Tag: United States News

  • At the Pentagon, push to send F-16s to Ukraine picks up steam

    At the Pentagon, push to send F-16s to Ukraine picks up steam

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    A contingent of military officials is quietly pushing the Pentagon to approve sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to help the country defend itself from Russian missile and drone attacks, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions.

    Ukraine has kept American-made F-16s on its weapons wish list since the Russian invasion last year. But Washington and Kyiv have viewed artillery, armor and ground-based air defense systems as more urgent needs as Ukraine seeks to protect civilian infrastructure and claw back ground occupied by Russian forces.

    As Ukraine prepares to launch a new offensive to retake territory in the spring, the campaign inside the Defense Department for fighter jets is gaining momentum, according to a DoD official and two other people involved in the discussions. Those people, along with others interviewed for this story, asked not to be named in order to discuss internal matters.

    Spurred in part by the rapid approval of tanks and Patriot air defense systems — which not long ago were off-limits for export to Ukraine — there is renewed optimism in Kyiv that U.S. jets could be next up.

    “I don’t think we are opposed,” said a senior DoD official about the F-16s, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive debate. The person stressed that there has been no final decision.

    However, Ukraine has yet to declare that fighter jets are its top priority, the official stressed, noting that the Pentagon is focused on sending Kyiv the capabilities it needs for the immediate fight.

    But fighter jets may be moving to the top spot soon. Kyiv has renewed its request for modern fighters in recent days, with a top adviser to the country’s defense minister telling media outlets that officials will push for jets from the U.S. and European countries.

    A top Ukrainian official said Saturday that Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in “fast-track” talks on possibly sending both long-range missiles and military aircraft.

    One adviser to the Ukrainian government said the subject has been raised with Washington, but there has been “nothing too serious” on the table yet. Another person familiar with the conversations between Washington and Kyiv said it could take “weeks” for the U.S. to make a decision on shipments of its own jets and approve the re-export of the F-16s from other countries.

    “If we get them, the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense. … It’s not just F-16s: fourth generation aircraft, this is what we want,” Yuriy Sak, who advises Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, told Reuters.

    A White House spokesperson declined to comment for this story, but pointed to remarks by deputy national security adviser Jon Finer. He said the U.S. would be discussing fighter jets “very carefully” with Kyiv and its allies.

    “We have not ruled in or out any specific systems,” Finer said on MSNBC Thursday.

    Ukraine wants modern fighters — U.S. Air Force F-16s or F-15s, or their European equivalents the German Tornado or Swedish Gripen — to replace its fleet of Soviet-era jets. Dozens of the more modern planes will become available over the next year as countries such as Finland, Germany and the Netherlands upgrade to U.S. F-35 fighters.

    Despite the age of Ukraine’s jets, Kyiv’s integrated air defenses have kept Russia from dominating its skies since the Feb. 24 invasion.

    But now, officials are concerned that Ukraine is running out of missiles to protect its skies. Once its arsenal is depleted, Russia’s advanced fighter jets will be able to move in and Kyiv “will not be able to compete,” said the DoD official involved in the discussions.

    Modern fighter jets could be one solution to this problem, argues a group of military officials in the Pentagon and elsewhere. F-16s carry air-to-air missiles that can shoot down incoming missiles and drones. And unlike the Patriots and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems the West is currently sending, fighter jets can move around an area quickly to protect different targets.

    “If they get [F-16] Vipers and they have an active air-to-air missile with the radar the F-16 currently has with some electronic protection, now it’s an even game,” the DoD official said.

    Even if the U.S. decided not to send the Air Force’s F-16s, other Western nations have American-made fighters they could supply. For example, Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra told the Dutch parliament last week that his Cabinet would look at supplying F-16s, if Kyiv requests them. But the U.S. must approve the transfer.

    Senior Pentagon officials acknowledge that Ukraine needs new aircraft for the long term. But for now, some argue that Ukraine has a greater need for more traditional air defenses, such as the Patriots and NASAMs that the U.S. and other countries are supplying, because jets may take months to arrive.

