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  • Residents hear ‘loud noise’ in many parts of Bengaluru

    The noise was not due to an earthquake, officials say

    A loud noise heard by residents of several parts of Bengaluru on Wednesday has turned out be a mystery.

    People in Whitefield, Electronics City, HAL, HSR Layout and other areas posted on social media that they heard the noise at around 1.30 p.m. They termed it ‘loud boom’ and ‘thunderous noise’. Some also complained about windows rattling.

    An official of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said, “The activity reported in Bengaluru is not due to an earthquake. Seismometers did not capture any ground vibration as generally happens during a mild tremor. The activity is purely a loud unknown noise. More importantly, no ground vibration was observed and hence no record by the seismometers installed by KSNDMC,” he said.

    The PRO of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) maintained that the incident has nothing do with HAL tests.

    The City Police Commissioner said that 100 received no calls on the incident.

    Police have approached the Air Force Control Room to verify whether any aircraft testing was being done.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Nepal’s new map claims territories of India in west, asserts control over Susta in east

    Its publication comes less than a fortnight after India announced building a road to Lipulekh pass

    Nepal has officially unveiled a new political map of the country showing the regions of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh of Uttarakhand, as part of its sovereign territory.

    Launching the map at a press conference, Minister of Land Management Padma Kumari Aryal said the government of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was committed to protecting territorial sovereignty and integrity of the country.

    “It is a historic moment of happiness for the people of Nepal. The government will not allow erosion of self-esteem of our people. Nepal will publish the new map and make it part of the school textbooks,” said Ms Aryal.

    The area of Susta near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh also appears to be part of Nepal in the new map. Kathmandu claims that India has encroached upon this area claiming large tracts of land and wants Delhi to evacuate the population from the region.

    Road issue

    The publication of the new map came less than a fortnight after India announced building a road to the Lipulekh pass, which will cut travelling time to Tibet’s Manasarovar pilgrimage centre. Nepal had reacted angrily, asserting that the area belongs to Kathmandu and Mr. Oli said his government was willing to give a road to Tibet on lease to India without surrendering the region.

    “We look forward to begin diplomatic negotiations with friendly nation of India regarding the territorial claims”, Ms Aryal said on Wednesday.

    Following the Indian action, there were reports of anti-India protests in parts of Nepal and Mr. Oli targeted India for alleged regional domination. “India’s Ashokan pillar has the lions with “Truth shall prevail” inscribed in the bottom. They actually mean “Lion [might] shall prevail. But Nepal is certain that truth shall prevail”, he said before Parliament on Tuesday. He also alleged that India was responsible for the spread of Coronavirus into the Himalayan country.

    India’s map

    The current phase of tension can be traced to the announcement of a new political map by India last year, which showed the newly created Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. It also showed the region of Kalapani as part of the Indian territory.

    Nepal maintains that not just the Kalapani region, but the Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh are parts of its sovereign territory as demarcated in the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli. It says Lipulekh was deleted from the country’s map by its kings to get favours from India in exchange.

    Analysts in Kathmandu have said the new map in fact is a document that was in circulation in the country till the 1950s. They claim that the territory of Kalapani was given to India by King Mahendra after the 1962 India-China war.

    Nepal had also expressed displeasure over the 2015 agreement between India and China for using the Lipulekh pass for trade without consulting it.

    China, Mr. Oli claimed before Parliament this week, however, had conveyed to Kathmandu that the pact with India was about trade and pilgrimage and did not grant Chinese seal of approval to the Indian territory.

    In a speech delivered before Parliament, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari had declared the new map. The decision was cleared at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and unveiled on Wednesday.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Millions of People Face Evacuations as Super Cyclone Heads for India

    New Delhi: A powerful cyclone was moving toward India and Bangladesh on Tuesday as authorities tried to evacuate millions of people while maintaining social distancing.

    Cyclone Amphan is expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon, and forecasters warned of extensive damage from high winds, heavy rainfall, tidal waves and some flooding in crowded cities like Kolkata.

