POONCH/JAMMU: Army troops opened fire on Thursday after observing suspicious movement near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said.
The shots were heard at around 7.15 pm in the Khari Karmara area. There was no report of any loss of life or injury, they said.Army troops also fired illuminating bombs to take a close look at the area to ensure that there is no movement of terrorists from across the border amid inclement weather.
SRINAGAR: At least 13 “inter-connected” houses and around ten shops were gutted in a massive midnight fire, augmented by the blast of “ten gas (LPG) cylinders”, in Dangarpora area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, officials said on Friday.
An official from Fire and Emergency Services Department said that at least 200 houses were saved by the “timely” action.
“At 2:56 a.m., we received information about the fire. Since the Fire Service Station is just a half a kilometer from the area, we rushed a number of fire tenders immediately,” news agency GNS quoted an official as having said, adding, “By the time we reached, the fire had spread extensively as at least ten LPG gas cylinders had exploded as a result of which there was extensive damage.” He said that adequate number of fire tenders and men were rushed to the area. “Since there was adequate availability of water and firefighters along with locals put their best effort, we were able to prevent the fire from spreading further.”
He said at least 200 houses were saved in the very densely populated area of the south Kashmir district.
Sources told news agency GNS that the 13 houses suffered damages and most of them have been completely gutted along with at least 10 shops.
A firefighter was also injured in the operation and has been admitted to Government Medical College Anantnag.
SAO PAULO: Pele, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82.
The standard-bearer of the beautiful game had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. He had been hospitalised for the last month with multiple ailments. His agent Joe Fraga confirmed his death.
Widely regarded as one of soccer’s greatest players, Pele spent nearly two decades enchanting fans and dazzling opponents as the game’s most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team.
His grace, athleticism and mesmerizing moves transfixed players and fans. He orchestrated a fast, fluid style that revolutionised the sport a samba-like flair that personified his country’s elegance on the field.
He carried Brazil to soccer’s heights and became a global ambassador for his sport in a journey that began on the streets of Sao Paulo state, where he would kick a sock stuffed with newspapers or rags.
In the conversation about soccer’s greatest players, only the late Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are mentioned alongside Pele.
Different sources, counting different sets of games, list Pele’s goal totals anywhere between 650 (league matches) and 1,281 (all senior matches, some against low-level competition).
The player who would be dubbed The King was introduced to the world at 17 at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, the youngest player ever at the tournament.
He was carried off the field on teammates’ shoulders after scoring two goals in Brazil’s 5-2 victory over the host country in the final.
Injury limited him to just two games when Brazil retained the world title in 1962, but Pele was the emblem of his country’s World Cup triumph of 1970 in Mexico. He scored in the final and set up Carlos Alberto with a nonchalant pass for the last goal in a 4-1 victory over Italy. The image of Pele in a bright, yellow Brazil jersey, with the No. 10 stamped on the back, remains alive with soccer fans everywhere.
As does his trademark goal celebration — a leap with a right fist thrust high above his head.
Pele’s fame was such that in 1967 factions of a civil war in Nigeria agreed to a brief cease-fire so he could play an exhibition match in the country. He was knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.
When he visited Washington to help popularize the game in North America, it was the US President who stuck out his hand first.
“My name is Ronald Reagan, I’m the president of the United States of America,” the host said to his visitor.
But you don’t need to introduce yourself because everyone knows who Pel is.
Pele was Brazil’s first modern Black national hero but rarely spoke about racism in a country where the rich and powerful tend to hail from the white minority.
Opposing fans taunted Pele with monkey chants at home and all over the world.
He said that he would never play if he had to stop every time he heard those chants, said Angelica Basthi, one of Pele’s biographers.
He is key for Black people’s pride in Brazil, but never wanted to be a flagbearer.
Pele’s life after soccer took many forms. He was a politician — Brazil’s Extraordinary Minister for Sport — a wealthy businessman, and an ambassador for UNESCO and the United Nations.
He had roles in movies, soap operas and even composed songs and recorded CDs of popular Brazilian music.
As his health deteriorated, his travels and appearances became less frequent.
He was often seen in a wheelchair during his final years and did not attend a ceremony to unveil a statue of him representing Brazil’s 1970 World Cup team.
