Adopting an innovative way to battle low population, a Japanese village has been placing life-sized dolls to give the place the feel of a human-filled bustling society.

In the hamlet of Ichinono, there are less than 60 residents and just one child. Hence, the villagers are trying the fill the emptiness with stuffed mannequins which are dressed and kept around the community. Some of these mannequins pose on bicycles and swings.

“We’re probably outnumbered by puppets,” said 88-year-old resident Hisayo Yamazaki, while speaking to the news agency AFP.

Yamazaki said that even though older inhabitants had children but they went to different places to attend college and left the tiny community empty.

“We were afraid they would become unmarriageable if they remained stuck in a remote place like this. Out they went, and they never came back, getting jobs elsewhere. We’re now paying the price," she said while speaking to the outlet.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/centre-likely-to-commence-population-census-in-2025-after-four-year-delay-771364">Centre likely to commence population census in 2025 after four-year delay</a>

“If the village is left as it is now, the only thing that awaits us is extinction,” said 74-year-old Ichiro Sawayama, head of its governing body while speaking to Japan Today.

<h2>Different mannequins fill spaces in Japan's hamlet</h2>

The mannequins similar to little girls and boys were kept across the entire village to fill the emptiness of children who have moved from the place.&nbsp;

One mannequin was of a little girl who wore a beanie and&nbsp;sat on a wooden swing while a similar one was standing on a scooter.&nbsp;

There was another puppet representing a child who was wearing a red helmet and sitting on a stationary bike.

The mannequins for adults have also been installed across the village. Two of these mannequins were of women who were watching a mannequin of a girl who was depicted to be putting logs in a cart.

Watch:&nbsp;China's Ageing Population: Economic Growth at Risk

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/chinas-ageing-population-economic-growth-at-risk-767699/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

A new couple had recently moved to the little village leaving behind the big city life as they looked for a quieter alternative.&nbsp;

The 33-year-old Rie Kato and 31-year-old Toshiki Kato shifted to the village when the hybrid work culture started during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The couple soon had a son Kuranosuke Kato who became the first baby to be born in the village in two decades.

The villagers showered their love on the baby and he soon became a celebrity in the town.&nbsp;

"Just by being born here, our son benefits from the love, support and hope of so many people - even though he has achieved absolutely nothing in life yet," said his father, while speaking to AFP.

(With inputs from agencies)

Adopting an innovative way to battle low population, a Japanese village has been placing life-sized dolls to give the place the feel of a human-filled bustling society.

Adopting an innovative way to battle low population, a Japanese village has been placing life-sized dolls to give the place the feel of a human-filled bustling society. In the hamlet of Ichinono, there are less than 60 residents and just one child. Hence, the villagers are trying the fill the emptiness with stuffed mannequins which are dressed and kept around the community. Some of these mannequins pose on bicycles and swings. “We’re probably outnumbered by puppets,” said 88-year-old resident Hisayo Yamazaki, while speaking to the news agency AFP. Yamazaki said that even though older inhabitants had children but they went to different places to attend college and left the tiny community empty. “We were afraid they would become unmarriageable if they remained stuck in a remote place like this. Out they went, and they never came back, getting jobs elsewhere. We’re now paying the price," she said while speaking to the outlet. Also Read: Centre likely to commence population census in 2025 after four-year delay “If the village is left as it is now, the only thing that awaits us is extinction,” said 74-year-old Ichiro Sawayama, head of its governing body while speaking to Japan Today. Different mannequins fill spaces in Japan's hamlet The mannequins similar to little girls and boys were kept across the entire village to fill the emptiness of children who have moved from the place. One mannequin was of a little girl who wore a beanie and sat on a wooden swing while a similar one was standing on a scooter. There was another puppet representing a child who was wearing a red helmet and sitting on a stationary bike. The mannequins for adults have also been installed across the village. Two of these mannequins were of women who were watching a mannequin of a girl who was depicted to be putting logs in a cart. Watch: China's Ageing Population: Economic Growth at Risk A new couple had recently moved to the little village leaving behind the big city life as they looked for a quieter alternative. The 33-year-old Rie Kato and 31-year-old Toshiki Kato shifted to the village when the hybrid work culture started during the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple soon had a son Kuranosuke Kato who became the first baby to be born in the village in two decades. The villagers showered their love on the baby and he soon became a celebrity in the town. "Just by being born here, our son benefits from the love, support and hope of so many people - even though he has achieved absolutely nothing in life yet," said his father, while speaking to AFP. (With inputs from agencies)

This village in Japan is placing life-sized dolls in place of people. Here's why

Russia has attacked the Ukraine president's hometown with a deadly ballistic missile strike. Meanwhile, Ukraine's military intelligence chief says Russia has installed the s-500 air defence system in Crimea. Molly Gambhir gets you the details.

Gravitas | Ukraine says Russia has installed s-500 air defence system in Crimea

A village settlement that dates back nearly 300 years, which was submerged by a dam in the 1970s, has resurfaced in the northern Philippines as a result of an extended period of drought.

Sections of the village, such as a church and tombstones, became visible as the waters of the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija province receded.

The water levels of the dam have decreased by almost 50 metres&nbsp;below their usual level, marking the sixth occasion on which the village has reappeared since the dam was built.

"This is the longest time (it was visible) based on my experience," Paladin told news agency AFP.

Half of the provinces in the Philippines, including Nueva Ecija, are officially facing drought conditions.

The ongoing heatwave is putting pressure on power supplies in Luzon, the country's primary island, which contributes three-quarters of the nation's economic output. According to the Philippines' grid operator, 13 power plants have gone offline, reducing reserves.

In response to a forecast of record-high heat indices, the Philippines' Ministry of Education has instructed public schools to transition to online learning.&nbsp;

Rising temperatures in Indonesia have led to a significant increase in dengue fever cases. Last month, reported cases jumped to 35,000, a sharp rise from 15,000 the previous year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/philippines-to-suspend-in-person-classes-in-public-schools-due-to-heat-wave-jeepney-drivers-strike-715906">Also read |&nbsp;Philippines to suspend in-person classes in public schools due to heat wave, jeepney drivers' strike</a>

<h2>Why is the Philippines facing a severe drought?</h2>

In the Philippines, March, April, and May are usually the hottest and driest months, but this year, the El Niño weather has made things even worse.

El Niño, which happens when the Pacific Ocean's central and eastern parts get warmer than usual, has caused less rain than normal in the country.

Also watch |&nbsp;The Philippines becomes Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economy

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-philippines-becomes-southeast-asias-fastest-growing-economy-686806/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

(With inputs from agencies)

A village settlement that dates back nearly 300 years, which was submerged by a dam in the 1970s, has resurfaced in the northern Philippines as a result of an extended period of drought.

A village settlement that dates back nearly 300 years, which was submerged by a dam in the 1970s, has resurfaced in the northern Philippines as a result of an extended period of drought. Sections of the village, such as a church and tombstones, became visible as the waters of the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija province receded. The water levels of the dam have decreased by almost 50 metres below their usual level, marking the sixth occasion on which the village has reappeared since the dam was built. "This is the longest time (it was visible) based on my experience," Paladin told news agency AFP. Half of the provinces in the Philippines, including Nueva Ecija, are officially facing drought conditions. The ongoing heatwave is putting pressure on power supplies in Luzon, the country's primary island, which contributes three-quarters of the nation's economic output. According to the Philippines' grid operator, 13 power plants have gone offline, reducing reserves. In response to a forecast of record-high heat indices, the Philippines' Ministry of Education has instructed public schools to transition to online learning. Rising temperatures in Indonesia have led to a significant increase in dengue fever cases. Last month, reported cases jumped to 35,000, a sharp rise from 15,000 the previous year. Also read | Philippines to suspend in-person classes in public schools due to heat wave, jeepney drivers' strike Why is the Philippines facing a severe drought? In the Philippines, March, April, and May are usually the hottest and driest months, but this year, the El Niño weather has made things even worse. El Niño, which happens when the Pacific Ocean's central and eastern parts get warmer than usual, has caused less rain than normal in the country. Also watch | The Philippines becomes Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economy (With inputs from agencies)

300-year-old ancient submerged village rises from depths during severe Philippine drought

It's been four long months of heat in Indonesia and a village hasn't seen a drop of rain. Now, to combat this farmers in the village are digging up a dry river bed the salty and muddy water from which is used to save their slowly dying crops.

