Kulgam, May 03: Flash flood triggered by a cloudburst created panic in some villages of Devsar in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday.
An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that a cloudburst occurred in the upper reaches of Lammar-Hallan area in Devsar today afternoon.
“Soon after the cloudburst, there was a sudden downflow of water, creating panic in the area,” he said.
Naib tehsildar Lammar, Hyder Hussain told KNO that no loss of life or injury has been reported in the incident, while situation is under control—(KNO)
Telangana: 1 killed as fireworks during BRS meeting triggers fire, blast (Photo: Twitter)
Hyderabad: Fireworks during a meeting of BRS led to a fire accident and cylinder explosion that claimed a life and left eight others injured in Telangana’s Khammam district.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in Chemalapadu of Karepally mandal.
During the ongoing Atmeya Sammelana meeting of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), some party workers burst firecrackers. A nearby hut caught fire after one of the burning crackers fell on it. As a result of the fire, a cooking gas cylinder in the hut exploded killing one person and injuring eight others.
A policeman and two journalists were among those injured. Couple of injured people lost their limbs in the explosion.
The BRS workers burst the firecrackers to welcome the party leaders, including Khammam MP Nama Nageswara Rao and MLA Ramulu Naik.
The incident sent panic among people. The injured were shifted to government hospital in the vehicles of the BRS leaders.
Nageswara Rao told media persons that the incident had nothing to do with the party meeting. He said the incident occurred 200 meters away from the meeting venue.
The MP directed the doctors to provide best medical treatment to the injured and if necessary shift them to Hyderabad. He assured all help to the victims.
A tragedy occurred in Chimalapadu village of Karepalli, Khammam district, where a fire broke out during a BRS spiritual gathering attended by MP Nama Nageswara Rao & MLA Ramulu.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has asked local administrations across the state to organise special religious events at temples during the nine-day Chaitra Navratri and Ram Navami festivals this month, triggering criticism from the opposition.
The state’s BJP government will make available Rs 1 lakh to each district to pay as honorarium to artists picked to perform at these events.
In an order dated March 10, state culture department’s principal secretary Mukesh Meshram said Chaitra Navratri has a special significance during which the nine “swaroops” of Goddess Durga are worshipped to end negative energy.
So organising religious and cultural events during this period is proposed, he said.
The order, which went out to all district magistrates and divisional commissioners, said organising committees should be set up in each block, tehsil and district. Suggestions for the events include recitation of Durga Saptashati and Akhand Ramayan at temples and shaktipeeths’.
The organisers are expected to upload pictures on the culture department website.
Public representatives should be invited and large public participation ensured, the order said.
The Chaitra Navratri begins on March 22 and Ram Navami will be celebrated on March 30.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav did not directly criticise the order, choosing instead to make a sarcastic comment.
“The proposal to give Rs 1 lakh to district magistrates of UP is welcome but what can Rs 1 lakh do? At least Rs 10 crore should be given so that festivals of all religions can be celebrated,” Yadav tweeted in Hindi.
He added that the BJP government should give free cooking gas cylinders on festivals, beginning this Ram Navami.
Yadav’s party colleague Swami Prasad Maurya, who recently kicked up a row by suggesting that portions of Ramcharitmanas should be deleted, took a dig at the government.
He said the government is now forced to conduct the recitation of Ramcharitmanas at its own expense as people have stopped doing it.
The SP legislator said promotion of a particular religion by a secular, democratic government is a violation of the Constitution. Giving money from government funds to “promote all religions equally” would be welcome, he added.
Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said, “It’s good to organise religious events but what about the issues on which people voted for the BJP.”
Awasthi asked where are the jobs promised by the party, and said no day passes without news of atrocities on Brahmins and Dalits in UP.
“The BJP has failed on issues and promises that were made to the people of the state,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya dismissed the opposition criticism.
“If any religious event related to Lord Shri Ram and Ramcharitmanas is being organised, it should be welcomed. There should be no questions or answers on it. All I want to say is Jai Shri Ram and Jai Mata Di.”
Principal Secretary Meshram said there was nothing new in the order.
“Such programmes have been held earlier too and this is not the first time they are being held in the state. Holding these programmes will provide a platform to the artistes at the local level to showcase their talent,” he told PTI.
The official has asked the local administrations to organise Durga Saptashati, Devi Gaan and Devi Jagran at temples and ‘shaktipeeths’ under a special drive to ensure participation of women and girls.
On Ashtami and Ram Navami (March 29 and 30), Akhand Ramayan paath should be organised at major temples and ‘shaktipeeths’ to spread human, social and national values, the order said.
Two nodal officers have been appointed at the state level for coordination. A committee headed by the district magistrate in each district will select artistes for the events, the order said.
The government has asked local administrations to upload photographs of these events on the website of the culture department.
