The water level in many dams

across Kerala showed a rising trend on Sunday even as cyclone Tauktae moved away from the state’s coast after wreaking havoc.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange alerts –a warning indicating heavy to very heavy rain– on Sunday in three districts-Ernakulam, Idukki and Malappuram.

The catchment areas of many dams in the central Kerala districts have reported heavy rains, prompting the authorities to sound alert warnings before upping their shutters.

The Thrissur district administration said spillway shutters of the Peringalkuthu dam will be opened if the water level crosses the permitted limit of 419.41 metres.

In a statement, the administration has urged the people living on the banks of Chalakudy river to be cautious.

Shutters of Malankara dam in Idukki district will be opened on Sunday, as the water level has increased, the district authorities said.

The administration has directed those people living on the banks of Thodupuzha river, Muvattupuzha river and their tributaries to be cautious.

In the coastal areas, high tidal waves continued to wreak havoc.

Hundreds of families living in coastal areas and low lying areas of the state have been shifted to relief camps.

Indian Navy on Sunday deployed its diving and quick reaction teams in the coastal village of Chellanam in Ernakulam district, which was heavily hit by tidal waves.

The teams, braving harsh weather conditions, undertook rescue and rehabilitation of people who got trapped in houses.

They were shifted to a relief camp at St Mary’s High School in Chellanam, a Navy official has said.

Besides Chellanam in Ernakulam district, rough sea and high tidal waves had wreaked havoc in Kaipamangalam, Chavakkad and Kodungallur in Thrissur, Pallithura in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrikkannapuzha in Alappuzha and Beypore and Koyilandy in Kozhikode districts.

Hundreds of houses were damaged in coastal belts across the state as sea water seeped in following high waves.

According to the state government, at least nine districts have been severely affected by the sea incursion.

A large number of people were shifted to relief camps in various districts, arranged in adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the decision to cancel CBSE class 10 board exams and postpone class 12 exams in view of surge in COVID-19 cases, saying it will provide a great relief to students and their parents.

“I am glad that the exams have been cancelled/postponed. This is a great relief for lakhs of students and their parents, Kejriwal tweeted.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday cancelled class 10 exams and postponed class 12 exams in view of surge in COVID-19 cases.

The decision was taken at a high level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The exams were scheduled to be held from May 4.

Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia had on Tuesday appealed to the Centre to cancel board exams, saying going ahead with it can contribute to large scale spread of coronavirus infections

Vuln!! Path it now!!

A change in the weather with winds easing and humidity rising have helped firefighters battling massive blazes in Oregon that have taken a deadly toll from one end of the state to the other.

Gov. Kate Brown said Friday that dozens of people were still missing and tens of thousands had been forced to flee their homes. The state’s emergency management director, Andrew Phelps, said officials are preparing for a mass fatality event and thousands of structures have been destroyed.

Oregon officials haven’t released an exact death count but at least eight fatalities have been reported. Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast said Friday evening that searchers had found two victims of the Beachie Creek fire near Salem. A 1-year-old boy was killed in wildfires in Washington.

Hundreds of firefighters were battling two large blazes that threatened to merge near the most populated part of Oregon, including the suburbs of Portland.

Brown said more than 40,000 Oregonians have been evacuated and about 500,000 are in different levels of evacuation zones, either having been told to leave or to prepare to do so. She dialed back a statement late Thursday by the state Office of Emergency

Management that said a half-million people had been ordered to evacuate statewide.

Scores of people were missing in Jackson County in the southern area of the state and in Marion County east of Salem, the state capital, Brown told a news conference. Authorities also announced that a man had been arrested on two counts of arson in connection with a fire in southern Oregon.

Improved weather helped efforts on the ground after days of high winds, heat and low humidity. The wind laid down quite a bit for us yesterday,” said Stefan Myers of the state’s fire information team.

Almost 500 personnel were working on the fires near Portland, which were just a few miles (kilometers) apart, with rugged terrain between them that limits boots-on-the-ground efforts to control the flames, Myers said. If the fires merge, they could generate enough heat to send embers thousands of feet into the air, potentially igniting other areas.

Authorities say more than 1,500 square miles (3,880 square kilometers) have burned in Oregon during recent days, nearly double the amount in a typical year and an area larger than Rhode Island.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee noted that the amount of land burned in just the past five days amounted to the state’s second-worst fire season, after 2015. He called the blazes climate fires rather than wildfires.

This is not an act of God, Inslee said. This has happened because we have changed the climate.” Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler said a 41-year-old man was jailed on two charges of arson for a fire that started Tuesday in the Phoenix area in southern Oregon. The fire burned hundreds of homes and also had an ignition point in Ashland near a spot where a man was found dead. Authorities said the man denied starting the fire.

Sickler said authorities were working to locate missing people.

