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FATF puts Pakistan on notice on terror issue

New Delhi (NVI) : Global anti-terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) today put Pakistan on notice as it warned of action if it fails to prosecute and penalise on terror funding acts by June this year.
Pakistan is already in ‘Grey’ list (implying watchlist) and further action will be placing it in the ‘Black’ list. If that happens, Pakistan will be barred from aid or loan from international institutions like World Bank and IMF.
After a four-day meeting, the FATF said today that all deadlines given to Pakistan to check terror-funding had ended and it failed to complete its action plan in line with agreed timeline.
Pakistan failed to check terror-funding risks emanating from its jurisdiction, it said in a statement.
The FATF said Pakistan, till now, has largely addressed only 14 of 27 action items.

Meet Nadiya Nighat, Kashmir’s first female football coach

Nadiya Nighat

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI): 21-year-old Nadiya Nighat has defied all stereotypes to become the first female football coach from Kashmir. Been in the spotlight for quite some time now, she is inspiring young girls in the Valley to get into the sport, despite all odds.

Nadiya, who draws inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, has won 10 national and state-level awards in football and got trained to be a coach with the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA). In 2015, she was also awarded the title of ‘Best Referee’ by the All India Football Association.

Nadiya’s jersey number is JJ7, the same as Ronaldo’s jersey number and is also the name of her football club where she trains under-19 girls and boys teams.

She has been associated with a homegrown football club Lone Star FC for the last two years and has been handling an important post of assistant coach for the club.

She, along with the team management has embarked on a mission to prepare the Lone Star FC to qualify for India’s prestigious I-League.

Nadiya’s journey into football has been not less than a fairy tale. Once a cricket freak, Nadiya landed into the world of football because of her madness of trying to kick a tennis ball every time she played cricket with the boys in her locality.

“When I was 11-year-old, I had interest in cricket. I would mostly find happiness in being a fielder rather than bowling or batting. When a ball would approach towards me, I would kick it with my feet, which I somehow subconsciously used to consider a football,” Nadiya said.

Nadiya professionally started playing football after 2007, after she was noticed by an 80-year-old football Coach Mohammad Abdullah, while she was playing a random football match in her local area at Rambagh.

“The coach took me to Amar Singh College Academy and began my training there. I was the only girl among 47 boys,” Nadiya mentioned.

Nadiya played her first match as a professional footballer in 2010.

“I was an amateur footballer then and was selected for under-19 national team. Coach replaced a top footballer with me in the last 10 minutes and I managed to score a goal against Punjab in the nail-biting minutes of the game,” Nadiya said.

“Initially, even my family wouldn’t support me. People used to pass comments on me when I would leave for football practice. But now my family, as well as people in my locality, have started supporting me,” she said.

Nadiya credits her success to her coach, Muhammad Abdullah, who she said has always helped her professionally and personally to grow as a professional footballer.

A tough taskmaster, Nadiya is now training her 30 wards, including both girls and boys, at a football academy in Srinagar’s Rambagh.

Rajnath lays foundation stone of new Army HQ bldg at Delhi

New Delhi (NVI): The Indian Army is set to have its new Headquarters in Delhi, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today laying the foundation stone for it in the Cantonment area here.

Addressing soldiers during the ‘Bhumi Pujan’ ceremony, the Defence Minister said, “All the departments of the Army, as well as the Department of Military Affairs, will now come under one roof.”

The Defence Minister was referring to the creation of the Department of Military Affairs. As part of the development, the Defence Ministry has decided to move out of its iconic South Block office at Raisina Hill in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan to Delhi Cantonment. The new building will be near Maneskshaw Centre.

Singh added that the new building will play a significant role in saving valuable resources and contribute to administrative efficiency. The Raksha Mantri termed the foundation stone of the new building as a ‘source of inspiration that will remind the people of the country about the sacrifices made by our soldiers’.

The new building, proposed in an area of 39 acres, has been conceptualised as a multi-storey green building, adopting green rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) norms.

These noncommunicable diseases are the biggest killers

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

Every year, at least 15 million people die from a noncommunicable disease between the ages of 30 and 69 years. over 85% of these “premature” deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, as per a WHO report.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behaviours factors.

The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.

