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MONDAY 04 August | 2014 | 07 Shawal, 1435 AH | PAGES 08 |
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GAD floating norms, presidential polls yet to be held
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01 dies, 05 injured in road accidents Srinagar, Aug 3: One person died while five others were injured in separate road accidents across the valley. A Sumo bearing registration number JK01E-6624 hit a pedestrian Aakash Ahmad Sheikh son of Abdul Rashid resident of Bujthal at Bujthal, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Boniyar, resulting in his on spot death. Police has registered a case in this regard. Meanwhile, two Tata Sumo vehicles bearing registration numbers JK05A/5340 and JK05B/6722 collided at Lawaypora, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Parimpora Srinagar, resulting in injuries to 03 passengers. All injured were shifted to JVC Hospital Srinagar for treatment. Police has registered a case in this regard. In another road accident, a Wagon-R bearing registration number JK01N/2015 and Ford Fiesta car bearing registration number JK01P/8515 collided near National school, Karannagar, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Karannagar Srinagar. In this accident a passenger Rumais See Accidents On PG 07..
02 burglars arrested in Kupwara Srinagar, Aug 3 : Kupwara police has arrested two burglars and recovered stolen goods including motor spare parts and lubricants besides seized the car used in the commission of offence. Burglars broke in a spare parts shop at Kralpora and decamped with Motor spare parts and lubricants from the shop. A case FIR number 62/14 under section 457, 380 RPC was registered in this regard and investigation was started. During investigation police questioned many suspects and zeroed in two habitual burglars Bashir Ahmad Bhat son of Ahad Bhat resident of Punzwa and Kaiser Ahmad Sheikh son of Abdul Rahim resident of Degri. The duo confessed to the commission of the burglary and revealed that they had broken the shutter of the shop in the night hours. On their instances lubricant oil and other spare parts were recovered from them. Police also seized the Maruti car bearing registration number JK02K 3728 used in the commission of offence. (KNS)
Veterinary cum medical camp in tmg Srinagar, Aug 3 : Army organized a veterinary cum medical camp at Tut Mari Gali (TMG) area of frontier Baramulla Division on 02 Aug 2014. The aim of the camp was to provide veterinary cover to livestock of migrating Gujjars and Bakarwals and attend to their medical problems who are otherwise devoid of medical facility being Located in far flung remote areas. Statement issued to KNS informed that a team comprising Mr Altaf Kangoo, Livestock Development Officer, Handwara and a total of 9 Veterinary Technicians of Army, treated a total of 39 animals at camp site and also distributed medicines for around 8940 animals of Bakarwals camping in TMG area. Besides, a medical team led by Army Medical Officer also extended medical cover to 170 patients during the camp. While interacting with senior Army officers, the Gujjar and Bakarwals highly appreciated the meticulous planning and elaborate arrangements in terms of availability of veterinary experts and relevant and sufficient medicines in such a far flung area of District Kupwara. (KNS)
WEATHER FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS: Light Rain would occur at a few places over the state.
FORECAST OF SRINAGAR: Possibility of thunderstorm inthe afternoon. Maximum & Minimum temperatures will be around 30°C & 23°C respectively.
C TEMPERATURE M MAXIMUM Y MINIMUM K
SUNSET ON(MONDAY) SUNRISE ON (TUESDAY)
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31.0 C 18.3 0C 07:36 PM 05:42 AM
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Ukrainian army steps up attacks on rebel-held Donetsk >>>>> PG 07
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Modi addresses Nepal Constituent Assembly Praises Nepalese culture
Kathmandu, Aug 03: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addresses Nepalese Parliament, begins address in Nepali language and said this country has rich cultural heritage. Modi met his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala at Singha Durbar Secretariat and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in key sectors like trade and investment, hydropower and agriculture, the news agency reported. During a meeting with Nepal Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Modi expressed his commitment to extend all possible support for Nepal's socio-economic development, as per news report. Not only people of Nepal but also those who believe in the power of democracy are looking at Nepal and this Assembly, says Modi. Modi said, "I congratulate all those who gave up the bullet and chose the ballot in Nepal". See Modi On PG 07..