    Sending Ukraine F-16s “does not solve the cruise missile or drone problem right now,” the senior DoD official said.

    Big push for training

    Others say the need for fighter jets is more urgent. Ukraine has identified a list of up to 50 pilots who are ready now to start training on the F-16, according to a DoD official and a Ukrainian official, as well as three other people familiar with the discussions. These seasoned pilots speak English and have thousands of combat missions under their belts, and could be trained in as little as three months, the people said.

    Many of them have already trained with the U.S. military in major exercises before the invasion. In 2011 and 2018, Americans and Ukrainians participated in military drills in the skies over Ukraine. In 2011, the Americans brought over their F-16s and taught the Ukrainian pilots, in their MiG-29s and Su-27s, how to protect a stadium in preparation for the 2012 Euro Cup.

    After Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, the U.S. and Ukraine held a second joint 2018 exercise aimed at teaching Ukrainian pilots homeland defense tactics and controlling the skies. The American pilots used their F-15s to replicate Russian fighter tactics.

    Ukraine is pushing the U.S. to start training its fighter pilots on the F-16s now, before President Joe Biden approves supplying the jets, according to the Ukrainian official and one of the people familiar. But there is no appetite in the Pentagon for this proposal, U.S. officials said. One alternative under discussion at lower levels is to start training Ukrainian pilots on introductory fighter tactics in trainer jets.

    Ukraine has also considered contracting with private companies in the U.S. to begin training pilots, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.

    It’s likely U.S. military training would not start without a presidential decision to supply American fighters. One concern for the Biden administration all along is that sending advanced weapons could be seen by Russia as an escalation, prompting Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons.

    But officials point out that the F-16 was first built in the 1980s, and the Air Force is already retiring parts of the fleet. While sending Ukraine the stealthy American F-22s or F-35s would be considered escalatory, sending F-16s would not, they said.

    “Let’s face it, a nuclear war isn’t going to happen over F-16s,” the DoD official said.

    One European official agreed, saying F-16s “cannot be considered escalatory.”

    “It’s simply part of the toolkit of having conventional weapons,” the person said.

    Yet F-16s are complex systems that also require massive infrastructure and highly skilled technicians to operate and maintain. Training Ukrainian maintainers would likely take longer than training the pilots, and the U.S. may need to bring in contractors to do some of that instruction.

    Lawmaker support

    Providing F-16s is likely to win some support on Capitol Hill, where Democrats and Republicans alike have chided the administration for not moving quickly enough or for withholding certain capabilities, such as longer-range artillery. Sending Russian-made MiG fighters to Ukraine, via Eastern European countries that still fly them, won bipartisan support, though a weapons swap ultimately never came to fruition.

    Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who co-chairs the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, said he’s “not against” providing F-16s to Kyiv, but broadly favors providing Ukraine with “whatever works.”

    “You can’t half-ass a war. Putin’s not. You’ve got to meet Putin armor for armor, weapon for weapon, because there’s already an extraordinary disadvantage in number of troops,” Quigley said. “Whatever works, whatever they need, send to them.

    “My message when I first started talking about this is what were once vices are now habits,” he said. “Everything we ever proposed was seen as escalatory.”

    But the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), cast doubt on the need to send F-16s into the conflict, where fighters haven’t proved pivotal.

    “I’m not opposed to it,” Smith said. “It’s just not at the top of the list of anybody’s priorities who’s focused on what [weapons] the fight really needs right now.”

    He noted that F-16s, much like older MiG jets debated last year, would be vulnerable to Russian air defenses and fifth-generation fighters. Instead, Smith underscored the need to supply ammunition for air defense batteries, longer-range missiles, tanks and armored vehicles.

    “What we really need to be focused on is air defense, number one,” he said. “And number two, artillery.”

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    #Pentagon #push #send #F16s #Ukraine #picks #steam
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • At the Pentagon, push to send F-16s to Ukraine picks up steam

    At the Pentagon, push to send F-16s to Ukraine picks up steam

    [ad_1]

    4725129

    Spurred in part by the rapid approval of tanks and Patriot air defense systems — which not long ago were off-limits for export to Ukraine — there is renewed optimism in Kyiv that U.S. jets could be next up.