Children, adults and the elderly are all vulnerable to the risk factors contributing to NCDs, whether from unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, exposure to tobacco, smoke or the harmful use of alcohol.

NCDs are driven by forces that include rapid unplanned urbanization, globalization of unhealthy lifestyles and population ageing. Unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity may show up in people as raised blood pressure, increased blood glucose, elevated blood lipids and obesity.

These are called metabolic risk factors that can lead to cardiovascular disease, the leading NCD in terms of premature deaths.

Poverty is closely linked with NCDs. The rapid rise in NCDs is predicted to impede poverty reduction initiatives in low-income countries, particularly by increasing household costs associated with health care.

NCDs pose as a threat towards the progress of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a target of reducing premature deaths from NCDs by one-third by 2030.

An important way to control NCDs is to focus on reducing the risk factors associated with these diseases. Monitoring progress and trends of NCDs and their risk is important for guiding policy and priorities.

Nirbhaya convict moves EC

Nirbhaya case convict, Vinay Sharma

New Delhi (NVI): Vinay Sharma, one of the four convicts on death row in the Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case has approached the Election Commission to challenge the rejection of his mercy petition.

Sharma told EC that Model Code of Conduct was in place in Delhi at the time when his mercy plea was rejected by Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. He claimed before the poll body that Sisodia was ineligible to quash his plea at that time.

Sharma’s lawyer, AP Singh has further argued that the digital signature of Manish Sisodia was needed and a screenshot received through WhatsApp was used to reject the mercy petition.

Convict Vinay Sharma has now challenged the Delhi government. The mercy petition is forwarded by the Delhi government to the Lt Governor, and finally to the President of India who rejects or accepts it.

Earlier today, Vinay also moved an application in a Delhi court claiming that he is suffering from mental illness and schizophrenia and needs “high-level treatment”.

Yesterday, he attempted to hurt himself by banging his head on his cell wall in Tihar Jail.

The court sought a response from the jail authorities and posted the matter for February 22 for consideration.

Vinay has exhausted all his legal remedies following confirmation of punishment to him along with three other convicts, who are scheduled to be hanged on March 3.

Another convict, Pawan, has not yet availed of the remedy of either curative or mercy petition.

The date of execution, first fixed for January 22, was postponed to February 1 by a January 17 court order. The trial court later on January 31, stayed, “till further orders” the execution of the four convicts, as they had not exhausted all their legal remedies.

On Monday, Patiala House court issued a fresh date for their execution on March 3 at 6 am. They will be hanged at Tihar jail premises.

On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and assaulted inside a moving bus in South Delhi by six persons, before being thrown out on the road. She later died on December 29, 2012, at a hospital in Singapore.

J&K: JeM terrorist associate held in Budgam

woman SPO

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Police today arrested a terrorist associate linked with proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

A checkpoint was established at Khansahib after police got a credible input. Officers at the checkpoint intercepted an individual Saqib Ahmad Lone, resident of Wager Khansahib and incriminating material was recovered from his possession.

As per police records, he is involved in assisting the active terrorists of JeM operating in the areas of Khansahib. He is also involved in providing logistic support, shelter to JeM terrorists operating in the area.

A case under relevant sections of law has been registered in Police Station Khansahib and further investigation in the matter is in progress.

Incriminating materials recovered from his possession have been taken into the record to probe his complicity in terror crimes.

Platform tickets in exchange for squats at this Delhi Rly station

Grabs from the video tweeted by Piyush Goyal

New Delhi (NVI): A fitness machine installed at Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi is providing free platform tickets in exchange of squats (sit-ups). Yes, you read it right! You just need to do a few minutes of exercise on the machine to get a free platform ticket.

In line with the government’s ambition for a Fit India, Indian Railways have now installed the machine at Anand Vihar railway station. Guess what? People at the railway station, if not for fitness, are burning their calories, just for fun.

Similar ‘squat and ride’ machines were installed at Russian railway stations and subway stations in Moscow in 2013, ahead of the Sochi Olympics.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal took to the Twitter today and shared a video of a teenager doing push-ups on the machine at Anand Vihar Railway station. “Fitness ke sath Bachat Bhi (Savings along with fitness),” the minister wrote on the microblogging site.