Village sees zero rain as drought parches Indonesia

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes late on February 27. The tussle started after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli brothers.

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian village

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.&nbsp;

The separatist forces, supported by Russia, present in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Monday said that a village has been seized by Russian forces near the important city of Bakhmut.&nbsp;

The village of Bakhmutske in "the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," said a statement released on Telegram by the separatist authorities on Monday.&nbsp;

Responding to the report, the mercenary group Wagner, which is associated with Kremlin, issued a statement on social media saying that Bakhmutske was already "liberated" by its forces last month.

Founder of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin separately clarified on social media that the group's units were “exclusively” storming Soledar.&nbsp;

ALSO READ| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-war-russia-conducts-retaliatory-strike-in-kramatorsk-for-makiivka-attack-550503">Ukraine war: Russia claims it killed over '600 Ukrainian servicemen' in 'retaliatory strike' in Kramatorsk</a>

In his evening address delivered on Sunday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the area between Soledar and Bakhmut is "one of the bloodiest places on the front".&nbsp;

Supply of arms by West will prolong Ukraine's suffering, claims Kremlin&nbsp;

On Monday, the Kremlin claimed that the supply of arms and weapons from Western countries, which include light tanks, will only increase the suffering of Ukrainians.&nbsp;

WATCH| Russia-Ukraine War: US warns of acute threats from Russia

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-ukraine-war-us-warns-of-acute-threats-from-russia-529111/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Fundamentally, these deliveries cannot and will not change anything... (they) can only prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, while responding to the decision of France to supply armoured vehicles to Ukraine.&nbsp;

The Kremlin said that Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin remain in contact. Peskov said the world leaders have been in contact which has been "very useful, despite deep differences."

(With inputs from agencies)

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. The separatist forces, supported by Russia, present in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Monday said that a village has been seized by Russian forces near the important city of Bakhmut. The village of Bakhmutske in "the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," said a statement released on Telegram by the separatist authorities on Monday. Responding to the report, the mercenary group Wagner, which is associated with Kremlin, issued a statement on social media saying that Bakhmutske was already "liberated" by its forces last month. Founder of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin separately clarified on social media that the group's units were “exclusively” storming Soledar. ALSO READ| Ukraine war: Russia claims it killed over '600 Ukrainian servicemen' in 'retaliatory strike' in Kramatorsk In his evening address delivered on Sunday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the area between Soledar and Bakhmut is "one of the bloodiest places on the front". Supply of arms by West will prolong Ukraine's suffering, claims Kremlin On Monday, the Kremlin claimed that the supply of arms and weapons from Western countries, which include light tanks, will only increase the suffering of Ukrainians. WATCH| Russia-Ukraine War: US warns of acute threats from Russia "Fundamentally, these deliveries cannot and will not change anything... (they) can only prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, while responding to the decision of France to supply armoured vehicles to Ukraine. The Kremlin said that Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin remain in contact. Peskov said the world leaders have been in contact which has been "very useful, despite deep differences." (With inputs from agencies)

Village in east Ukraine near Bakhmut captured by Russia, claim separatists

King Charles III has bought and restored several buildings, has drawn thousands of tourists every year to this remote village with otherwise few economic prospects.

King Charles III's love for this Transylvania village is drawing attention & tourism

In solidarity with the citizens of the eastern European nation, a village has changed its name to 'Ukraine', a Reuters report said. &nbsp;

The peaceful white-walled village seems to be around 4,000 km (2,500 miles) away from the European country, Ukraine. &nbsp;&nbsp;

It is located in southern Spain and was earlier called 'Fuentes de Andalucia'. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-russia-steps-up-offensive-in-cities-ukraines-richest-man-vows-to-rebuild-mariupol-471456">As Russia steps up offensive, Ukraine’s richest man vows to rebuild Mariupol &nbsp;</a>

At the village's entrance, one can see a sign at a roundabout saying its new name 'Ukraine'. The country's blue and yellow flag can also be seen painted alongside. &nbsp;

The village houses around 7,100 inhabitants and is located east of Seville. &nbsp;

The streets in the village have also been renamed the City of Odesa, Kyiv and Mariupol. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Watch | Threat of Russia launching 'Nuke' attack on Ukraine can't be taken lightly: US

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-threat-of-russia-launching-nuke-attack-on-ukraine-cant-be-taken-lightly-471354/embed" width="560"></iframe>

"The main objective is to raise awareness about the conflict in Ukraine but also about where countries are at war in current times," Francisco Martinez, a resident told Reuters. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Not just this, the villagers have also raised 3,500 euros ($3,780) in two days to come up with a refugee centre. It also wants to offer homes to around 25 refugees at the centre or with the families. &nbsp;

A 68-year-old pensioner Rafael Osuna told Reuters, "The people of Fuentes are very proud of what we are doing. As I live alone and have a big house, I have thought of taking in a Ukrainian couple for a while." &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In solidarity with the citizens of the eastern European nation, a village has changed its name to 'Ukraine', a Reuters report said. The peaceful white-walled village seems to be around 4,000 km (2,500 miles) away from the European country, Ukraine.

In solidarity with the citizens of the eastern European nation, a village has changed its name to 'Ukraine', a Reuters report said. The peaceful white-walled village seems to be around 4,000 km (2,500 miles) away from the European country, Ukraine. It is located in southern Spain and was earlier called 'Fuentes de Andalucia'. Also Read: As Russia steps up offensive, Ukraine’s richest man vows to rebuild Mariupol At the village's entrance, one can see a sign at a roundabout saying its new name 'Ukraine'. The country's blue and yellow flag can also be seen painted alongside. The village houses around 7,100 inhabitants and is located east of Seville. The streets in the village have also been renamed the City of Odesa, Kyiv and Mariupol. Watch | Threat of Russia launching 'Nuke' attack on Ukraine can't be taken lightly: US "The main objective is to raise awareness about the conflict in Ukraine but also about where countries are at war in current times," Francisco Martinez, a resident told Reuters. Not just this, the villagers have also raised 3,500 euros ($3,780) in two days to come up with a refugee centre. It also wants to offer homes to around 25 refugees at the centre or with the families. A 68-year-old pensioner Rafael Osuna told Reuters, "The people of Fuentes are very proud of what we are doing. As I live alone and have a big house, I have thought of taking in a Ukrainian couple for a while." (With inputs from agencies)

To show solidarity, village in Spain renames itself to 'Ukraine'  

As the sun set below the ridgelines of the Appalachian Mountains on Saturday evening, revelers donned fantastical papier-mâché masks — a bright red creature with striped horns, a boar with a floral headdress, an autumn leaf — and marched with gusto in an outdoor masquerade ball.

The celebration included Swiss folk songs, tiny Swiss flags and paper lanterns. It culminated in a parade through the streets of the village, led by an effigy of Old Man Winter, which was then thrown atop a raging bonfire, in an effort to hasten the coming of spring.

Helvetia, a community of just 85 people, has hosted Fasnacht for more than half a century. The coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation last year — the first since 1967 — making this year’s celebration all the more sweet.

Doug Davis, a longtime festival organizer and public-school teacher, seemed buoyed by the festival’s return. “COVID killed the community spirit,” he said. “But here we are, recovering.”

Helvetia, like Fasnacht itself, has Swiss roots. The village was settled in the 19th century by Swiss and German immigrants, and the buildings feature traditional Swiss architecture. Hütte, a traditional Swiss restaurant, serves bratwurst, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and potatoes. The Beekeeper Inn is booked months in advance for Fasnacht weekend. The Helvetia General Store is also home to a Fasnacht mask museum.

In many parts of Switzerland, carnival — or Fasnacht — season is held in February and March. In Helvetia, it is the weekend before Fat Tuesday and draws enough visitors to swell the number of people in the town to more than triple its population.

While many revelers Saturday said they were relieved to see the tradition return, some described a sense of urgency in their desire to experience what may be West Virginia’s most unusual community celebration. Appalachia, said Joe Holmes, an attendee from Davis, West Virginia, 76 miles away, is “homogenizing like everything else. These little pockets of uniqueness are just drying up. It’s an inevitable result of technology and progress.”

This year’s events were moved outdoors as a COVID-19 precaution. Attendees milled about the banks of the upper Trout Run stream, warming themselves around campfires and enjoying rosettes and Fasnacht doughnuts, traditional Swiss sweets. Visitors lined up to peek inside a log cabin decorated with artifacts from some of Helvetia’s original settlers.

