Mumbai: Cyclone Tauktae, which formed in the Arabian Sea, will make landfall shortly. The Met Office has forecast strong winds near Porbandar in Gujarat.
Concerns are doubling in Maharashtra and Gujarat as the cyclone approaches the coast.The city of Mumbai has been experiencing strong winds and heavy rains since this morning. In Maharashtra, three people have so far died in the monsoon.
Currently, the cyclone is located 150 km off the coast of Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Central Meteorological Department has forecast isolated heavy rains in the state for the next 24 hours due to the impact of Cyclone Tauktae from the Kerala coast to Mumbai. Yellow alert have been declared in various districts.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has warned of heavy rains in the last few days.May 17:
Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod
May 18: Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod
The Central Meteorological Department has issued a Yellow Alert for heavy rains.
The movie ‘Arkariyam’ starring Biju Menon and Parvathi Thiruvoth is getting ready for digital release. ‘Arkariyam’, directed by cinematographer Sanu John Varghese, is the story of a Covid family in crisis. ‘Arkariyam’ starring Parvathy Thiruvoth, Sharafuddin and Biju Menon will be released on May 19 on Routes.
Sanu, who has also done cinematography for Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films, is directing ‘Arkariyam’ for the first time. The Malayalam films shot by Sanu are Electra, Take Off, Android Kunjappan and Malik. Biju Menon had earlier posted on Facebook that he would have to wait for ‘Arkariyam’ and that it was a promising film. Though it was released in theaters, Covid was not seen by much of the audience as the situation worsened. The movie reaches the audience through Roots for Rs 99.
Biju Menon’s makeover, which stars 72-year-old Itiyavira in a slightly mysterious role, had already caught the attention of the audience. Biju Menon’s most recent hit role is as Ayyappan Nair in the 2020 blockbuster ‘Ayyappanum Koshyum’. Biju Menon will also play a character in the multi-starrer Port.
Under the banner of Moonshot Entertainments and OPM Cinemas, the film is produced by Santosh T. Kuruvila and Aashiq Abu. Edited by Mahesh Narayanan, the film is scripted by Sanu John Varghese, Rajesh Ravi and Arun Janardhanan. G. Cinematography is by Srinivas Reddy. The songs are by Neha Nair and Yeksan Gary Perera.
Thiruvananthapuram: Steps have been taken for a triple lockdown in the state. Major roads in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam districts have been closed. Police said there would be only one way to enter and exit a zone and restrictions would be imposed back in the area.
The triple lockdown will take effect in four districts of Kerala from midnight today. The triple lockdown will be implemented in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Malappuram districts where test positive rates are high. The district administration has announced that the district boundaries will be closed and strict measures will be taken to control traffic.
Entry / Exit Points are being set up for essential medical services and essential services. Each police station will be clustered and only one way will be opened to go in and out. Barricades have already been set up. Areas with more Covid cases will be zoned and assigned to a senior police officer. Grocery and vegetable shops can be opened on alternate days. Hotels will have parcel delivery.
Banks, on the other hand, have working days only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The CM’s office said that this should be done with a lesser amount of staff within the stipulated time. However, this restriction also applies to banks in other districts. The new proposal comes as banks have to work together in all districts to facilitate banking transactions. In addition, milk and newspaper distribution will be allowed till 8 am. Fish distribution will also be allowed within this period. Earlier, in districts with triple lockdowns, it was suggested that the press distribution should be completed before 6 p.m.
Restrictions have been set until the 23rd of this month. The Chief Minister reminded in a press conference that going out unnecessarily, gathering in crowds, not wearing masks, and violating other Covid protocols will be subject to strict legal action. Drone testing will be used to detect crowds and geo-fencing will be used to detect quarantine violations.
Action will be taken against those who violate the quarantine and those who help it as per the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Ordinance. Community kitchens and popular hotels can be used for this. All other social activities should be completely avoided. The boundaries of these districts will be closed. Only those who have an identity card and need it will be allowed to travel. The CM also said that the entire contention zone will be closed except for one road inside and outside.