All preparations should be made by March 21, by which time GPS locations, photographs of the temples and the contact details of the temple management bodies should be shared with the department, the order said.
SRINAGAR: A government primary school in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda was locked down by the residents of Chanti village after a teacher was discovered drunk during school hours. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, was captured on video and circulated on social media, prompting officials to launch an investigation against the accused teacher, Bikram Singh. According to villagers, Singh had asked students to bring him a glass so that he could consume alcohol inside the school premises. When confronted by the villagers, Singh caused a commotion in his inebriated state, as per Gajoth Panchayat Devinder Kotwal, the village head.
“The accused teacher had a few more bottles of alcohol in his possession,” said village head. “He has repeated this behavior in the past and has been warned by the education department. It is essential to deal with this alcoholic teacher strictly to ensure the safety of the students,” Kotwal added. The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Bhaderwah, Dilmir Chowdhary, commented that carrying liquor to the workplace and being inebriated is not an ideal behaviour for a government official, especially a teacher. After receiving a written complaint from the villagers, the police have taken note of the situation.
ASP Bhadarwah Kameshwar Puri has confirmed that a complaint has been registered regarding the incident and action will be taken in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner Chowdhary has stated that if the individual in the social media video is indeed a teacher, they will be subjected to a thorough investigation and will face severe consequences. The authorities have initiated an inquiry into the matter.
SRINAGAR: At least two civilians and a firefighter were injured while dousing off blaze, triggered by a gas cylinder blast, in Wanihama area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Reports said that a gas cylinder exploded with a bang, resulting in fire in the house of one Mohammad Ishaq Parry, son of Ghulam Mohidin Parray at Watrigam Wanihama.
Fire tenders were rushed to the spot to contain the spread of fire and in the course of time two civilians identified as Tawseef Ahmad and Waseem Ahmad Itoo and a firefighter received injuries at the incident spot.
The injured trio was taken to a nearby hospital, where all of them are said to be stable.
An F&ES official confirming the injury of the fireman, identified him as Manzoor Ahmad, working as MD in the department.(GNS)
Chinese Woman ‘Purchases’ Uninhabited Okinawa Island, Triggers Stir
An uninhabited island in Okinawa Prefecture of Japan was reportedly bought by a Chinese woman, whose identity was not revealed. Japan Times reported on Saturday (February 11) that the woman’s claims were made on social media, which led to a stir online. According to the report, a few users highlighted that the move would be part of Beijing’s attempt at “an expansion of Chinese territory”.
The firm specialises in Chinese businesses, public records showed, the report added. Sharing details, the office of Izena village in Okinawa said that the company owns about 50 percent of the total land, the report said, adding that its beaches are mostly controlled by the local government.
The woman had earlier posted a video on social media showing her first visit to the island. Japan Times reported that an Izena Island resident had taken the woman and another woman on a trip to Yanaha Island by boat.
Tina Zhang (张), a 34-year-old 🇨🇳 woman from Qingdao, Shandong province, posted videos on Douyin of her hanging out on Yanaha Island (屋那霸岛) — the biggest uninhabited island in Okinawa — which she claimed she bought in 2020.
🇯🇵🏝”Yanaha/屋那覇島” Island,the largest uninhabited island in Okinawa,has been bought by a Chinese woman entrepreneur in her 30s. Under a law in Japan,no one can enter a place without the consent of the land owner. Despite being a hot topic on the SNS in China,no news in Japan. pic.twitter.com/CGDh0lnoqf
Srinagar, Jan 31: The closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway due to landslides and snow triggered shortage of mutton in Kashmir.
In Srinagar, non-availability of mutton was reported from several areas of Srinagar.
Stakeholders associated with the mutton trade acknowledged to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) shortage of mutton in markets due to the highway shutdown.
General Secretary of Kashmir mutton dealers association Mehraj-u-Din told KNO that more than 80 trucks of sheep are stranded on the highway.
Responding to a query about the status of the revision of mutton rates he said their scheduled meeting with the administration on Saturday last week was postponed after which they are yet to get information on a fresh date.
“We are waiting for a fresh date for the meeting as we have already made a draft to finalise the revision of mutton rates”, he said.
The Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Kashmir had sealed more than 100 mutton shops across the valley stating that the drive was launched to control pricing after receiving reports that mutton is being sold at high rates and beyond the government fixed rate—(KNO)
A secretly made documentary expanding on allegations of sexual assault against supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh has premiered at this year’s Sundance film festival.
Justice, a last-minute addition to the schedule, aims to shine a light not only on the women who have accused Kavanaugh, a Donald Trump nominee, but also the failed FBI investigation into the allegations.
“I do hope this triggers outrage,” said producer Amy Herdy in a Q&A after the premiere in Park City, Utah. “I do hope that this triggers action, I do hope that this triggers additional investigation with real subpoena powers.”