And Saturday evening, as the last bits of Old Man Winter were consumed by flames, festivalgoers joined in an a cappella rendition of the beloved John Denver anthem “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

As the sun set below the ridgelines of the Appalachian Mountains on Saturday evening, revelers donned fantastical papier-mâché masks — a bright red creature with striped horns, a boar with a floral headdress, an autumn leaf — and marched with gusto in an outdoor masquerade ball.

As the sun set below the ridgelines of the Appalachian Mountains on Saturday evening, revelers donned fantastical papier-mâché masks — a bright red creature with striped horns, a boar with a floral headdress, an autumn leaf — and marched with gusto in an outdoor masquerade ball. The celebration included Swiss folk songs, tiny Swiss flags and paper lanterns. It culminated in a parade through the streets of the village, led by an effigy of Old Man Winter, which was then thrown atop a raging bonfire, in an effort to hasten the coming of spring. Helvetia, a community of just 85 people, has hosted Fasnacht for more than half a century. The coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation last year — the first since 1967 — making this year’s celebration all the more sweet. Doug Davis, a longtime festival organizer and public-school teacher, seemed buoyed by the festival’s return. “COVID killed the community spirit,” he said. “But here we are, recovering.” Helvetia, like Fasnacht itself, has Swiss roots. The village was settled in the 19th century by Swiss and German immigrants, and the buildings feature traditional Swiss architecture. Hütte, a traditional Swiss restaurant, serves bratwurst, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and potatoes. The Beekeeper Inn is booked months in advance for Fasnacht weekend. The Helvetia General Store is also home to a Fasnacht mask museum. In many parts of Switzerland, carnival — or Fasnacht — season is held in February and March. In Helvetia, it is the weekend before Fat Tuesday and draws enough visitors to swell the number of people in the town to more than triple its population. While many revelers Saturday said they were relieved to see the tradition return, some described a sense of urgency in their desire to experience what may be West Virginia’s most unusual community celebration. Appalachia, said Joe Holmes, an attendee from Davis, West Virginia, 76 miles away, is “homogenizing like everything else. These little pockets of uniqueness are just drying up. It’s an inevitable result of technology and progress.” This year’s events were moved outdoors as a COVID-19 precaution. Attendees milled about the banks of the upper Trout Run stream, warming themselves around campfires and enjoying rosettes and Fasnacht doughnuts, traditional Swiss sweets. Visitors lined up to peek inside a log cabin decorated with artifacts from some of Helvetia’s original settlers. And Saturday evening, as the last bits of Old Man Winter were consumed by flames, festivalgoers joined in an a cappella rendition of the beloved John Denver anthem “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

In a tiny Appalachian village, a beloved festival returns

Elderly couple Kateryna and Dmytro Shklyar are among the last residents of Nevelske, a village near the frontlines in east Ukraine where years of fighting have left them without running water, electricity or neighbors.

Ukraine: Nevelske village without running water, electricity and even neighbors

For the first time in India, a village is all set to become sanitary napkin-free. The development comes as a part of an ongoing campaign in Kumbalangi in Ernakulam, Kerala.

Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan has declared the village as napkin-free.&nbsp;The step is being taken&nbsp;to ensure access to menstrual hygiene for adolescent girls and young women

As a part of the campaign, menstrual cups will be distributed to women aged 18 and above. Approximately 5,000 menstrual cups will be distributed.&nbsp;

Hibi Eden, the member of Lok Sabha after a tie-up with HLL management academy’s ‘Thingal’ scheme and Indian oil corporation said that the &nbsp;initiative is titled "Avalkayi," which means "for her."&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/40-years-and-counting-in-service-of-india-thank-you-dr-k-sivan-444740">Also read |&nbsp;40 years and counting.. in service of India, thank you Dr K. Sivan</a>

The Governor has also declared the village as India’s first model tourism village. This project is implemented through Pradhan Mantri Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). The village will also have a new tourist information centre.&nbsp;

Earlier, Indian state&nbsp;Andhra Pradesh's government launched a program under which branded sanitary napkins will be provided free of cost to girl students of government educational institutions.&nbsp;

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy&nbsp; launched the 'Swechha'&nbsp;program to tackle the stigma attached to menstruation and prioritise female personal hygiene, and encourage a healthy dialogue of information.

(With inputs from agencies)

For the first time in India, a village is all set to become sanitary napkin-free. The development comes as a part of an ongoing campaign in Kumbalangi in Ernakulam, Kerala.

For the first time in India, a village is all set to become sanitary napkin-free. The development comes as a part of an ongoing campaign in Kumbalangi in Ernakulam, Kerala. Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan has declared the village as napkin-free. The step is being taken to ensure access to menstrual hygiene for adolescent girls and young women As a part of the campaign, menstrual cups will be distributed to women aged 18 and above. Approximately 5,000 menstrual cups will be distributed. Hibi Eden, the member of Lok Sabha after a tie-up with HLL management academy’s ‘Thingal’ scheme and Indian oil corporation said that the initiative is titled "Avalkayi," which means "for her." Also read | 40 years and counting.. in service of India, thank you Dr K. Sivan The Governor has also declared the village as India’s first model tourism village. This project is implemented through Pradhan Mantri Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). The village will also have a new tourist information centre. Earlier, Indian state Andhra Pradesh's government launched a program under which branded sanitary napkins will be provided free of cost to girl students of government educational institutions. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the 'Swechha' program to tackle the stigma attached to menstruation and prioritise female personal hygiene, and encourage a healthy dialogue of information. (With inputs from agencies)

To ensure menstrual hygiene, this Indian village is the first to become sanitary napkin-free

Indonesia's most active&nbsp;volcano&nbsp;Mount Merapi erupted Monday, belching a cloud of&nbsp;ash&nbsp;into the air as red lava flowed down its&nbsp;crater.

The early morning explosions spewed clouds as far as 3.5 kilometres (2 miles) from the rumbling&nbsp;volcano, blanketing local communities in grey&nbsp;ash.

There were no evacuation orders or reports of casualties.

Merapi, close to&nbsp;Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta on Java island, has been particularly active in recent months and authorities raised its danger level late last year.

Residents were told to avoid the area within a five-kilometre radius of the rumbling&nbsp;volcano,&nbsp;Indonesia's geological agency said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/as-kabul-descended-in-chaos-india-was-ready-for-unsc-meet-on-afghanistan-on-sunday-405889">Also read |&nbsp;As Kabul descended in chaos, India was ready for UNSC meet on Afghanistan on Sunday</a>

"Residents should avoid volcanic&nbsp;ash&nbsp;and they've been warned about potential lava flows in the area surrounding Merapi," it added.

Mount Merapi's last major eruption in 2010 killed more than 300 people and forced the evacuation of around 280,000 residents from surrounding areas.

That was its most powerful eruption since 1930, when around 1,300 people were killed, while another explosion in 1994 took about 60 lives.

The Southeast Asian archipelago nation has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Indonesia&nbsp;experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.

Indonesia's most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted Monday, belching a cloud of ash into the air as red lava flowed down its crater. The early morning explosions spewed clouds as far as 3.

Indonesia's most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted Monday, belching a cloud of ash into the air as red lava flowed down its crater. The early morning explosions spewed clouds as far as 3.5 kilometres (2 miles) from the rumbling volcano, blanketing local communities in grey ash. There were no evacuation orders or reports of casualties. Merapi, close to Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta on Java island, has been particularly active in recent months and authorities raised its danger level late last year. Residents were told to avoid the area within a five-kilometre radius of the rumbling volcano, Indonesia's geological agency said. Also read | As Kabul descended in chaos, India was ready for UNSC meet on Afghanistan on Sunday "Residents should avoid volcanic ash and they've been warned about potential lava flows in the area surrounding Merapi," it added. Mount Merapi's last major eruption in 2010 killed more than 300 people and forced the evacuation of around 280,000 residents from surrounding areas. That was its most powerful eruption since 1930, when around 1,300 people were killed, while another explosion in 1994 took about 60 lives. The Southeast Asian archipelago nation has nearly 130 active volcanoes. Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.

Indonesia volcano erupts, blankets villages in ash

Tokyo Olympics organisers revealed the first Covid-19 case in the Games Village on Saturday as they sought to reassure competitors that the pandemic-delayed event would be safe.

Six days before the opening ceremony, organisers said an unnamed person had tested positive for coronavirus in the Village, where thousands of athletes and officials will stay during the Games.