Modi meets Koirala, three Nepalese Foreign Minister calls on Modi agreements signed Kathmandu, Aug 03: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala during which the two sides signed three agreements, including a NRs 69 million grant to Nepal to supply iodated salt to curb iodine deficiency diseases. Modi, who arrived Kathmandu on Sunday morning on his maiden official visit to Nepal, met Koirala at Singha Durbar Secretariat. The two leaders discussed various issues including Nepal's peace process and constitution-drafting process as well as economic issues. They also discussed various facets of mutual relations and issues of common interest. After the talks, Modi and Koirala witnessed the signing of three agreements. Under the first agreement, India will provide a grant assistance worth NRs 69 million to supply iodated salt to curb goitre and other disease s related with iodine deficiency. The second agreement was regarding the amendment of Articles 17 and 18 of the Pancheswor Multiple Project, the Himalayan Times reported. The third agreement is about
Names of Omar, Kamal likely to figure in list
Srinagar, Aug 3 : The ruling national conference Sunday stated that its working committee meet shall be held on Monday and that further process of selection of the candidates for the forthcoming polls shall be initiated in the near future. Sources privy to this development told KNS that the name of the chief minister Omar Abdullah is also likely to be included in the third list of the candidates and also the turf from which Omar and his uncle Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal will contest, is expected to be made public. Talking to KNS, Provincial president Kashmir Nasir Aslam Wani remarked that due to the previous month of Ramadan and the Eid holidays, the process was paused for a while and that the meetings shall be held from Monday and most likely the third list of the party candidates will be announced in the next week. Nasir maintained further that the part’s priorities would be to strengthen Srinagar and Ganderbal and that
Kathmandu, Aug 03: Nepalese Foreign Minister Mahendra Pandey on Sunday paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefly discussed some bilateral issues, including hydro-power, trade, energy and security. The meeting took place at a five star hotel an hour after Modi arrived in Kathmandu on a two-day trip, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to pay a bilateral visit to Nepal in 17 years. "The talks were held in a very cordial and friendly atmosphere," Pandey said after the meeting. "We have to move hand-in-hand in development," he said. Pandey said during the brief meeting some bilateral issues including hydro-power, trade, energy and security were covered. Political and cultural issues also came up for discussion. "He (Modi) speaks less but he is result oriented. During my meeting, I felt whatever he says he believes in doing it," he said when asked about his meeting with the Prime Minister. The two leaders also underlined the need for expediting the ongoing projects being implemented under Nepal-India cooperation. All the leading dailies in Kathmandu published banner headline news today covering Modi's visit. "Modi's visit is a turning page in Nepal-India relations" describes a front page article carried by The Kathmanmdu Post. Security was tightened in Kathmandu and most of the schools voluntarily announced closure for Sunday and Monday in view of Modi's visit. Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to pay a bilateral visit to Nepal in 17 years, was received at the Tribhuvan International Airport by Prime Minister Sushil Koirala who deviated from protocol for the purpose. Deputy Prime Ministers Bam Dev Gautam and Prakash Man Singh were also present at the airport. A colorful ceremonial guard of honour was presented to Prime Minister Modi at the airport with the anthems of India and Nepal being played. Modi was also offered a 19-gun salute by the Nepal Army. There was tight security in and around the airport. See Nepalese On PG 07..
'Kashmir a sensitive issue; Centre dealing cautiously’
NC to announce third list of candidates by next week like that of the previous results during the 2008 elections, NC is working hard to register triumph across the state. Reacting over the reports wherein the senior Congress leadership claimed that the party would emerge as a single largest in JK, Nasir said that NC has regained its ground in the state and its activists and the senior party leadership is in touch with the people at all assembly segments of Jammu and Kashmir. “We will emerge as the single largest party during the forthcoming polls. We have no doubt over this. We know that we will achieve the fleet.” Over the reports that the NC workers are stressing that the party veteran Dr Farooq must contest the polls as the party’s face in valley, Nasir maintained that Dr Farooq is the top most leader of the party and that due to his health conditions, he cannot be compelled to enter into the election fray. Nasir stated that the results of the previously held parliament elections cannot decide the fate of the upcoming polls as the situation and the physics of the past elections was entirely different from the one See NC On PG 07..