    The cyclone had winds of 220-230 kilometers per hour (136-142 miles per hour) and is forecast to weaken before it makes landfall around India’s West Bengal state and Bangladesh.

    It is the second super cyclone on record that has formed over the Bay of Bengal, said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, India’s meteorological chief. The first was a devastating 1999 cyclone in Odisha state that left nearly 10,000 people dead.

    “This type of cyclone can be disastrous,” Mohapatra said.

    Videos and photos from India and Bangladesh showed families near the coast or in other flood-prone areas being evacuated to cyclone shelters. Some carried bags with their belongings, and all had their faces covered. Officials went from village to village with loudspeakers warning people of the storm.

    “Evacuations are necessary,” warned Mohapatra, pointing out that tidal waves could move 25 kilometers (15 miles) inland along the many rivers that crisscross the Bengal delta.

    Authorities in Bangladesh warned that the cyclone could flood vast swaths of southwestern and southern areas. Junior Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman said evacuations had begun in the southwest, where residents of Satkhira district, which was devastated by a 2009 cyclone, will be moved to shelters.

    Rahman said he ordered local authorities to prepare thousands of shelters and makeshift structures to protect more than 5 million people before the cyclone crosses the region.

    “We will not have much time tomorrow as the cyclone is expected to make landfall Wednesday evening,” the minister said.

    Amphan’s winds were whirling as far as 700 kilometers (435 miles) from its eye as it approached land. It is forecast to pass between the seaside resort town of Digha in India’s West Bengal state and Hatiya Island in Bangladesh with a weaker wind speed of 165 to 175 kph (102-108 mph).

    Several districts in West Bengal will feel the brunt of the storm, Mohapatra said. Flooding is a risk in Kolkata due to crowding and poor drainage, and the storm surge could raise river levels in the Bengal delta, he said.

    Fishing trawlers and boats in the Bay of Bengal have been told to take shelter until further notice.

    After reaching land, the cyclone is expected to move away fast and weaken by Thursday.

    The eye of the storm is likely to pass through the Sunderban mangrove forests, one of the largest tracts of mangroves in the world. They are likely to absorb some of the impact, officials said.

    Debasis Shyamal, a fisherman in Digha, said evacuations had yet to start, but people were staying indoors.

    “We are mentally prepared for the cyclone, but there are some concerns about social distancing,” he said.

    – – –

    Alam reported from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Associated Press writer Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi contributed to this report.

    With input from TIME

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

  • Coronavirus lockdown | Flights to resume if States agree, says Civil Aviation Minister

    Commercial flight operations remain suspended at least until May 31, and only some flights have been allowed domestically to help citizens repatriated from different countries travel from major airports hubs in Delhi, Mumbai, etc.

    Domestic flights to different cities will resume once the State governments express their willingness to open airports, Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Puri said on Tuesday.

    “It is not upto @MoCA_GoI or centre alone to decide on resuming domestic flights. In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the govt of states where these flights will take off & land should be ready to allow civil aviation operations,” said the Minister in a message posted on Twitter on Tuesday.

    While the standard operating procedure for domestic flights was yet to be framed, the comment gives airlines a hint of what to expect in the days to come. Commercial flight operations remain suspended at least until May 31, and only some flights have been allowed domestically to help citizens repatriated from different countries travel from major airports hubs in Delhi, Mumbai, etc.

    This is also in line with guidelines prepared by the Airports Authority of India for reopening its aerodromes across the country, which said, “flight schedule may be cleared on City Pair basis, so the origin and destination airports are open fully from lockdown situation.” Railways too were operating to and from those cities that permitted train services, until the protocol was amended on Tuesday.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • New guidelines for expectant mothers

    Pamphlets prepared by DMO

    The Health Department has issued new guidelines for expectant mothers returning to the district from other countries and States.

    Since pregnant woman were reaching the district from all places including hotspots, they would be briefed through pamphlets, said Dr R. Sreelatha, District Medical Officer (DMO), on Tuesday.