"There was one person in the Village. That was the very first case in the Village that was reported during the screening test," Masa Takaya, spokesman for the Tokyo organising committee, told a press conference.

"Right now this person is confined to a hotel," Takaya said.

Japanese media reported that the person who had tested positive was a foreign national. The Games are facing opposition from the Japanese public, who fear a fresh wave of infections.

Seiko Hashimoto, the chief organiser of the Tokyo 2020 Games, said organisers were ready to respond swiftly if there was a wider outbreak.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australias-victoria-state-put-under-lockdown-amid-virus-surge-398239">Also read |&nbsp;Australia's Victoria state put under lockdown amid virus surge</a>

"We are doing everything to prevent any Covid outbreaks. If we end up with an outbreak we will make sure we have a plan in place to respond," she said.

Hashimoto conceded that competitors at the Games, which were postponed for a year because of the pandemic, would be anxious about the virus situation -- and she vowed that organisers would not hide cases.

"Athletes who are coming to Japan are probably very worried. I understand that," she said.

"That is the reason why we need to make full disclosure."&nbsp;

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said it was not yet known if the person had been vaccinated against Covid-19.

"We don't have any information on whether this person was vaccinated or not," Muto said.

He said competitors at the Games would be tested every day "so if someone tests positive, that person will be isolated immediately whether there are any close contacts or not".

Tokyo Olympics organisers revealed the first Covid-19 case in the Games Village on Saturday as they sought to reassure competitors that the pandemic-delayed event would be safe.

Tokyo Olympics organisers revealed the first Covid-19 case in the Games Village on Saturday as they sought to reassure competitors that the pandemic-delayed event would be safe. Six days before the opening ceremony, organisers said an unnamed person had tested positive for coronavirus in the Village, where thousands of athletes and officials will stay during the Games. "There was one person in the Village. That was the very first case in the Village that was reported during the screening test," Masa Takaya, spokesman for the Tokyo organising committee, told a press conference. "Right now this person is confined to a hotel," Takaya said. Japanese media reported that the person who had tested positive was a foreign national. The Games are facing opposition from the Japanese public, who fear a fresh wave of infections. Seiko Hashimoto, the chief organiser of the Tokyo 2020 Games, said organisers were ready to respond swiftly if there was a wider outbreak. Also read | Australia's Victoria state put under lockdown amid virus surge "We are doing everything to prevent any Covid outbreaks. If we end up with an outbreak we will make sure we have a plan in place to respond," she said. Hashimoto conceded that competitors at the Games, which were postponed for a year because of the pandemic, would be anxious about the virus situation -- and she vowed that organisers would not hide cases. "Athletes who are coming to Japan are probably very worried. I understand that," she said. "That is the reason why we need to make full disclosure." Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said it was not yet known if the person had been vaccinated against Covid-19. "We don't have any information on whether this person was vaccinated or not," Muto said. He said competitors at the Games would be tested every day "so if someone tests positive, that person will be isolated immediately whether there are any close contacts or not".

First COVID-19 case hits Tokyo Olympics Village

Dozens of people in Cambodia recently died after drinking toxic home-brewed alcohol. A man named Prom Vannak, who was 50 years old, had some wine for his uncle's funeral.

Dozens of people in Cambodia recently died after drinking toxic home-brewed alcohol. A man named Prom Vannak, who was 50 years old, had some wine for his uncle's funeral. After drinking the wine, he felt very tired and his eyes felt drowsy. By the evening, Vannak had started shaking and violently throwing up. When his wife tried to persuade her husband to go to the local hospital he refused, saying he just needed rest. The following morning he was dead. Also Read | US calls report of China building more than 100 nuclear missile silos 'concerning' His wife, Hun Pheap, was quoted by BBC saying, "He opened his mouth to try to send a message to his mother and children. His tears were falling, he was passing away. He could only open his mouth but could not talk". Vannak is not the only one who died after having the drink. More than 50 others were hospitalised. Also, two people from the village died after drinking from the same batch. The case of mass poisoning led to at least 30 deaths. A total of 13 people died in Pursat province at the start of June, and at least 12 people lost their lives in Kandal on 10 May. Jonathan Padwe, an anthropologist who has worked in the country, was quoted by BBC saying, "Since the mid-1990s, when I started working in Cambodia, the situation has been pretty constant, with home distillers operating ramshackle stills inside their houses or shops, and selling this home-produced rice whiskey to their neighbours". Various tests conducted on the funeral batch showed that to raise the drink's potency, had resulted in deadly levels of methanol. Methanol is a alcohol commonly used for various industrial purposes, including as a solvent in ink, dyes and varnishes. It is often added to increase the content in alcoholic drinks for profit reasons, especially in low-income countries like Cambodia. To cope up with the issue, at least 15 rice wine brewers and sellers have been arrested. As per the Cambodian police, the health ministry has called for people to avoid drinking contaminated alcohol. Also, n Pursat, officials have banned the production and sale of rice and herbal wines. The district where Thnong village is situated has temporarily banned the production, import and export, and distribution of rice wine.

Various killed in Cambodian village due to a bad batch of rice wine

The castle that crowns the hill above the village of Gósol used to be among the grandest along Spain’s border with France, with views of fertile farms and forests rich in timber that stretched up to the cloudy mountaintops.

But the castle is in ruins now, and until last year, Gósol had fallen on hard times, too. The town census had gone down in nearly every count since the 1960s. The school was on the verge of closing for lack of students. The mayor had even taken to television with a plea to his countrymen: Come to Gósol, he asked, or the town would disappear.

It took a pandemic for Spaniards to heed his call.

Among those who packed their bags was Gabriela Calvar, a 37-year-old who once owned a bar in a beach town near Barcelona, but watched it go under during last year’s lockdowns and decamped to the town in the mountains for a new start.

María Otero, a web designer who found she could telecommute, brought her husband and three children to Gósol, the place where her grandparents had been born, but where she had only spent the summers milking cows on visits.

It was the rare silver lining of a troubled time: About 20 or 30 newcomers to a dwindling town of 140 souls, where even the tiny school on the town plaza got a second chance after parents started enrolling their children there.

“If it weren’t for COVID, the school would have closed,” said Josep Tomás Puig, 67, a retired mail carrier in Gósol who spent his life watching the younger generation depart to Spain’s cities. “And if the school closed, the town might as well have closed, too.”

Gósol was hardly the first village in the country to be on the brink of disappearing. For decades in Spain, a landscape of walled cities, stone bridges and ancient winding roads has become mostly abandoned as generations of young people left for cities. La España Vacía, or “Empty Spain,” is the phrase that was coined to describe the blight.

Elderly pensioners wander empty streets with few shops and no schools. In 2005, a British man bought an entire village in the region of Galicia — one of an estimated 3,000 that are abandoned there — for 45,000 euros, less than $55,000. This year, a local political party that has made advocating the oft-forgotten province of Teruel its sole aim won seats in Spain’s national Legislature. Its name: Teruel Exists.

Yet tiny Gósol had fared better than many others, residents say.

It sits in the wealthy autonomous region of Catalonia, in a majestic valley in the Pyrenees Mountains that brought tourists and part-time residents in the summer months. Among the notable tenants was Pablo Picasso, who arrived in 1906 when the population stood at about 745 residents. The artist painted much of his famed “Rose Period” work in Gósol, riding the wave of what he called an “epiphany of inspiration.”

But the epiphany was not enough to keep him there — he left Gósol before the end of the year, and so did many others in the decades since.

By 2015, the situation had gotten critical. The number of permanent residents was 120 and falling. The mayor went on television warning, among other things, that the school was about to close because it was down to five students. He asked for young families from elsewhere to repopulate the town.

Rafael López, a former renewable energy entrepreneur whose business collapsed in Spain’s 2008 financial crisis, was interested. “My mom said she saw this on TV,” said López. “And I said, ‘Well, what do you say if we take the car and go have a look, see what’s there?’”

Over the next months, hundreds of people came to Gósol to kick the tires. They said they were impressed by the quaint homes and the ruined castle atop the hill. There was the cool mountain breeze and the tinkling of cowbells heard over the hillsides.

In the end, though, only López and two other families actually moved to Gósol in the years before the pandemic.

López, who said he was attracted to the isolated village in part because he “doesn’t really like people,” said the new life also came with its downsides. The town fiestas can get loud, he said. Last year, a winter storm left the town without electricity — and many with no heat — for two days. The two other families that volunteered to move with him eventually left.

