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J&K: 1 suspect held after brief gunfight in Budgam, ammunition recovered

A security force jawan at an encounter site in Kashmir (File pic)

(Updating earlier copy)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): One person was apprehended after an early morning exchange of fire with security forces at Pathanpora area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district, in which at least two terrorists managed to flee, leaving behind some ammunition, police said.

Indian Army’s Chinar Corps said in a tweet that a joint operation was launched earlier in the area after getting intelligence inputs. He said that terrorists fired on security forces during the operation and one suspect was apprehended later, who is reportedly the house owner where the ultras were hiding.

The Army’s Srinagar based 15 Corps added said that a Chinese pistol, 1 grenade and 6 AK magazines and 147 rounds were recovered from the spot, while a joint search operation is in progress to nab the terrorists who escaped in the morning.

Earlier, officials said that security forces had cordoned off the area early this morning, acting on specific information about the presence of terrorists in Pathanpora village of Budgam district.

“A contact with the hiding terrorists was established. However, the terrorists lobbed back to back grenades and managed to give a slip to the forces,” they said.

A police official had informed that the terrorists who were believed to be two in number, left behind a shoe, 3 Ak 47 magazines, a pistol, a grenade and a pouch.

J&K: Soldier dead, another injured in road mishap on Sgr-Leh highway

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A soldier died while another was seriously injured after a vehicle they were travelling in skidded off the road on Srinagar-Leh highway, police officials said.

They said that an Army vehicle that was part of the convoy lost control at Ranga-Zojila near Sonmarg on Srinagar-Leh highway and turned turtle leaving two soldiers critically wounded. “One of the injured soldiers succumbed soon after being pulled out of the vehicle. The second one is critical and has been taken to the Army hospital for treatment,” police officials said.

The deceased soldier identified as Karan Singh of Nagrota, Jammu.

Defence sources said that the vehicle in which the soldiers were travelling skidded from the main road and overturned up to several kilometers causing serious injuries to the two soldiers of which one has succumbed and another is battling for life.

The deceased soldier has been identified as Karan Singh of Nagrota, Jammu.

Police and Army teams immediately rushed to the spot but found one of the injured soldiers already dead. “The second one was shifted to Army hospital Sonmarg where doctors have stated his condition as critical,” they said.

Meanwhile, a case has been registered at police station Sonmarg and investigations have been started to find out the cause of the accident.

123rd birth anniv of Ram Prasad Bismil

New Delhi (NVI): India had many freedom fighters during its fight for independence from the Britishers and one of them was Ram Prasad Bismil. Today, on his 123rd birth anniversary India salutes his contribution towards the struggle against British imperialism.

Ram Prasad Bismil was born on June 11, 1897, at Shahjahanpur, North-Western Provinces of British India. He was also a patriotic poet, who wrote in Hindi and Urdu under the pen names Ram, Agyat and Bismil.

The freedom fighter had also published a pamphlet titled ‘Deshvasiyon ke nam sandesh’. “Sarfarosh ki Tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai, dekhna ki zor kitna baazu-e-qatil mein hai” – these immortal lines were also popularised by Bismil.

In 1997, on Bismil’s birth centenary year, the government had issued a multicoloured commemorative postal stamp.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot paid tributes to the freedom fighter on twitter and wrote, “Humble tributes to #RamPrasadBismil, one of the bravest leaders of India’s struggle for independence on his birth anniversary.

“He was a poet & writer too, who sacrificed his life for the freedom of the motherland. His valour & strength of purpose would always be an inspiration,” he added.

Army soldier killed, civilian injured in Pak firing at J&K’s Rajouri

Representational Image

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): An Indian Army soldier was killed and a civilian left injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said today.

They said that a soldier deployed on the LoC in Tarkundi Gali of Rajouri district was injured after he sustained bullet and splinter injuries during the ceasefire violation late last night.

“The Pakistani army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation which was given a befitting reply,” defence sources said.

They said the soldier succumbed to his injuries early this morning.

In a separate incident at Rajdhani village of Rajouri district, police said that in the intervening night of June 10 and 11, Pakistan resorted to indiscriminate firing followed by mortar shelling in Manjkote, Tarkundi, and Balakote in Rajouri district. “The Pakistani army fired 120 mm, mortal shells that fell on the civilian areas,” a police official said.