Pele spent his 80th birthday isolated with a few family members at a beach home.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, in the small city of Tres Coracoes in the interior of Minas Gerais state on Oct. 23, 1940, Pele grew up shining shoes to buy his modest soccer gear.
Pele’s talent drew attention when he was 11, and a local professional player brought him to Santos’ youth squads. It didn’t take long for him to make it to the senior squad.
Despite his youth and 5-foot-8 frame, he scored against grown men with the same ease he displayed against friends back home.
He debuted with the Brazilian club at 16 in 1956, and the club quickly gained worldwide recognition.
The name Pele came from him mispronouncing the name of a player called Bil.
He went to the 1958 World Cup as a reserve but became a key player for his country’s championship team.
His first goal, in which he flicked the ball over the head of a defender and raced around him to volley it home, was voted as one of the best in World Cup history.
The 1966 World Cup in England — won by the hosts — was a bitter one for Pele, by then already considered the world’s top player.
Brazil was knocked out in the group stage and Pel, angry at the rough treatment, swore it was his last World Cup. He changed his mind and was rejuvenated in the 1970 World Cup.
Srinagar, Dec 30: The minimum temperature recorded further increase in Kashmir Valley on Friday due to a cloud cover, officials said today.
Kupwara in north Kashmir received highest snowfall of 20cms (7.87 inches) followed by Gulmarg (16.5cm), Qazigund(15.0cm), Pahalgam (10.0cm), Kokernag (5.0 cm), and Srinagar (3.0 cm) in last 24 hours till 0830 hours, mostly late in the afternoon on Thursday, a meteorological department official told GNS. Ladakh’s Leh district also received traces of snowfall, he said.
Meanwhile, most places recorded a rise in night temperature and for the first time in more than fortnight that mercury increased above normal in the Valley even though it hovered in sub-zero level.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 0.3°C against last night’s temperature of minus 3.2°C. The temperature was 1.8°C above normal for the summer capital, the official said. Srinagar has so far seen the coldest temperature this season on December 25 when mercury plummeted to minus 5.8°C.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 2.0°C against minus 3.2°C on the previous night. The temperature was 0.3°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he said.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 4.9°C against minus 4.5°C on the previous night. The minimum temperature was 0.3°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, he said.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 2.0°C against minus 2.3°C on the previous night, he said. It was 0.7°C above normal for the place, he said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 5.5°C against minus 4.8°C on the previous night, the official said. It was 0.7°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the official said.
In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at minus 0.8°C against minus 3.3°C on the previous night in the north Kashmir area, he said. The official said that the temperature was 1.7°C above normal.
Jammu recorded a low of 7.3°C against 6.0°C on the previous night. It was 0.1°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital which also remained engulfed in fog this morning, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of 0.8°C (above normal by 0.3°C), Batote minus 0.5°C (below normal by 2.7°C), Katra 6.5°C (0.1°C below normal) and Bhadarwah 1.8°C (2.4°C above normal).
In Ladakh, Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 10.2°C and 6.2°C respectively, the official said.
New Delhi, Dec 30: India recorded 243 new coronavirus infections, raising the tally to 4.46 crore, while the active cases have increased to 3,609, according to Union health ministry data updated on Friday.
The total tally of Covid cases was recorded at 4,46,78, 158 and the death toll stands at 5,30,699 with one fatality reported from Maharashtra in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.11 per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged at 0.16 per cent, the ministry said.
It said 2,13,080 tests for detection of Covid have been conducted in the last 24 hours.
The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry’s website.
It said an increase of 57 cases has been recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,41,43,850, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry’s website, 220.09 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020. India crossed the two-crore mark on May 4, three crore cases on June 23, 2021, and four crore cases on January 25 this year. (Agencies)
Bhaderwah December 29 : The Business School, Bhaderwah Campus, University of Jammu organized an industrial visit for the students of MBA at Chenab Textile Mills, a part of Sutlej Textiles and Industries Ltd., a Blue-chip company of K. K. Birla Group.
The purpose of the trip was to introduce and familiarize the management students with the production and manufacturing processes of industry.