cooperation between Nepal Television and Doordarshan, the state-owned television stations of both the countries, it said. From Singhadurbar, Modi went to the Constituent Assembly building in New Baneshwar to meet Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang. On his way to the Constituent Assembly, Modi stopped his convoy to meet common people. Earlier, Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to pay a bilateral visit to Nepal in 17 years, was given a rousing welcome with his counterpart receiving him at the Tribhuvan International Airport, deviating from protocol for the purpose. Deputy Prime Ministers Bam Dev Gautam and Prakash Man Singh were also present at the airport. Nepalese Foreign Minister Mahendra Pandey paid a courtesy call on Modi and briefly discussed some bilateral issues, including hydro-power, trade, energy and security. The meeting took place at a five star hotel an hour after Modi arrived here on a twoday trip, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to pay a bilateral visit to See Signed On PG 07..
Hyderabad, Aug 03: Terming the Kashmir issue as "sensitive", Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the Centre was dealing with the matter cautiously by taking all measures in national interest. "It is not wise enough on my part (now) to spell out the steps which we are planning to take because it is a sensitive matter and we are dealing with it cautiously and we have to see everything in national interest," Rijiju told reporters. He was speaking after reviewing the Passing Out Parade of the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA), premier training institute of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). When asked about the Rs 500 crore package for rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants, he said, "This (package) was already announced and we are working on that...but I cannot spell out any policy about Kashmir now,
because these are under the consideration of our ministry. In this year's Union budget, the Centre had announced Rs 500 crore package for displaced Kashmiri Pandits living in various parts of the country and for rebuilding their lives. Reacting to a query on separatists in the Valley giving a call for shutdown against the Kashmiri Pandits' pilgrimage (yatra) to Kousar Nag - a virgin glacial spring in Pirpanjal mountain range in South Kashmir, the minister said, "The Ministry of Home Affairs is examining the whole thing." "The CM (Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah) came and expressed his views. So, we will take into account all the aspects in national interest. We are not bound by opinion of one party or one organisation...everything has to be in the national interest," Rijiju said.
Sopore up in arms against water scarcity
Women, children disrupt traffic, hold demos Srinagar, Aug 3 : The inhabitants of
North Kashmir’s various areas are up in arms against the scarcity of water supplies faced by them from the last 15 days- stating that the government is acting as a ‘mute spectator’ towards these crises. According to the KNS correspondent, people from various areas of the North Kashmir’s Sopore area Sunday took to streets- raising slogans against the PHE department for failing to provide water to the people of the area. Reports informed that scores of women Sunday suspended the traffic on the main highway connecting the summer capital with most of the north Kashmir areas. People while assailing the state authorities over compelling them of consuming the contaminated water, stated that various dreadful diseases would occur in the region if immediate measures are not taken. KNS reports maintained that people from town hall Sopore, Narpora, Dugal taing, Nowpora upper See Sopore On PG 07..
Airstrikes Kill 30 in Gaza, Strong quake kills at least 175 in southern China Including 10 at UN School Gaza, Aug 3: Israeli airstrikes into Gaza continued Sunday, killing at least 30 people. At least 10 people were killed and another 35 injured at a United Nations school sheltering displaced people in Gaza in what a U.N. official said appeared to be an Israeli airstrike. Witnesses said the explosion at the Rafah school, which housed 3,000 displaced Palestinians, occurred as people were waiting in line for food. In the chaotic aftermath, several bodies, including those of children, were strewn across the ground in pools of blood. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reported attack, the second to hit a school in less than a week. Last Wednesday, at least 15 Palestinians who sought refuge in a U.N.-run school in Jabalya refugee camp were killed during fighting, and the U.N. said it appeared that Israeli artillery had hit the building. The Israeli military said gunmen had fired mortar bombs from near the school and it shot back in response. Hospitals in Gaza on Sunday struggled to cope with a new influx of wounded from Israeli airstrikes in recent days. Palestinian officials said 1,766 people had been killed in the fighting, most of whom were civilians, and nearly 10,000
wounded. The Israeli military death toll rose to 64 after Israel announced that Hadar Goldin, a 23-year-old infantry lieutenant feared captured in Gaza, was actually killed in battle. His funeral is later Sunday. The attack that ended with his death was the incident that broke a shortlived cease-fire on Friday and brought renewed fighting in which 180 people reportedly have died. Hamas fired 80 rockets toward Israel on Sunday, and has fired more than 3,000 rockets since the war began last month, killing three three Israeli civilians and damaging several homes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday the ground operation to destroy infiltration tunnels into Israel was nearly ended. More than 30 tunnels and dozens of access shafts have been unearthed and were being blown up, military officials said. Israel expected to complete its mission to eliminate tunnels “probably within the next 24 hours or so,” military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said. Netanyahu said Israeli Defense Forces would continue to See School On PG 07..
Omar inaugurates pathway at Srinagar Airport
Highlights expansion of CSR
BEIJING, Aug 3: A strong earthquake in southern China’s Yunnan province toppled thousands of homes on Sunday, killing at least 175 people and injuring more than 1,400. About 12,000 homes collapsed in Ludian, a densely populated county located around 366 kilometers (277 miles) northeast of Yunnan’s capital, Kunming, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The magnitude-6.1 quake struck at 4:30 p.m. at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its epicenter was in Longtoushan township, 23 kilometers (14 miles) southwest of the city of Zhaotong, the Ludian county seat. Ma Liya, a resident of Zhaotong, told Xinhua that the streets there were like a “battlefield See Strong On PG 07..
Srinagar, Aug 3 : Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Sunday afternoon inaugurated pathway at Srinagar Airport developed and landscaped by Jammu and Kashmir Bank under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The project involving Rs.2 crore has upgraded the ambiance and beauty of the road leading to the Airport. The Chief Minister highlighted the need for expansion of Corporate Social Responsibility. The Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Mushtaq Ahmad was also present on the occasion amongst the Bank officers and others. (KNS)
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Srinagar, Monday 04 August 2014
FROM THE FRONT PAGE
Modi Modi further said' "King Asoka went in search of peace. I congratulate you all that you chose the path of "Buddha" rather than "yudh." Our relations with Nepal are as old as the Himalayas and the Ganga, says Narendra Modi. Modi said, "There is a temple in Kashi where priest is from Nepal, & there is a temple in Nepal where priests are Indian, such is our bond". Modi offered condolences after a landslide killed at least eight people in Nepal. Modi said, "I began my tenure as PM in Kashi, now I stand at the feet of Pashupatinath". PM Modi also reunited with Nepalese youth Jeet Bahadur, with parents after 16 years Assuring Nepal that India did not want to interfere in its internal affairs, Narendra Modi, the first Indian Premier to visit the Himalayan nation in 17 years, today emphasised that their border should be a "bridge" and not a barrier even as he announced USD 1 billion Line Of Credit to this country. As India makes efforts to deepen its diplomatic and economic engagement with its neighbours, Modi said he wanted to see Nepal become a developed nation and was ready to work with that country in all its efforts and offered a "HIT" mantra-- Highways, I-Ways and Transways for its development. Allaying fears of Indian interference in Nepal's affairs, the Prime Minister said, "Nepal is a truly sovereign nation. We have always believed that it is not our job to interfere in what you do but to support you in the path you decide to take." Modi, who arrived here on a two-day visit to Nepal, was addressing the Nepalese Constituent Assembly. It is only the second time that a foreign leader was addressing the Parliament with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl being the first to have the honour to deliver a keynote speech in 1990. Modi was given a thunderous applause as he began his 45-minute speech telecast live nationally with few sentences in Nepali language just hours after his talks with his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala during which the two sides signed three agreements. "I have come here with the goodwill and love from one and a quarter billion people of India," Modi said in Nepali, which prompted members to thump their desks. Stating that India's relations with Nepal is as old as the Himalayas and the Ganga, Modi said, "border should be a bridge not a barrier between the two neighbours." "India has decided to provide Nepal with NRs 10,000 crore (USD 1 billion) as concessional Line Of Credit for various development purposes." "This amount is separate from the previous assistance that India has already provided to Nepal," Modi said. Earlier, India had provided USD 250 million Line Of Credit to Nepal through the Exim Bank of India. The new grant will be utilised for infrastructure development and energy projects as per Nepal's priority, according to Nepalese Foreign Ministry. He said these three combined together would pave the way for rapid development of the country and India wants to "give this gift at the earliest". Modi was earlier given a rousing welcome with his counterpart receiving him at the Tribhuvan International Airport, deviating from protocol for the purpose. After their talks at Singha Durbar Secretariat, Modi and Koirala witnessed the signing of three agreements including one regarding the amendment of Terms of Reference (TOR) of the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project on the Mahakali river. India will provide a grant assistance worth NRs 69 million to supply iodated salt to curb goitre and other diseases related with iodine deficiency under another agreement.
Signed Nepal in 17 years. "The talks were held in a very cordial and friendly atmosphere," Pandey told the news agency after the meeting. Modi, in his pre-departure statement summing up the sentiment attached to the two-day trip, had said, "I am excited about my visit and pleased that I am able to go there within weeks of assuming office as Prime Minister." Modi had said that he looks forward to working with the Nepalese leadership to forge a "new relationship" by identifying steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation in key sectors, including trade and investment, hydropower, agriculture and agro-processing, environment, tourism, education, culture and sports.
Signed The route from the airport to the hotel, a drive of about 10 minutes, saw an impromptu line up of the local people who had turned out in large numbers, waving flags and clicking photographs with cameras as well as mobile phones. During his two-day visit, Modi will be holding talks with his counterpart Sushil Koirala and meet other political leaders. He will also have the rare honour of addressing Nepal's Constituent Assembly. Ahead of his visit, Modi had said that he looks forward to working with the Nepalese leadership to forge a new relationship by identifying steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation in key sectors, including trade and investment, hydropower, agriculture and agro-processing, environment, tourism, education, culture and sports. "I am excited about my visit and pleased that I am able to go there within weeks of assuming office as Prime Minister," he had said in a pre-departure statement on Saturday. "I hope my visit will open a new chapter in India-Nepal relations, characterised by more frequent political engagement and closer cooperation across the full spectrum of our extraordinarily broad-based relations, which will serve as a model and catalyst for South Asian partnership for prosperity," Modi had said. Describing Nepal as a close friend and neighbour, he had said, "We have had the privilege of being a leading partner in Nepal's socio-economic development. We are committed to continuing our support to Nepal in its development efforts." Modi's Nepal visit will also unite a youth with his family. 26-year-old Jeet Bahadur, who came in contact with Modi in Ahmedabad over a decade back and was since looked after by him, is travelling with the Prime Minister to Kathmandu to be personally handed over to his mother and elder brother. "On a personal note, my Nepal visit is very special...
Zabarwan Times Some personal emotions are also attached to this visit.," Modi had said. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister had said, "Years back, I met a child Jeet Bahadur in a helpless condition. He knew nothing, where to go, what to do. He did not know anybody, nor did he understand the language." "Guided by God, I started thinking about him. Gradually, he developed interest in studies and playing. He also learned Gujarati language," Modi had said. The Prime Minister said sometime back, he was able to locate Bahadur's parents. "This was possible because he (Bahadur) has six fingers in his foot." "Thankfully, we were able to locate his parents. I am glad that the parents would be reunited with their son," he had said. During the visit, the two countries are expected to sign agreements in sectors like power. India may also announce economic aid for that country. The Prime Minister had said that his visit highlights the high priority that his government attaches to relations with Nepal and India's determination to take our relationship to an entirely new level. Modi had said that he will have the opportunity to hold detailed discussions with the Nepalese leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations. He had said that he looked forward to working with the leadership of Nepal "to forge a new relationship for the new century between our two rapidly transforming countries." Referring to the recent meeting of India-Nepal Joint Commission after a long gap of 23 years, the Prime Minister said it reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and cooperation with a focus on economic relations, trade and connectivity. "Our ongoing major projects for development of border infrastructure will usher in economic prosperity to people living on both sides of the border and also enhance connectivity," Modi had said. During the visit, the two sides will explore ways to further strengthen development cooperation. Recalling with delight that Koirala had graced his swearing-in ceremony on 26th May, Modi had said it demonstrated the solidarity of the people of Nepal with India and the shared commitment to democracy. The Prime Minister had also expressed gratitude to the people and the elected representatives of Nepal for giving him the rare honour of addressing the Parliament of Nepal. "For me, another significance of this visit is that I will have the opportunity of paying obeisance at Pashupatinath Temple on 'sawan ki somwar'," Modi had said.
NC that are being contested. “We believe that the parliament polls and the assembly elections are not same. They are different from one another and the coming time will prove how much strong is NC in its state.” (KNS)
Sopore Sunday held protest demonstration against the scarcity of the drinking water facilities. (KNS)
School work until the tunnels are destroyed. And he added the forces were prepared to continue operating according to Israel’s defense needs until security is restored to Israel. Some Israeli ground troops on Sunday were seen leaving Gaza and re-deploying along the boundary with the territory. Redeployment of Israeli troops Lerner stopped short of calling the move a withdrawal, but said residents from some evacuated Palestinian neighborhoods had been told by the army they could return. “The troops are in the midst of a redeployment to other parts of the border,” Lerner said. “Indeed we are releasing troops from the front line but the mission is ongoing. Ground forces are operating. Air forces are operating.” A few Palestinians returned to their homes on Sunday but mostly to recover personal property and inspect their homes. Eman al-Kahlot, whose extended family of 18 had taken refuge in the U.N.-run Remal Primary School in Gaza, said they would not be going home. Kahlot said her family does not believe what Israel says because yesterday a family returned. The Israelis bombarded and they died. So we don’t believe them, she said, because they always say one thing and do something else. She said her family would return home only if there was a real cease-fire. In Rafah, Fatah faction leader and local resident Ashraf Goma said Israeli forces were bombarding the town from air, ground and sea and locals were unable to deal with the wounded and the dead. An Israeli army spokeswoman said that so far on Sunday at least 13 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel. One was intercepted by Israel’s anti-missile system and the rest landed in open areas. Cease-fire terms Israel is demanding the de-militarization of Gaza as part of any cease-fire accord. Hamas said it will keep on fighting until the seven-year Israeli blockade of Gaza is lifted. Meanwhile, delegations from the Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have arrived in Cairo on Sunday to discuss a cease-fire proposal. The talks are being conducted by Egyptian and U.S. officials. But Israel said its delegation would not go, because it did not trust any agreement with Hamas. Netanyahu said Saturday that hundreds of Hamas militants have been killed since Israel launched its ground and air operations almost a month ago. Netanyahu warned that Hamas would pay an “intolerable” price if it failed to stop rocket attacks on Israel. Netanyahu stressed that Israel has nothing against the “peaceful citizens of Gaza.” He said he was very sorry for each civilian killed or wounded. Netanyahu said Gaza’s dominant Hamas faction bears ultimate responsibility for civilian casualties, accusing gunmen and rocket-launching squads of using residents in densely populated areas as “human shields.” He also encouraged international support to help rebuild Gaza. The United Nations said 460,000 people had been displaced by the fighting - nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population.
Strong after bombardment.” She added that her neighbor’s house, a new two-story building, had toppled.