    “I don’t think we are opposed,” said a senior DoD official about the F-16s, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive debate. The person stressed that there has been no final decision.

    However, Ukraine has yet to declare that fighter jets are its top priority, the official stressed, noting that the Pentagon is focused on sending Kyiv the capabilities it needs for the immediate fight.

    But fighter jets may be moving to the top spot soon. Kyiv has renewed its request for modern fighters in recent days, with a top adviser to the country’s defense minister telling media outlets that officials will push for jets from the U.S. and European countries.

    A top Ukrainian official said Saturday that Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in “fast-track” talks on possibly sending both long-range missiles and military aircraft.

    One adviser to the Ukrainian government said the subject has been raised with Washington, but there has been “nothing too serious” on the table yet. Another person familiar with the conversations between Washington and Kyiv said it could take “weeks” for the U.S. to make a decision on shipments of its own jets and approve the re-export of the F-16s from other countries.

    “If we get them, the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense. … It’s not just F-16s: fourth generation aircraft, this is what we want,” Yuriy Sak, who advises Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, told Reuters.

    A White House spokesperson declined to comment for this story, but pointed to remarks by deputy national security adviser Jon Finer. He said the U.S. would be discussing fighter jets “very carefully” with Kyiv and its allies.

    “We have not ruled in or out any specific systems,” Finer said on MSNBC Thursday.

    Ukraine wants modern fighters — U.S. Air Force F-16s or F-15s, or their European equivalents the German Tornado or Swedish Gripen — to replace its fleet of Soviet-era jets. Dozens of the more modern planes will become available over the next year as countries such as Finland, Germany and the Netherlands upgrade to U.S. F-35 fighters.

    Despite the age of Ukraine’s jets, Kyiv’s integrated air defenses have kept Russia from dominating its skies since the Feb. 24 invasion.

    But now, officials are concerned that Ukraine is running out of missiles to protect its skies. Once its arsenal is depleted, Russia’s advanced fighter jets will be able to move in and Kyiv “will not be able to compete,” said the DoD official involved in the discussions.

    Modern fighter jets could be one solution to this problem, argues a group of military officials in the Pentagon and elsewhere. F-16s carry air-to-air missiles that can shoot down incoming missiles and drones. And unlike the Patriots and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems the West is currently sending, fighter jets can move around an area quickly to protect different targets.

    “If they get [F-16] Vipers and they have an active air-to-air missile with the radar the F-16 currently has with some electronic protection, now it’s an even game,” the DoD official said.

    Even if the U.S. decided not to send the Air Force’s F-16s, other Western nations have American-made fighters they could supply. For example, Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra told the Dutch parliament last week that his Cabinet would look at supplying F-16s, if Kyiv requests them. But the U.S. must approve the transfer.

    Senior Pentagon officials acknowledge that Ukraine needs new aircraft for the long term. But for now, some argue that Ukraine has a greater need for more traditional air defenses, such as the Patriots and NASAMs that the U.S. and other countries are supplying, because jets may take months to arrive.

    Sending Ukraine F-16s “does not solve the cruise missile or drone problem right now,” the senior DoD official said.

    Big push for training

    Others say the need for fighter jets is more urgent. Ukraine has identified a list of up to 50 pilots who are ready now to start training on the F-16, according to a DoD official and a Ukrainian official, as well as three other people familiar with the discussions. These seasoned pilots speak English and have thousands of combat missions under their belts, and could be trained in as little as three months, the people said.

    Many of them have already trained with the U.S. military in major exercises before the invasion. In 2011 and 2018, Americans and Ukrainians participated in military drills in the skies over Ukraine. In 2011, the Americans brought over their F-16s and taught the Ukrainian pilots, in their MiG-29s and Su-27s, how to protect a stadium in preparation for the 2012 Euro Cup.

    After Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, the U.S. and Ukraine held a second joint 2018 exercise aimed at teaching Ukrainian pilots homeland defense tactics and controlling the skies. The American pilots used their F-15s to replicate Russian fighter tactics.

