Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Home Blog Page 1185

Masood Azhar, first accused in Pulwama chargesheet still sheltered by Pak: MEA

Masood Azhar

New Delhi (NVI): India today hit out at Pakistan for sheltering Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, the main accused in 2019 Pulwama attack, saying that enough evidence has been shared but Islamabad continues to evade responsibility. 

The Ministry of External Affairs statement came just two days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge-sheet against Masood Azhar, his brother Rauf Asghar and 17 other accused in connection with the February 2019 terror attack at Pulwama in South Kashmir that claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel.

“The charge sheet has been filed after investigation of an year and half since the attack took place on 14 February 2019. It has been filed to address the act of terrorism and to bring perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice. Our aim is not to simply issue statements or notifications,” MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava said while addressing the weekly media briefing here.

“Jaish e Mohammad had claimed the responsibility of Pulwama attack. The organization and its leadership is in Pakistan.  It is regrettable that Masood Azhar, the first accused in the chargesheet continues to find shelter in Pakistan. Enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan but it continues to evade responsibility,” he said.

Srivastava also added that Pakistan has not yet taken any credible action against perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack of 2008 which resulted in loss of 165 innocent lives including 25 foreign nationals.

Parl panel suggests steps to boost agricultural, marine exports

Agriculture

New Delhi (NVI): Parliamentary Panel on Ministry of Commerce and Industry has made recommendations to the ministry to undertake renewed efforts for exploring new overseas markets for promoting export of agricultural, marine and plantation commodities.

The panel, chaired by YSR Congress leader Vijaysai Reddy, has highlighted India’s position as one of the leading producers of cereals, fruits, vegetables, spices, milk, sugar, seafood products, in the world due to its varied agro-climatic conditions capable of producing diverse crops, to boost exports specifically amid of COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee made these recommendations in its report submitted to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu yesterday.

The panel also recommended permitting regulated foreign direct investment in the tobacco sector and establishing export-only tobacco farms to boost outward shipments.

According to the report, the committee is of the opinion that the FDI in the tobacco sector in a regulated manner would stimulate the production and processing of Indian tobacco, thereby boosting its export.

While voicing concern over low share of export of agricultural commodities as compared to their total production, the panel also called for renewed focus on post harvest infrastructure ,supply chain, value addition and exploring new overseas markets for promoting export of agricultural, marine and plantation commodities sector.

The panel underscored the significant role of Agriculture Export Policy in doubling farmers’ income and integrating the agriculture sector with the global value chain. It also suggested restructuring of the Spices Board and to explore the feasibility of fixing a minimum support price for turmeric crops.

In addition to this, the committee noted that India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world with production of 311.7 million tonnes. Indian dairy market is among the largest and fastest growing markets in the world. India is the largest producer of milk in the world.

Observing the growing prospects of exports in horticulture and dairy sector especially in the processed segment (processed fruits, juices, vegetables, dairy products) and the constraining issue of tariff and non-tariff barriers, the Committee recommended ensuring compliance to the international quality, sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards.

It has also urged the Department of Commerce to expedite the implementation of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system to reduce the high procedural costs and timelines involved in exports for ensuring ease of doing business.

Furthermore, referring to the vast potential in harvesting marine resources due to India’s long coastline, the Committee made suggestions to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) to undertake measures for value-addition and quality standards, establishing testing laboratories near marine processing centres, modernize dilapidated fishing harbours, upgradation of post-harvest infrastructure, devising specific scheme for Tuna Fish production and its export given its huge potential, appropriate incentives to the marine exporters.

India’s position as the 7th largest producer of coffee in the world with exports amounting to 75 per cent of the total coffee produced in the country. Referring to the considerable decline in coffee exports since 2017-18, the Committee stressed upon the need of framing export-centric strategies for expanding coffee production in both traditional and non-traditional areas, value addition, marketing and brand promotion to spur export.

It also desired to ensure the export promotion of five Geographical Indication (GI) varieties of Indian coffee, namely, Araku Valley Arabica, Wayanad Robusta, Coorg Arabica, Chikmangalur Arabica and Bababudangiri Arabica coffee in international markets.

These measures for promoting exports in agricultural and plantation sectors assume more significance in the context of COVID-19 pandemic and the adverse impact of the pandemic on the export front, which would require concerted measures by the Government and other stakeholders.

In this regard, the panel also urged the Government to play a proactive role in international trade/economic forums in strengthening multilateralism and ensuring fair world trade governance in the post-Covid19 phase.

-CHK/ARK

UP minister tests COVID-19 positive

Sidharth Nath Singh

New Delhi (NVI): Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Sidharth Nath Singh today tested positive for coronavirus, joining the list of BJP leaders affected by the deadly illness.