    The department has instructed pregnant women not to step out without informing respective medical officers at PHCs/FHCs and skip normal check-ups and vaccinations while under monitoring. Apart from the nuchal translucency (NT) scan done between 12 and 13 weeks of pregnancy and the anomaly scan at 18-20 weeks of pregnancy, no other scan is required during this period.

    The department has placed the pregnant women who recently returned to the district in strict home/room quarantine. Maintaining one metre distance from all, including primary caretaker, and wearing masks are also part of the directions.

    “Regularly wash your hands with soap, drink a lot of water, and eat nutritious meals. Intake of folic acid, iron and calcium tablets is also important. If there are any symptoms including fever, cough, sore throat and diarrhoea, get in touch with the health workers. Those with any risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes should consult the medical officer at the nearest PHC/CHC,” said the DMO.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • 15 year old girl commits suicide in Srinagar

    Srinagar: In a shocking incident a 15 year old girl hung herself to death in Bemina area of Srinagar city this morning.

    Hospital sources told news agency KNT that a minor girl was brought in SMHS Hospital Srinagar where doctors declared her brought dead. The girl was found hanging in her room when her parents saw her and shifted to hospital.

    The deceased girl (name withheld) is daughter of Gulzar Ahmed from Bemina.

    Police have taken the cognizance of the incident. (KNT)

  • Coronavirus | India, U.S. to collaborate on COVID-19 vaccine trials, say U.S. health officials

    Focus is on safe, cost-effective vaccines against a range of infectious diseases: U.S. health officials

    India and the U.S. plan to work together on vaccine research and testing for COVID-19, U.S. health officials said here on Tuesday, listing a number of other ways in which the two countries are working together.

    “U.S. and Indian scientists have been collaborating on key research questions fostering the development and testing of safe, cost-effective vaccines against a range of infectious diseases that could save innumerable lives in India, the United States, and around the world,” U.S. Embassy Health and Human Services (HHS) attaché Preetha Rajaraman told presspersons at a briefing in Delhi.

    “In the context of the current pandemic, partners under the Vaccine Action Programme (VAP) are planning to collaborate on the development and testing of vaccine candidates and diagnostics for COVID-19,” she added.

    The VAP, or the Indo-U.S. Vaccine Action Program, is a 33-year collaboration between the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Indian Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) along with other partners.

    Meanwhile, 50 ventilators from the United States are expected in India shortly, the embassy said, as part of the donation of 200 ventilators announced by President Donald Trump last week.

    ‘Part of funding’

    The ventilators, which will be paid for by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), are part of $5.9 million in funding announced to date for India, said USAID Acting Director Ramona El Hamzaoui, briefing journalists about the work of the agency, adding that the amount was a part of a worldwide commitment of $900 million made available for combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The United States government is providing access to high-quality, American-made ventilators to designated countries as soon as the domestic supply chain and vendors are able to produce and deliver orders,” Ms. Hamzaoui said.

    She added that USAID would facilitate a discussion between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the manufacturer “to ensure that the local context and needs are considered before placing the final purchase order.”

    CDC funds

    The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it would separately fund the Government of India $3.6 million to support “prevention, preparedness, and response activities in India, in collaboration with and concurrence from the GoI.”

    To a specific question on whether its disbursement of the funding could be delayed by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ decision to place CDC on a watchlist in December 2019, CDC India’s Meghna Desai said they had not received any “official communication” in the matter, but were aware of government “concerns” over the funding of a study on the Nipah virus at a non-authorised laboratory in India.

    However, for the coronavirus grant, the CDC clarified that it will work with agencies approved by the government only, which would not run into issues requiring “prior permission”, in the manner direct funds to laboratories and research centres would.

    “The selection of partners will be based on the scope of work and in concurrence with relevant line ministries of the GoI. Funding will not go to one single agency,” Ms. Desai said in response to a question.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Foreign investors pull out $26 billion from Asian economies; $16 billion from India

    Differences in policy approaches are straining relations between countries.