During the visit the faculty members had a thought provoking interaction with Mr Umesh Gupta, Executive President and Mr Manoj Jha, Vice President of Chenab Textile Mills on various issues.
During the visit Ms Kanika Sambyal, Sr. HR officer/welfare gave a detailed presentation in which she informed that Chenab Textile Mills is one of the largest and the oldest industrial unit of the state which was set up at Kathua in 1962 with initial capacity of 12,600 spindles. Since then the Company has continuously been investing on modernization and expansion of capacities. Currently the Mill has a capacity of more than 2,34,600 spindles producing Synthetic blended Grey & Dyed Yarn, Cotton Dyed & Mélange yarn.
She also informed that Chenab Textile Mills has been awarded the right to use USTERISED Trade Mark by Uster Technologies AG, Switzerland. This right to use this trademark signifies excellent quality management systems followed by the Mills.
The industrial visit was organized under the overall guidance of Prof. Rahul Gupta, Rector, Bhaderwah Campus who appreciated the efforts of TBS faculty for taking new initiative and also thanked President and Vice President of Chenab Textiles Mills for providing our management students a learning opportunity necessary for their holistic development.
Mr. Mohammad Avais (Head of Department), Dr. Sunil Bhardwaj, Dr. Rohit Bhagat (Placement Coordinator) and Dr. Umesh Choudhary accompanied the students during the industrial trip. Overall the industrial visit was a great success.
J&K National Democratic Party Indian (NDPI) on Thursday paid rich tributes to Guru Gobind Singh Ji on his 355th birth anniversary.
Speaking on the occasion NDPI Chief Rajesh Gupta said Guru Gobind Ji’s unparalleled courage will continue to motivate people for years to come. He said, “Guru Gobind Singh earned the title of Dashmesh pita and became the tenth Sikh guru”. A five-fold concept was introduced by him in Sikhism: Kanga, Kesh, Kachera, Kara, and Kirpan. The ninth Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur and Mata Gujri welcomed Gobind Rai into the world in Patna Sahib, Bihar, on January 1st (Paush), 1666, according to the Sikh calendar (Nanakshahi).
NDPI president said, “On the sacred occasion of his Parkash Purab, “I bow to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on the pious occasion of his Parkash Purab. His was a life devoted to creating a just and inclusive society. His unparalleled courage will continue to motivate people for years to come.”
Other senior leaders who spoke on the occasion were S.Kuljeet Singh, Sandeep Anand, Tilakraj, Rajiv Luthra, Umesh Manhas, Manoj Kalsi, Mirchand and others.
Jammu, 29-12-2022: Strongly flaying the present dispensation for its failure to curb militancy and cross border terror being exported to J&K from across the border by the hostile neighbour, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister and Chairman AAP J&K SCC said that mere condemnation of Pakistan could no longer satisfy the people of erstwhile state. It was shocking that a hitherto peaceful Jammu region had also become vulnerable during BJPs proxy rule in the UT. Not only was yesterday’s incident at Sidhra Jammu an eye opener for the govt and security agencies but the earlier militant attacks in Udhampur, Katra, Rajouri and elsewhere in Jammu province had punctured the tall claims of helmsmen of having restored normalcy in the UT. He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today.
Holding the BJP regime responsible for the present crisis in J&K, Mr. Harsh Dev said that its imprudence and flawed policies had resulted in unabated bloodshed and mayhem claiming precious lives of innocents as well as security personnel. He said that militancy had almost died down in J&K during the popular govts but the reckless experimentation of the present rulers resulted in gradual deterioration of the security scenario creating early 90’s situation in the erstwhile state. Accusing the BJP govt of deflecting the blame on Pakistan every day and for every act of violence, Mr. Singh questioned the locus of the BJP for continuing in power. “You can’t abdicate your responsibility by merely cursing Pakistan. It is your primary duty and constitutional obligation to protect the lives of the citizens on which count you have miserably failed”, asserted Mr. Singh.