    Ukraine is pushing the U.S. to start training its fighter pilots on the F-16s now, before President Joe Biden approves supplying the jets, according to the Ukrainian official and one of the people familiar. But there is no appetite in the Pentagon for this proposal, U.S. officials said. One alternative under discussion at lower levels is to start training Ukrainian pilots on introductory fighter tactics in trainer jets.

    Ukraine has also considered contracting with private companies in the U.S. to begin training pilots, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.

    It’s likely U.S. military training would not start without a presidential decision to supply American fighters. One concern for the Biden administration all along is that sending advanced weapons could be seen by Russia as an escalation, prompting Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons.

    But officials point out that the F-16 was first built in the 1980s, and the Air Force is already retiring parts of the fleet. While sending Ukraine the stealthy American F-22s or F-35s would be considered escalatory, sending F-16s would not, they said.

    “Let’s face it, a nuclear war isn’t going to happen over F-16s,” the DoD official said.

    One European official agreed, saying F-16s “cannot be considered escalatory.”

    “It’s simply part of the toolkit of having conventional weapons,” the person said.

    Yet F-16s are complex systems that also require massive infrastructure and highly skilled technicians to operate and maintain. Training Ukrainian maintainers would likely take longer than training the pilots, and the U.S. may need to bring in contractors to do some of that instruction.

    Lawmaker support

    Providing F-16s is likely to win some support on Capitol Hill, where Democrats and Republicans alike have chided the administration for not moving quickly enough or for withholding certain capabilities, such as longer-range artillery. Sending Russian-made MiG fighters to Ukraine, via Eastern European countries that still fly them, won bipartisan support, though a weapons swap ultimately never came to fruition.

    Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who co-chairs the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, said he’s “not against” providing F-16s to Kyiv, but broadly favors providing Ukraine with “whatever works.”

    “You can’t half-ass a war. Putin’s not. You’ve got to meet Putin armor for armor, weapon for weapon, because there’s already an extraordinary disadvantage in number of troops,” Quigley said. “Whatever works, whatever they need, send to them.

    “My message when I first started talking about this is what were once vices are now habits,” he said. “Everything we ever proposed was seen as escalatory.”

    But the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), cast doubt on the need to send F-16s into the conflict, where fighters haven’t proved pivotal.

    “I’m not opposed to it,” Smith said. “It’s just not at the top of the list of anybody’s priorities who’s focused on what [weapons] the fight really needs right now.”

    He noted that F-16s, much like older MiG jets debated last year, would be vulnerable to Russian air defenses and fifth-generation fighters. Instead, Smith underscored the need to supply ammunition for air defense batteries, longer-range missiles, tanks and armored vehicles.

    “What we really need to be focused on is air defense, number one,” he said. “And number two, artillery.”

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    #Pentagon #push #send #F16s #Ukraine #picks #steam
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Trump hits the trail again, eager to show he’s still the GOP King Kong

    Trump hits the trail again, eager to show he’s still the GOP King Kong

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    gettyimages 1246620009

    For months Trump has been tucked away at his resort in Palm Beach, where he has hosted parties, sent out missives on his social media site Truth Social, played golf, and plotted out his next steps.

    When he re-emerged on Saturday, flying to New Hampshire on his rehabbed Trump-branded 757 plane, he was determined to showcase himself as a candidate who still has the star power that catapulted him to the White House in 2016, and could once again elbow out a full field of Republican challengers.

    “They said ‘he’s not doing rallies, he is not campaigning. Maybe he’s lost his step,’” Trump said at a meeting of the New Hampshire Republican Party. “I’m more angry now, and I’m more committed now than I ever was.”

    Unlike 2020, when he ran unopposed as president, Trump is expected to have a field of Republican challengers to deal with this time around, beyond Haley. In anticipation of a crowded field, Trump’s campaign has compiled research on different potential candidates, according to an adviser. But Trump himself brushed off concerns that he is in danger of not securing the nomination. “I don’t think we have competition this time either, to be honest,” he said.

