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Another encounter starts in south Kashmir’s Pulwama

July 18 Shopian encounter: Army completes summary of evidence
An encounter site in Kashmir (File Pic)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Another encounter between militants and security forces is underway in Babhara area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police officials said.

This is the second encounter since morning in Kashmir. Earlier, an encounter started in Pattan area of north Kashmir where one unidentified militant has been while an army officer sustained injuries. The Pattan gunfight was still underway when this report was filed.

On the fresh Pulwama encounter, a security official said that a joint team of Police, Army and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on specific information about the presence of militants in the area.

He said that as the joint teams of forces moved towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them which was retaliated, triggering an encounter.

A senior police officer said that an exchange of fire between forces and militants was on. Sources said that two to three militants are believed to be trapped in the area.

This year, over 160 militants have been killed in various encounters. According to IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar, top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and other outfits were among the terrorists eliminated by forces and this has created a leadership vacuum in the militant ranks in the Valley.

-ARK

ICG ships deployed to contain fire in oil tanker rescue 22 crew, 1 missing

New Delhi (NVI): Indian Coast Guard (ICG) today rescued 22 out of 23 crew members from oil tanker ‘MT New Diamond’ off the east coast of Sri Lanka, after it was deployed for firefighting and Search and Rescue (SAR) operations on Thursday.

The search for one missing crew member (Filipino) is underway. The rescue operation is being jointly carried out by Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, ICG ships, and Sri Lankan Navy, and two emergency towing vessels deployed by India, according to ICG.

The Indian Coast Guard took to twitter in this regard and stated, “Concerted joint #SAR & #FireFighting efforts by ICG Ships, SL Navy & tugs resulted in rescue of 22 out of 23 crew safely. Search for 01 missing crew (Filipino) in progress. No oil spill reported in area. 02 Emergency Towing Vessels being deployed by GoI for #MTNewDiamond.”

Furthermore, ICG firefighting ships successfully doused the fire earlier this morning.

So far no oil spill has been reported in area, the officials said.

The Coast Guard yesterday diverted ICG Ships Shaurya, Sarang and Samudra Paheredar, besides a Dornier aircraft for firefighting and rescue operation, after Sri Lankan Navy sought their assistance.

-CHK

Bilateral maritime exercise between Indian and Russian Navy begins in Bay of Bengal

Indian Navy has deployed guided missile destroyer Ranvijay, indigenous frigate Sahyadri and fleet tanker Shakti

New Delhi (NVI): The 11th edition of exercise ‘INDRA NAVY’, a biennial bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy commenced today in Bay of Bengal.

The exercise INDRA NAVY was started in 2003, it epitomises the long-term strategic relationship between the two Navies.

“Whilst the exercise is being undertaken in the Bay of Bengal, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is on a visit to Moscow on the invitation of Defence Minister of the Russian Federation, General Sergei Shoigu to discuss bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual interest and commemoration of the 75th anniversary of victory in World War II,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.

The primary aim of exercise INDRA NAVY-20 is to further consolidate inter-operability built up by the two Navies over the years and also to enhance understanding and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations. The scope of this edition includes wide-ranging and diverse activities across the spectrum of maritime operations, it added.

Due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the two-day naval exercise would be undertaken in a ‘non-contact, at sea only’ format.

The Indian Navy has deployed guided missile destroyer Ranvijay, indigenous frigate Sahyadri and fleet tanker Shakti, along with their integral helicopters. However, Sahyadri has been presently redeployed to provide assistance to MT New Diamond, which has caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka.

Moreover, the Russian Federation Navy is being represented by destroyer Admiral Vinogradov, destroyer Admiral Tributs and fleet tanker Boris Butoma of the Pacific Fleet, based at Vladivostok, the Indian Navy said.

The exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices between the two navies, and would involve surface and anti-aircraft drills, firing exercises, helicopter operations, seamanship evolutions etc. The last edition of the exercise was conducted off Visakhapatnam in December 2018.

Indian Navy also said, the exercise INDRA NAVY-20 will help to further boost mutual confidence and cooperation between the two Navies and would reinforce the long-standing bond of friendship between the two countries.

-RJV

Situation at LAC tense but Army ready for any eventuality: Gen Naravane

Army chief taking a first-hand review of logistics infrastructure at a forward base during his visit to Eastern Ladakh.

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Army chief General MM Naravane today said that the situation along LAC in Eastern Ladakh is “slightly tense”, but the Indian Army has taken ample precautionary steps to thwart any further misadventure by Chinese troops and safeguard India’s territorial integrity in the region.

“The situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is slightly tense but all the precautions for the safety and security have been taken to ensure that our (India’s) integrity remains safeguarded,” the Army Chief said.

“Our (Indian) officers and soldiers are the finest in the world and will make the entire nation proud,” he added.

Gen. Naravane is on a two-day visit to Ladakh since yesterday to review the operational preparedness in the wake of fresh incursion attempts by the Chinese Army, in a bid to change status quo at Pangong Tso lake.

