global record with 1,480 virus deaths in 24 hours, says Johns Hopkins

    The United States recorded nearly 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the worst 24-hour death toll globally since the pandemic began.

    AFP

    With 1,480 deaths counted between 8:30 pm (0030 GMT) Thursday and the same time Friday, according to the university’s continuously updated figures, the total number of people who have died since the start of the pandemic in the United States is now 7,406.

  • Coronavirus | Modi’s blackout call puts power grid managers on high alert

    However, the Power Ministry has maintained that there will be no impact on the operation of the grid.

    PTI

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a nine-minute blackout at 9 p.m. on April 5 has raised concerns for power grid managers as they are gearing up for ensuring grid stability during the period.

    State-run Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO), which is responsible for integrated operation of the grid, is working towards ensuring there is no pressure on the grid due to the possible grid collapse and resultant blackout throughout the country. The Central Electricity Regulatory Authority (CERA) necessitates permissible range of the frequency band of 49.95-50.05 Hz for normal running of grid and if there is any discrepancy in the same with sudden increase or decrease in power flow, it might result into grid collapse.

    Power sector under stress

    “The entire power sector is currently under stress. The demand has already fallen significantly due to the ongoing lockdown. There could be some stress due to this blackout of few minutes, but since we know the time, we can plan for it well in advance,” a government official said on condition of anonymity.

    According to Power Ministry data, power demand slipped over 25% to 125.81 GW on April 2 as compared to 168.32 GW on April 2, 2019 amid the lockdown to contain COVID-19 outbreak. According to the official, POSOCO has already informed all the five regional load despatch centres and national load despatch centre to ensure grid frequency is maintained even if demand drops suddenly during the blackout.

    The ministry has also maintained that there will be no impact on the operation of the grid. An industry expert said that since it is a planned blackout, there will be enough time to manage the grids.

    Exact timing

    “This is unlike the blackout of 2012 which resulted in failure of the grid. Since they know the exact timing, it will be easy to manage the grid. Moreover, only households will switch off the lights. However, other establishments and street lights will continue to draw electricity during that time,” the expert added.

    In July 2012, India had witnessed severe power outages due to collapse of northern and eastern electricity transmission grid.

    An official from the Power Grid Corporation said that although there would be some pressure, it would not be too serious and the grid operators were well prepared to handle the sudden drop in power demand.

    Mr. Modi has appealed to India’s 130 crore citizens to light a lamp, candle or shine a mobile flashlight to symbolically dispel the darkness spread by coronavirus.

  • Domicile Law: ‘Order drafted by a Section Officer  who failed in his law degree and absorbed in govt service on compassionate grounds.”

    Srinagar, April 4: When political leaders across Jammu and Kashmir are expressing concern against the new domicile law, Intellectual and former Advisor to deceased Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, Amitabh Matoo Friday said that the draft regarding the domicile law has been prepared by a Section Officer who probably failed in his law degree.

    Under the domicile law, anyone who has resided in J&K for 15 years or has studied in the state for seven years, and appeared in either the Class 10 or the Class 12 examinations, will be eligible for domicile certificates. This would allow them to apply for gazetted and non-gazetted government jobs.

    Amitabh Matoo who declined to talk over the matter to Kashmir News Trust in a tweet said: “It (Domicile Law) is an order drafted by a Section Officer who probably failed his law degree and was then absorbed in government service under SRO-43 on compassionate grounds.”

    His tweet was liked by people both hailing from Kashmir as well as Jammu while most of the netizens hailed him for his outspokenness.

    “But what about those higher-ups who approved that draft in chain of command,” asked Ramesh Mehta. Another said that both people of Kashmir and Jammu should get united over the matter which is totally in discriminatory in nature.

    Pertinently, people of Jammu and Kashmir and the politicians cutting across the party lines have expressed concern against the new domicile law.

    Yesterday, National Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh staged a protest against this domicile law terming it anti-people and a source of depriving original inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir of their livelihood.

    Almost every political leader including Omar Abdullah, Syed Altaf Bukhari, Iltija Mufti have castigated Government of India over the new domicile law.

    “J&K’s new domicile law is part of a diabolical demographic project that began on 5th August with Article 370 abrogation. Imposing it in times of a global pandemic reveals a callous & paranoid mindset wilfully violating consent to ensure subjugation, wrote Iltija Mufti adding that they are in a maddening rush to appropriate our land & resources. Wonder why they don’t show the same sense of urgency to save lives of thousands of Kashmiris jailed in & outside J&K?”

    Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote: “Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak, the government slips in a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see the law offers none of the protections that had been promised.”

    In the next tweet, he said: ” You can imagine how hollow the domicile law is from the fact that even the new party created with Delhi’s blessings, whose leaders were lobbying in Delhi for this law, have been forced to criticise the domicile law.”

    The order in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Jammu and Kashmir. The domiciles include children of those central government officials; All India services officers, officials of public sector undertaking and autonomous body of the central government, public sector banks, officials of statutory bodies, officials of central universities and recognized research institutes of the central government who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for a total period of ten years. The order has reserved fourth class jobs for residents of J&K. (KNT)

  • Centre amends JK Domicile law order ‘All Govt Jobs reserved for J&K’ residents

    Srinagar, Apr 04: The Government of India on Friday late evening amended it’s order on Domicile rights in the matter of employment for Jammu and Kashmir reserving all the government jobs of all levels exclusively for the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
    The attendum to its previous order was issued by the Ministry of home affairs after an uproar by all the political parties especially Jammu Kashmir Apni Party whose president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today had apprised the national security advisor Ajit Doval and the union home minister Amit Shah about the short comings in the order.
    As reported already by the Kashmir Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) , Bukhari was assured by the home minister that the lacunas identified by him in the domicile order would be removed and the law would be made exclusive in the matter of employment for the Jammu and Kashmir residents.
    The developments that took place in Delhi on Friday with regard to the domicile law is said to be in continuation of meetings that took place between Bukhari led JKAP delegation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 14-15, 2020.(KINS)

  • Government extends high speed internet (4G) curbs till April 15

    Jammu and Kashmir Government extends high speed internet (4G) curbs till April 15. Low speed 2G internet services to remain continue in Jammu and Kashmir till April 15.