“A unique experiment has been done to encourage fitness at Delhi’s Anand Vihar railway station. Platform tickets can be taken free of charge after exercising in front of the machine installed here,’ the rail minister said.

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju also the shared Goyal’s tweet and appreciated the unique way adopted by the Indian Railways to promote fitness.

In August last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Fit India’ movement in a bid to make Indians healthier and fitter. The nation-wide movement took social media by storm with celebrities, leaders and people from all walks of life taking up the challenge and uploading their pics, videos during workout sessions.

Bangladesh envoy discusses PM’s Dhaka visit with Jaishankar

India Muhammad Imran with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

New Delhi (NVI): Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran today met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh next month.

PM Modi is set to visit the neighbouring country on March 17 to attend the 100th-anniversary celebration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to be held in Dhaka.

Also known as Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu was born in Tungipara of Gopalganj on March 17, 1920.

Bangladesh will start off the formal celebration of the centenary, known as Mujib Satoborsha 2020-21, on March 17 marking the birthday of Bangabandhu, who led Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Liberation.

During the meeting with Bangladesh envoy today, EAM Jaishankar said Indians remember Bangabandhu with profound respect.

The External Affairs Minister also expressed satisfaction at the robust bilateral relations existing between the two neighbours. “There are lots of respect and goodwill for Bangladeshis in India,” he told the ambassador.

Muhammad Imran also conveyed Dhaka’s appreciation for India’s friendly gesture to evacuate several Bangladeshis stranded in China’s Huwai province in the wake of an outbreak of coronavirus.

Jaishankar assured Imran of his fullest cooperation during his tenure as Bangladesh envoy in India. The envoy also assured Jaishankar of doing his best to take the bilateral relations to a greater height during his tenure.

PM to inaugurate Khelo India Games

surge in Covid cases

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the first-ever Khelo India Games in the country, in Bhubaneswar tomorrow.

The PM will be addressing the opening ceremony via video conferencing.

The Khelo India University Games are being launched by the Government of India in association with the Government of the Odisha.

The Khelo India Programme, a brainchild of the Prime Minister was introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in the country and establish India as a great sporting nation.

The Khelo India University Games will be held from February 22 to March 1, 2020, at Bhubaneswar.

This is the largest ever competition held at a university level in India and will have about 3,500 athletes from over 150 universities across the country taking part in it.

There will be a total of 17 sports namely archery, athletics, boxing, fencing, judo, swimming, weightlifting, wrestling, badminton, basketball, football, hockey, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, rugby and kabaddi.

Coronavirus: 8 infected Indians onboard Japanese cruise ship stable

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): Eight Indian passengers on board Japanese cruise ship Diamond Princess, who were tested positive for the novel coronavirus are undergoing treatment and their condition is stable now, the Indian Embassy in Japan said today.

The foreign office also mentioned that no additional Indian national has been diagnosed with COVID-19 since yesterday.

“As of 1400 JST today, NO additional Indian national on #DiamondPrincess tested positive for #COVID19 since yesterday. @IndianEmbTokyo working with Japanese authorities and ship company for safe return of Indians. Conditions of 8 Indians receiving treatment are improving @MEAIndia,” the Embassy tweeted today.

The eight Indian nationals who were crew members onboard Diamond Princess cruise are receiving treatment in hospitals in Japan, after testing positive for the virus over last few days. The Indian Embassy is working with Japanese authorities and ship company for safe return of Indians.

External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also mentioned about the eight infected Indians on board the Japanese cruise that was quarantined off the coast of Japan.

The last cruise ship passengers who tested negative for a new virus will leave the Diamond Princess on Friday after a much-criticised quarantine of the vessel ended.

Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said that the mass disembarkation into Japan of passengers from the ship is set to end, while dozens of foreign passengers are flying back to their home countries on flights chartered by their governments.

Meanwhile, China had 118 new deaths from the coronavirus outbreak by the end of Thursday, the national health commission reported, pushing the number of deaths nationwide to at least 2,236.

At least 631 of the new cases were from the epicentre of the epidemic in Hubei, including 220 cases from the province’s prison system. Most of the latest deaths were also from the province.

The latest number of infections nationwide has now reached 75,685.

South Korea has also reported additional 48 cases of a new virus, raising its total number of infected people to 204.

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