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  • Stark warning as missed phone call scam swindles thousands of dollars from Australians

    • Scammers target Australians by calling them for one ring and then hanging up
    • When people call the number back their money instantly starts getting fleeced 
    • Scamwatch has already received 19 reports of scams from unsuspecting Aussies
    • Police warned against picking up calls from unknown international numbers

    Unsuspecting Australians are being warned about a phone scam that swindles thousands of dollars from them.

    The scammers target people by calling them on an international number for one ring and then hanging up.

    When people call the number back, their money automatically starts getting fleeced by the fraudsters. 

    Last week Scamwatch received 19 reports of ‘Wangiri’ scams – missed calls from international numbers that charge a premium rate if you ring the number back. nullabout:blankabout:blank

    ‘In this latest version the scammer sometimes says ‘Hello’ before hanging up. Just don’t call back!,’ the government agency warned. 

    The scammers target people by calling them on an international number for one ring and then hanging up
    The scammers target people by calling them on an international number for one ring and then hanging up

    ‘The scammers rely on you calling the number back in order to charge you a premium rate.

    ‘The longer the scammers can keep you on the phone the more you are charged for the call. They may even put you on hold, play music or read a horoscope.’

    A number of Facebook users commented saying they've received suspicious calls this past week, particularly from Tunisia in northern Africa
    A number of Facebook users commented saying they’ve received suspicious calls this past week, particularly from Tunisia in northern Africa

    Scamwatch said that because the call operates as a 1900 number or premium mobile service, a large percentage of the call charge is passed onto the scammer by by the person’s service provider.

    ‘If you receive an unexpected missed call from an international number you don’t recognise, ignore it,’ Scamwatch said.

    ‘If you are receiving repeated missed calls, block the number.’

    NSW Police warned against picking up unknown numbers from international callers, or ringing them back.

    ‘Had a call from an unfamiliar international number? Don’t answer or ring back – it could be a scam that’ll cost you a small fortune,’ it warned on their Facebook page. 

    A number of Facebook users commented saying they’ve received suspicious calls this past week, particularly from Tunisia in northern Africa.  

    ‘Guess the explains the three calls from Tunisia I’ve received the last few days that only rang for 3 seconds. Two different numbers, both blocked immediately,’ one comment read.

    ‘I’ve had plenty in the past. Most recent only a couple of days ago from Tunisia. I always ignore the call & then block the number,’ read another.

    ‘Tunisia is a regular caller for me – unanswered of course,’ a person said.

    ‘I keep getting calls from Tunisia. Don’t answer and block number. A few hours later again Tunisia from a different number. I have already blocked three numbers.

    With inputs from Daily Mail Australia

  • Coronavirus Situation “Worsening” Worldwide: WHO

    Geneva: The World Health Organization said Monday that the coronavirus pandemic situation was worsening around the globe, as it warned against complacency.

    The WHO said it had recorded its highest daily tally of new infections, with COVID-19 raging in the Americas.

    And as mass protests for racial justice sweep across the United States and beyond, the United Nations’ health agency urged anyone demonstrating to do so safely.

    The novel coronavirus has killed more than 403,000 people out of at least seven million infected since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

    After East Asia, Europe became the epicentre of the disease, but has now been overtaken by the Americas.

    “Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference in Geneva.

    “More than 100,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past 10 days. Yesterday, more than 136,000 cases were reported — the most in a single day so far.

    He said that almost 75 percent of Sunday’s cases came from 10 countries — mostly in the Americas and South Asia.

    Protest ‘safely’

    Tedros said that in countries where the situation was improving, “the biggest threat is now complacency”, adding that “most people globally are still susceptible to infection”.

    “More than six months into this pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal,” he said.

    Turning to the wave of protests sparked by killing of George Floyd on May 25, Tedros encouraged active surveillance of the virus to ensure it does not rebound, especially in the context of mass gatherings.

    “WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds,” he said.

    “We encourage all those protesting around the world to do so safely.