    At the New Hampshire GOP meeting, Trump announced outgoing New Hampshire GOP Chair Stephen Stepanek would help oversee his campaign in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

    And later in the day, at an appearance at the South Carolina statehouse, Trump is expected to announce endorsements from close ally and occasional golf buddy Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Republican Gov. Henry McMaster — a notable display of political muscle in Haley’s home state.

    But Republican activists in New Hampshire are plainly divided. As Stepanek rejoins the Trump campaign, outgoing Vice Chair Pamela Tucker was recruiting volunteers for Ron to the Rescue, a super PAC formed after the midterms to boost Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis if he runs for president.

    “We’re not never-Trumpers. We’re people who supported Trump. We love Trump. But we also know, more importantly, that we need to win. And Ron DeSantis has proven it time and time again now he can win elections,” Tucker said in an interview.

    Matt Mayberry, a former congressional candidate and past New Hampshire GOP vice chair who supported Trump and has appeared at rallies with him in the state, said he isn’t taking sides yet in the still-forming primary.

    “Let them all come,” he said.

    Walter Stapleton, a GOP state representative from Claremont, sat toward the back of the auditorium wearing a Trump hat. But he said he, too, was undecided as to whom he’s backing in 2024.

    “We have to put a candidate there that can win and maybe draw some of the independents and some of the voters from the other side of the aisle. I think DeSantis is the runner for that,” Stapleton said. “But I’m always willing to see if Trump will change his tack … and come across more balanced and more reasonable.”

    During his speech in New Hampshire, Trump doled out red meat to a friendly crowd. The crowd roared with applause when he said that, if elected, he would “eliminate federal funding for any school that pushes critical race theory or left-wing gender ideology,” and support “direct election of school principals by the parents.”

    His speech in New Hampshire echoed policy prescriptions he has released over the past several weeks in the form of video addresses, on issues such as education and protecting Social Security and Medicare. His team has seen those pronouncements as a way to maneuver back onto the political stage without having to organize the signature rallies that defined Trump’s prior bids.

    Saturday, however, was about preparing for life back on the trail. The day comes as Trump has dipped in recent polling from New Hampshire and South Carolina.

    Despite those surveys, Trump — the only declared candidate — consistently leads in national polls against a field of potential challengers, including DeSantis, his former vice president Mike Pence, and former members of his cabinet, including Mike Pompeo and Haley.

    Trump was joined Saturday by some familiar faces from his White House days, including social media guru Dan Scavino, political director Brian Jack, and Jason Miller, as well as his campaign’s new top lieutenants, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita. The campaign has grown in recent months with a series of new hires and the establishment of a campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago.

    Along with staff from the Trump-allied Save America PAC, there are around 40 people working on Trump’s campaign, according to multiple advisers.

    There is a push for the campaign to be scrappier than it was in 2020, when a massive operation worked out of a slick office building in Arlington, Virginia. And that ethos, according to an adviser, extends to how Trump will approach fundraising with a focus on small-dollar donations over big donor events.

    The Trump campaign will still be working with longtime adviser Brad Parscale’s Nucleus to send out emails, and fellow GOP operative Gary Coby continues to handle digital communications for the campaign, such as text messaging. But the campaign is also working with an entirely new vendor in 2020 — Campaign Inbox — to help with digital fundraising.

    Both Trump and his team seemed eager on Saturday to get back to the hustle and bustle of his time in the White House, and there were signals he has kept his same habits. Following Trump on the plane on Saturday were his assistants — Natalie Harp, the young OAN-anchor turned aide, and Walt Nauta, who carried a giant stack of newspapers on board for Trump to read through on the flight. Margo Martin, a former White House press aide who has worked for Trump in Florida since his 2020 loss, watched from the tarmac as Trump boarded the plane with a wave.

    “We need a President who is ready to hit the ground running on day one, and boy am I hitting the ground running,” Trump said later in the day.

    Lisa Kashinsky contributed reporting from New Hampshire.