He said that a villager identified as Niamutllah, resident of Rajdhani village of Manjkote Tehsil was hit by a splinter in his arm. A team headed by Station House Officer Manjkote evacuated the injured man to Primary Health Centre (PHC) Manjkote for treatment.

However, later, the injured was shifted to Rajouri Government Medical College (GMC) for an advanced treatment.

Residents of Manjkote said that a few residential structures also suffered damage in the Pakistani shelling.

This year, a record number of 1600 ceasefire violations have been recorded in J&K on LoC where in Pakistan has used small arms to mortal shells, besides indiscriminate gunfire, as per security officials. “Every time Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation, the army has given them a befitting reply by retaliating effectively,” an defence official said.

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): India has become the fifth worst-affected country in the world index due to coronavirus pandemic, after it surpassed Spain in the total number of confirmed cases, as the country continues to witness huge spike in the infected cases.

Maharashtra is one of the worst affected states, while the capital city Mumbai is reporting over 52,000 cases and now has more cases than China’s Wuhan city, the epicentre of the virus outbreak.

Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 2,86,579 including 8,102 casualties, according to the Union Health Ministry.

In the last 24 hours, a record 9,996 new cases of coronavirus and 357 deaths have been reported in India, both being at a record high in a single day till now.Maharashtra tops the country with the maximum number of coronavirus cases and has reported nearly 90,000 confirmed cases so far.

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 34

Andhra Pradesh- 5,269

Arunachal Pradesh- 57

Assam- 3,092

Bihar- 5,710

Chandigarh- 327

Chhattisgarh- 1,262

Dadar Nagar Haveli- 26

Delhi- 32,810

Gujarat- 21,521

Goa- 387

Haryana– 5,579

Himachal Pradesh- 451

Jammu and Kashmir- 4,507

Jharkhand- 1,489

Karnataka- 6,041

Kerala- 2,161

Ladakh- 115

Madhya Pradesh- 10,049

Maharashtra- 94,041

Manipur- 311

Meghalaya- 44

Mizoram- 93

Nagaland- 128

Odisha- 3,250

Puducherry- 127

Punjab- 2,805

Rajasthan- 11,600

Sikkim- 13

Tamil Nadu- 36,841

Telangana- 4,111

Tripura- 895

Uttarakhand- 1,562

Uttar Pradesh- 11,610

West Bengal – 9,328

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andhra Pradesh- 78

Assam- 4

Bihar- 33

Chandigarh- 5

Chhattisgarh- 6

Delhi- 984

Gujarat- 1,347

Haryana- 52

Himachal Pradesh- 6

Jammu and Kashmir- 51

Jharkhand- 8

Karnataka- 69

Kerala- 18

Ladakh- 1

Madhya Pradesh- 427

Maharashtra- 3,438

Meghalaya- 1

Odisha- 9

Puducherry- 1

Punjab- 55

Rajasthan- 259

Tamil Nadu- 326

Telangana- 156

Tripura- 1

Uttar Pradesh- 321

Uttarakhand- 15

West Bengal- 432

A total of 1,37,448 people have been cured or discharged from hospitals in India. There are around 1,41,029 active cases currently, according to the Health Ministry.

US coronavirus cases top 2 mn; more than 7.3 mn cases globally

Coronavirus cases

New Delhi (NVI): The United States now has more than 2 million confirmed cases of novel coronavirus with more than 1,12,900 deaths, according to John Hopkins University tally.

Meanwhile, more than 7.36 million people have been infected with COVID-19 around the world while more than 4,16,000 people have died due to the deadly contagion.

In Latin America, COVID-19 pandemic deaths have passed 70,000, as Mexico hit a daily record for confirmed infections.

Brazil, with the largest economy in the region, remains Latin America’s most affected country with the world’s third highest death toll after the United States and Britain.

In Brazil, a spurt in positive coronavirus cases is being reported on a daily basis. The total number of infected cases in the country stands at 7,72,416 with nearly 40,000 fatalities.

Thailand today reported no new coronavirus infections or deaths, for the first time in three weeks, maintaining the total of 3,125 confirmed cases and 58 fatalities, according to media reports.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 555 to 185,416, while the death toll rose by 26 to 8,755.

COVID cases in India climb to over 2.86 lakh, death toll 8,102

New Delhi (NVI): The coronavirus cases in India saw a jump of 9,996 in the last 24 hours, raising the total number to 2,86,579.