Xinhua said at least 175 people were killed in the quake, with 181 missing and 1,402 injured. At least 122 of the dead were in Ludian, with another 1,300 people injured there, Xinhua reported. It said another 49 people died, one was missing and 102 were injured in Qiaojia county, which has a population of 580,000.News reports said rescuers were still trying to reach victims in more remote towns Sunday night. Photos on the Chinese social media site Weibo showed rescuers searching through flattened buildings and people injured amid toppled bricks. The homes that collapsed in Ludian, which has a population of about 429,000, were mostly old brick houses, Xinhua said, adding that electricity and telecommunications were cut off in the county.
Modi Ahmad Bhat resident of Soura Srinagar was injured. The injured was shifted to hospital for treatment. Police has registered a case in this regard. In another road accident, an unknown vehicle hit a motorcycle bearing registration number DL7SBR/2650 near Akhoo Gund, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Gund, Ganderbal. In this accident the motorcyclist Ashul son of Ashwin Dass resident of Panipat was injured. The injured was shifted to SKIMS Soura, Srinagar for treatment. Police has registered a case in this regard. (KNS)
Elections in Sectt. Employees Union
GAD floating norms, presidential polls yet to be held Srinagar, Aug 3: While the state employees were fighting for the genuine demands of employees like enhancement of retirement age, regularization of daily wagers, the acting president of the Non- Gazetted Employees Union was ‘hand in glove’ with the state authorities in sabotaging the same, accuse the secretariat employees. “The state employees union fought to the level of going to jails. Also, the government was forced to enforce ESMA but the determination of the employees bore the fruit and force the government to accept all the genuine demands. This happened with least contribution made by the secretariat union, so in view of the union election ahead, Mr Rouf is dancing over the issue unnecessarily,” delegation of secretariat employees in a joint statement told KNS.
They maintained further earlier as the vice president Rouf Bhat he made division of the employees and deceived them while on strike and put the president at that time at the mercy of Almighty. “It is shameful for the secretariat union as an institution, its president ignores its elected august body and relies on the advice of the defeated and disgruntled elements, thus has destroyed the sanctity of the institution cherished by our great senior leaders. It was during the tenure of Rouf Bhat that hindrances were created in the promotion of the secretariat employees.” The employees while referring to government order GAD (Adm) SW/05/2005-II, dated 19-06-2012, stated that Rouf Bhat was elected as the president of the secretariat union by securing 474
votes in his kitty for the period of two years and that even the stipulated time has been completed, no announcement for the fresh elections has been made. They stated that the government and in particular the General Administrative Department (GAD) has been making repeated attempts to keep Mr Bhat installed as a president of Secretariat employees despite the rules stating otherwise. The reports informed further that a meeting of the secretariat employees was held on June 18, this year wherein it was decided to approach GAD to issue notification for conducting election of Non- Gazetted Employees Union. A representation in this regard was submitted to the GAD and it has been assured to hold the elections shortly. (KNS)
Ukrainian army steps up attacks on rebel-held Donetsk Pro-Russian separatists battled on Sunday to keep advancing Ukrainian government forces at bay in heavy fighting on the outskirts of Donetsk, the rebels' main stronghold in eastern Ukraine. Shelling by Ukrainian troops, some of them in sunflower fields outside the large industrial city, killed six people over the weekend, city officials said, as well as setting buildings ablaze and leaving shell craters in roads. The army has all but encircled the other main rebel redoubt of Luhansk, where three civilians were killed in the latest fighting, and is trying to tighten the noose around Donetsk. Fighting has intensified since the downing of a Malaysian airliner in rebel-held territory on July 17 and, with each side blaming the other for the deaths of the 298 crew and passengers, relations between Russia and the West are deteriorating rapidly. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to persuade the rebels to end the conflict and to ensure they do not hinder international experts trying to recover human remains from the plane's wreckage. "It is an unspeakable abomination that two weeks after this crash there are still bodies on the crash site unrecovered and the Russians have not used their influence with the separatists," Hammond told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. "I said last week that there is one man who can snap his fingers and make this happen and he hasn't done so. He must now do so," Hammond said, urging Putin to cut off arms to the rebels and "stop destabilising and interfering" in
Ukraine. Putin denies arming the rebels or trying to orchestrate events in Ukraine since the ousting of a president sympathetic to Moscow in February. He accuses the West of attempting to 'contain' Russia, using a Cold War-era phrase to suggest the United States wants to reduce Moscow's global influence. A military spokesman in the Ukrainian capital Kiev told a briefing the army had now recaptured three-quarters of the territory the rebels once controlled in their self-proclaimed 'people's republics' of Luhansk and Donetsk. But Russia has firm control of the Crimea peninsula it annexed in March and the separatists are putting up fierce resistance in the last two big cities they hold in the east. A Reuters reporter in central Donetsk said shelling echoed through the night and the smoke from burning buildings in the outlying Petrovsky district stretched as far as the city centre. NO WATER, NO ELECTRICITY "I work in the city centre. It's easier for me to be at work than to come home. You never know if your house will still be standing when you get back," the financial director of a small company who gave her name only as Antonina said in Petrovsky. "I know people who have come back from work and found they have nowhere to live". In another outlying district, Maryinka, roads and houses were pockmarked by shells and some buildings were burnt-out carcasses. The rebels control a checkpoint there, but an abandoned military truck with the Ukrainian flag by the side of the road bore witness to the fighting there.