    “As much as possible, keep at least one metre from others, clean your hands, cover your cough and wear a mask if you attend a protest.”

    “Stay home if you are sick and contact a health care provider,” he added.

    Quarantine protesters?

    The WHO has continually stressed the importance of tracing those who may have come into sustained, close contact with an infected person.

    The WHO’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said someone who had been at a mass protest did not necessarily meet the technical definition of a contact.

    “It comes back down to local public health analysis and local risk management,” he said.

    “There may be situations with mass gatherings where local public health officials, on the basis of an abundance of caution, could advise people either to quarantine or to get tested.”

    Ryan added: “We would hope that in any mass gathering now… people who have had now four to five months to really internalise, that someone who is unwell… should really be at home and not engaged in any public activity.

    “But we would always defer to national and sub-national authorities if they wish and need to take necessary public health actions that are based on risk assessment, that are based on scientific evidence.”

    Tedros meanwhile said that the WHO had so far shipped more than five million items of personal protective equipment to 110 countries.

    The global health body aims to ship more than 129 million items of PPE to 126 nations. (AFP)

  • J&K admin seeks action against IAS officer for ‘creating hurdles’ during Amarnath yatra prayer

    Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has asked the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to take action against an IAS officer who allegedly tried to prevent the Amarnath Shrine Board officials from undertaking “pratham pooja” (first prayer) for Amarnath yatra, sources said on Monday.

    This is for the first time in many years that the administration has made a complaint to the DoPT against a bureaucrat, they said.

    This step was taken after the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) officials made a complaint to the office of Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu that an IAS officer tried to prevent them from undertaking “pratham pooja” for Amarnath yatra, the sources said.

    The administration has written to the DoPT seeking action against the officer who tried to create hurdles in the passage of the pooja, the sources told PTI.

    The Lt governor has taken a serious note of the “behaviour” of the officer, they said.

    The traditional ‘’pratham pooja’’ (first prayer) for the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas was held here last week, officials said.

    Normally, the ceremony marks the start of the Amarnath Yatra, which spans nearly two months.

    However, this year, according to sources, the yatra is likely to begin on July 21 and its duration shortened to 15 days due to the coronavirus pandemic. (PTI)

  • China mobilises thousands of troops, armoured vehicles near border with India

    The drill by the People’s Liberation Army involved thousands of paratroopers and armoured vehicles. Though the Chinese media didn’t give the location where they were transported to but said enough to indicate that the drill was a message to India.

    The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has carried out a large-scale drill involving thousands of paratroopers to check its preparedness in transporting soldiers and armoured vehicles from a central Chinese province to border areas to the northwest of the country.

    The largescale “maneuver operation” was done in the backdrop of the ongoing border standoff with India, the nationalistic tabloid Global Times and national broadcaster CCTV said in reports.

    The news on Chinese state media came out on a day when New Delhi said that India and China will continue military and diplomatic engagements to resolve a weeks-old standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

    This was after talks were held between delegations led Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, commander of Leh-based 14 Corps and a delegation led by Major General Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region, at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC on Saturday.

    State media aired footage of troops boarding civilian planes to get from Hubei province to the unspecified location thousands of kilometres away. Photo: Weibo
    State media aired footage of troops boarding civilian planes to get from Hubei province to the unspecified location thousands of kilometres away.
    Photo: Weibo | South China Morning Post

    The reports didn’t give the location where the soldiers and the armoured vehicles were transported to but said enough to indicate that the drill was a message to India.

    Using civilian airlines, logistical transportation channels and railways, several thousand paratroopers under a PLA Air Force airborne brigade recently maneuvered from Hubei, which is in central China, to an undisclosed location in the plateaus of northwestern China thousands of kilometres away, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.

    “Several hundred pieces of military equipment including armoured vehicles and huge batches of supplies were also involved in the operation, which ended successfully in just a few hours,” the report said.

    The maneuver was completed in a few hours, the report said.