Sidharth Singh, 56, tweeted that his health is fine and has isolated himself at home.

“On getting the initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine and with the advice of doctors, I have isolated myself at home. I request that all of you, who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please get yourself checked,” Singh tweeted in Hindi.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus epidemic hit the Uttar Pradesh government hard this month as two of its Cabinet Ministers – Kamala Rani Varun and Chetan Chauhan – died of the disease within days.

-CHK

28 trillion tonnes of ice lost from Earth’s surface in less than 30 years: Report

New Delhi (NVI): A total of 28 trillion tonnes of ice have disappeared from the surface of the Earth since 1994, according to a latest report.

The scientists – based at Leeds and Edinburgh universities and University College London – describe the level of ice loss as “staggering” and warn that their analysis indicates that sea level rises, triggered by melting glaciers and ice sheets, could reach a metre by the end of the century.

The review paper, called Earth’s Ice Imbalance was published in the journal Cryosphere Discussions states that ice loss has increased by 49 per cent over the past 24 years compared to the 1990s and earlier.

UK scientists who have analysed satellite surveys of the planet’s poles, mountains and glaciers to measure how much ice coverage lost because of global heating triggered by rising greenhouse gas emissions stated, “To put that in context, every centimetre of sea level rise means about a million people will be displaced from their low-lying homelands.”

The group studied satellite surveys of glaciers in South America, Asia, Canada and other regions; sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic; ice sheets that cover the ground in Antarctica and Greenland; and ice shelves that protrude from the Antarctic mainland into the sea. The study covered the years 1994 to 2017.

To put the losses experienced into context, 28 trillion tonnes of ice would cover the entire surface of the UK with a sheet of frozen water that is 100 metres thick.

The scientists also warn that the melting of ice in these quantities is now seriously reducing the planet’s ability to reflect solar radiation back into space.

White ice is disappearing and the dark sea or soil exposed beneath it is absorbing more and more heat, further increasing the warming of the planet.

In addition, cold fresh water pouring from melting glaciers and ice sheets is causing major disruptions to the biological health of Arctic and Antarctic waters, while loss of glaciers in mountain ranges threatens to wipe out sources of fresh water on which local communities depend.

The level of ice loss revealed by the group of scientists matches the worst-case-scenario predictions outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The researchers’ conclusion is that all the regions have suffered devastating reductions in ice cover in the past three decades and these losses are continuing.

In the case of the melting ice sheet in Antarctica, rising sea temperatures have been the main driver while increasing atmospheric temperatures have been the cause of ice loss from inland glaciers such as those in the Himalayas.

However, in Greenland, ice loss has been triggered by a combination of both sea and atmospheric temperatures increasing.

-CHK

Balochistan condemns arrest of activist Tanveer Ahmed in PoK

New Delhi (NVI): Several Baloch activists have condemned the arrest of journalist Tanveer Ahmed who was arrested and tortured by Pakistani agencies and security forces on Friday after he removed Pakistan’s flag from a popular public place in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

They have also demanded the release of JKLF member Safeer Kashmiri in PoK, saying that they are facing similar problems and brutalities at the hands of Pakistan in Balochistan.

Dr Allah Nizar Baloch, a Baloch medical professional has expressed solidarity with the people of PoK who are being suppressed and humiliated by Pakistani forces for raising their voices in the region.

“I strongly condemn the arrest of Tanveer Ahmed and Safeer Kashmiri in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (PoK). We support and appreciate their struggle because we are facing similar problems and brutalities by Pakistan in Balochistan,” he tweeted.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, Tanveer can be seen bringing down a Pakistani flag at Maqbool Bhat Shaheed Chowk in Dadyal area in PoK.

According to media reports, Tanveer Ahmed was on a hunger strike for a few days demanding the removal of Pakistani flags in Dadyal. When the local administration failed to do so, he went on to remove the flags himself.

The activist had also claimed that he is being followed by the secret agencies. He was later mishandled and threatened by the security agencies. In a video, the security forces and policemen were seen dragging the journalist to a police vehicle.

Following his arrest, people in Dadyal came out on streets in large numbers and demanded his immediate release.

In another protest in PoK’s Muzaffarabad, local residents held a torch rally against the illegal construction of dams by Chinese firms on Neelum-Jhelum River on Monday.

Over a thousand people from Muzaffarabad city and other parts of PoK attended the rally, shouting slogans against the illegal construction of dams. The protesters highlighted environmental impacts caused by the dams constructed by Pakistan and China.

The people in PoK, just like those in Balochistan have been demanding a free state, following years of brutality and torture at the hands of Pakistan military and authorities.

