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Due to a power outage in Kalyan, Maharashtra’s Thane district, a family was bound to perform the last rites of a departed member by lighting candles at a crematorium, according to one of the relatives.

On Thursday night, he said, the cremation took place at the Vitthalwadi crematorium.

“An elderly woman member of the family died at Khadegolawali in Kalyan east late evening on Thursday. Her family members took her body to the crematorium. But they were shocked to find that there was complete darkness as the lights were not working there due to lack of power supply,” he added.

Because the family didn’t want the last rites to be prolonged, they bought some candles and carried out the cremation in that light, according to the relative.

Rahul Katkar, a local social worker, brought the incident to the attention of Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) officials and urged that corrective measures be done so that similar incidents do not occur in the future and the deceased’s family members do not have to suffer.

Civic officials were not available for comment.

According to an official announcement, Punjab Agriculture Minister Randeep Singh Nabha handed over cheques totaling Rs 50 lakh to the families of the four farmers and a journalist killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri riots on Friday. He stated that the Punjab government has always supported the farmers’ agitation against the black farm laws and has always stood with them.

The unrest in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri area on October 3 resulted in the deaths of eight persons. Three BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers, in addition to the farmers who were run over by vehicles carrying BJP workers and the journalist. According to a press release issued by the Punjab government, Nabha handed over cheques totaling Rs 50 lakh to the families of the four farmers and the journalist in Lucknow.

The Punjab government has already granted one member of each bereaved family of 157 farmers who died in the ongoing agitation (against farm laws) a government job, according to Nabha.

As the island-state continues to change border restrictions in response to the global Covid-19 issue, Singapore stated on Saturday that India and five other South Asian nations had been removed from its travel restriction list. From Wednesday, any travelers with a 14-day history of travel to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka will be able to enter or transit through Singapore, according to the health ministry.
Travelers from these nations, on the other hand, will be subjected to the strictest border controls, including a 10-day stay-at-home notice period at a dedicated facility, according to the release. In a statement, the ministry said it has reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the six South Asian countries to which it had previously been closed.
Ong Ye Kung, the health minister, stated during a virtual press conference that the situation in these countries has been stable for some time. The Straits Times reported Ong as adding, “There is no longer a need for strict rules that prevent travelers from these countries from landing here.”
The health ministry said Wednesday’s revisions include relaxation of restrictions for visitors from Singapore’s closest neighbors, Malaysia and Indonesia. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Singapore has recorded a total of 165,663 COVID-19 cases. So far, the disease has claimed the lives of 294 people throughout the country.

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, said today that Faizabad Railway Junction will be renamed ‘Ayodhya Cantt’ railway station. The information was provided on Twitter by the Chief Minister’s office. The CMO said, “UP CM Shri Yogi Adityanath has decided to rename Faizabad Railway Junction as ‘Ayodhya Cantt.'”

This is yet another name-change exercise undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh government. Apart from renaming Faizabad Ayodhya in November 2018 on the occasion of Diwali, the ruling dispensation also renamed Allahabad Prayagraj in October of same year. In June 2018, the over-a-century-old Mughalsarai railway station was renamed after Deen Dayal Upadhyay, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue.

Tomás Ojea Quintana told the UN’s human rights committee that North Koreans are facing food shortages and livelihood breakdowns, with the most vulnerable being children and the elderly, who are at risk of starvation. He also brought up the issue of hunger in political prison camps.

For the unfamiliar, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — the North’s official name –, has closed its borders to prevent a pandemic. Quintana added the government has taken other harsh measures to prevent the spread of the viral disease in the country, including a policy of shooting those who try to enter or leave the country.

According to the AP, the UN investigator also stated that closing the borders would have a “devastating impact” on the people’s right to health, as the DPRK’s health infrastructure is inadequate and supplies are in limited supply due to underlying human rights violations.
“Increased restrictions on freedom of movement and the shutting of national borders has choked market activity that has become essential for people’s access to basic necessities, including food,” Ojea Quintana added in his final report to the UN General Assembly after six years as the UN special investigator on human rights in the DPRK.

Despite the fact that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recognizes the country’s “grim” food situation and is investing in attempts to prevent hunger, the border blockade has halted the United Nations’ and other international actors’ lifesaving humanitarian activities. According to the UN investigator, there is now no UN international staff in the country, and diplomats are continuing to leave.

In his report to the General Assembly, the UN investigator recommended that, in light of the pandemic, the Security Council committee overseeing sanctions against the DPRK over its nuclear programme “should re-evaluate the sanctions regime under these circumstances, and ease those sanctions as necessary.” Despite the fact that humanitarian aid to the DPRK is exempt from sanctions, Ojea Quintana believes sanctions have had unintended consequences for ordinary people.
He cited UN sanctions against the export of textiles and seafood, industries in which women are the majority of employees, as an example, which have resulted in women who are family breadwinners losing their jobs.
In his report, Ojea Quintana also acknowledged the irony of the DPRK’s failing social and economic rights while the government continues to test missiles, “probably diverting resources that should be allocated in those areas.”

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the Trinamool Congress, has set her sights on growing her party’s footprint in poll-bound Goa, particularly in BJP-ruled states. TMC Supremo Mamata will arrive in the coastal state of Goa on October 28 for a two-day visit, amid speculation that the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) may join the TMC.

Following the defection of former Goa chief minister Luizinho Falerio last month, the Bengal chief minister is scheduled to attend a series of political events during her visit. Apart from Falerio, renowned Goan sports figures such as Denzil Franco, a footballer, and Lenny D’Gama, a boxer, had also joined the TMC.
The TMC launched a slogan in Goa before of Mamata’s visit—’Goanchi Navi Shokaal’—ahead of Mamata’s arrival (New morning in Goa). Early next year, the 40-member Goa assembly will be held.
“Her visit will be focused on the TMC’s stance in the coastal state’s politics. During Mamata’s visit, a few more prominent faces in Goa politics is likely to come to join our party. She will also hold meeting with some of the prominent faces who are known their anti-BJP views,’’ said a Trinamool leader.
The TMC has already decided to contest in all 40 of Goa’s Assembly seats in the upcoming elections. Mamata has sent MPs Derek O’Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and Prasun Banerjee, as well as cabinet minister Manoj Tiwari, to Goa to campaign the party’s agenda.
Aside from the coastal state, the TMC is also looking forward for expanding its territory in Tripura adhereing in mind with the target of the 2023 Assembly elections. “Before the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections, we will hoist our party flags in these two states by derailing the BJP-led government in Tripura and introducing the TMC-led government in Goa,’’ said a leader of the Bengal’s ruling party.

Residents of Dabaka, near Hojai, have reacted angrily to the Assam government’s decision to cut down nearly 5,000 Sal trees, especially at a time when climate change is beginning to have an impact in the region.
The 13-kilometer stretch of road connecting Hojai and Karbi Anglong is known for its Bagan of Sal trees, the majority of which are over a century old.
Assam has received less rain than projected this year, and a massive deforestation push at this time could be devastating for the area.
According to recent satellite data analysed by researchers at the University of Maryland, Assam has lost 14.1 percent of its green cover due to large-scale deforestation and destruction of forest resources in the last 20 years.

Karbi Anglong is at the top of the list, losing 97.4 hectares (Kha) of green cover, followed by Dima Hasao (63.2 Kha), Sonitpur 17.4 Kha, Tinsukia 13.2 Kha, and Kokrajhar 10.4 Kha canopy cover, according to the research.
“The Assam government has drafted a proposal to strike down the forest to construct four-lane roads. The forest department has not yet allowed the felling of trees,” sources reported. Locals, however, allege that the trees in the area have been marked for felling.
Nearly 600 people live in the forest, and they are furious that the department did not consult them before deciding to ruin their environment.
Because the project is still in its early stages and has not yet been approved by the Assam Forest Department, it is unclear whether an impact assessment was done.