I think we’re somewhere in the neighborhood of, you know, around 50 individuals that, you know, we’re trying to locate maybe a little less, he said. “It’s going to be a process for sure. Evacuation centers were open across Oregon.

Kim Carbaugh fled her home Monday in Lyons with her husband, two children and two horses.

When we were driving away and I could see actual fire, the red and orange flames, at the time I didn’t feel scared, I had so much adrenaline we just had to leave, she said Friday from the livestock stables of an evacuation center at the State Fairgrounds in Salem.

The site was also housing hundreds of animals dogs, llamas, horses, pigs weighing hundreds of pounds, cows and chickens. Many people chose to camp or stay in RVs.

Charles Legg sat at a table with his 22-month-old son, who cooed and played with a dinosaur puzzle.

He’s OK, Legg said. He’s not eating as normal, he knows something is going on.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government’s skill agenda is to create a workforce that matches the global demands and several efforts have been undertaken to enable a strong skill development ecosystem.

He also observed that the whole nation has come together under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission and it is the need of the hour for every Indian to be self-reliant in these changing times, an official statement said.

In his address read out at a digital conclave, the Prime Minister stated that it is “the government’s skill agenda to create a workforce that matches the global demands and with this vision, several efforts have been undertaken to enable a strong skill development ecosystem.”

“There are many sectors witnessing the growing demand for skilled youth. This is an opportunity for our young workforce to convert the present challenges into opportunities and become the strong pillars of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” he added.

Stating that it is integral to lay emphasis on skilling, reskilling and upskilling, the Prime Minister said the role of trainers and experts is the most essential in this endeavour.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship organised the digital conclave for the second edition of ‘Kaushalacharya Samadar 2020’.

Trainers across different sectors were felicitated for their contribution in building the country’s skilling ecosystem and preparing a future-ready workforce.

The Prime Minister further said “it is my belief that the trainers who are awarded today will inspire many others and will continue to contribute immensely in the lives of our youth and the country’s development.”

Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey said, “As the times are transforming, the role of trainers and assessors is becoming more crucial as they pave the roadmap for our young generation in meeting the industry demands of near future.”

A total of 92 trainers from diverse backgrounds and different categories such as entrepreneurship training, National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme, Jan Shikshan Sansthan, Short Term Training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, among others, were felicitated at the digital conclave.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday arrested Rhea Chakraborty after questioning her for three days in connection with drugs-related allegations in her boyfriend and actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case.

“Rhea has been arrested and due process of informing the family has been completed,” said deputy director of NCB, KPS Malhotra.

She was taken to a public hospital here for medical check-up and COVID-19 tests soon after her arrest.

Rajput, 34, was found dead at his Bandra apartment here on June 14.

Before entering the vehicle along with NCB officials, Rhea waved at the assembled media persons at the anti-drug agency’s office in south Mumbai.

Clad in black, Rhea reached the NCB office at Ballard Estate around 10.30 am on Tuesday and was also seen carrying a bag with her, while entering the office.

The 28-year-old girlfriend of Sushant Singh Rajput had in recent TV interviews denied that she consumed drugs.

Rhea was recently interrogated by the CBI probe team, camping at the DRDO guest house in Mumbai’s western suburb Santacruz and also questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case.

NCB recently arrested her brother Showik Chakraborty and Sushant’s manager Samuel Miranda on drug supply charges.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s father had filed an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty in Patna, accusing her of driving his son to suicide and misappropriating his money.

Rhea has denied the allegations on several occasions.

Flamboyant Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh, who retired last year, is eyeing a stint in the Big Bash League and Cricket Australia is trying to help him find a team, a media report has said.

No Indian player has ever featured in the BBL as the country’s cricket board (BCCI) doesn’t allow active players to take part in overseas league.

The 38-year-old Yuvraj had retired from international and domestic cricket last year, clearing the decks to ply his trade in foreign leagues across the globe.

According to a report in ‘Sydney Morning Herald’, Yuvraj’s manager Jason Warne of W Sports & Media has confirmed that Cricket Australia was trying to find a franchise that would be interested in the former Indian all-rounder.

“We’re working with CA to try to find him a home,” Warne said on Monday.

Yuvraj, the 2011 World Cup player of the tournament, last played for India in 2017.

The left-handed batsman has scored 8701 runs in 304 ODIs, besides taking 111 wickets for India. He has also played 40 Tests and 58 T20Is for the country.

However, as per the report, “interest in Yuvraj from BBL clubs had been modest to date.”

Australian Cricketers’ Association president Shane Watson, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, feels inclusion of Indian players to BBL would be “incredible”.

“It would be incredible for them to be able to play in these tournaments. That is the ideal situation. There are so many world-class T20 players in India that aren’t playing for India that could be potentially available to play in the Big Bash and other tournaments around the world,” Watson said.

“If that’s able to happen, that would make a massive difference.