As the coronavirus began to spread last year, Spain entered another economic crisis, this one on a scale greater than the collapse that had brought López in 2008.

In Castelldefels, a seaside town southwest of Barcelona, life was starting to look upside-down for Calvar, the bar owner who came to Gósol in September. Spain’s lockdowns had decimated her pub. And after flights were cancelled, her side-hustle as a flight attendant at a low-cost Spanish airline brought no reprieve.

“I’m a single mother with two kids,” said Calvar. “I had to say, ‘We’re going to ask the big life question now: What are we going to do?’”

The path seemed clear when, passing through Gósol one day, Calvar learned that the owner of the grocery store on the plaza was looking to sell the business.

Calvar’s arrival heralded big news for the village: The 90-year-old owner was at last able to retire; the grocery store, one of only two in town, stayed in business; and Calvar enrolled her two sons in the school, which now has 16 students.

The schoolhouse sits along the plaza, a place of kid-sized chairs and tables, paper planets hanging from the ceiling and an incubator warming eggs. The two teachers sat inside the school on a recent day on lunch break. While the adult arrivals seemed to be starting fresh in Gósol, they said, the children seemed to be a bit haunted by the life they left behind.

“There’s a girl, there are two or three of them, who have become so closed, it’s hard for them to relate to others,” said Carla Pautas, the headteacher.

“It’s like they’ve become used to months being alone in the lockdown,” replied Anna Boixader, the other teacher.

Classes ended at 5 p.m. and Otero, the telecommuting web designer who had moved to Gósol from Barcelona last June, was waiting for two of her children, 6 and 7. She had something of an advantage over the other new arrivals: Her grandparents were from Gósol, and she had spent summers on their farm. Now her children were actually living in her family village.

There was a note of regret in her voice when she thought about the end of the pandemic, and the pressure that she knew would inevitably build to return to Barcelona. She did not want Gósol to disappear yet, she said.

Puig, the former mail carrier, was asking himself similar questions about how long the new arrivals would stay. So many had come and left over the years.

But he was sanguine. In his years delivering the mail, he says he got a sense of the place and had spoken to just about everyone in Gósol; retirement has allowed him to become philosophical about the fate of the village.

“When I was 10 years old, here in the plaza, when people started to sell their houses in the ’60s, everyone was going to Barcelona,” he recalled. “And people said, ‘If you stay here, who knows what you’ll do, before long there will be squirrels and foxes running around here.’”

He gestured to the street. Not a fox in sight.

“Well, that still hasn’t happened,” he said.

The castle that crowns the hill above the village of Gósol used to be among the grandest along Spain’s border with France, with views of fertile farms and forests rich in timber that stretched up to the cloudy mountaintops.

The castle that crowns the hill above the village of Gósol used to be among the grandest along Spain’s border with France, with views of fertile farms and forests rich in timber that stretched up to the cloudy mountaintops. But the castle is in ruins now, and until last year, Gósol had fallen on hard times, too. The town census had gone down in nearly every count since the 1960s. The school was on the verge of closing for lack of students. The mayor had even taken to television with a plea to his countrymen: Come to Gósol, he asked, or the town would disappear. It took a pandemic for Spaniards to heed his call. Among those who packed their bags was Gabriela Calvar, a 37-year-old who once owned a bar in a beach town near Barcelona, but watched it go under during last year’s lockdowns and decamped to the town in the mountains for a new start. María Otero, a web designer who found she could telecommute, brought her husband and three children to Gósol, the place where her grandparents had been born, but where she had only spent the summers milking cows on visits. It was the rare silver lining of a troubled time: About 20 or 30 newcomers to a dwindling town of 140 souls, where even the tiny school on the town plaza got a second chance after parents started enrolling their children there. “If it weren’t for COVID, the school would have closed,” said Josep Tomás Puig, 67, a retired mail carrier in Gósol who spent his life watching the younger generation depart to Spain’s cities. “And if the school closed, the town might as well have closed, too.” Gósol was hardly the first village in the country to be on the brink of disappearing. For decades in Spain, a landscape of walled cities, stone bridges and ancient winding roads has become mostly abandoned as generations of young people left for cities. La España Vacía, or “Empty Spain,” is the phrase that was coined to describe the blight. Elderly pensioners wander empty streets with few shops and no schools. In 2005, a British man bought an entire village in the region of Galicia — one of an estimated 3,000 that are abandoned there — for 45,000 euros, less than $55,000. This year, a local political party that has made advocating the oft-forgotten province of Teruel its sole aim won seats in Spain’s national Legislature. Its name: Teruel Exists. Yet tiny Gósol had fared better than many others, residents say. It sits in the wealthy autonomous region of Catalonia, in a majestic valley in the Pyrenees Mountains that brought tourists and part-time residents in the summer months. Among the notable tenants was Pablo Picasso, who arrived in 1906 when the population stood at about 745 residents. The artist painted much of his famed “Rose Period” work in Gósol, riding the wave of what he called an “epiphany of inspiration.” But the epiphany was not enough to keep him there — he left Gósol before the end of the year, and so did many others in the decades since. By 2015, the situation had gotten critical. The number of permanent residents was 120 and falling. The mayor went on television warning, among other things, that the school was about to close because it was down to five students. He asked for young families from elsewhere to repopulate the town. Rafael López, a former renewable energy entrepreneur whose business collapsed in Spain’s 2008 financial crisis, was interested. “My mom said she saw this on TV,” said López. “And I said, ‘Well, what do you say if we take the car and go have a look, see what’s there?’” Over the next months, hundreds of people came to Gósol to kick the tires. They said they were impressed by the quaint homes and the ruined castle atop the hill. There was the cool mountain breeze and the tinkling of cowbells heard over the hillsides. In the end, though, only López and two other families actually moved to Gósol in the years before the pandemic. López, who said he was attracted to the isolated village in part because he “doesn’t really like people,” said the new life also came with its downsides. The town fiestas can get loud, he said. Last year, a winter storm left the town without electricity — and many with no heat — for two days. The two other families that volunteered to move with him eventually left. As the coronavirus began to spread last year, Spain entered another economic crisis, this one on a scale greater than the collapse that had brought López in 2008. In Castelldefels, a seaside town southwest of Barcelona, life was starting to look upside-down for Calvar, the bar owner who came to Gósol in September. Spain’s lockdowns had decimated her pub. And after flights were cancelled, her side-hustle as a flight attendant at a low-cost Spanish airline brought no reprieve. “I’m a single mother with two kids,” said Calvar. “I had to say, ‘We’re going to ask the big life question now: What are we going to do?’” The path seemed clear when, passing through Gósol one day, Calvar learned that the owner of the grocery store on the plaza was looking to sell the business. Calvar’s arrival heralded big news for the village: The 90-year-old owner was at last able to retire; the grocery store, one of only two in town, stayed in business; and Calvar enrolled her two sons in the school, which now has 16 students. The schoolhouse sits along the plaza, a place of kid-sized chairs and tables, paper planets hanging from the ceiling and an incubator warming eggs. The two teachers sat inside the school on a recent day on lunch break. While the adult arrivals seemed to be starting fresh in Gósol, they said, the children seemed to be a bit haunted by the life they left behind. “There’s a girl, there are two or three of them, who have become so closed, it’s hard for them to relate to others,” said Carla Pautas, the headteacher. “It’s like they’ve become used to months being alone in the lockdown,” replied Anna Boixader, the other teacher. Classes ended at 5 p.m. and Otero, the telecommuting web designer who had moved to Gósol from Barcelona last June, was waiting for two of her children, 6 and 7. She had something of an advantage over the other new arrivals: Her grandparents were from Gósol, and she had spent summers on their farm. Now her children were actually living in her family village. There was a note of regret in her voice when she thought about the end of the pandemic, and the pressure that she knew would inevitably build to return to Barcelona. She did not want Gósol to disappear yet, she said. Puig, the former mail carrier, was asking himself similar questions about how long the new arrivals would stay. So many had come and left over the years. But he was sanguine. In his years delivering the mail, he says he got a sense of the place and had spoken to just about everyone in Gósol; retirement has allowed him to become philosophical about the fate of the village. “When I was 10 years old, here in the plaza, when people started to sell their houses in the ’60s, everyone was going to Barcelona,” he recalled. “And people said, ‘If you stay here, who knows what you’ll do, before long there will be squirrels and foxes running around here.’” He gestured to the street. Not a fox in sight. “Well, that still hasn’t happened,” he said.

The pandemic’s silver lining? This village may have been saved by it

We know the history of Sundarbans tigers brutality. A women abandoned by her sons, shunned by her neighbours and branded a witch. Bengal tiger killed Mosammat Rashida’s husband and this was her crime. Women like her are ostracised in many rural villages in Bangladesh, where they are viewed as the cause of their partner’s misfortune

Sundarban: The curse of being a Tiger Widow

We live in an era where travel has slowly evolved into a photo opportunity. No one wants to like a dorky family photo on your Facebook. For one to have a 'well-liked' social profile, there must be something more than just the person.

We live in an era where travel has slowly evolved into a photo opportunity. No one wants to like a dorky family photo on your Facebook. For one to have a 'well-liked' social profile, there must be something more than just the person. Hallstatt, a village on Lake Hallstatt's western shore in Austria's mountainous Salzkammergut region is one such 'backdrop' which has become highly popular in the millennial era of Instagram. The tiny settlement that barely qualifies to be a village, has a population of only 800. Yet, in 2018, Hallstatt had received over a million tourists, sending its tourism industry booming into the sky. View this post on Instagram #hallstatt #austria #osterreich A post shared by Moliyaa_JM (@moliyaa_jm) on Jan 7, 2020 at 7:10am PST × Known as a straight-outta-fairy-tale village, Hallstatt sits by the Lake Hallstatt and is believed to be the inspiration behind the 'fairy-tale city' for Disney's Frozen franchise. View this post on Instagram Was für ein wunderschönes Bild! 😍 Macht euch einen schönen Abend. 😘⁠ ⁠ We ❤️ Austria | pic by @malteheitmueller⁠ ⁠ #1000thingsinaustria #visitsalzkammergut #hallstatt #visitaustria #igersaustria #austrianblogger #loveaustria #discoveraustria #visithallstatt A post shared by 1000 things to do in Austria (@1000thingsinaustria) on Jan 3, 2020 at 11:01am PST × Even though years have passed by with the increase in tourism, residents of the village are still unable to cope up with the huge wave of tourists flowing in. View this post on Instagram The perfect way to start this 2020 🥰❄️ Photo by @lumadeline #hallstatt #austria #prettylittletrips A post shared by Travel Inspo (@prettylittletrips) on Jan 2, 2020 at 5:41am PST × The short term visitors have created a lot of mess around the village and the residents are not happy with it. The village administration is now planning to reduce the number of tour vehicles it receives. According to the news reports the Mayor of Hallstatt, Alexander Scheutz has requested to the tourists to stay away as huge footfall of 10,000 daily visitors creates pressure on infrastructure and negative impact on residents’ daily lives.

Hallstatt: Insta-worthy tiny village of Austria struggles with rise in tourists

Devils chase children in Czech village's Christmas custom

A bush fire fanned by gusty winds has gutted four villages in<a href="http://13.232.42.114/india-news/150-indian-peacekeepers-in-south-sudan-awarded-medal-of-honour-for-dedicated-service-211076"> South Sudan`s </a>Western Bahr el Ghazal region, killing 33 people, the president`s spokesman said, adding the toll was likely to rise.

The spokesman said in a statement late on Monday that 60 other people were in a critical condition after the fire on Sunday.

''The injured are receiving medication which is not sufficient given the remote state of the area in which the incident has taken place," Ateny Wek Ateny said in a statement at the statehouse on Monday evening.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, Mathok Wal, Lol State`s information minister, said the fire had also destroyed 138 houses in the villages in Korok East County and killed 10,000 cattle.

A bush fire fanned by gusty winds has gutted four villages in South Sudan`s Western Bahr el Ghazal region, killing 33 people, the president`s spokesman said, adding the toll was likely to rise.

A bush fire fanned by gusty winds has gutted four villages in South Sudan`s Western Bahr el Ghazal region, killing 33 people, the president`s spokesman said, adding the toll was likely to rise. The spokesman said in a statement late on Monday that 60 other people were in a critical condition after the fire on Sunday. ''The injured are receiving medication which is not sufficient given the remote state of the area in which the incident has taken place," Ateny Wek Ateny said in a statement at the statehouse on Monday evening. On Tuesday, Mathok Wal, Lol State`s information minister, said the fire had also destroyed 138 houses in the villages in Korok East County and killed 10,000 cattle.

Bush fire guts four villages in South Sudan, kills 33

Exhorting people to concentrate on the development of villages, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/assembly-election-results-2018-kcr-20-and-his-national-ambitions-183701">Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao</a> has stated that the state and the country can only develop if the villages are developed. 
 
The Chief Minister instructed concerned officers to appoint village secretary in every gram panchayat in Telangana. He said that by effectively implementing new Panchayat Raj Act, the overall picture of the villages must be changed and bettered. 
 
Rao, commonly known as KCR said that immediately after the village panchayat raj elections, programmes concerning to sanitation and environmental cleanliness in the villages must be stepped up. 
 
He held a review meeting on Sunday at Pragathi Bhavan on various aspects of panchayat raj and electoral promises made in the recent Assembly elections. 
 
As part of its efforts to strengthen the gram panchayat system, the state government has appointed 9355 new panchayat raj secretaries. This is the first of its kind recruitment process after the creation of the New Zonal system. With the appointment of new village secretaries, the Chief Minister said that every village will have village-level officers who will be made responsible for the development of the villages, greenery and sanitation programmes. 
 
In addition to the existing village secretaries along with the newly-recruited village panchayat secretaries, there will be an awareness conclave on December 27 in Hyderabad. The Chief Minister will deliver the inaugural address and make suggestions on the action plan for the development of villages. 
 
Rao also announced in the review meeting that in accordance with the electoral promises, every senior citizen on completion of 57 years will be provided with old age pensions. He has instructed Chief Secretary SK Joshi to draft modalities pertaining to this and decide on the process of identifying eligible persons for the old age pension. Rao added that once the details of beneficiaries are worked out and the number is decided, adequate budgetary provision will be made in 2019-20 budget and pension should be given with effect from April 1, 2019. 
 
The Chief Minister also instructed Revenue Principal Secretary Rajeshwar Tiwari to commence the process of formation of two more districts namely Mulugu and Narayanpet in accordance with his electoral promises made in the Assembly elections. He told the revenue secretary to initiate the process of formation of Korutla new revenue division and Ghattuppal Mandal in Nalgonda district, Mallampally Mandal in Bhupalapally district. KCR also suggested that the existing Gundala Mandal in Jangoan district should now be merged into Yadadri Bhuvangiri district. 
 
The Chief Minister further instructed the concerned officers that the Bathukamma sarees should be distributed from December 19.

Exhorting people to concentrate on the development of villages, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has stated that the state and the country can only develop if the villages are developed.

Exhorting people to concentrate on the development of villages, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has stated that the state and the country can only develop if the villages are developed. The Chief Minister instructed concerned officers to appoint village secretary in every gram panchayat in Telangana. He said that by effectively implementing new Panchayat Raj Act, the overall picture of the villages must be changed and bettered. Rao, commonly known as KCR said that immediately after the village panchayat raj elections, programmes concerning to sanitation and environmental cleanliness in the villages must be stepped up. He held a review meeting on Sunday at Pragathi Bhavan on various aspects of panchayat raj and electoral promises made in the recent Assembly elections. As part of its efforts to strengthen the gram panchayat system, the state government has appointed 9355 new panchayat raj secretaries. This is the first of its kind recruitment process after the creation of the New Zonal system. With the appointment of new village secretaries, the Chief Minister said that every village will have village-level officers who will be made responsible for the development of the villages, greenery and sanitation programmes. In addition to the existing village secretaries along with the newly-recruited village panchayat secretaries, there will be an awareness conclave on December 27 in Hyderabad. The Chief Minister will deliver the inaugural address and make suggestions on the action plan for the development of villages. Rao also announced in the review meeting that in accordance with the electoral promises, every senior citizen on completion of 57 years will be provided with old age pensions. He has instructed Chief Secretary SK Joshi to draft modalities pertaining to this and decide on the process of identifying eligible persons for the old age pension. Rao added that once the details of beneficiaries are worked out and the number is decided, adequate budgetary provision will be made in 2019-20 budget and pension should be given with effect from April 1, 2019. The Chief Minister also instructed Revenue Principal Secretary Rajeshwar Tiwari to commence the process of formation of two more districts namely Mulugu and Narayanpet in accordance with his electoral promises made in the Assembly elections. He told the revenue secretary to initiate the process of formation of Korutla new revenue division and Ghattuppal Mandal in Nalgonda district, Mallampally Mandal in Bhupalapally district. KCR also suggested that the existing Gundala Mandal in Jangoan district should now be merged into Yadadri Bhuvangiri district. The Chief Minister further instructed the concerned officers that the Bathukamma sarees should be distributed from December 19.

KCR urges people to concentrate on development of villages in Telangana

Bomb-proof, earthquake-resistant and cheap: thousands of Pakistanis are choosing to hunker down in caves northwest of Islamabad, snapping up the hobbit-like homes amid a nationwide housing shortage.

Located around 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Pakistan's capital, nearly 3,000 people live in caves in the village of Hasan Abdal, according to councilor Haji Abdul Rasheed -- whose own home is among the dwellings carved into the rugged, earthen hillside embankments.

Rasheed's spartan cave -- or "buray" as it is locally known -- consists of a few minimally furnished rooms complemented by a breezy veranda.&nbsp;

The caves are usually dug by hand, with residents using clay to plaster the walls -- a practice which serves as a bulwark against landslides, they say.

"There is nothing like it. If you build a mud house, it collapses during the rains. This does not collapse," says Rasheed.

"It's earthquake-proof and bomb-proof."

Although locals have been living in caves for at least five centuries since the area was settled by a Mughal tribe, a surge in housing prices has renewed the appetite for the cavernous homes, which cost much less than their urban counterparts.

"We bought this because it's cheaper... we dug it ourselves," says resident Ameer Ullah Khan. &nbsp;

The modern-day cave dwellers also recommend the structures as ideally suited to Pakistan's weather -- staying cool as summertime temperature soar past 40 degrees Celsius and providing a warm cocoon during the area's chilly winters.

"We mostly spend our summers here... using the caves as our residence and to store our belongings, including our wheat and corn harvest," says Muhammad Sohail, who lives elsewhere the rest of the year.

Life is not all easy however: lacking sufficient natural light, the caves rely on electricity cabled in from outside to power TV sets and mobile phones, while indoor plumbing is a rare luxury.&nbsp;

But with cave prices averaging around about 40,000 rupees (US $300 dollars) compared to brick homes that start around 250,000 rupees, locals and property experts say they are much more affordable than other rural options.

"Even in the countryside, you need at least half a million rupees to get a small piece of land to build a house," real estate agent Sakhi Riaz told AFP.&nbsp;

The lower costs have allowed some residents to splurge on extras, from rose gardens to terraced fruit orchards.&nbsp;

One local 'godman' has even gone so far as to build an huge residential complex to host hundreds of devotees who flock to the area for religious festivities. &nbsp;

The humble abodes are seen as an increasingly attractive option as Pakistan battles a dearth of affordable housing, with the country's rapidly growing population hovering around 207 million.

Freshly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to address the crisis by building as many as five million new homes even as an ongoing financial crisis has raised questions about how he will pay for it.

Bomb-proof, earthquake-resistant and cheap: thousands of Pakistanis are choosing to hunker down in caves northwest of Islamabad, snapping up the hobbit-like homes amid a nationwide housing shortage.

Bomb-proof, earthquake-resistant and cheap: thousands of Pakistanis are choosing to hunker down in caves northwest of Islamabad, snapping up the hobbit-like homes amid a nationwide housing shortage. Located around 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Pakistan's capital, nearly 3,000 people live in caves in the village of Hasan Abdal, according to councilor Haji Abdul Rasheed -- whose own home is among the dwellings carved into the rugged, earthen hillside embankments. Rasheed's spartan cave -- or "buray" as it is locally known -- consists of a few minimally furnished rooms complemented by a breezy veranda. The caves are usually dug by hand, with residents using clay to plaster the walls -- a practice which serves as a bulwark against landslides, they say. "There is nothing like it. If you build a mud house, it collapses during the rains. This does not collapse," says Rasheed. "It's earthquake-proof and bomb-proof." Although locals have been living in caves for at least five centuries since the area was settled by a Mughal tribe, a surge in housing prices has renewed the appetite for the cavernous homes, which cost much less than their urban counterparts. "We bought this because it's cheaper... we dug it ourselves," says resident Ameer Ullah Khan. The modern-day cave dwellers also recommend the structures as ideally suited to Pakistan's weather -- staying cool as summertime temperature soar past 40 degrees Celsius and providing a warm cocoon during the area's chilly winters. "We mostly spend our summers here... using the caves as our residence and to store our belongings, including our wheat and corn harvest," says Muhammad Sohail, who lives elsewhere the rest of the year. Life is not all easy however: lacking sufficient natural light, the caves rely on electricity cabled in from outside to power TV sets and mobile phones, while indoor plumbing is a rare luxury. But with cave prices averaging around about 40,000 rupees (US $300 dollars) compared to brick homes that start around 250,000 rupees, locals and property experts say they are much more affordable than other rural options. "Even in the countryside, you need at least half a million rupees to get a small piece of land to build a house," real estate agent Sakhi Riaz told AFP. The lower costs have allowed some residents to splurge on extras, from rose gardens to terraced fruit orchards. One local 'godman' has even gone so far as to build an huge residential complex to host hundreds of devotees who flock to the area for religious festivities. The humble abodes are seen as an increasingly attractive option as Pakistan battles a dearth of affordable housing, with the country's rapidly growing population hovering around 207 million. Freshly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to address the crisis by building as many as five million new homes even as an ongoing financial crisis has raised questions about how he will pay for it.

In Pakistani village, home is where the cave is

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is leaving no stone unturned to make sure that every eligible citizen casts their vote in the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, even if the number of electors is in single digits.

One such case has come to the fore in Bharatpur-Sonhat Assembly constituency. In polling booth number 143 in Sherandandh village of the constituency, there are only four voters, out of which three are from the same family.

District Election Officer NK Dugga said the polling party will reach there a day before polls and set a tent for voters.

To reach Sherandandh, a forest village, the ECI team will have to go an extra mile through rocky mountains for five to six kilometres and cross a river. The village, which is dependent on Panchayat Chandha, is situated around 15 km from the main road.

Due to the unavailability of proper roads, the election officials will be reaching the booth a day before the voting.

In Chhattisgarh, voting will be held in two phases. In the first phase, voting will be held in 18 constituencies in the southern part of the state on November 12, while the second phase of elections will be held on November 20.

Counting of votes for both the phases will take place on December 11.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is leaving no stone unturned to make sure that every eligible citizen casts their vote in the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, even if the number of electors is in single digits.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is leaving no stone unturned to make sure that every eligible citizen casts their vote in the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, even if the number of electors is in single digits. One such case has come to the fore in Bharatpur-Sonhat Assembly constituency. In polling booth number 143 in Sherandandh village of the constituency, there are only four voters, out of which three are from the same family. District Election Officer NK Dugga said the polling party will reach there a day before polls and set a tent for voters. To reach Sherandandh, a forest village, the ECI team will have to go an extra mile through rocky mountains for five to six kilometres and cross a river. The village, which is dependent on Panchayat Chandha, is situated around 15 km from the main road. Due to the unavailability of proper roads, the election officials will be reaching the booth a day before the voting. In Chhattisgarh, voting will be held in two phases. In the first phase, voting will be held in 18 constituencies in the southern part of the state on November 12, while the second phase of elections will be held on November 20. Counting of votes for both the phases will take place on December 11.

This Chhattisgarh village has only 4 voters

In an example of communal harmony and brotherhood, the Hindu and Muslim communities in Faizabad's Dehriyawan village, have been living together peacefully for 40 years here.

"We have a mutual understanding amongst ourselves to not interfere during each other's prayer time. Our namaz time is fixed and our Hindu friends never disturb us. You cannot find a village as peaceful as ours," a local, Haji Mohammad Wasim told ANI.

The village located at Ganga Jamuna Tahajib under Bikapur Tehsil has a temple and a mosque, adjacent to each other where both communities pray peacefully without being disturbed by the other.

Even in 1992, when the Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya, no riot broke out among people here.

The Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is a century-old point of a tussle between Hindus and Muslims.

The mosque was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks on December 6, 1992, in Ayodhya. Following which the country witnessed massive riots that claimed lives of over 2,000 people.

"Hindus and Muslims have always peacefully coexisted here. Even when the Babri Masjid incident took place there was no riot here" said a resident, Gaya Pati.