The film provides a timeline of the allegations, initially that Kavanaugh was accused by Christine Blasey Ford of sexual assault when she was 15 and he 17. She alleged that he held her down on a bed and groped her, and tried to rip her clothes off before she got away. Kavanaugh was also accused of sexual misconduct by Deborah Ramirez, who alleged that he exposed himself and thrust his penis at her face without her consent at a college party.
Kavanaugh denies the allegations. He turned down requests to take part in the documentary.
The first scene features Ford, half off-camera, interviewed by the film’s director Doug Liman, whose credits include Mr and Mrs Smith and The Bourne Identity. Justice features a number of interviews with journalists, lawyers, psychologists and those who knew Ford and Ramirez.
“This was the kind of movie where people are terrified,” Liman said. “The people that chose to participate in the movie are heroes.”
In the film, Ramirez, who previously told her story to Ronan Farrow in the New Yorker, also shares her story on-camera. Ramirez is referred to as someone “they worked hard for people not to know”, her story never given the space it deserved until long after Kavanaugh was confirmed to the court in October 2018.
Ramirez details a Catholic upbringing, before explaining that her high grades got her into Yale when the university was slowly diversifying its student body in the mid-80s. As well as being admitted only 15 years after women were allowed in, Ramirez was also biracial and working class. “My mum was concerned,” she recounts, emotionally, in the documentary.
Friends at the time refer to her as “sweet and Bambi-like” and “innocent to a fault”, but Ramirez tried to fit in by becoming a cheerleader and by drinking with her peers. This, she says, brought her into the orbit of Kavanaugh, who came from a privileged family and was known as a heavy drinker at the time (he is referred to in the film as someone who was usually “more drunk than everyone else”). Ramirez recounts the alleged event, when she was intoxicated and, she says, made, without her consent, to touch Kavanaugh’s penis, which he had placed near her face.
Deborah Ramirez. Photograph: AP
The film then details how the circles around Ramirez and Kavanaugh responded, showing text messages of a discussion when Ramirez’s allegations were about to go public, of a mutual friend being asked by Kavanaugh to go on record to defend him. Another friend refers to it as “a cover-up”.
The New Yorker included a statement from a group of students at the time in support of Kavanaugh. A year later, the film shows that two of them emailed the New Yorker to remove their names from the statement.
Ramirez’s lawyers claim they contacted Republican senator Jeff Flake, who was involved in Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, to explain what happened to her. The next day Flake called to delay the confirmation and insist on a week-long FBI investigation.
But the film details how the FBI failed to call on the many witnesses recommended by Ramirez’s lawyers. Footage is shown of the film-makers meeting with a confidential source who plays tape of Kavanaugh’s classmate Max Stier, now a prominent figure in Washington running a non-profit, who allegedly witnessed Kavanaugh involved in a similar act of alleged drunken exposure with a female student at a dorm party at Yale. The woman has chosen to remain anonymous and this is the first time this recording has been heard.
It was made during the week the FBI investigated Kavanaugh, and despite Stier notifying them, they failed to speak to him. “You don’t talk to that guy, you’re not talking to anybody,” Liman said during the Q&A.
The FBI tip line that was set up is referred to as “a graveyard”, with 4,500 tips sent straight to the White House rather than being investigated. It’s referred to as another “cover-up”.
The film-makers also spoke to other accuser who alleged misconduct but could not be included in the film. “We did speak to people who had other allegations, and we were very careful and thorough, and it’s not for disbelieving them – but the stories you see here are the ones you are able to corroborate,” Herdy said to the audience.
Justice was made in secrecy over the last year, with NDAs signed by everyone involved. The project was self-funded by Liman, making his documentary debut. He told the Hollywood Reporter that the supreme court holds “special meaning” to him, his father having been a lawyer and activist and his brother a federal judge. He was frustrated by the FBI investigation into Kavanaugh that “never happened”, and sought the help of renowned documentary producers Liz Garbus and Herdy, both with specialised experience of films about sexual assault allegations, to do the work that he saw as unfinished, if barely started at all.
At the Q&A, he expressed the importance of secrecy, speaking about “the machinery that’s put into place against anyone who dared to speak up” and an awareness that this machinery would be turned on the film if it was made public.
“There would have been some kind of injunction,” he said. “This film wouldn’t have been showing here.”
It was only screened to Sundance high-ups on Wednesday before being officially announced on Thursday. It premiered to a sold-out cinema on Friday.
In the past few years, the festival has become a regular home to a number of investigative documentaries about alleged sexual predators in the public eye. Figures such as Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Russell Simmons and former Sundance mainstay Harvey Weinstein have all been spotlighted.
Since the announcement of Justice, Herdy confirmed they have been “getting more tips”, which started arriving just 30 minutes after the press release went out. Liman added that the film, which is seeking a distributor, will now possibly need to be extended and re-edited.
Herdy added: “It’s not over.”
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