The death toll due to the virus rose to 8,102, with 357 new fatalities being reported in the last 24 hours, Union Health Ministry said.

So far, 1,41,029 patients have recovered all over the country.

In the worst-hit Maharashtra, the COVID-19 cases increased to 94,041, followed by Tamil Nadu with 36,481 cases, and Delhi with 32,810 cases.

Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of fatalities at 3438, followed by 1,347 in Gujarat and 427 in Madhya Pradesh.

The death toll in the national capital rose to 984, while 12,245 patients in Delhi have recovered so far, the healthy ministry data shows.

The other worst affected states are Gujarat (21,521) Rajasthan (11,600), Uttar Pradesh (11,610) and Madhya Pradesh (10,049).

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday evening to discuss the coronavirus situation in Delhi. “Met Sh Amit Shah, Hon’ble HM. Discussed the situation on corona in Delhi in detail. He assured of all cooperation,” Kejriwal said in his tweet.

Modi, Netanyahu discuss ways to expand ties

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held telephonic conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, during which the two leaders assessed tremendous scope for expanding the already robust bilateral collaboration in areas like health technology, agricultural innovation, defence-cooperation and information technology.

The two leaders discussed the potential areas in which India and Israel could expand their cooperation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, including research and development efforts in the fields of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, according to a statement issued by India’s External Affairs Ministry.

Modi and Netanyahu agreed to maintain the ongoing exchanges between expert teams of both countries, and also concurred that the fruits of such collaboration should be made available for the wider benefit of humanity.

The two Prime Ministers reviewed other important topics on the bilateral agenda, and agreed that the post-COVID world would create further avenues for mutually beneficial partnerships in many areas.

Both leaders agreed to remain in regular touch to share assessments and consult each other on the emerging opportunities and challenges in the changing global scenario.

Modi reiterated his warm congratulations for Netanyahu’s recent assumption of office, and expressed confidence that the India-Israel partnership would continue to flourish under PM Netanyahu’s leadership and guidance.

Pakistani troops shell civilian areas of J&K

Ceasefire
Representational image
Srinagar (NVI): Pakistani troops today resorted to repeated shelling and firing on civilian areas along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing strong retaliation from the Indian army.

The Pakistani troops initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation at 7.30 AM by firing with small arms and resorting to intense shelling with mortars along the LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, defence officials said.

Several houses of civilians were damaged in the shelling, they said, adding Indian army gave a befitting response.

In the evening, at around 8.45 PM, Pakistani troops again initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms & shelling with mortars in Balakote  sector of Poonch district.

Indian Army retaliated befittingly.

PM credits people of Gujarat as Gir lions population up by 29% in 5 yrs

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today lauded the people of Gujarat for community participation that has enabled a significant rise in the population of Gir lion and said that over the last few years, there has been a steady rise in the species’ population in the state.

Taking to Twitter to share the information, the PM said that the distribution area of Gir lions has also up by 36 per cent.

Gir forest, located in Gujarat, PM’s home state, is the last abode of the Asiatic lion in the world. According to the Gujarat forest department, the number of Asiatic lions in the Gir forest region has increased by almost 29 per cent to 674.

“Two very good news: Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion, living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest, is up by almost 29%.

Geographically, the distribution area is up by 36%. Kudos to the people of Gujarat and all those whose efforts have led to this excellent feat,” he tweeted.

He said that a number of positive factors have contributed to the increase in numbers including community participation, emphasis on technology, wildlife healthcare, proper habitat management and steps to minimise human-lion conflict.

“Over the last several years, the Lion population in Gujarat has been steadily rising. This is powered by community participation, emphasis on technology, wildlife healthcare, proper habitat management and steps to minimise human-lion conflict. Hope this positive trend continues!” PM said in another tweet.

The population estimation of Asiatic lions is conducted at an interval of every five years. The last population estimation exercise was conducted in May 2015, which pegged the lion numbers at 523.

According to the Gujarat Forest Department, “Poonam Avlokan (full-moon night estimation exercise)” conducted on night of June 5 and 6 this year showed that the lions” population had reached 674, a 28.87 per cent increase. It was the highest growth rate recorded so far, the official release said.

The forest department added that the 15th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation was scheduled during 05-06 May, 2020, but owing to the present COVID-19 situation, it was not conducted as planned.

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