Both Balochistan and PoK suffer mass plundering by Pakistan and China now as they have been trying to exploit the natural resources in these areas through any means.

In 2015, Beijing announced the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is part of its intercontinental Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with an aim to expand its influence in Pakistan and across Central and South Asia. CPEC includes plans to create road, rail and oil pipeline links to improve connectivity between China and the Middle East via Pakistan.

Pakistan has also been grappling with a severe economic crisis, so it is seeing CPEC as a golden opportunity to revive its economy by providing China access to Middle East.

Pakistan’s growing hunger to exploit natural resources in the garb of development and China’s growing footprint in Balochistan and PoK has irked the locals who have been demanding freedom from Pakistan’s occupancy for years now.

-ARK

Citriodiol, ingredient in insect repellent can kill COVID-19: Study

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): An active ingredient “Citriodiol” found in insect repellent can kill strain of coronavirus, according to a new study.

Scientists at UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), determined that, a Citriodiol based spray can help fight against coronavirus in a preliminary study.

However, the insect repellents which contains Citriodiol are not believed to be enough alone to protect people from the virus.

Experts suggested that people should use it with face masks, acting as an additional protective layer against the deadly virus. These products could also be used in other health recommendations, such as handwashing.

The US Environmental Protection Agency already approved the use of Citriodiol, which is made from the leaves and twigs of the eucalyptus citriodora tree which is found in Asia, South America and Africa.

According to reports, the insect repellents containing Citriodiol were already provided to Britain’s armed forces since it can be used as an additional protection.

Although there is not enough research to show its effectiveness, the armed forces already saved insect repellents’ stocks and figured it was worth trying as protection against COVID-19.

Jacqueline Watson, managing director of Citrefine, which produces the naturally sourced active ingredient, previously said she was optimistic that it could help stop the spread of the virus.

“What we can say is that we do feel there is a very good chance it could work against this virus but it does of course need to be thoroughly tested,” she said.

-RJV

Peatlands are key to stopping climate change, but they are thawing: Report

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): Peatlands cover just a few percent of the global land area but they store almost one-quarter of all soil carbon and so play a crucial role in regulating the climate.

Large areas of perennially frozen (permafrost) peatlands are thawing, causing them to rapidly release the freeze-locked carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and methane, according to a latest report by geoscientists.

Geoscientists have studied peatlands for a long time. They’ve looked at why some areas have peat but others don’t and they’ve looked at how peatlands work as natural archives through which we can reconstruct what the climate and vegetation was like in the past.

Scientists have also long recognised that peatlands are important parts of the global carbon cycle and the climate. When plants grow they absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and as this material accumulates in the peat, there is less carbon in the atmosphere and therefore the climate will cool in the long-term.

Peatlands form in areas where waterlogged conditions slow down the decomposition of plant material and peat accumulates. This accumulation of carbon-rich plant remains has been especially strong in northern tundra and taiga areas where they have helped cool the global climate for more than 10,000 years.

These peatlands cover approximately 3.7 million square kilometres around the globe. If it were a country, “Peatland” would be slightly larger than India.

Almost half of this northern peatland carbon is presently in permafrost, ground that is frozen all year round. But, as the world warms and permafrost thaws, it causes peatlands to collapse and completely changes how they relate to greenhouse gases.

Areas that once cooled the atmosphere by storing carbon would instead release more of both CO₂ and methane than they stored.

These peatlands also store approximately 415 gigatons (billion tons) of carbon – as much as is stored in all the world’s forests and trees together.

The thaw projected from future global warming will cause releases of greenhouse gas that overshadow and reverse the carbon dioxide sink of all northern peatlands for several hundred years. The exact timing of this switch is still highly uncertain, but it is likely to happen in the later half of this century.

There are regions of very extensive permafrost peatlands in Western Siberia and around Hudson Bay in Canada. These unique environments and ecosystems will be fundamentally changed as the permafrost thaws, and their characteristic mix of frozen peat mounds and small lakes will be replaced by extensive areas of wet fens.

These changes will cause more CO₂ and methane to be released into the atmosphere as the previously frozen peat becomes available for microbes that degrade it.

The thaw will also lead to large losses of peat into rivers and streams, which will influence both the food chains and biochemistry of inland waters and the Arctic Ocean.

These new finding further reinforce how urgent it is to rapidly reduce our emissions, as the only way to stop permafrost thaw is to limit global warming.

-CHK

Govt approves 78 new air routes under UDAN 4.0

Philippines
Representative image

New Delhi (NVI): The Civil Aviation Ministry today approved 78 new air routes under the 4th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme — Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), to enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country.

The North-East Region, hilly states and islands have been given priority in the approval process for the new routes.