Charging the BJP govt with treating J&K as a workshop and conducting weird experimentation over it during the last few years, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that such a flawed approach of the centre had led to massive complications with an all-round disenchantment prevailing in the new UT as a consequence thereof. What was the rationale in breaking the oldest state and converting it into UTs?, questioned Mr. Singh. “Not only was the state demoted to the level of UT, but the people have been deprived of their right to have a democratically elected govt for the last more than four years. The Assembly having been suspended and consequently dissolved in 2018, the people are being subjected to proxy rule of the centre. The growing alienation amongst the youth in particular is being downplayed and dis-regarded. The entire focus of the BJP govt is on its political expansion deliriously oblivious of the growing tensions and escalation in militancy in the UT. And while the killings of innocents has become a routine affair in J&K, the BJP leadership continues to harp on formation of govt in J&K and winning 50 seats therein without uttering a word to save the erstwhile State from death and destruction. It seems that the BJP wants to keep the pot boiling in J&K so that it could exploit the present situation as political firecracker in other states for its vote bank politics, asserted Harsh adding further the normalcy shall never be achieved as long as centre continued to rule J&K by proxy.
Jammu Dec 29:
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Show resentment against adamant attitude of the Government towards Rehbar-e-Khel teachers.
State Spokesperson AAP, Partap Singh Jamwal said that Rehbar-e-Khel teachers were recruited in Jammu and Kashmir Government under Department of Youth Services and Sports and these employees are now serving in different education institutions.
“Although, the LG administration has recently proposed to de-freeze the posts which were earlier freezed for ReK and in this regard, the BJP framed a committee, headed by former Deputy CM, Kavinder Gupta but nothing has been done so far,” Partap said.
Partap said that former LG Murmu had framed a committee to find a way to ease the sufferings of ReK teachers to for reducing probation period from 7 years to 5 years at par with Rehber-e-Taleem and assured us for enhancement of the salary but unfortunately, the present LG administration has freezed all the posts and also announced that vacant posts send to recruitment agencies for its fulfilment.
Partap said that the Rehbar-e-Khel teachers are running from pillar to post in order to get their grievance redressed but unfortunately their pleas have fallen into deaf ears.
AAP demanded that the Govt immediately cancel the GAD order over freezing of the posts and reduce the probation period from seven years to five years also demanded to look into the matter and solve their grievances at an earliest.
ABRSM National Org. Secy Interacts with SKUAST Jammu Faculty
ABRSM Announces it’s SKUAST Unit
Jammu,December 29: Sh. Mahender Kapoor, National Organizing Secretary Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shekshik Mahasang (ABRSM) on two days Jammu and Kashmir today visited Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu and interacted with the faculty of SKUAST Jammu.
During his visit to SKUAST Jammu, He informed the SKUAST faculty about the activities of ABRSM in the field of higher education, especially in the field of Agriculture, Science and Technology.
The teaching faculty of SKUAST Jammu raised certain issues a d problems being faced by them. They also informed the ABRSM activists about the contribution of SKUAST in Jammu a d Kashmir.
Sh. Mahender Kapoor, National Organizing Secretary Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shekshik Mahasang (ABRSM) was accompanied by Dr. Devraj Thakur, National Auditor and JKUT President of JKABRSM.
The national office bearers of ABRSM also announced the Unit of ABRSM of JKSUAST Jammu.
Dr. Amit Jasrotia and Dr. Gurdeep Chand have been announced as President and General Secretary respectively.
Dr. A K Sood, Senior Vice President, Dr. Harsh Sharma, Dr. Kamlesh Bali and Dr. Ravinder Singh Sood have been announced as Vice Presidents.
Dr. Manmohan Sharma, Dr. Dhrandra Kumar, Dr. Deep Ji Bhat and Dr. Sheetal Dogra as secretaries.
Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Shukla and Dr. Bharat Bushan Choudhary as joint secretaries.
Dr. Sandeep Chopra as Treasurer, Dr. Subash Kashyap and Dr. Jasbir Singh Manhas as Press secretaries.
Dr. Parveen Singh, Dr. Vikas Sharma, Dr. lalit Upadhayay, Dr. Nirmal Sharma, Dr. Sanjay Khajuria, Dr. Vishal Mahajan, Dr. Vinay Kumar, Dr. Bhupesh Kumar Sharma, Dr. N C Divedi, Dr B R Bazaya, Dr Sonika Jamwal and Dr. Munish Kumar Sharma have been announced as executive Members of the ABRSM Unit of SKUAST Jammu.