Heavy rains have swamped the Davao de Oro province in recent weeks. With 27 people still missing, the military has been deployed to help with rescue efforts. Five people were killed and 27 miners are missing after a landslide struck a mining village in southern Philippines, authorities said on Wednesday. Disaster officials also added that 31 people were injured, 11 severely, as the mudslide engulfed houses and two buses in Masara village. The disaster struck the gold mining village in Davao de Oro province following heavy rains that have swamped the region in recent weeks. "There was no sign that a landslide would occur because the rains stopped on Thursday and by Friday it was already sunny and hot," provincial disaster official Edward Macapili said. What are rescue operations going in the mining village? The military, which has been deployed to help in the rescue efforts, said three seriously injured people were airlifted for medical help. On Wednesday, the military said in a post on Facebook that "impassable" roads and "no cellphone signal in the area" posed significant challenges to their work. Meanwhile, 285 families from Masara and four nearby villages have been evacuated to safer areas, Macapili said. At least 18 people died from landslides and flooding in the region last week, the national disaster agency said.

In the village of Bhar Singh Pura, where wheat and padi fields frame everyday life, the name Hardeep Singh Nijjar is almost forgotten. Nijjar, the slain pro-Khalistan leader, hailed from this very village but today stands as a distant memory. Despite the impact of his death on international politics, shaking the very foundation of India-Canada relations, he remains a ghostly figure in his birthplace. The village’s primary concerns lie not with Khalistan – a topic that has been long forgotten – but with a much pressing issue: the fight against drugs. Indeed, it is the drug crisis, with a million people in rehabilitative centers, that truly concerns the Punjab government. However, figures like Nijjar and self-styled preacher, Amritpal Singh, have brought back the specter of the Khalistan movement, forcing Punjab to reconcile with its troubled past. Canada, with its significant Sikh diaspora, stands at the center of this resurgence. With 780,000 Sikhs, Canada houses the largest community of Sikhs outside India. The diaspora, influenced by figures like Nijjar, maintain an ardent passion for Khalistan – a sentiment not reciprocated by their brethren in Punjab. This dissonance brings forth a unique political challenge, not only for India but also for Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while a beloved figure among Sikhs for his inclusive policies, has often been accused by India of turning a blind eye to Khalistani extremists. The past intertwines itself with the present. Memories of the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the following pogrom against Sikhs, and the Air India bombing of 1985, all underscore the complexities of the Khalistan issue. Yet, in Punjab today, unemployment, not Khalistan, stands as the true adversary. Many Sikhs therefore look abroad for better opportunities. These economic pressures have spawned a diaspora disconnected from Punjab’s current reality, making a few of them susceptible to the Khalistan rhetoric. At the heart of Bhar Singh Pura, the perspective is clear. Mr. Ram Lal, the village’s head, says, “For us, Khalistan holds no meaning. And Nijjar has now become infamous in our village because of Khalistan.” This sentiment is echoed across the village, even in Nijjar’s own ancestral home, where family pictures lie covered in dust, and memories of him are fleeting at best. In the global discourse, while the Khalistan issue might sometimes overshadow Punjab’s contemporary concerns, it’s crucial to understand where the heart of Punjab truly lies. For Punjab, its future is interwoven with challenges like unemployment and drugs, while the ghost of Khalistan, although occasionally roused, remains largely dormant. For Canada, this serves as a poignant reminder – to approach the Khalistan topic with sensitivity, understanding the nuances that separate ground realities in Punjab from the passionate cries of the diaspora. Standing at the crossroads of a burgeoning relationship, it would do Canada well to remember Bhar Singh Pura’s message: the future lies in addressing today’s challenges, not in being ensnared by yesterday’s ghosts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Khalsa Vox or its members. Source: khalsavox.com