    Soldiers also took trains in the “manoeuvre operation”. Photo: Weibo
    Soldiers also took trains in the “manoeuvre operation”.
    Photo: Weibo | South China Morning Post

    “This maneuver mission saw significant breakthroughs not only in the scale of mobilised troops but also means of transportation. [Using civilian transportation] substantially expanded our means of transporting forces and increased efficiency in maneuvering an entire organisation of troops,” Major Colonel Mao Lei, head of the training department at the airborne brigade, said on CCTV.

    “Groups of tanks and armored vehicles attached to the 76th Group Army under the PLA Western Theater Command also conducted a long-distance maneuver on May 14,” according to Chinese military media outlet China Military, quoted by GT.

    China said troops could be deployed “within hours” to the border region. Photo: Weibo
    China said troops could be deployed “within hours” to the border region.
    Photo: Weibo | South China Morning Post

    Last week, another report in the Global Times had said that the PLA’s Tibet Military Command recently “…sent troops to a high-altitude region at an elevation of 4,700 meters at night for infiltration exercises behind enemy lines and tested their combat capability under a harsh environment”.

    With inputs from Hindustan Times

    (Except for the headlines, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

  • Pak Army shells forward areas along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch

    PTI

    Jammu: Pakistani troops on Monday opened fire and heavily shelled forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, drawing retaliation from the Indian Army, a defence spokesperson said.

    “At about 1945 hours today, Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Khari Karmara sector in the district,” he said.

    He said the Indian Army retaliated befittingly and cross-border shelling between the two sides was going on when last reports were received.

  • People in quarantine centre at Islamic University, Awantipora ‘steal’ ID cards, clothes and other things from Girls Hostel

    Some girl students also alleged that their phone numbers mentioned in their ID cards were leaked

    As the hostels of the Islamic University of Science and Technology, Kashmir were being used as a quarantine facility by the administration, many students of the university have alleged that their belongings including electronic items, clothes, ID cards, documents, pen drives among other things have gone missing from their cupboards.

    Not only this, but the girl students also alleged that their phone numbers mentioned in their ID cards kept in their hostel drawers, were leaked and they have been getting calls from strangers since then.

    The hostels were converted into a quarantine facility around two months ago. Since then, many suspected Covid-19 patients had stayed in the hostels.

    “When I went to my hostel accommodation, I found my drawer was broken and my ID card was missing. I used to get calls from many people who were in quarantine which forced me to change my phone number,” said a student of the university.

    “Even my headphones and pen drives containing my pictures were stolen. The person who had stolen it could even misuse my pictures,” she added.

    The students accused the university administration of mismanagement while handing over the two hostels –H1 and H2 –of the varsity to district administration of Pulwama for administrative quarantine purposes. The two hostels have around 100 rooms.

    A student of the Jammu division studying at IUST said that the university did not inform them before handing over the hostel rooms for quarantine purposes.

    “When we came to know that the hostels were being used as quarantine centres, we called the authorities who assured us that our belongings would remain safe,” she said.

    The students were given two days to collect their belongings from the hostels.

    IUST controller examinations and in-charge of hostels, Mohammad Amin agreed that people in quarantine had stolen the belongings of the students and also leaked their phone numbers. “We took up the matter with the district administration and the police,” he said.

    Awantipora tehsildar, Zubair Ahmad said that the police have registered an FIR after a written complaint was given by a student who had been getting phone calls from strangers.

    “Regarding the missing belongings of students, we have reported the issue to the police after lockers of some rooms were broken,” said Ahmad.

    Pulwama deputy commissioner Raghav Langer did not respond to repeated calls.

    With inputs from Hindustan Times

  • Rajnath reviews LAC situation with CDS, Service Chiefs

    Meeting comes two days after the talks between senior military commanders to defuse the month-long stand-off.

    As tensions continue, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reviewed the situation along the China border with the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and the three Service chiefs.

    The meeting comes two days after the talks between senior military commanders to defuse the month-long stand-off.