Thiruvananthapuram / Kochi / Kozhikode: Despite the threat of cyclones in Kerala, the monsoon continues in various districts. In Vadakara, four kilometers of the sea wall were damaged. About 2,000 people have been relocated to different districts of the state. Heavy rains continued in the capital district today. The power supply was disrupted in many places. There were floods in many parts of Upper Kuttanad. Eleven districts are on yellow alert tomorrow. No rain warning in Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, and Wayanad districts.
In the northern districts, the rainfall intensified. The sea has begun to calm down as the tide has passed. A missing fishing boat from Beypore has been found in Mangalore.
The continuous rains in the northern districts today brought some relief. After the tide, the sea began to calm down from 5 pm. The fishermen are of the view that the sea-level rise will not be strong even though the tide will rise again at 11 pm tonight. Heavy rains also damaged crops in the northern districts. The worst affected districts are Wayanad and Kozhikode. In Wayanad district alone, the Agriculture Department estimates that the loss was more than Rs 13 crore.
A travel ban has been imposed on the Shankhumukham-Airport road in Thiruvananthapuram. Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that there were sea attacks even in unexpected areas in the district.
Kavaratti: Eight of the nine fishermen who went missing in a Lakshadweep boat accident have been found. They were found on Kadamath Island. They were swimming in an isolated part of the island when the boat sank. They were transferred to a safe place on a Coast Guard ship.
The Coast Guard said it had no information about the remaining fisherman. The boat Andavan Thunai from Tamil Nadu sank near Bitra Island due to strong winds and heavy rains the previous day. The boat was carrying seven people from Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, and two North Indians.
Goa: Eight more Covid patients died at Goa Medical College Hospital due to lack of oxygen. This week alone, 83 people died in government hospitals due to lack of oxygen. Most of the patients died between 2 and 6 in the morning, national media reported.
However, doctors said that the death was not due to lack of oxygen but due to Covid. But relatives and nurses of the dead said the oxygen supply was disrupted at night. In 24 hours, 58 Covid patients died. 33 All three died at Goa Medical College. The test positivity rate in the state is 42%.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the oxygen shortage was resolved with the installation of the new tank. An oxygen tank of 20,000 kiloliters was installed at Goa Medical College on Saturday.
Chandigarh: the entire lockdown in Haryana has been extended for another week. The government action comes as the lockdown is set to end tomorrow. Health Minister Anil Vij said the current restrictions would be tightened. He noted that the number of patients per day during the lockdown was low.
He said the demand for medical oxygen in hospitals has increased and the government is doing its utmost to address the current situation. First, the lockdown was announced in Haryana from May 3 to 10. It was later extended to 17 and now to 24.
New Delhi: The Delhi government has extended the lockdown for another week as the Covid outbreak continues. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made the announcement.
Kejriwal said the restrictions were extended for another week because the lockdown was found to be effective in preventing the spread of the disease. Kejriwal said the current restrictions would remain in place till May 24.
In Delhi, Covid was confirmed to 6430 people yesterday. At present, the test positivity rate is 11%. In 24 hours, 11,591 people were cured. 66,000 people are in treatment.
Abu Dhabi: UAE airlines have canceled services to conflict-torn Israel. Etihad Airways has announced that all flights and cargo services to Tel Aviv will be canceled from Sunday. The UAE also canceled flights to Israel, following in the footsteps of the United States and European airlines. Etihad Airways said it was assessing the situation. Fly Dubai, said it had canceled flights from Dubai to Israel. Flights are scheduled for next week. The planes were canceled after missiles landed near Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, the West Bank is protesting the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas into the West Bank region. Several young men clashed with Israeli soldiers. Eleven people were killed in the attack.
Israel has intensified its offensive in Gaza. Six members of a family were killed inside the home. At least 126 people have been killed in Gaza, including 31 children and 20 women. The Palestinian people protested strongly against the Israeli aggression.
A Lebanese protester has been killed in an attack on Israel’s northern border. Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that three rockets were fired at neighboring Syria but did not reach their destination. Earlier this month, clashes erupted in East Jerusalem.