Streets were deserted and shelling could be heard nearby. Buildings were without electricity or running water. "Yesterday the light went off suddenly and there was an explosion. I hid in the hallway", said a woman who gave her name as Yevgeniya, standing outside her battered home. "Then I heard a woman crying outside. Her son and his wife were killed by shelling. They were lying right there," she said, pointing to a pool of blood. Many homes in Luhansk, which is close to the border with Russia, also have no electricity or water. The Ukrainian military said it had suffered no losses in the latest fighting. Efforts to end the conflict, in which the United Nations says more than 1,100 people have been killed, have stalled. The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia over its role in Ukraine but say Putin has done nothing to show he is changing policy. U.S. President Barack Obama said after speaking to Putin on Friday that "sometimes people don't always act rationally". Dutch and Australian forensic experts have gained access to the site of downed Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 for three successive days and have recovered more human remains to send back to the Netherlands for forensic tests. The United States says the separatists probably shot down the Boeing 777 by mistake with a Russian-supplied missile, but Moscow denies the accusation and blames the disaster on Kiev. Victims included 196 Dutch, 27 Australians and 43 Malaysians.
Afghan Election Audit Restarts After Holiday Delay An audit of results from Afghanistan's presidential runoff election resumed Sunday after a holiday break, an electoral official said. The audit of more than 8 million votes is likely to take weeks, stalling an already much-delayed announcement of a new president to replace Hamid Karzai, the only leader the country has known since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban. Preliminary results from the June 14 runoff showed former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai well ahead of his rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, but both sides alleged fraud. Afghan election commission spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said the audit, which would remain open to the public, began in the afternoon although it had been scheduled to start a day earlier. "The audit process is underway
right now in two shifts to end the process as soon as possible," he said at a news conference, adding that local and international observers are watching the audit along with journalists, as well as representatives from candidate Ghani Ahmadzai's team. There were no representatives from Abdullah. A United Nations official said Saturday that requests from Abdullah's team had delayed the audit's resumption. Abdullah's campaign team meanwhile decried the audit as "a show" on Sunday and maintained that the election was fraudulent. It released a recording with a voice it alleged belongs to the country's second vice president, Mohammad Karim Khalili, assuring his supporters that Ghani Ahmadzai would win the election because he had support from both foreigners and Karzai. Khalili's office later denounced
the recording as a fake. A senior State Department official said that Secretary of State John Kerry called both Abdullah and Ghani Ahmadzai on Friday to express continued support for the Afghan electoral process and a framework agreement for a national unity government agreed during his last visit. The official added that Kerry stres s e d u r g e n c y i n a c c e l erating the audit and implementing the framework agreement following the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Secretary reminded both candidates that Afghanistan and its international partners need c l a r i t y f r o m the process and confidence that the two candidates and their supporters will be able to work together regardless of who wins, in order to implement reforms.
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