Speaking to a selected group of reporters in Leh, the Army chief said that that the situation has been tense for the last two to three months in Eastern Ladakh but India has been engaging with China both at military and diplomatic levels. “The engagement will continue in future to pacify the current situation at (LAC),” he said.

Naravane said that the “morale of jawans is high and they are ready to deal with all challenges that may arise.”

He also said that through the medium of talks, issues will be resolved and whatever the differences “We (India and China)  have, will ensure that the status quo is not changed. We are able to safeguard our interests.”

Pertinently, the situation in Eastern Ladakh worsened in June this year after the Indian Army lost 20 soldiers including a Colonel level officer in a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley. Around 76 Indian soldiers were left injured during the bloody skirmishes with China’s PLA, during the first round of the de-escalation process in the area.

The last weekend witnessed fresh skirmishes along LAC in Eastern Ladakh as the Chinese troops made an attempt to change the status quo on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) but it was thwarted by the Indian Army. The incident took place on the intervening night of last Saturday and Sunday.

On top of that, the Chinese troops again engaged in “provocative action” along the LAC on Monday, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation. That brazen attempt too was thwarted by the alert Indian troops.

-ARK

Need to prevent youth from taking wrong path of terrorism: PM

PM Narendra Modi interacting with the IPS probationers

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the youth of the country need to be prevented from taking the wrong path of joining terrorist groups in Kashmir at an early stage itself.

PM Modi proposed that women officers can be more helpful in making the youth understand the outcome of joining the terror groups and stop them from doing so.

The Prime Minister was interacting virtually with IPS probationers during the ‘Dikshant Parade Event’ at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad.

He further said, “The human face of the khaki uniform has been engraved within the public reminiscence because of the good work performed by police specifically throughout the coronavirus pandemic,” and asked them to respect their job and uniform.

“Yours is a profession where the factor of encountering something unexpected is very high and all of you must be alert and prepared for this. There is a higher degree of stress and which is why it is important to keep speaking with your near and dear ones. From time to time, maybe on a day off, meet someone like a teacher or someone whose advice you value,” PM Modi said during his address.

During the interaction, the prime minister highlighted the importance of Yoga for those working under stressful conditions. “Yoga and Pranayam is good for all those working under stress. If you do any work from your heart, you will always benefit. You will never feel stressed no matter how much work is there.”

PM Modi said he regularly interacts with young IPS officers who have graduated from the academy but was unable to meet them this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “But I’m sure that during my tenure, I will surely meet you all at some point,” he said.

This year, 131 IPS probationers, including 28 women, have completed their 42 weeks of basic course phase-I training at the academy.

The IPS probationers joined the academy on December 17, 2018, after completing their foundation course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie and at Dr Marri Channa Reddy HRD Institute of Telangana, Hyderabad.

-CHK

TN: 7 killed in blast at fireworks factory

(Source: @twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): At least seven people were killed and four others suffered injuries in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district today.

The incident happened at Kurungudi village in Kattumannarkoil, 190 km from state capital Chennai. The blast completely damaged the building, the officials said.

They also said the fireworks factory unit owner has also died in the explosion.

Meanwhile, police and rescue teams have been rushed to the accident site and a probe has been launched to find out what caused the explosion. More details are awaited.

-RJV

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in India has reached 39,36,747, after 83,341 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The country’s death toll has gone up to 68,472 after 1,096 new fatalities were reported in the country during this period.

In worst-hit Maharashtra, the coronavirus cases climbed to 8,43,844, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 4,65,730 cases, and Tamil Nadu with 4,45,851 cases.

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 3,223

Andhra Pradesh- 4,65,730

Arunachal Pradesh- 4,574

Assam- 1,18,333

Bihar- 1,42,967

Chandigarh- 5,065

Chhattisgarh- 37,967

Dadra Nagar Haveli & Diu – 2,450

Delhi- 1,82,306

Gujarat- 1,00,213

Goa- 19,355

Haryana– 70,099

Himachal Pradesh- 6,615

Jammu and Kashmir- 39,943

Jharkhand- 46,480

Karnataka- 3,70,206

Kerala- 79,625

Ladakh- 2,840

Madhya Pradesh- 68,586

Maharashtra- 8,43,844

Manipur- 6,609

Meghalaya- 2,626

Mizoram- 1,040

Nagaland- 4,066

Odisha- 1,13,411

Puducherry- 15,581

Punjab- 58,515

Rajasthan- 86,227

Sikkim- 1,738

Tamil Nadu- 4,45,851

Telangana- 1,35,884

Tripura- 13,816

Uttarakhand- 22,180

Uttar Pradesh- 2,47,101

West Bengal – 1,71,681

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 48

Andhra Pradesh- 4,200

Arunachal Pradesh- 7

Assam- 330

Bihar- 672

Chandigarh- 63

Chhattisgarh- 315

Dadra and Nagar Haveli- 2

Delhi- 4,500

Goa- 212

Gujarat- 3,062

Haryana- 740

Himachal Pradesh- 48

Jammu and Kashmir- 743

Jharkhand- 444

Karnataka- 6,054

Kerala- 315

Ladakh- 35

Madhya Pradesh- 1,483

Maharashtra- 25,586

Manipur- 32

Meghalaya- 13

Nagaland- 9

Odisha- 522

Puducherry- 260

Punjab- 1,690

Rajasthan- 1,095

Sikkim- 4

Tamil Nadu- 7,608

Telangana- 866

Tripura- 129

Uttar Pradesh- 3,691

Uttarakhand- 300

West Bengal- 3,394

However, a total of 30,37,151 people have been cured or discharged. Total active cases stand at 8,31,154.

-CHK

Odisha to start river cruises to boost tourism sector

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The Odisha government announced that it is planning to start river cruises on public private partnership (PPP) mode to revive the tourism sector amid COVID-19 pandemic.

During a virtual meeting with industry experts and stakeholders, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy directed the tourism department to chalk out modalities while exploring possibilities of innovative tourism activities.

“River cruise is compatible with COVID-19 restrictions. There is a huge scope and latent market for world class river cruising in Odisha. It can also be connected with many eco-spots and refill the economic activities in the sector,” Tripathy said.

Tourism Secretary Vishal Dev said that presently three principal river cruise circuits can be developed in the state.

These are river Mahanadi, Chilika lake and in water bodies in reserve forest near Dangamala including the national water way-5 from Dhamara to Paradip, he added.

Bhitarkanika circuit can connect the spots like Chandbali-Aradi-Dhamara-Khola to other spots in Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary. This circuit can be a five nights and six days cruise.

Similarly, Chilika circuit can connect Chilika, Kalijai-Nalabana-Honeymoon island-Mangalajodi-Satapada-Rajhans island-Satapada and Puri. It could be a three night and four days cruise.

Furthermore, the meeting deliberated for organizing this activity through public private partnership (PPP) mode. The issues relating to various regulatory permissions, compliance to pollution norms, river jetties and bar license were also discussed at the meeting.

The chief secretary said the government will provide all facilitating support for this activity. He also asked tourism department to coordinate with Inland Waterways Authority regarding statutory requirements.

However, the state PPP cell was advised to work out the details in consultation with department of Tourism and Odisha Tourism Development Corporation.

Odisha logged 3,631 new coronavirus cases and 8 deaths in the last 24 hours, which have taken the state’s tally to 1,13,411.

-RJV

Coronavirus cases exceed 26.2 mn globally; Brazil cases pass 4 mn

Coronavirus cases

New Delhi (NVI): More than 26.2 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and at least 8,68,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. Some 17.3 million people have recovered.

In Brazil, the coronavirus infections surpassed the 4 million-mark while the number of fatalities are nearing 1,25,000.

Mexico’s health ministry on Thursday reported 5,937 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 513 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 6,16,894 cases and 66,329 deaths.

In the US, the total number of COVID cases have exceeded 6.15 million while the death toll has crossed 1,86,000 in the country.

More than 1,00,000 people in Spain have tested positive for the novel coronavirus over the past two weeks, according to the ministry of health. Nearly 9,000 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours were added to the tally that has surged to 4,88,513 confirmed cases.

The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus passed 50,000 in the Middle East, based on official numbers provided by health authorities.

France has registered more than 7,000 new coronavirus infections over 24 hours for the second time in two days, the health ministry said, just shy of a 7,578 record set on March 31, while hospitalisations for the virus also rose again. The health ministry reported that the cumulative total of confirmed cases rose to 3,00,181, up by 7,157.

Norway has said it will impose a 10-day quarantine on all people arriving from Italy and Slovenia from September 5 due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in those countries.

The United Kingdom has recorded 1,735 daily confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to government data published on Thursday, up from 1,508 a day earlier and the highest since June 4.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 782 to 2,46,948.

-CHK

India’s COVID tally over 39 lakh; death toll 68,472

corona
(File/Representational image)

New Delhi (NVI): India’s coronavirus tally crossed 39-lakh mark and stands at 39,36,747, with the confirmation of single-day spike of 83,341 positive cases in the past 24 hours.

The country’s death toll has gone up to 68,472 with 1,096 new fatalities being reported during this period, Union Health Ministry said.

As many as 30,37,152 patients have been cured and recovered all over the country while active cases stands at 8,31,124. With this, the recovery rate in India rises to 77.15 per cent from yesterday’s 77.09 per cent.

In worst-hit Maharashtra, the coronavirus cases climbed to 8,43,844, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 4,65,730 cases, and Tamil Nadu with 4,45,851 cases.

The other worst high virus hit states are Karnataka (3,70,206), Uttar Pradesh (2,47,101) and Delhi (1,82,306).

Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of fatalities at 25,586 followed by 7,608 deaths in Tamil Nadu.

The death toll in the national capital rose to 4,500, while 1,60,114 patients in Delhi have recovered so far, the healthy ministry data shows.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 4,66,79,145 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to September 3 with 11,69,765 samples being tested yesterday.

Notably, the government yesterday defended its decision to open up various economic activities amid rising COVID-19 cases, saying it firmly believes that while lives are important, livelihoods are equally important.

-RJV

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