Hyderabad: Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi, President of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) responded to the question, “Sirf ek MP kya kar sakta hai?”

He said, “540 ke Aiwaan me ek hi tha jis ne iqtedaar ki kursiyo par baithne walo ko jhinjhod diya. Yeh Taqat hoti hai jab aapke vote se aapka numainda Kaamyaab hota hai.” (There was only one person in the parliament of 540 members who questioned persons holding responsible positions. This is the power you get when you cast vote in favour of your representative).

Log puchte hain, sirf ek MP kya kar sakta hai? 540 ke Aiwaan me ek hi tha jis ne iqtedaar ki kursiyo par baithne walo ko jhinjhod diya.
Yeh Taqat hoti hai jab aapke vote se aapka numainda Kaamyaab hota hai. pic.twitter.com/06pl0GnehC

— AIMIM Official (@aimim_national) May 2, 2019

Talking about Triple Talaq Bill, he said that it was his life’s worst day when the bill was passed.

It may be mentioned that earlier, thousands of Muslim women had stepped out of their houses against the Triple Talaq Bill.

Recalling the day when the bill was passed, Mr. Owaisi said that Congress party had also supported PM Modi.

New Delhi: A large number of security forces deployed along the borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh have been sent for the ongoing general election security leaving the Indian borders open and vulnerable.

According to Government officials, BSF troops from the counter-insurgency operations in Manipur is also in short of soldiers.

As many as 465 BSF companies each having 140 troops totaling it to 65,000 men have been deployed for election security.

35 of these BSF companies were sent for Jammu and Kashmir and 430 for other states for election duty.

A minimum of 2 to 3 companies have been taken out from most of the 192 BSF battalions which also includes a battalion’s training company which is at the disposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and operationally deployed companies as well.

Battalions that have thinned out are deployed in critical locations such as Kashmir (20 approximately), Line of Control (around 15), International Border with Pakistan (around 56) and Bangladesh border (around 80) according to sources.

This drastic change in deployment along the western border could prove dangerous to India amidst military tensions between India and Pakistan, following the February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack.

Not only there is thinning of BSF troops along the Pakistan border but there is also a massive thinning of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China which also alarming as more than 200 ITBP companies have been sent for election duty.

“BSF deployment has been thinned out from J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat and from the Bangladesh border. This means more tasks, including larger area of-of responsibilities and overwork for the units that are presently deployed at the borders,” said the government official.

Officials pointed out that BSF is already suffering from a shortfall of close to 17,000 non-officer rank soldiers. “Each battalion has a strength of about 1,200, so a shortfall of 17,000 means there are vacancies equivalent to about 14 battalions,” said another official, adding there is also a need for 388 more officers.

Meanwhile, a ministry official has confirmed about the thinning of the deployed forces along the borders but said the forces are back on the security duty but refrained from giving the exact numbers of troops who have returned to duty.

Bhubaneswar: Telecommunication networks have been reportedly partially disrupted in Puri and Bhubaneswar districts in Odisha due to cyclonic storm Fani making landfall on Friday morning.

In addition to the 147 trains (scheduled from May 1 to May 3) canceled earlier, East Coast Railway has canceled 10 more trains.

Odisha and adjoining regions were battered by the extremely severe cyclonic storm which made landfall with a wind speed of around 245 kmph.

Helpline number – 1938 – has been made operational by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Indian Coast Guard has positioned 34 disaster relief teams at Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Paradip, Gopalpur, Haldia, Frazergunj and Kolkata besides four ships at Visakhapatnam and Chennai.

The system is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards, weaken gradually and emerge into Gangetic West Bengal as a “severe cyclonic storm” by the early morning of May 4. Thereafter, it is expected to move further north-northeastwards and emerge into Bangladesh on May 4 evening as a cyclonic storm.

Mediums of information and entertainment, such as newspapers, channels, films, cartoons and now even video games were being used as tools to spread hate-filled propaganda.