    However, official sources said the Monday meeting was routine. Mr. Singh had been holding regular consultations with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen Manoj Naravane on the border situation and this was also part of the routine review.

    While there is still no clarity on the next round of senior level talks, the sources said the dialogue between local commanders on the ground would continue. At the Saturday talks, which was the highest military dialogue so far to address the issue, India firmly conveyed that it wants the restoration of status quo ante of April before the stand-off began and China pull back back troops close to the LAC. More meetings are scheduled to be held both, military and diplomatic, to end the impasse.

    Situation stable: MFA

    China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the situation overall along the border was “stable and controllable” and the two sides were ready to engage in consultation to “properly solve the relevant issues.”

    Responding to questions on the military level talks, MFA spokesperson Hua Chunying maintained a similar line as that of the Ministry of External Affairs. He stated that recently diplomatic and military channels of the two sides had maintained close communications on the border situation. “One consensus is that the two sides need to implement the two leaders’ consensus and make sure that differences do not escalate into disputes.” The two sides would work to maintain peace and tranquility along the border and create a good atmosphere, he noted.

    Chinese state Media, Global Times, in a commentary on Monday quoting experts, said the current stand-off would not become another Doklam crisis as both sides have gained a great deal of experience from the 2017 stand-off and since then “all kinds of bilateral mechanisms including on military, diplomatic and local issues have been established, which has eliminated the possibility of an incident escalating into a crisis.” However, it said the ongoing stand-off was not likely to end immediately, as concrete issues must still be resolved.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Violence will never win in Kashmir: Rahul

    PTI

    New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said violence will never win in Kashmir, as he condoled the death of a sarpanch who was shot dead in Anantnag district this evening.

    Ajay Pandita, a Kashmiri pandit sarpanch of the Larkipora area in Anantnag district and a member of the Congress party, was shot dead by militants in his native village around 6 pm, the police said.

    Gandhi said Pandita sacrificed his life for the democratic process in Kashmir.

    “My condolences to the family and friends of Ajay Pandita, who sacrificed his life for the democratic process in Kashmir. We stand with you in this time of grief. Violence will never win,” he said on Twitter.

  • Economy to contract by 3.2% this fiscal, says World Bank

    World in deepest recession since World War II

    The Indian economy is expected to contract by 3.2% in this fiscal year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions, the World Bank said in its Global Economic Prospects (GEP) June 2020 report released on Monday. Growth is forecast at 3.1% next year.

    The world economy, as a whole, is set to witness its deepest recession since World War II, with a forecasted contraction of 5.2% this year — some 60 million could be pushed into extreme poverty, World Bank Group President David Malpass had warned last week.

    With updated data now available, this number could be 70-100 million, a Bank economist told reporters on a briefing call on Monday.

    Emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) are expected to contract by 2.5% this year, and economic activity in advanced economies is forecast to shrink by 7%, as domestic supply and demand, finance and trade have been disrupted due to the pandemic.

    Countries most reliant on global trade, tourism, external financing and commodity exports are likely to be hit the hardest. “This is a deeply sobering outlook, with the crisis likely to leave long-lasting scars and pose major global challenges,” said World Bank economist Ceyla Pazarbasioglu.

    “Our first order of business is to address the global health and economic emergency. Beyond that, the global community must unite to find ways to rebuild as robust a recovery as possible to prevent more people from falling into poverty and unemployment.”

    In the baseline scenario, global growth is set to rebound at 4.2% in 2021, with EMDEs growing at 4.6% and advanced economies growing at 3.9%. This, however, is the baseline forecast and assumes that pandemic-induced domestic restrictions will be lifted by mid-year in advanced economies and a bit later in EMDEs. The downside scenario is more severe – the global economy could shrink this year by as much as 8% (5% for EMDEs) , followed by a weak recovery at just above 1% growth next year.

    India to grow at 3.2% in FY2020-21

    India’s growth is estimated to have slowed to 4.2% in FY 2019-20 (year ending March 31, 2020). Output is expected to contract by 3.2% (so growth is -3.2%) in FY2020-21, as the impact of the pandemic (the restrictions on activity) will largely fall in this year, despite the fiscal and monetary stimulus. The growth forecast for this fiscal year is 9 percentage points lower than the GEP forecasts from January 2020, when the forecast for this fiscal was a (positive) 5.8% – the world was not yet in the grip of the pandemic. Spillover effects from weak global growth and balance sheet stress are also weighing down on economic activity, as per the report. India is forecast to see some recovery next year and grow at 3.1%.

    South Asia expected to grow at 2.7%

    For the South Asian region as a whole, economic activity is expected to contract by 2.7% in 2020, due to restrictions impacting consumption and services and the uncertainty causing a chill in private investments. These forecasts are highly uncertain, and the risks to the outlook are heavily skewed to the downside (i.e., there is a good chance the forecasts will be even worse). The high share of workers who are employed in the informal sector exacerbates the health and economic challenges caused by the pandemic. Food price increases could also lead to food insecurity for more people and global financial market disruption could add pressure to vulnerable balance sheets. Spillover effects from major trading partners could negatively impact economic activity in the South Asian region and supply chain linkages could depress activity in the medium term. The region as a whole is expected to grow at a (positive) rate of 2.8% next year.

    Rest of the World

    The U.S. is expected to contract at a forecasted 6.1% this year due to pandemic-caused restrictions and disruptions. The Euro Area is projected to shrink 9.1% due to the heavy outbreaks and their impact on activity. Japan is expected to shrink at 6.1% due to preventative measures that had impacted economic activity. China is expected to slow to 1% in 2020, its lowest rate in more than four decades.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Covid-19 Claims 5 More Lives In Day, J&K Toll 46

    Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir on Monday reported fifth death due to covid-19, taking the death toll due to the virus in J&K to 46.

    Dr Nazir Choudhary, medical superintendent SMHS hospital, told GNS that the 70-year-old woman from Baramulla, admitted on June 6, died this evening. “She had bilateral pneumonia,” he said, adding, “Her body has been kept in mortuary and would be handed over toe the family as per covid-19 protocol.”

    Earlier, he said, 55-year-old covid-19 patient, a resident of Pampore in Pulwama district, died of “pneumonia among other underlying ailments”.
    A 65-year-old man from Handwara died at CD hospital here, eleven days after he was admitted to the facility, one of the exclusive institutes meant for the management the Covid-19 patients in Kashmir Valley.

    Dr Salim Tak, Medical Superintendent CD hospital, said that the covid-19 positive sexagenarian had multiple underlying ailments and died this afternoon. With the fatalities, the number of the people succumbing to the virus in J&K has gone up to 45.
    Last night, a 40-year-old paramilitary CRPF trooper and a 35-year-old resident of Khaniyar Srinagar died at two hospitals here.

    Confirming the death of the paramilitary trooper, Professor Farooq Jan, Medical Superintendent SKIMS told GNS that the swab samples of the personnel, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was taken on June 5 which subsequently returned positive for the pathogen. “He expired on June 7 due to cardiopulmonary arrest. The Patient was diagnosed with ARDS (Acute respiratory distress syndrome),” he added. Sources said that the personnel was posted with CRPF’s 90 Battalion at Uranhal Anantnag.

    Meanwhile, a 35-year-old man from Miskeen Bagh Khaniyar died last night at CD hospital, hours after he was shifted from SMHS hospital after he tested positive for the virus, Dr Salim Tak said.

    “He was admitted in SMHS hospital. Soon after his swab sample returned positive for the covid-19, he was shifted to CD hospital where he died,” he said.

    So far Srinagar district with 12 deaths due to the virus has the highest fatalities, followed by Baramulla eight, Anantnag six, Kulgam four, three each in Shopian, Kupwara and Jammu, two in Budgam while one death each has been reported from Pulwama, Bandipora, Doda and Udhampur. (GNS)