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Tensions rise as Indian, Pakistani armies clash

October 7, 2014

Jammu, Oct 7: Indian and Pakistani troops clashed again Tuesday along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, sparking fear at the border and forcing thousands to flee to safer places.indian soldiers

Defence ministry spokesman Colonel Manish Mehta told media that the Pakistan Army used small arms to fire at Indian positions in Balnoi sector in Poonch district.

"The firing started at 2.20 p.m. And it is still going on. Our troops have effectively retaliated," he said. There were no fresh casualties on the Indian side.

The latest violation of the 2003 ceasefire along the Jammu and Kashmir border has sparked fresh tensions along the border. Indian officials have said an estimated 20,000 people have fled their homes in border areas.

In Islamabad, Pakistan registered a protest with the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) over the firing by the Indian military.

The UN group would visit the affected areas, Geo News quoted the Pakistani military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) as saying.

India said five Indian civilians were killed in heavy firing by the Pakistani military Monday. Pakistani officials said the Indian firing has left four civilians dead.

The Pakistan Army had Monday too violated the truce. The paramilitary Pakistan Rangers have also targeted Border Security Force (BSF) as well as civilian positions on the border in the last two days.

For the first time, the Rangers and BSF failed to exchange sweets on the border Monday on the occasion of Eid.

On Tuesday, BSF Director General D.K. Pathak visited the border outposts of the BSF in Jammu and Samba districts.

Three civilians were injured overnight on the Indian side in firing and mortar shelling by Pakistani forces, police said Tuesday.

"Three civilians were injured in Arnia town," a senior police officer told IANS in Jammu. He added that the BSF hit back at the Pakistan Rangers.

The firing, which again started between the Rangers and the BSF Monday evening, continued Tuesday in Arnia, Pargwal, Kanachak, Ramgarh and other places in Jammu and Samba districts.

Thousands of villagers from the border areas of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts have fled their homes and moved into makeshift camps.

Journalists who visited the border villages were told that the Pakistani firing was "very heavy".

BSF officers say that Pakistani forces have intensified attacks on Indian border posts in a desperate bid to give cover to Islamist militants trying to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir.

But Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah denied this, telling CNN-IBN channel that the real reason for the turmoil on the border was the internal situation in Pakistan.

"This Pakistani provocation has nothing to do with attempts to infiltrate militants into Jammu and Kashmir," Abdullah said.

"It is all due to the internal situation in Pakistan," he said, referring to the unending tensions between the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the opposition.

"Sharif is trying to deflect attention from his internal crisis," he said.

Abdullah said the Pakistani aggression was a major challenge to the Modi government and simply lodging a protest with Islamabad won't do.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh Monday warned Pakistan to stop violating the ceasefire, saying "times have changed in India".

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Agencies
July 30,2020

New Delhi, Jul 30: India's gold demand in 2020 is expected to fall to the lowest level in 26 years with domestic bullion prices hitting a record high and as falling disposable incomes could curtail retail purchases, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Thursday.

Lower demand by the world's second-biggest bullion consumer could limit a rally in global prices, which hit a record high earlier this month, although it could also reduce India's trade deficit and support the ailing rupee.

"Fast rising gold prices could act as headwinds," said Somasundaram PR, the managing director of WGC's Indian operations.

Local gold futures have jumped 35% so far this year after rising a quarter in 2019.

India's gold consumption in the first half of 2020 plunged 56% on-year to 165.6 tonnes. Meanwhile, the coronavirus-triggered lockdown also slashed demand by 70% in the June quarter to 63.7 tonnes, the lowest in more than a decade, the WGC said in a report published on Thursday.

Millions of Indians have lost their jobs or taken a pay cut after the country imposed a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people to curb the spread of the virus that has infected more than 1.5 million Indians.

Consumption is generally high during the June quarter due to weddings and key festivals such as Akshaya Tritiya, but lockdown restrictions kept shoppers indoors this year.

The weak demand in the first half could drag down India's gold consumption in 2020 to the lowest since 1994, when demand stood at 415 tonnes, Somasundaram said, adding that it is still difficult to provide an estimate for full-year demand as the coronavirus crisis is still unfolding.

"Indian demand has previously jumped as much as 300 tonnes in a quarter. Latent demand could come out in the second half," Somasundaram said.

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News Network
February 29,2020

Kollam, Feb 29: Seven-year-old Devananda, whose body was found in a lake, was laid to rest at Kudavattoor in the Kollam district of Kerala on Friday evening.

She was laid to rest near her father Pradeep Kumar's house in Kudavattoor. Earlier, the body was kept at her mother Dhanya's house in Ilavoor and Vakkanadu school, where she studied in Class 1, for the public to pay respect.

Hundreds of people visited to pay their last respects to the child.

An intense social media campaign was launched to trace the child after she was reported missing on Thursday morning.

According to police, an autopsy conducted in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College led to a preliminary conclusion that the cause of death was drowning. Residues of mud and silt have been found in her respiratory tract.

Signs of any kind of violence inflicted on the child have been ruled out. The body was released to the family after the autopsy.

Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, BJP state president K Surendran were among many politicians who offered the condolences.

Many celebrities including Mammootty, Dulqar Salman, Kunchako Boban took to Facebook to pay their tribute to Devananda.

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Agencies
June 4,2020

New Delhi, Jun 4: Press Council of India (PCI) member BR Gupta has resigned from his post, saying he was unable to work individually or collectively for the media, which is in a "deep crisis".

"I have tendered my resignation as a Press Council of India member," Gupta told PTI.

He said the PCI had the responsibility to encourage media and media professionals constantly.

"But everyone now realises that the media scenario is in a deep crisis. The motto for which the Council was created was not being fulfilled and I felt I was not doing anything remarkable for the freedom of media," Gupta said.

He claimed that the PCI was not a wholly representative body for the media.

"Then how can we come out of the crisis being faced by the media and mediapersons? It is a big challenge for us. I have quit as I have not been able to work individually or collectively being a PCI member," Gupta added.

Referring to salary cuts and job losses, he said media and mediapersons were struggling for social, political and economic justice.

When contacted, PCI chairman Justice C K Prasad said Gupta's resignation has not been accepted yet.

"I have received it (the resignation). I have not gone through it. It has not been accepted," Prasad told PTI.

Gupta was appointed as a PCI member for a three-year term on May 30, 2018.

He said liberty is one of the basic features of the preamble to the Constitution that continues to inspire people and the media.

"It is difficult (for me) to fulfil the unbiased role and responsibility to help citizens and the media for making democracy stronger," Gupta said.

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