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    #Trump #hits #trail #eager #show #hes #GOP #King #Kong
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Scooty-rider killed after allegedly hit by SSB vehicle in Humhama

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    Srinagar, Jan 28 (GNS): A scooty-rider was killed after being allegedly hit by a vehicle of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) near Humhama in central Kashmir Budgam district on Saturday.

    A police official told GNS that the 55-year-old rider identified as Nazir Ahmad Bhat son of Mohammad Ramzan Bhat of Samerbugh Budgam was seriously injured after being hit by the vehicle at around 10:30 a.m. He, however, said that the man was declared as brought dead by the doctors at the hospital.

    The police, he said, have registered a case in this regard. SSB spokesman could not be contacted for the comment. (GNS)

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    #Scootyrider #killed #allegedly #hit #SSB #vehicle #Humhama

    ( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

  • Police rescues foreign tourist from skiing slopes at Gulmarg

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    Baramulla, Jan 28 (GNS): Police on Saturday rescued a Norwegian tourist who lost his track on return from skiing in Gulmarg and got stuck in Khar Nallah forests Drung, police said.

    “Acting upon the information, two police rescue teams of police station Gulmarg and Tourism Department were formed who followed two tracks around the forest area and finally reached at the location of the foreign skier,” a police official told GNS, adding, “He was rescued from the forest area of Drung by the rescue teams and was brought back to Gulmarg safely.”

    The foreign tourist, Oeyvind Aamot of Norway, who arrived in morning at Gulmarg and went for skiing, expressed his gratitude towards Baramulla police for timely help.

    Meanwhile, SSP Baramulla Amod Ashok Nagpure (IPS) has appreciated the rescue teams and announced a cash reward in their favour, the official added. (GNS)

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    #Police #rescues #foreign #tourist #skiing #slopes #Gulmarg

    ( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

  • Govt Reconstitutes Board Of Directors Of J&K Cements Limited

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    Srinagar, Jan 28 (GNS): The government on Saturday reconstituted Board of Directors of Jammu & Kashmir Cements Limited.

    “In supersession of all previous orders on the subject and in terms of Article 77(c) of the Articles of Association (AoA) of the Corporation, sanction is hereby accorded to the re-constitution of the Board of Directors of Jammu & Kashmir Cements Limited….,” reads a government order, a copy of which lies with GNS.

    Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, has been named as Chairman while Prashant Goyal, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government, Industries & Commerce Department, H. Rajesh Prasad, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government, Power Development Department, Dr. Neelu Gera, IFS, Chairman, Pollution Control Board, Dr.Raghav Langer, IAS, Secretary to the Government, Planning, Development & Monitoring Department, O. P. Bhagat, JKAS, Director, Geology & Mining Department, S.L Pandita, Director General, Codes, Finance Department, Javed Yousuf Dar, Chief Engineer Electric (Distribution) KPDCL and Rakesh Sharma, Managing Director, J&K Cements Limited as Directors. (GNS)

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    #Govt #Reconstitutes #Board #Directors #Cements #Limited

    ( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

  • 4 of family found dead inside their Kacha house in Ramban

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    M S Nazki

    Jammu, Jan 28 (GNS): four members of a family comprising a couple and their young daughters died apparently due to asphyxia in Balihote area of Ramban district. 

    Local reports reaching GNS said that the family of Chain Singh, his wife and daughter were found dead in their kucha house. “One more daughter was brought to District Hospital.”  

     “At least 3 members of a family were found dead due to asphyxiation in Balihote, Tehsil Ramban. One girl found alive has been shifted for medical treatment,” Deputy Commissioner Ramban said in a tweet.

    Later he said one female person who was shifted in a critical condition to the hospital has also passed away. “Toll now 4.” He said financial assistance will be provided out of Red Cross.  

    The deceased have been identified as Chain Singh (67), his wife Shankri Devi (62) and their daughters Sonika Devi (40) and Tesha Devi (30).

