18 killed as Typhoon Bavi hits Philippines

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Manila, July 13 (IANS) The death toll from the combined effects of Typhoon Bavi and the enhanced southwest monsoon has risen to 18, while 12 people remain missing, according to the Philippine Office of Civil Defence (OCD).

Most of the deaths were caused by landslides and drowning, while the severe weather has affected about 562,000 people across the country, according to the OCD on Sunday (local time).

According to local media reports, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Typhoon Bavi has enhanced the southwest monsoon and will continue to bring heavy rains to several areas, raising the risk of flooding and landslides.

Authorities have deployed search and rescue teams and continued post-disaster response operations in affected areas, while the Philippine Coast Guard reported hundreds of stranded passengers at seaports due to rough sea conditions, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, in a related development related to the storm, China has stepped up flood control and disaster relief efforts as Typhoon Bavi continued to affect large parts of the country on Sunday.

Typhoon Bavi, the ninth typhoon of the year, made landfall twice along the coast of east China’s Zhejiang Province at 11:20 p.m. Saturday and again around midnight, then moved inland. It is expected to move northwest while gradually weakening.

Over the past 24 hours, heavy rain exceeding 50 mm has hit much of the central and southern parts of Zhejiang, covering about 42 per cent of the province’s total area.

Bavi is the strongest July typhoon to strike Zhejiang since 1949. Due to its massive size and strength, it not only churned up huge waves along the coast but also pushed deep inland, posing a high risk of flash floods, geological disasters, and urban waterlogging, said Hu Yaowen, chief engineer of the provincial department of emergency management.

–IANS

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Yoga Day draws large crowd in Washington

Washington, June 19 (IANS) Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday morning as the Embassy of India marked the 12th International Day of Yoga, turning one of Washington’s most iconic landmarks into a sprawling open-air yoga arena overlooking the National Mall.

Against the backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, participants spread colourful yoga mats across the memorial plaza and moved through a series of breathing exercises, stretches and meditation sessions.

The crowd included members of the Indian diaspora, local residents, yoga teachers, health enthusiasts and first-time participants, many wearing commemorative T-shirts bearing the theme of this year’s observance, “Yoga for Healthy Ageing”.

Addressing the gathering, India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, highlighted yoga’s journey from an ancient Indian tradition to a globally embraced practice.

“This morning at Lincoln Memorial, we are celebrating the 12th International Day of Yoga,” Kwatra said.

“The International Day of Yoga was declared by United Nations in 2014 through a resolution, through a UN resolution, which was supported by about 175 countries all over the world,” Kwatra told IANS.

Describing yoga as part of India’s civilisational heritage, the ambassador said the practice transcends borders, faiths and cultures.

“It is a celebration of ancient Indian heritage yoga, which is universally adopted and widely practised across different geographies, different societies, different beliefs, different religions,” he said.

Kwatra said the annual observance provides an opportunity to reconnect with that heritage while bringing communities together.

Asked about yoga’s growth in the United States, the ambassador suggested the practice had already become firmly established across American society.

“Yoga is already I mean, it is not gaining ground. It’s gaining saturation pretty much,” he said.

Throughout the morning, participants followed instructors through a sequence of postures and breathing exercises. Some sat cross-legged in meditation with folded hands, while others practised stretches facing the Reflecting Pool, creating a striking scene framed by Washington’s best-known monuments.

Among them was Nagesh Borse, Chief Data Officer at the District of Columbia Department of Health, who said yoga had transformed his daily life.

“It has changed my life,” Borse said. “It’s not just exercise for the body, but mind and soul.” He added that yoga was “the best gift that India has given to the world”.

Heather Ferris, a Washington-based yoga teacher who trained in Nashik, Maharashtra, said yoga is often viewed differently in the United States.

“I think it is more commercialised and viewed sometimes more as physical exercise rather than the full practice,” she said. Ferris added that yoga embodies “the unity of the body, mind, and spirit”.

Other participants echoed similar sentiments. Amy Jirapongpisuth said yoga helped connect “soul and mind”. Dilip Jhaveri, a Maryland resident who said he has practised yoga for more than six decades, noted that “yoga has been very popular in the US”. Veronica Caceres, a conservationist from the Washington area, said yoga had been “fantastic” for her mental health, flexibility and overall wellbeing.

The International Day of Yoga was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014 after India proposed a resolution calling for a dedicated day to recognise the ancient practice and its contribution to health and wellbeing.

–IANS

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Mizoram’s Bairabi-Sairang railway line to extend up to Myanmar border

Aizawl, April 8 (IANS) Railway Ministry is planning to extend the under-construction Bairabi-Sairang railway line up to the India-Myanmar border, Mizoram’s Rajya Sabha member K. Vanlalvena said on Tuesday.