A village boy from Kashmir Valley 'Rohil Rashid' has made a big stride in the field of Softball as he has been selected for the Asia Cup (Men) Softball Championship to be held at Kochi, Japan from June 25 to June 28, 2023. Rohil, youngest son of prominent sports promoter Abdul Rashid Ahanger from village Takya Behram Shah from District Anantnag of Jammu & Kashmir will be participating in the Asian Softball Championship Japan 2023. Rohil started his sports career in the sport of Softball at the age of 11 from Inter School, Inter District, Inter Division, State Level, National Level Championships. Rohil got selected during final selection trials held by Softball Association of India after he attended various India Camps conducted by SBAI in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh; Jalgoan, Maharashtra and Pondicherry. "It is really a proud moment for sports fraternity that Rohil is second athlete from Jammu & Kashmir after Harleen Kour who is participating in the International Softball Championship in 2023. Harleen from Jammu district was part of the Indian National Women team who participated in Women Asia Cup Softball Championship at South Korea. What is more delightful for sports fraternity is that NIS Topper 2006 of Softball, Harvinder Singh is accompanying this Indian (Men) team as Coach for Asia Cup (Men) Softball Championship at Japan," said Waseem Raja Khan, General Secretary J&K Softball Association. He said that J&K Sports Council is providing every possible support for the development and promotion of Softball in Jammu & Kashmir, adding Secretary Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council Ms Nuzhat Gul has been instrumental in uplifting the standard of sports in J&K. Indian National Softball team will leave from New Delhi for Japan on June 23, 2023 under the banner of Softball Association of India.

Two unidentified militants were killed in a gunfight in Nagberan Tarsar area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday. Official sources said that two unidentified militants have been killed so far, adding that the search operation is going on in the area. Earlier, a police official said that a joint team of Police and Army launched a cordon and search operation in Nagberan. As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon the forces, triggering off a gunfight. Source: Good Morning Kashmir

India's biggest Yoga Centre has been constructed in village Mantalai in the Chenani Tehsil of Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur. The village, which is located on the Himalayas in the sal forests' lap, the village, which has a peripheral view of both the plains as well as hills, which will serve the International Yoga Centre at the banks of the Tawi river. This river, also known as Suryaputri, originates from the Kailash Kund glacier. It is believed that the river's presence relieves the person from life's maladies and Chenani town gives positivity, besides releasing energy that heals. As the Tourism Ministry in the Government of India has sanctioned Rs 9,782 crore for this, the International Yoga Centre has been given a modern outlook with swimming pools, business convention centres, helipads, spas, cafeteria and dining halls, cottage-designed eco-lodge huts with solarium, gymnasium auditoriums, battery operated cars, meditation enclaves and a lot more. Notably, 90 per cent of the Centre's construction has already been completed so far. As many as Rs 52 crore have also been nominated for the infrastructural and other development of the Katra-Vaishno Devi under the scheme of the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD). The Centre in Mantalai and the Katra tourism, both are likely to boost the economic prospects of the state and reignite the passion for a spiritual rise. The Ministery of Ayush is also working on a series of projects to promote the world's holistic oldest healthcare system in the Union Territory with the scheme-- one, medicinal plant conversation in the forests, and the development of herbal gardens at home for promoting the use of herbs in daily life. The region at a high altitude also creates the right conditions for growing the world's rarest kinds of herbs. For popularizing the value of the aforesaid projects, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir has set up 100 herbal gardens at the Government of India-sponsored schools and the ones recommended by the Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Board. A Rs 100 crore project with the name 'The Institute of High Altitude Medicinal Plants' is also being established at Bhaderwah in the Doda district, stressing the children's need to learn the natural ways of living to prevent the early onset of various diseases. The Indian government is also building an Ayurvedic Medical College at Jammu's Akhnoor with a budget of Rs 16.19 crore, a government Unani Medical College and Hospital at Ganderbal Kashmir worth Rs 32.50 crore, and 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospitals in Kupwara, Kulgam, Kishtwar, Kathua, and Samba. All these projects aim at publicising the Union Territory as a Medical Tourism destination with the upcoming six specialized Ayush wellness centres at Katra, Patnitop, and Mansar areas of Jammu, and Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonmarg areas of Kashmir. J-K holds special value to embrace spiritual tourism in the country as Jammu is the city of temples while Kashmir is locally known as Rish-ver, the abode of saints (Rishi). Further, to upgrade the 370 Ayush Dispensaries and Ayush Health and Wellness Centres (AHWC) Rs 16.3 crore were allocated to the UT in November, as they provide consultation on Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Yoga, Unani and Siddha practices. As per the reports, impressed by the achievements and spade works performed by the Directorate of Ayush in J-K in the last three years, the Indian government under the National Ayush Mission increased the approved funds from Rs 15 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 72 crore in 2022-23. The Centre's vision for the J-K is to establish a holistic wellness model and to provide informed choices on ancient traditional Indian medicine to the public. They also want the youth of J&K to recognize the value of their land. Source: ANI