Islamabad: Claiming that persistent negative portrayal of Muslims in western media is igniting hatred against them and creating massive Islamophobia, the British journalist, activist and author Lauren Booth on Wednesday urged Muslims globally to prepare and have more people who were able to speak in public presenting Islam in its true light.

The British television presenter, broadcaster, journalist and activist has also authored a book named Finding Peace in The Holy Land. One of the most high profile converts to Islam in the West, Ms Booth is the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

As reported by the Dawn, Ms Booth urged Muslims to hold onto their faith and not to lose it in the face of violence. Speaking about tactics used in western media rhetoric to paint a darker picture of Muslims globally, she claimed that mediums of information and entertainment, such as newspapers, channels, films, cartoons and now even video games were being used as tools to spread hate-filled propaganda.

Arguing that people in the West were being deprived of basic knowledge and comprehension of Islam Ms Booth admitted that true knowledge of Islam has never been communicated to them truthfully.

Hyderabad: In 2012, a special act, POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) was passed to deliver justice to children less than 18 years.

Despite such stringent laws and campaigns to protect child from sexual abuse, many minor girl are become victim.

In one such incidents, a VIII class girl was sexually assaulted on Thursday.

According to the report published in The Hans India, this incident took place in the jurisdiction which falls under Jubilee Hills Police Station.

Later, parents of the girl approached the police and lodged a complaint.

Police registered a case and started searching absconding accused.

“We thought of doing something different tonight,” he added.

NEW DELHI: Taking cues from the Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar’s completely ‘informal’ and ‘non-political’ interview of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, news anchor Ravish Kumar transformed his regular prime-time slot on NDTV into an ‘apolitical’ on Wednesday, 24 April.

“We thought of doing something different tonight,” he added.

Picking the question especially mangoes, Kumar- Ravish and not Akshay said, “If politicians are indulging in non-political interactions, especially during the election season, why shouldn’t we? Why not eat mangoes instead,” Ravish declared, in his show.

During his “non-political” interaction, Akshay’s first question to PM Modi is, “Does Prime Minister Narendra Modi eat mangoes? And if he does, does he cut it into pieces or eat it as a whole, with the seed?”

Of course, Twitter had thoughts on this totally ‘mango prime time’ slot.

This episode by @ravishndtv will go down in the history of journalism ~ https://t.co/VT0R561OAn

Extreme laughter will be followed by an empty void, tears and a feeling of helplessness… Thank you @narendramodi for this emotional rollercoaster ride…

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) April 24, 2019

Must watch Ravish Kumar's hilarious take on Modi-Akshay Kumar's apolitical interview.

I have never seen Ravish like this before. His wit, sarcasm & expressions are priceless. Could see he, himself was having a hard time keeping a straight face😂😂😂😂😂https://t.co/HH70Fj4iQb

— Mimi V. (@VMimi09) April 25, 2019

Instead of answering questions on burning issues like unemployment and rural distress, @narendramodi is telling the nation how he eats mangoes. I urge you to watch @ravishndtv’s takedown of the PM’s apathy & ignorance towards real issues. https://t.co/OQbQMgMh0b

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) April 25, 2019

Every television anchor should profusely thank Ravish Kumar for rescuing television journalism from the depths of disgrace and ensuring it still retains some modicum of credibility…

— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) April 25, 2019

Purely apolitical, but hilarious! 😆😆😆😆😆

Please watch Ravish becoming sarcasm itself, and please note…any resemblance to anyone is unintentional. At least on my part!https://t.co/XpgdgGVPvX

— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) April 24, 2019

This comment:

If life gives you a Kumar
Be Ravish not Akshay 💯

Ravish Kumar @ravishndtv @ndtv #BestJournalist pic.twitter.com/uaTXIDhkkj

— M. A. Ilias الیاس (@IliasIyaz) April 24, 2019

If you give a miss, then here is the video where Ravish Kumar decodes ‘non- political’ PM Modi-Akshay chat

New Delhi: In a yet another incident of mob lynching, a 44-year-old man was lynched in Dak Haripur village of Araria district of Bihar based on the suspicion of cattle theft. The area falls under the jurisdiction of Robertsganj police station.

The Wire with reference Shiv Sharan Sah, SHO, Robertsganj reported that a mob beat Mahesh Yadav to death alleging that he was trying to steal cattle along with two associates.

Police began investigations after registering an FIR against unidentified people. Yadav was rushed to the hospital by the police but was declared brought dead.

This was the second such incident since December 29 last year, when another mob lynching had been reported from Araria because of ‘cattle theft’ rumours. Mohammad Kabul was attacked with sticks by a mob of 300 people. A video of that incident had gone viral.

Allahabad: In a first, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded a transgender candidate in the Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh.
AAP’s Bhawani Nath Valmiki, popularly known as Bhawani Ma, is in the fray against BJP’s Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Rajendra Pratap Singh of Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance. The constituency is set to go to polls on May 12.

The AAP leader said: “When I decided to join politics, I talked to many parties. But they thought I was not a fit for them. AAP listened to me, and my ideas, they told me I am the right candidate for them and gave me a ticket.”

Bhawani further said that AAP’s idea of fielding a transgender candidate is a victory for society.

“It is for the first time that a transgender is contesting Lok Sabha elections from a party. It is a victory for society. I can do a lot for society. The transgender community is not restricted to their development but other’s development as well,” transgender said.

“Being a mahamandaleshwar (head) I cannot solve their problem. But if I become MP, I can resolve their issues,” the AAP leader said.

Bhawani further said that the Allahabad constituency was represented by three prime ministers but the fate of the city has not changed.

“This is unfortunate that there is only one hand pump for 200 families in some areas. Three prime ministers had represented Allahabad constituency,” said Bhawani who heads the Kinnar Akhara.

“Unemployment is on the rise here. Education, employment, water and medical facilities are my priorities which is why I have joined politics and will look into it when I would become MP,” Bhawani added.

The AAP candidate said that there is no development in the religious city of Allahabad, which recently hosted the world’s largest congregation of people in the Kumbh Mela. The Kinnar Akhara participated for the first time in the Kumbh Mela.

“I am a transgender person and the AAP gave me importance. I am now contesting on an AAP ticket in Allahabad parliamentary constituency. I
am campaigning door to door and am paying attention to the problems of the people,” transgender told ANI.

“There is no way I can solve the problems of the people other than this. For 70 years, many policies have been framed but there was a lack of intention. Big parties come up manifestoes but there is no implementation. It should be made mandatory that manifestos should be implemented in five years,” Bhawani said.

Hyderabad: With Ramadan just around the corner State’s Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is making elaborate arrangements ahead of the holy month.

Special attention is being given to sanitation with an additional 20 vehicles, staff deployed to clear the waste generated near commercial establishments in order to clean the city.

Addressing a meeting with officials, Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar said a number of Rs 22 lakh has been released by the government for taking up sanitation related works across the city, TT reports.

Not only this but the government is coming up with additional Tents for the convenience of those offering prayers at Mecca Masjid with additional lighting being installed in different areas of the old city.

In an appeal, the government has appealed the residents to alert the local GHMC officials in case of any inconvenience he added.

Looking towards her future, Lavanya aims to become a graphics and animation designer.

Gurugram: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Thursday declared the result of Class 12 board examinations.

Among the toppers is the name of Lavanya Balakrishnan in the category of children with special needs. Hearing disability from childhood did not stop this young girl from Gurugram from reaching for the stars.

With hard work and belief in herself, Lavanya, a student of Gurugram’s Heritage Xperiential Learning School helped success find her address. Lavanya topped the CBSE Class 12 examination across the country and has scored 489 marks out of 500.

Looking towards her future, Lavanya, who pursued humanities aims to become a graphics and animation designer.

Sharing her joy, Lavanya said that she did not expect to top the examination. “I was surprised after hearing the result. This is a boost to my confidence,” Lavanya said.

She credited her parents and sister for always supporting. Her mother, who also teaches in the same school, also took care of her education.

“They have motivated us throughout our educational journey. My teachers also played a crucial role in my preparation for the examination and were always with me step by step to achieve the goal. The teachers have given their valuable times not only during school hours but also on weekends. I am thankful to all of them who supported me,” she said in an interview with IANS.

In the specially-abled category, as many as 36 students received more than 95 percent in the examination, with Lavanya Balakrishnan from Gurgaon emerging as the topper of All India CBSE 2019 in this category.

The pass percentage jumped by 0.31 percent this year and stood at 83.4 percent. The top three performing regions are Thiruvananthapuram with 98.2 percent, Chennai region with 92.93 percent and New Delhi with 91.87 percent.

With agency inputs

Dhruv Rathee in this video drew parallels between 1984 general elections and 1984 elections. It was the time when the country was going through emergency like situation. Elections were held after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Then the Atal Bihari Vajpayee had issued message to voters which was aired by Door Darshan. Dhruv Rathee explains how the message is relevant to today’s world.

Vajpayee had said that polarisation and communalism was a threat.

Dhruv Rathee says if a leader rakes up nationalism issue leaving the major issues and in reality he works to divide people, then he has failed to solve the real issues. Claiming that media biased, he says all the media channels are propagating the government.

Dhruv Rathee pointed out that various instruments of media are being used to do propaganda of government. He said first time in the history, a Bollywood movie, a web series, a television channel have been launched in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Colombo: While Sri Lanka Easter suicide attacks mastermind Zahran Hashim used social media to publicly call for the death of non-Muslims, he worked for months in private chatrooms to persuade six young men to sacrifice themselves, Muslim community leaders say.

Christians and foreign tourists were badly hit in the attacks on three churches and three hotels that killed 257 people, but Sri Lanka’s Muslim community has also been badly scarred and has been looking into the backgrounds of Hashim and his jihadist acolytes.

Hashim, who died in an attack on the Shangri-La hotel on April 21, inspired wealthy brothers Ilham Ibrahim and Inshaf Ibrahim to join and bankroll his assault, police and fellow Muslims said.

“We suspect the two brothers used their money from the spice business to finance the bombings,” one police investigator said.

“It seems the indoctrination was via the internet — Facebook and YouTube.”

Neighbours of the Ibrahim brothers said they were secretive but devout Muslims. They were not active members of a congregation, community leaders said.

“We believe Zahran radicalised these people using Facebook,” said R. Abdul Razik, a leader of the moderate Ceylon Thowheed Jama’ath (CTJ) group.

“Especially in the past year, he has been openly calling for the killing of non-Muslims.”

Investigators and community leaders believe the group also used social media private messenges to keep in touch without being noticed by the authorities.

– Warnings failed –
The CTJ and the main body of Islamic clerics, the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, had alerted Sri Lanka’s security establishment to Hashim and his acolytes, but said their warnings failed to get serious attention.

The Sri Lankan government has already acknowledged that foreign intelligence warnings about the attacks were not passed on to ministers.

“We asked the intelligence agencies to take down the Facebook page of Zahran because he was polluting the minds of Sri Lankan Muslims,” Razik said.

“We were told it is better to allow him to have the page so that the authorities could keep an eye on what he was doing.”

Another moderate Islamic group, the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jama’ath (SLTJ) said it called a press conference in 2017 to warn authorities about Hashim, but no action was taken.

“Zahran indoctrinated people using social media. He was spewing an IS brand of propaganda that somehow appealed to the bombers,” SLTJ spokesman Thawseef Ahamed told AFP.

A fuller reckoning of those involved in the attacks was only released by authorities this week, revealing at least two sets of brothers.

Ilham Ibrahim died at the Shangri-La hotel while his brother Inshaf Ibrahim bombed the Cinnamon Grand.

Ringleader Hashim also died at the Shangri-la, while his yet-to-be named brother blew himself up when surrounded on April 26 near the eastern coastal town of Kalmunai. He was with three widows of the Easter bombers when police and troops laid siege to the house.

Sixteen people were killed there, including six children, relatives of Hashim, and members of his National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) movement, which has since been banned.

– Killed children –
The pregnant wife of Ilham Ibrahim, Fathima Ilham, blew herself up when police raided the family home in Colombo hours after the bombings. She also killed her two children and three police officers.

Mohamed Azzam Mubarak Mohamed has been named as the bomber who targeted the Kingsbury hotel in Colombo. His wife is now in police custody.

A fourth hotel was on the bombers’ list. The would-be attacker, Abdul Latheef, failed to set off his explosives. He detonated it a few hours later at a small motel, killing himself and two other people.

Latheef studied aeronautical engineering at Kingston University in Britain and did post-graduate studies in Melbourne, Australia. Australian media said he was under investigation in 2014 by the country’s counter-terrorism unit and may have travelled to Syria.

He also came into contact with Hashim through Facebook posts and Youtube videos.

The men who bombed the three churches have been named as Ahmed Muaz, Mohamed Hasthun and Mohamed Nasser Mohamed Asad. The three were hardly known within their communities, according to Muslim leaders.

New Delhi: A young couple tried to create their own version of the song “Jaadu Hai Tera Hi Jaadu” from 1998 hit movie, Ghulam.

According to the report published in India Today, a couple engaged in ‘public display of affection’ on a busy road of Rajouri Garden, West Delhi.

Need for new sections for #MV Act violations!! #Rajouri garden crossing. pic.twitter.com/0gn7LsIIYM

— HGS Dhaliwal IPS (@hgsdhaliwalips) May 2, 2019

Later, the video of the act went viral on social after it was shared by a twitter user, HGS Dhaliwal IPS. He captioned the video, “Need for new sections for MV Act [Motor Vehicle Act] violations!! Rajouri Garden crossing”.

Bhubaneswar (Odisha): Cyclone Fani on Friday lashed Odisha, triggering heavy rainfall accompanied by wind touching speed of 200 kmph, and left three persons dead besides over 160 injured, a trail of destruction that included damaged houses, uprooted trees and electricity poles.

The impact of the “extremely severe cyclonic storm”, which made landfall close to the temple town of Puri between 8 a.m and 10 a.m. was also felt in parts of West Bengal, including the beach town of Digha, and Andhra Pradesh.

The cyclone, the worst April cyclone in 43 years, caused “huge damage” in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Khordha districts in the state, according to the Odisha government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre has released Rs. 1,000 crores to Odisha and other states to deal with the devastation caused by Fani.

Director General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) S N Pradhan said that three persons lost their lives during the cyclone.

“As of now, three persons have lost their lives in the cyclone. The precautions that have been taken should be continued,” Pradhan told ANI.

Central government spokesperson Sitansu Kar said quoting a telephonic conversation with state administration officials that 160 people were reportedly injured.

A state government statement said, “There is extensive damage to dwelling houses. Almost all kutcha and old pucca have been fully or severely damaged.”

Power supply snapped due to the uprooting of electricity poles, damage to substations and KV lines. “Power restoration process is in full swing,” it said. Uprooted trees and electricity poles blocked roads preventing vehicular movement.

The cyclone caused damage to telecom towers resulting in failure of cellular and land-line telephone networks in several areas including capital Bhubaneswar. “All telephone and cell phones are down in Puri district,” the statement said.

Large-scale devastation has also been caused to summer crops, orchards and plantations, it added.

The storm caused extensive damage to AIIMS Bhubaneswar with several overhead water tanks and a part of the roof getting blown away. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said.

Strong winds uprooted several electricity poles on the campus. However, all patients, staff and students are safe. “We have enough supply and are ready to support the state,” Sudan said.

Massive waves along the Bay of Bengal coast in the state inundated low-lying areas in Ganjam. Khordha, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts.

A large crane at an under-construction building site fell on the buildings nearby but there was no indication whether there were any human casualty.

The office of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik posted on Twitter that over 11 lakh people from the vulnerable regions have been evacuated since Thursday.

Over 3 lakh people were evacuated from Ganjam district alone, followed by 1.3 lakh from Puri district. Around 5000 kitchens are operating to serve people in shelters.

A 60-year-old reportedly died in a shelter home in Kendrapara following a heart attack.

The cyclone weakened into a “very severe cyclonic storm” after landfall.

“Everything is flying in Air ..have literally turned deaf because of wind sound ..All window panes were broken..difficult indeed ..if this is my condition in a concrete building ..I pray for the lives of millions,” tweeted BJP leader Sambit Patra who is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Puri.

“The process of landfall of #CycloneFani has begun ..extremely high wind speed ..heavy rain ..the harrowing sound ..reminds me of 1999 Supercyclone With folded hands I pray to Lord Almighty Jaganath ji to give us the strength to endure this,” he said.

Civilian air services have been suspended from airports in Odisha and Kolkata while nearly 225 trains cancelled including 56 on Friday.

Indian Navy’s P-8I and Dornier aircraft are scheduled to undertake an aerial survey to assess the extent of impact and devastation caused by the cyclone.

Indian Coast Guard has positioned 34 disaster relief teams at Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Paradip, Gopalpur, Haldia, Frazergunj and Kolkata besides four ships at Visakhapatnam and Chennai.

Helpline number – 1938 – has been made operational by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday took to Twitter, saying that she has cancelled all her election rallies till May 5 in her state.

As Fani continues to move north-northeast, it is likely to further weaken into a “severe cyclonic storm”.

The system is expected to weaken gradually and emerge into Gangetic West Bengal as a “severe cyclonic storm” by the early morning of May 4, the MeT department said. Thereafter, it is expected to move further north-northeastwards and emerge into Bangladesh by May 4 evening as a cyclonic storm.

National Disaster Response Force teams deployed in Digha, West Bengal, has evacuated nearly 150 people including children from Dattapur and Tajpur to a shelter.

Hyderabad: Makkah Masjid is at risk as a massive crack was found in one of the arches of the masjid.

According to the report published in New Indian Express, the crack is 8 inches deep and 10 inches wide. Apart from the crack, patches of water seepage were also found inside the masjid’s domes.

Reacting on it, Mr. Mir Khan, Sub-Contractor for the renovation of the monuments blamed Laxmi Haricon Pvt. Ltd. He said that despite the fact that waterproofing of the domes was done in the month of January this year, water seepage was noticed.

Responding to Mr. Mir Khan’s allegation, Mr. Srinivas Sulge, Managing Director of Laxmi Haricon said that waterproofing was done in three domes only.

California [USA]: YouTube Originals series will soon be available to all for free viewing. The company has officially announced that the original series and specials will be available for free worldwide, albeit supported with ads.

YouTube stated in its official blog that only the new series will be available for free, while some of the premium content such as “Step Up: High Water,” will continue to be behind the paywall.

The free-to-watch, ad-supported YouTube Original content will include the third season of Cobra Kai – currently the most in-demand digital series in the world.

EXCLUSIVE Interview with Rashminara Begum from Assam

Assam: In an exclusive interview with Rashminara Begum, we find out how this young mother was dragged away to a detention camp even though she was pregnant with one child and breastfeeding another. She also shares intricate details of her case, the inhumane conditions that she faced in the detention camp and the extreme hardships that she has had to endure in her continued fight for justice.

Islamabad: Pakistan urged Facebook to remove harmful polio-related content from the social networking site on Friday, saying it was jeopardising eradication initiatives and putting the lives of vaccinators at risk.

Polio vaccination campaigns have faced stubborn resistance for years in Pakistan.

In recent months Pakistani social media has been inundated with fake news reports and videos — garnering thousands of views and shares in the last week alone — claiming numerous children have been killed by the polio vaccine.

Thousands of parents have refused to allow their children to be inoculated.

“The parental refusals due to propaganda on Facebook regarding the vaccine is emerging as the major obstacle in achieving complete eradication of the virus,” Babar Atta, who is helping oversee the country’s vaccination drive, said in a statement.

Atta has requested “Facebook’s management to block and/or manage the dissemination of such anti vaccination propaganda from their platforms operating from within Pakistan”.

At least three people were killed in the last country-wide anti-polio campaign in April.

The violence coincided with an outbreak of hysteria in cities across northwest Pakistan after rumours of children suffering from adverse reactions to a polio vaccine sparked panic, with tens of thousands rushed to hospitals.

Last week, around 10,000 vaccination refusals were reported per day in Islamabad, compared to 200 to 300 during the previous campaign, according to figures from the country’s anti-polio programme.

Opposition to myriad forms of inoculation skyrocketed after the CIA organised a fake vaccination drive to help track down Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in the garrison town of Abbottabad, where US forces later killed the militant leader in 2011.

Some Taliban and hardline religious figures have been known to fan rumours that vaccines contain ingredients forbidden in Islam, such as pork derivatives, or that can cause infertility as part of a conspiracy to reduce the population.

Attacks by militants have also been frequent, with nearly 100 people killed in assaults targeting vaccine teams since 2012.

Despite the opposition, campaigners have reported progress with tens of millions of children vaccinated across the country along with a 96 percent drop in reported polio cases since 2014.

But as Pakistan nears its goal of ridding polio from its territory, new headwinds have arisen amid a growing global movement against inoculation.

In addition to Pakistan, Polio is endemic in two other countries globally — Afghanistan and Nigeria — although a relatively rare strain was also detected in Papua New Guinea last year.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Congress leader Raj Babbar said that releasing Jaish- e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in 1999 was a “sin” the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government committed.

Babbar went on to say that it is this “sin” that led to the terror attacks in the Parliament as well as in Pulwama.
Referring to the 1999 plane hijack, the Congress leader, while addressing a rally here on Friday, said, “You (the then BJP government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee) had released Masood Azhar and taken him to Kandahar.”

“You (Modi) arrogant ruler, the arrogant monarch, what kind of a reward did you get which has disturbed the Congress? It is your sin that you had released him (Masood Azhar). The attack in the Pulwama and Parliament was a result of your sin,” he claimed.

Babbar further said that the credit for Masood Azhar being designated as a “global terrorist” by the United Nations belongs to the previous UPA government because it is the result of a process initiated by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2008-09.

He also said that Azhar’s listing was a result of JeM’s activities in Afghanistan, and not as a retaliation to the Pulwama and Pathankot terror attacks.

“The credit for getting Masood Azhar designated as a global terrorist should go to our foreign policy which Manmohan Singh and our other senior leaders executed. They (the current NDA government) are trying to take credit for the process started by the UPA government,” Babbar said.

Hyderabad: This year, Ramadan is going to start in the month of May. Keeping this fact into view, it is important to note what to eat in Sehri and Iftar to maintain energy level.

Both the meals, Sehri and Iftar, should be a well-balanced one containing items from vegetables, cereals, meat, dairy products and fruits.

It may be mentioned that Sehri needs to be such that it provides enough energy and keeps you hydrated. Yogurt keeps you hydrated throughout the day. Salty food and caffeinated drinks should be avoided.

In Iftar, fruits should be consumed. Dates are excellent to break the fast as it instantly gives energy and hydrate quickly. Hydrating vegetable such as cucumber should be consumed as it keeps your body cool. High sugar and fried foods should not be consumed. Carbonated drinks should also be avoided. Coconut is one of the good choices as it keeps a person hydrated.

According to the report published in Khaleej Times, diabetic patients need to visit the doctor before the start of Ramadan.

Dr. Wafaa Ayesh, Director of Nutrition at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said that skipping Sehri can result in ‘heat stress’. People who skip Sehri and have heavy dinner are at higher risk of ‘heat stress’.