Mizoram’s Aizawl would be the fourth capital city in the northeast region to be linked by a railway network within four to five months after the completion of the 51.38 km Bairabi-Sairang new broad gauge line project.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is laying the new broad gauge line between Bairabi near Assam’s Hailakandi district and Sairang, near Aizawl, at a cost of over Rs 8,215 crore.

Vanlalvena, who on Monday inspected the Sairang railway station site, on Tuesday said that the Railway ministry is planning to extend the railway line up to Zochachhuah, a village on the India-Myanmar border.

“Preliminary surveys are now being done to extend the railway line up to the Myanmar border. It would significantly benefit Mizoram once it’s operationalised. Government’s plan to further extend the railway network beyond Sairang, cutting across southern Mizoram to Zochachhuah near the Myanmar border, potentially opening doors for enhanced cross-border trade and regional integration,” the Rajya Sabha member told IANS.

The bordering Zochachhuah village falls under the Lawngtlai district, which shares borders with Myanmar.

The MP expressed satisfaction over the progress made on the Bairabi–Sairang railway project, saying that of the estimated cost of Rs 8,215 crore for the project, Rs 7,714 crore has already been spent.

“I consistently advocated for the railway project in the Parliament. Centre’s plan to extend the railway line to the Myanmar border would be beneficial for the entire northeastern region,” he pointed out.

However, the tragic collapse of the steel girder bridge at Kurung – the tallest along the under-construction railway route on August 23 last year, had set back the timeline by almost a year. The disastrous accident claimed 23 lives of railway workers. NFR’s General Manager, Construction,

Meanwhile, Arun Kumar Chaudhary recently inspected the ongoing Bairabi-Sairang railway project. Accompanied by senior railway officials from the NFR headquarters at Maligaon near Guwahati, Chaudhury inspected the worksite of the ongoing new line project, which includes inspection of the construction of Kawnpui and Mualkhang station, Sairang station yard, construction of bridges and tunnelling works in the project.

NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that the Bairabi-Sairang new railway line project connecting Aizawl in Mizoram with the rest of the country is at an advanced completion stage.

This new line project is divided into four sections — Bairabi-Hortoki, Hortoki-Kawnpui, Kawnpui-Mualkhang and Mualkhang-Sairang.

The Bairabi-Hortoki section was commissioned in July last year.

The NFR is making all efforts to fulfil its commitment to commission the project at the earliest, the CPRO said.

–IANS

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Teachers’ Day: Odisha CM calls on teachers to help students realise their dreams

Bhubaneswar, Sep 6 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has urged teachers to become mentors to their students, in addition to providing them with education to help fulfil their dreams.

While addressing the gathering at the state-level celebrations of the Teachers’ Day on Friday, CM Majhi said, “Nowadays, there are limitless opportunities in every sector to recognise the hidden talent within each child. Let them fly on their own terms, allow them to dream and guide them as a mentor so that they achieve their dreams.”

The Chief Minister added that the modern education system has two significant challenges.

He said that the first one is to significantly reduce the dropout rate, and the second is to ensure a system for providing quality education to all.

Chief Minister Majhi noted that the mid-day meal programme has proven to be an effective initiative in preventing dropouts.

He said that the state government has also extended this programme up to Class 10 and are also ensuring the availability of nutritious food for children.

He added that the tribal children are also being supported through the ‘Shahid Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana’.

“All these initiatives will certainly help in further reducing the dropout rate in the coming days. Likewise, the New Education Policy has been implemented to provide quality education to students across the state,” the Chief Minister said.

CM Majhi also added that with the aim of ensuring quality education at the primary level, the Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamik Vidyalaya scheme has been launched by the state government.

Under this scheme, one model school will be established in each panchayat.

In the first phase, a plan has been finalised to construct 835 schools with the expenditure of Rs 5 to 7 crore.

Along with this, 45,000 teaching positions at the primary level will also be filled within the next three years.

“Our goal is to build a ‘Sammrudha Odisha’ or prosperous Odisha by 2036. The foundation of this prosperous Odisha depends on the talents of today’s students. You all know very well how to guide children and shape them into good human beings. I believe that you will sincerely take up the responsibility of nurturing and developing those talents,” CM added.

Chief Minister Majhi during the programme on Friday said that Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan is an ideal for every student as well as every teacher.

“He was not just a distinguished educationist, philosopher, or statesman, but also one of the greatest teachers in India,” he noted.

On Teachers’ Day, CM Majhi awarded different districts, teachers and other officials of the education department under the ‘Mukhyamantri Shikhya Puraskar’ scheme.

–IANS

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