    PTI

    Amidst the global economic recession due to the coronavirus pandemic, foreign investors have pulled out an estimated $26 billion from developing Asian economies and over $16 billion out of India, according to a Congressional report.

    Foreign investors have pulled an estimated $26 billion out of developing Asian economies and more than $16 billion out of India, increasing concerns of a major economic recession in Asia, independent Congressional Research Center said in its latest report on global economic effects of COVID-19.

    In Europe, over 30 million people in Germany, France, the UK, Spain, and Italy have applied for state support, while first quarter 2020 data indicates that the eurozone economy contracted by 3.8%, the largest quarterly decline since the series started in 1995, it said.

    In the U.S., preliminary data indicated that the GDP fell by 4.8% in the first quarter of 2020, the largest quarterly decline since the fourth quarter of 2008 during the global financial crisis, the CRS said.

    According to CRS, the pandemic crisis is challenging governments to implement monetary and fiscal policies that support credit markets and sustain economic activity, while they are implementing policies to develop vaccines and safeguard their citizens.

    Differences in policies

    In doing so, however, differences in policy approaches are straining relations between countries that promote nationalism and those that argue for a coordinated international response.

    Differences in policies are also straining relations between developed and developing economies and between northern and southern members of the eurozone, challenging alliances, and raising questions about the future of global leadership, the report said.

    While almost all major economies are shrinking as a result of coronavirus, only three countries China, India, and Indonesia are projected to experience small, but positive rates of economic growth in 2020, it said.

    “Global economy could be weaker”

    The IMF in its recent report argued that recovery of the global economy could be weaker than projected as a result of lingering uncertainty about possible contagion, lack of confidence, and permanent closure of businesses and shifts in the behaviour of firms and household, the CRS said.

    It said public concerns over the spread of the virus have led to self-quarantines, reductions in airline and cruise liner travel, the closing of such institutions as the Louvre, and the rescheduling of theatrical releases of movies, including the sequel in the iconic James Bond series (titled, No Time to Die ). School closures are affecting 1.5 billion children worldwide, challenging parental leave policies. Other countries are limiting the size of public gatherings. The drop in business and tourist travel is causing a sharp drop in scheduled airline flights by as much as 10%; airlines are estimating they could lose USD 113 billion in 2020 (an estimate that could prove optimistic given the Trump Administration’s announced restrictions on flights from Europe to the United States and the growing list of countries that are similarly restricting flights).

    Airports in Europe estimate they could lose USD 4.3 billion in revenue due to fewer flights, it said.

    Industry experts estimate that many airlines will be in bankruptcy by May 2020 under current conditions as a result of travel restrictions imposed by a growing number of countries.

    The loss of Chinese tourists is another economic blow to countries in Asia and elsewhere that have benefitted from the growing market for Chinese tourists and the stimulus such tourism has provided, it said.

    The CRS said the decline in industrial activity has reduced demand for energy products such as crude oil, causing prices to drop sharply, which negatively affects energy producers and electric vehicle manufacturers, but generally is positive for consumers and businesses.

    Further, disruptions to industrial activity in China reportedly are causing delays in shipments of computers, cell phones, toys, and medical equipment.

    The factory output in China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea all declined in the first months of 2020.

    Reduced Chinese agricultural exports, including to Japan, are leading to shortages in some commodities. In addition, numerous auto producers are facing shortages in parts and other supplies that have been sourced in China, CRS said.

  • Cyber police intensify efforts to curb online crimes

    Srinagar: Cyber Police here has intensified efforts to curb the online crimes in Kashmir, an official said.

    The development comes after the police received several complaints through various channels that some people were using fake identities on social media to attack women.

    Taking note of these complaints, Superintendent of Cyber Police Tahir Ashraf geared up his team and increased monitoring.

    In some cases, men were morphing images and threatening women, said the official. “These are among some cases where many women don’t want to make official complaints, fearing stigma,” he said.

    The SP Tahir Ashraf encouraged cyber crime victims to come forward and assured their identities would remain confidential.

    He said amid COVID19 pandemic, people do not need to visit police station but can file online complaints.

    The SP said the police were taking note of complaints where persons have assumed fake identities with malicious intention to cheat people.

    He said the crime also includes matters related to set up fake Facebook accounts, fake social media profiles or unauthorized access to account of another person by faking identity, with an intention to cheat.

    The SP said it was always advisable to approach Cyber Police without any delay in case of being victim of cyber fraud.

    For immediate and emergency cases where a person has been duped by scammer, he/she can send message to Cyber Police on WattsApp number 9596770555, the SP said.

    Assuring all kind of help to victims, he said the Cyber Crime Police Station of J&K Police have recovered lakhs of rupees from hackers who had targeted several people while posing as bank officials and owners of online business centers.

    “We have enhanced ability and capacity at Cyber Police Station to fight these offences more effectively and accurately,” he said

  • Tensions escalate along LAC in Sikkim as China accuses India of trespass

    Response from Ministry of External Affairs is awaited

    China has accused the Indian army of crossing into its territory and “blocking” its patrols and “attempting to unilaterally change the status” on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries in Sikkim.

    The strongly worded statement made available to the media by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs marks an escalation in the current tensions at the LAC between them and threatens to bring what the Indian government has thus far maintained were “actions by both armies on the ground” into a diplomatic face-off between the countries, the most serious such event since the Doklam face-off in 2017.

    In the statement released on Tuesday in Chinese, the MFA in Beijing referred to the recent skirmish in Sikkim, claiming that “the Indian army has crossed the line across the western section of the Sino-Indian border and the Sikkim section to enter Chinese territory”.

    The statement added that the Chinese side had taken up the matter with India, asking the Indian side to “immediately withdraw the personnel across the line, restore the status quo of the relevant areas, strictly restrict the frontline troops, observe the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and the agreements signed by the two sides, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the border areas.”

    A response from the Ministry of External Affairs is awaited.

    Sikkim’s Naku La pass is one of four areas that have seen aggressive action between Chinese and Indian troops (including Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Patrol personnel) since mid-April this year, according to sources.

    Similar skirmishes, including jostling, and fisticuffs between the soldiers have been reported along a stretch in Eastern Ladakh at three points of Pangong Tso lake, the Galwan river nalah, and Langmarpo Zam, the sources said, adding that both sides have rushed more personnel to the area and more than a dozen new Chinese boats had been observed on the lake.

    Officially, the army said there were two incidents of face-off between troops of India and China, on May 5 near Pangong Tso in Eastern Ladakh and a second face-off on May 9 at Naku La in north Sikkim. The incidents were marked by “aggressive behaviour by both sides,” which resulted in minor injuries to troops, after which both sides disengaged after dialogue and interaction at local level, Indian Army officials said.

    However, an article by the Global Times on May 18, quoting Chinese military sources, also spoke of an incident along the “boundary line in the Galwan Valley region,” claiming Indian troops had entered “Chinese territory.” It stated that the Indian side had built defence fortifications and obstacles to prevent patrolling by Chinese troops and “attempted to unilaterally change the current border control situation.” Sources in New Delhi have denied the claim and indicated that the blame lay with Chinese troops trying to disrupt the construction of a road close to the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

    “Temporary and short duration face-offs between border guarding troops do occur along the LAC due to the differing perceptions of the alignment of boundaries that are not resolved,” Army chief Gen. Manoj Naravane said last week in a statement, adding that “development of infrastructure capabilities along our Northern borders is on track.”

    The Army chief also denied that the separate incidents in eastern Ladakh and western Sikkim, a distance that spans 1,200 km along the LAC, were “co-related” in any way.

    In a statement last Thursday, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said India and China attach “utmost importance to ensuring peace and tranquillity in all areas of Sino-India border regions” and referred to agreements between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in their two informal summits.

    “Occasionally, however, on account of differences in perception of the alignment of the LAC, situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception,” he had said, when asked.

    With inputs from Ananth Krishnan; The Hindu