The people of Darui Panchayat in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday started celebrating and dancing with joy after the road construction work was taken up in the village for the first time since independence. As soon as the JCB machine was installed, the people of the village started dancing to the beats of the drum and exchanging sweets among themselves. The work of Samba's Pahari Panchayat Darui to village Bardhan started on Friday from JCB which is 2 km 500 meters and in which Rs 2 crore 29 lakh will be spent. The work of Panchayat Darui to village Bardhan, which is 2 km and 500 meters started on Friday. The amount of Rs 2,29,00,000 will be spent to construct this road.   The local people welcomed Vimala Devi, the sarpanch of the panchayat and thanked her as she had played a very important role in getting the road built. Vimala Devi said the people were engaged in trying to get this road constructed since 2009 but finally the work has started in 2022. Vimala Devi added that the this road is being built under the NABARD scheme, only for three villages. Approval has been received and after completion of this work, their next goal is to connect this road to many villages from Nangal, Khirdi and others till Purmandal. A villager said that this road was among the long pending demands of the village as everyone from school going students to pregnant women was facing issues. He added that the connectivity was very important between Bardhan and Lalali road. Earlier people were facing lots of problems. It was very difficult to travel. There was no road for them. Students, pregnant women, and others were facing problems. Now when the road will be constructed, it wills a big convenience for us. He is very thankful to Central Government for this.   Another villager Lambardar Khem Raj also expressed happiness over the development and said thst they thank their sarpanch and central government for fulfilling our demand. Before this they have seen the days of great difficulties, there are rivers on both sides of our village, during the rainy days they used to lift my children on my shoulders and go to school after crossing the cotton river and used to bring them with him after they leave from school. During the rainy days the water was very high. He further said that people of many villages like Bardhan, Lalali, Nangal and Khirdi still have no access to roads and have to cross the river to go anywhere outside the village. A local resident, Diggy Sharma said that they are very happy that the road will be constructed. The next generation will not have to face the troubles.   Sandeep Singh said that there was no road connectivity in three-four villages in Samba district. They had faced lots of difficulties. They were trying to get the road constructed for years. Because of Central Government, now they will also move ahead. Their children can easily go to schools and colleges. Earlier, they used to take the sick people on the cot. There are many more villages where there is no road connectivity. So, they urge Central Government to construct roads for them too. He is very thankful to the Central Government for this.   Source: ANI

Hundreds of villagers had gathered for the foundation stone laying ceremony of a mosque in Bhoolar village in Punjab’s Moga district on Sunday morning, when it started pouring. Many got disappointed, but the village head assured that they could all join in at the nearby gurdwara. “People were saddened and disappointed when told that the programme might have to be postponed due to the heavy rain, but all villagers decided that the venue will be shifted to the nearby Sri Satsang Sahib gurdwara,” Pala Singh, the village chief, told journalists. Guru’s ghar is always open for all communities. Then everyone got together and the programme was held and all participated, irrespective of their religion.” The people gathered and prayed for the successful completion of the project. They were later served steaming hot jalebis even as it poured outside. According to Singh, the village has seven gurdwaras and two temples, but no mosques. “There was a mosque before Partition in 1947 but its structure turned to ruins with time,” he said. “We have four Muslim families in the village who chose to stay back and since then, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh families have lived in harmony in our village. However, all of us wanted that Muslim families too have their place of worship, so it was decided that the mosque will be rebuilt on the land where it existed earlier.” Many villagers donated money for the mosque, ranging from a mere Rs100 to even Rs100,000. The waqf board members also contributed funds, he added. Naib Shahi Imam Maulana Mohammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi thanked villagers. Source: Khaleej Times AH