    The incident came to light after Chain Singh’s neighbours went to their house after noticing no movement inside. He raised alarm following which other neighbors rushed to the spot and also shifted the Singh’s daughter to hospital who unfortunately also died later, reports said. Also some domestic animals were found dead in the single-room Kacha house. A police official said that a case has been registered and further investigation is on. (GNS)

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    #family #dead #Kacha #house #Ramban

    ( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

  • Moderate to heavy snowfall forecast in J&K on Jan 30, MeT issues ‘yellow’ warning

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    Mercury Rises At Most Places As Chillai-Kalan Nears To End

    Srinagar, Jan 28 (GNS): As the 40-day harsh winter period, Chilla-i-Kalan, nears to an end, the weather department on Saturday issued a yellow warning for heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir on January 30.

    A meteorological department official here told GNS widespread moderate snow and rain ( in Jammu) with “heavy” snowfall in Pirpanjal, South Kashmir, Doda-Kistawar etc.( more than 75% chances) was likely on Monday. 

    On January 31, the MeT official said, light to moderate snow and rain was expected at scattered places.

    There are four types of colour codes signifying the level of caution: green which means no action, yellow—situation to be watched, orange–government agencies need to be prepared for severe weather and red –action needed by the agencies.

    He said the weather system may cause snow avalanches in the areas prone to them. It may likely to affect surface and air transportation on Monday, he said. Power supply may also get affected. 

     “People are advised not to venture out in avalanche prone areas, unless emergency,” he said, adding, “Passengers are advised to travel after confirmation of road status from concerned traffic police”.

    Regarding temperature, he said that Srinagar recorded a low of 1.7°C against 1.2°C on the previous night. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 2.7°C for the summer capital.

    Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 0.2°C against minus 0.6°C on the previous night and it was 2.8°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.

    Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 6.9°C against minus 4.3°C on the previous night and it was 0.8°C below normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

    Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.7°C against minus 0.9°C on the previous night and it was 1.9°C above normal for the place, the officials said.

    Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 7.2°C against minus 8.6°C on the previous night and it was 0.3°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.

    In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at minus 2.6°C against minus 3.7°C on the previous night and it was above 0.1°C below normal for the north Kashmir area.

    Jammu recorded a low of 6.1°C against 5.5°C on the previous night. It was 2.6°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.

    Banihal recorded a low of minus 0.4°C (below normal by 0.2°C), Batote 1.7°C (above normal by 0.8°C), Katra 6.6°C (0.3°C below normal) and Bhadarwah minus 1.4°C (0.6°C below normal).

    Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 13.6°C and minus 14.8°C respectively, the official said.

    Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21. It does not mean an end to the winter either. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1. (GNS)

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    #Moderate #heavy #snowfall #forecast #Jan #MeT #issues #yellow #warning

    ( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

  • Jio Is Giving Free 10GB Data Booster Voucher To Every Jio Users – Fact Check – Kashmir News

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    Viral Message Claiming Jio is giving free 10GB data Booster voucher to every Jio users

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirnews.in )

  • Masoodi Seeks Extension In Aadhaar Seeding Of Disability Pension Beneficiaries

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    SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference senior leader and MP (Ang) Hasnain Masoodi on Saturday asked the administration to extend the date of Aadhaar seeding of Disability pension beneficiaries.

    Expressing concern over the plight of disability pension beneficiaries, Masoodi said that in view of the ongoing harsh winter season the administration should extend the seeding date so that maximum number of beneficiaries are able to link their pension accounts with their Aadhaar numbers.

    Pending the Aadhaar seeding, Masoodi asked the administration to continue disbursement of monthly disability pension to beneficiaries.

    “It is not possible for the physically crippled and challenged people to get their pension accounts Adhaar seeded in such a short span of time. Most of the upper reaches and outlying hamlets continue to remain disconnected from their nearby towns and district headquarters. Hastening the process, it goes without saying, will result in the financial exclusion of thousands of beneficiaries. Therefore it is imperative for the administration to fine tune the Aadhaar seeding with local climatic conditions,” he said.

    He also impressed upon the government to increase the disability pension in view of the rising inflation and price rise. “The financial assistance given to the beneficiaries is too little to cover their nutritional needs, let alone meet their healthcare expenses. Therefore in the true spirit of being a welfare state, the government should increase the monthly assistance of the disabled up to Rs 5000 per month,” he said.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )