Kerala

The Customs report has named three employees who were attached to the UAE Consulate office, here. Of the three, two are UAE nationals and the third an Egypt national. The notice which has now been given by the MEA to the UAE Embassy is with regards to the two UAE nationals and this is part of the procedure for the Customs going ahead in the case.

It was in August 2019, the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) after getting the clearance from the Vatican dismissed Sister Lucy Kalapurakkal from the church at Manathavady in Kerala for disobeying church authorities. Sister Kalapurakkal had last year supported the nuns' strike in the state demanding the arrest of rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who headed the Roman Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar.

Four women -- Sonia Sebastian alias Ayisha, Merin Jacob alias Merrin, Nimisha Nair alias Fathima Isa, and Raffaela -- had gone with their families to Afghanistan to live in territory of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) in 2016-18. Their husbands were killed in separate attacks and the women surrendered before the Afghan authorities in November 2019.

A statement issued here by Vijayan said there were 1,39,064 active cases on Wednesday, while 20,237 people turned negative, taking the total number of cured people in the state to 25,24,248. Another 156 deaths were recorded, taking the total death tally to 10,437. Across the state, 5,92,079 people were under observation at various places, including 32,396 people at hospitals.

The owner of the Elephant, Rajesh Palattu while speaking with IANS said, "Brahmadathan touched the body of Damodaran Nair with his trunk and then raised his trunk and lowered it and was indeed paying his last respects to the departed mahout. This led to the wife of Omanachettan breaking down and we were all moved with tears rolling down our cheeks. It was one of the most trying parting moments one could witness."

According to data released by the government think-tank, Bihar was last with 52 points while Kerala was on top with 75 points followed by Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu with 74 points each. Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, and Uttrakhand followed with 72 points each, while Sikkim has 71 and Maharashtra has 70.

Incidentally whenever the Congress-led UDF rules none ever considers the No 13 state car, but in 2006, present CPI-M politburo member M.A.Baby, the Education Minister in the V.S.Achuthanandan cabinet, took that car. The legend with regards to the state-owned bungalow is whosoever resides in it, will either fail to return to the next Assembly or might not get a promotion.

Even though the depression is approximately around 290 km away from Kannur, on account of the heavy rains across the state, and with the sea turning rough, the state government has been forced to open numerous camps across the state to move people to safety. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has informed the preparedness of the state in facing any calamity arising out of the cyclonic storm.

The IMD has already put Mumbai and Thane under a Yellow Alert, signifying isolated heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, while Orange and Red Alerts have been issued for several districts in Gujarat and Kerala. The Cyclone Tauktae, currently developing over Lakshadweep Isles and the Arabian Sea, is likely to intensify into a full-fledged cyclonic storm on Sunday, causing heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds in southern and western coastal parts

31-year-old Soumya Santhosh, a native of Kanjiramthanam near Adimali, was working as a caretaker of an old woman at a house in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon – the most affected border along the Gaza strip. Two women including Soumya lost their life while many were injured in the deadly rocket attack that took place at Ashkelon at 5:30 pm, according to media reports.