Village Weyan of district Bandipora of Jammu and Kashmir becomes the first village of the country to vaccinate entire populations above 18 years against COVID-19, informed Raj Bhavan on Monday. This national record is attributed to ‘J&K Model’ under which the administration decided to reach out to the people, instead of people coming to the vaccination centre. Due to the difficult terrain of the area, the vaccinators had walked 18 km on foot to reach the village, as per the Governor’s office. Dr. Bashir Ahmed Khan, Chief Medical Officer, Bandipora said, “It is a village of Nomads and has no access to the internet, so the health officials decided to take a difficult journey in this north Kashmir village and save precious lives. There is no route and it is a very dangerous trek, but we did not rest until the last eligible person received the vaccine dose.” With a total of 362 beneficiaries, the entire village population above 18 years has been vaccinated. “It is pertinent to mention here that the people of the village go to the upper reaches along with cattle during summer so it was important to reach out to them before they move out,” Dr. Bashir added. Double of the national average, the “J&K Model” has achieved vaccine coverage of more than 70 per cent for the above 45 years age category. This can be attributed to the 10-point strategy adopted by this model to vaccinate the entire eligible population at an accelerated pace. Accrediting a maximum number of session sites in a day with well-coordinated vaccination efforts for the achievement, State Immunization Officer, Dr Shahid Hussain said, “We have also worked out prior micro-planning and execution at each session site and involved police and media in crowd management and awareness. We have constituted in every district a dedicated team of health care workers, who were ready to work even during holidays and weekends.” “Despite having difficult terrain in areas like Shopian and Ganderbal, and poor mobile connectivity, the teams were relentless to vaccinate far reaching corners of the district, and deploying influencers such as religious leaders, local elders to counter vaccine hesitancy among people”, Hussain said. (ANI)  

The government is offering all the opportunities at the remote village level under ‘My village, my town’ philosophy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In this regard to construct a village in a planned way the government is considering the matter that if anyone wants to construct house then he or she has to obtain permission from local Union Parishad authority. The information was delivered by LGRD Minister Md. Tazul Islam. The minister said this as the chief guest while participating a virtual meeting titled ‘Mayor dialogue: Safe, sustainable and inclusive city’ jointly organized by Save the Children and Bangladesh Institute of Planners from his official residence at Mintu Road in the capital on Wednesday. Tazul Islam said, permission should be taken from a proper authority to construct houses, shops, mosque-madrasas, educational institutions, hospitals, clubs or offices or any type of infrastructure at the village level. In this regard Union Parishad can be given the responsibility. He said, if it cannot be controlled by certain authority then unplanned homes and business establishments would be constructed. Union Parishad can be empowered in this regard and to avert misuse committed by them Upazila Parishad will be attached in this process. Punishment will be awarded if anybody misuses his power. Without prior permission nobody will be permitted to construct home or other establishment on the cultivable land. The program was moderated by Bangladesh Institute of Planners general secretary Adil Mohammad Khan where DNCC Mayor and Mayors of other city corporations such as Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Mymensingh also participated. AH       

Vice-chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) Prof Saiful Islam was barred by agitated locals from meeting the family of Abrar Fahad at Raidanga village in Kumarkhali upazila on Wednesday.   The Buet VC set out for Kushtia from Dhaka in the morning to offer fateha at the grave of Abrar who was beaten to death reportedly by some Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders at a dormitory of the university, and convey his deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.   He along with Deputy Commissioner Aslam Hossain and Superintendent of Police of the district SM Tanvir Arafat reached the village around 4:30pm, met Abrar’s father Barkatullah and offered fateha at Abrar’s grave.   As the news spread around, angry locals gathered in front of Abrar’s house and chanted anti-VC slogans and demanded justice for Abrar. They obstructed Prof Sirajul when he tried to enter the homestead to meet the family members.   Amid the resistance, he finally stepped back without meeting the family members.   After the VC’s departure, police charged baton on the agitating locals to disperse them, injuring four people, including Abrar’s brother Abrar Faiyaz.   Abrar, 21, was found dead on the staircase of Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university early Monday after some BCL leaders beat him at room-2011 of the dormitory on Sunday night suspecting his link with Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir.   Meanwhile, a commemorating meeting on the Buet student was held at Kushtia Zilla School from where he passed his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination. Huge people attended the programme.   Speaking at the event, Abrar’s father Barkatullah expressed dissatisfaction at the role of the Buet authorities over his son’s murder.   He also alleged that the names of most of those captured on the CCTV footage were dropped from the case. “The boy who led the torture was not made accused in the case.” Source: UNB AH