“Special boost is being given to connectivity in North East with routes from Guwahati to Tezu, Rupsi, Tezpur, Passighat, Misa and Shillong. People will be able to fly from Hissar to Chandigarh, Dehradun and Dharmshala under these UDAN 4 routes,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.

Routes from Varanasi to Chitrakoot and Shravasti have also been approved Agatti, Kavaratti and Minicoy islands of Lakshadweep have also been connected by the new routes of UDAN 4.0, it added.

So far, 766 routes have been sanctioned under the UDAN scheme. Of these 29 served, 8 unserved (including 2 heliports and 1 water aerodrome), and 2 underserved airports have been included in the list for approved routes.

The 4th round of UDAN was launched in December last year with a special focus on North-Eastern Regions, Hilly States, and Islands.

The airports that had already been developed by AAI are given higher priority for the award of VGF(Viability Gap Funding) under the Scheme, the Ministry said, adding that, under UDAN 4, the operation of helicopter and seaplanes is also been incorporated.

Since its inception, MoCA has operationalized 274 UDAN routes that have connected 45 airports and 3 heliports, it added.

The ministry further stated some of the approved RCS routes which include — Guwahati to Tezu, Tezu to Imphal, Hissar to Dehradun and Rupsi to Kolkata.

While Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh; Rupsi, Assam; Bilaspur, Chattisgarh; and Hisar, Haryana are among the unserved airports, Agatti, Lakshadweep and Passighat, Arunachal Pradesh are listed in underserved airports.

The list of new approved RCS routes

However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had launched Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) in October, 2016 to stimulate regional air connectivity and making air travel affordable to the masses.

-RJV

COVID-19: Former legislator among 9 fresh casualties in J&K; toll 677

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): The novel coronavirus today claimed lives of 9 more people, including a former legislator of Legislative Council, taking the total number of Covid-related deaths to 677 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Health officials said that the nine patients who have died of Covid-19 include a former Member Legislative Council (MLC) from Kathua district of Jammu, an elderly woman from Gadi-Garh area of Jammu, 95-year-old man from Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar, a 60-year-old male from Fateh Kadal, Srinagar, a 45-year-old woman from Pandach, Srinagar, a 58 year-old woman from Hajan, Pulwama, a 56-year-old woman from Waterwani, Budgam, a 45-year-old woman from Khan Sahib, Budgam and a 56-year-old male from Narbal, Budgam.

An official from Jammu said that two persons including the former MLC from Kathua district and an elderly woman from Gadi Garh area of Jammu died of COVID-19 today in Jammu.

He said that the former MLC was admitted at a hospital in Kathua after he developed health related issues and breathed his last early this morning.

An official from SMHS Srinagar said that a patient from Khan Sahib, Budgam, who was admitted on August 25 with issues of hypertension and bilateral Pneumonia, a patient from Narbal Budgam who was admitted with hypertension, chronic kidney disease and Pneumonia on August 25 and a patient from Fateh Kadal, Srinagar, who was admitted on August 17, with CKD, and bilateral Pneumonia died at SMHS today.

An official from SKIMS, Soura, said that a patient from Pandach, Srinagar, who was admitted on August 25, a patient from Kangan, Pulwama who was admitted on August 18 and a patient from Waterwani, Budgam, who was admitted on August 19 died today.

An official from CD hospital said that a patient from Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar, who was admitted on August 13 and tested positive for coronavirus died on Wednesday evening.

With nine more deaths, the number of people who have died of deadly virus in the Union Territory so far have reached 677 out of which 621 deaths have been reported from Kashmir division and 56 from Jammu division.

Experts have been continuously appealing to the people of Kashmir to follow Covid-19 protocols which includes wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing to prevent spread of the virus.

The experts in Srinagar have warned that if people continue to take Covid-19 lightly, the situation will turn into a big health disaster where even doctors won’t be able to control it.

-CHK

Jose DSa tests coronavirus positive

Jose DSa

New Delhi (NVI): Goa’s director of health services Jose DSa tested positive for coronavirus today and is admitted in a private hospital near Panaji.

DSa was taken to the hospital after he complained of cough and fever. He later tested positive for COVID-19 following an antigen test.

The Directorate Of Health Services is the key government agency at the forefront of the state’s COVID-19 management and is under pressure from opposition parties over its handling of the COVID-19 situation.

In addition to this, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said that with DSa testing COVID-19 positive and getting himself admitted to a private hospital, it was proven that the state government apparatus for fighting the pandemic was in shambles.

Goa has registered over 15,000 COVID-19 cases till now. The total cases include 11,511 discharges, 165 deaths and 3,351 active cases.

-RJV

1...1,1841,1851,186...1,730Page 1,185 of 1,730

MUST READ