"There is no conflict between the two communities here. We respect each other's prayer practices," said another.

People in this village visit each other's houses, celebrate all festivals together and live as one, restoring faith in Humanity.&nbsp;

They have a mutual understanding amongst ourselves to not interfere during each other's prayer time

In an example of communal harmony and brotherhood, the Hindu and Muslim communities in Faizabad's Dehriyawan village, have been living together peacefully for 40 years here. "We have a mutual understanding amongst ourselves to not interfere during each other's prayer time. Our namaz time is fixed and our Hindu friends never disturb us. You cannot find a village as peaceful as ours," a local, Haji Mohammad Wasim told ANI. The village located at Ganga Jamuna Tahajib under Bikapur Tehsil has a temple and a mosque, adjacent to each other where both communities pray peacefully without being disturbed by the other. Even in 1992, when the Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya, no riot broke out among people here. The Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is a century-old point of a tussle between Hindus and Muslims. The mosque was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks on December 6, 1992, in Ayodhya. Following which the country witnessed massive riots that claimed lives of over 2,000 people. "Hindus and Muslims have always peacefully coexisted here. Even when the Babri Masjid incident took place there was no riot here" said a resident, Gaya Pati. "There is no conflict between the two communities here. We respect each other's prayer practices," said another. People in this village visit each other's houses, celebrate all festivals together and live as one, restoring faith in Humanity.

Faizabad village sets an example of Hindu-Muslim unity

Campaign group Amnesty International said on Tuesday it had gathered evidence that insurgents from a Rohingya Muslim armed group killed scores of Hindu civilians in August last year, amid a surge in violence in western Myanmar.

A military response to insurgent attacks on 30 police posts and an army base in northern Rakhine state the early hours of Aug. 25 pushed almost 700,000 Rohingya Muslims across the border to Bangladesh, many accusing security forces of killings, rape and arson.

Senior UN&nbsp;officials have said the response amounted to ethnic cleansing and that Myanmar's security forces may have committed genocide.

Amnesty International's research is the first published by an international human rights group to document in detail alleged atrocities by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

It said masked ARSA fighters killed as many as 99 Hindus near a remote village named Kha Maung Seik shortly after launching the coordinated attacks on security posts.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Amnesty International cited witnesses including eight Hindu women who alleged they were abducted by ARSA fighters and forced to convert to Islam. Some of the women had earlier told media their loved ones were killed by Buddhists, but later recanted their stories, saying they had been coerced by their captors</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Amnesty International cited witnesses including eight Hindu women who alleged they were abducted by ARSA fighters and forced to convert to Islam. Some of the women had earlier told media their loved ones were killed by Buddhists, but later recanted their stories, saying they had been coerced by their captors" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">×</a></div>
</div>
</div>

Amnesty International cited witnesses including eight Hindu women who alleged they were abducted by ARSA fighters and forced to convert to Islam. Some of the women had earlier told media including Reuters that their loved ones were killed by Buddhists, but later recanted their stories, saying they had been coerced by their captors.

Myanmar is majority Buddhist, and the Rohingya are Muslim. The country also has a Christian minority and a smaller number of Hindus.

Myanmar authorities in September unearthed 45 bodies near Kha Maung Seik and accused the ARSA of carrying out the killings.

Reuters was unable to reach an ARSA representative for comment on Tuesday. ARSA said in a Sept. 27 statement it "categorically denies that any of its members or combatants perpetrated murder" and other abuses in villages including Kha Maung Seik.

Myanmar's main government spokesman Zaw Htay said he could not comment on Tuesday evening as he had not seen the report.

Amnesty International also said it had documented a separate killing of six Hindus by ARSA fighters on Aug. 26 near the town of Maungdaw.

“It’s hard to ignore the sheer brutality of ARSA’s actions, which have left an indelible impression on the survivors we’ve spoken to," Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International's crisis response director, said in a statement.

"Accountability for these atrocities is every bit as crucial as it is for the crimes against humanity carried out by Myanmar’s security forces in northern Rakhine State."

ARSA emerged as a group with earlier attacks on border posts in 2016. Its leader, Ata Ullah, has said it is fighting for the rights of the Rohingya, who have long complained of persecution as a stateless minority in Myanmar.

Reporters have been unable freely to visit parts of northern Rakhine for more than 18 months.

"After careful review of evidence obtained in Bangladesh and Rakhine State, Amnesty International has concluded that ARSA fighters are responsible for the massacre," Amnesty said, calling for Myanmar to grant U.N. investigators access to the conflict area to document atrocities by both ARSA and the military.

Amnesty said masked Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army fighters killed as many as 99 Hindus near a remote Myanmarese village named Kha Maung Seik

Campaign group Amnesty International said on Tuesday it had gathered evidence that insurgents from a Rohingya Muslim armed group killed scores of Hindu civilians in August last year, amid a surge in violence in western Myanmar. A military response to insurgent attacks on 30 police posts and an army base in northern Rakhine state the early hours of Aug. 25 pushed almost 700,000 Rohingya Muslims across the border to Bangladesh, many accusing security forces of killings, rape and arson. Senior UN officials have said the response amounted to ethnic cleansing and that Myanmar's security forces may have committed genocide. Amnesty International's research is the first published by an international human rights group to document in detail alleged atrocities by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). It said masked ARSA fighters killed as many as 99 Hindus near a remote village named Kha Maung Seik shortly after launching the coordinated attacks on security posts. Amnesty International cited witnesses including eight Hindu women who alleged they were abducted by ARSA fighters and forced to convert to Islam. Some of the women had earlier told media their loved ones were killed by Buddhists, but later recanted their stories, saying they had been coerced by their captors × Amnesty International cited witnesses including eight Hindu women who alleged they were abducted by ARSA fighters and forced to convert to Islam. Some of the women had earlier told media including Reuters that their loved ones were killed by Buddhists, but later recanted their stories, saying they had been coerced by their captors. Myanmar is majority Buddhist, and the Rohingya are Muslim. The country also has a Christian minority and a smaller number of Hindus. Myanmar authorities in September unearthed 45 bodies near Kha Maung Seik and accused the ARSA of carrying out the killings. Reuters was unable to reach an ARSA representative for comment on Tuesday. ARSA said in a Sept. 27 statement it "categorically denies that any of its members or combatants perpetrated murder" and other abuses in villages including Kha Maung Seik. Myanmar's main government spokesman Zaw Htay said he could not comment on Tuesday evening as he had not seen the report. Amnesty International also said it had documented a separate killing of six Hindus by ARSA fighters on Aug. 26 near the town of Maungdaw. “It’s hard to ignore the sheer brutality of ARSA’s actions, which have left an indelible impression on the survivors we’ve spoken to," Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International's crisis response director, said in a statement. "Accountability for these atrocities is every bit as crucial as it is for the crimes against humanity carried out by Myanmar’s security forces in northern Rakhine State." ARSA emerged as a group with earlier attacks on border posts in 2016. Its leader, Ata Ullah, has said it is fighting for the rights of the Rohingya, who have long complained of persecution as a stateless minority in Myanmar. Reporters have been unable freely to visit parts of northern Rakhine for more than 18 months. "After careful review of evidence obtained in Bangladesh and Rakhine State, Amnesty International has concluded that ARSA fighters are responsible for the massacre," Amnesty said, calling for Myanmar to grant U.N. investigators access to the conflict area to document atrocities by both ARSA and the military.

Rohingya militants killed Hindu villagers in Myanmar: Amnesty International

By Prasad Bhosekar

Do trees and meditation have a connection? On the outskirts of Hyderabad city in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state in India, an interesting connection between trees and meditation is being established by ``heartfulness meditation'' ( a non profit institute ) where a barren drought-prone area is converted into a green cover with more than one lakh trees to derive positive energy of trees for meditation. On the other hand, this place has also given new lease of life to nearly 1000 trees which were felled or being uprooted for various purposes from nearby areas to as far as 700 kms in Tamil Nadu. 
&nbsp; 
Psychotherapist Elena Yushina from Moscow in Russia finds absolute peace and tranquility meditating under a tree in Kanha Shanti vanam in ``heartfulness meditation'' institute. Elena is among the thousands who come here from different parts of the country and abroad and who are trying to get benefits of positive energy of trees while meditating under a tree. 
&nbsp; 
``Modern people and life have stress. Trees are the best friends, they provide positive energy help in balancing emotional state. I am trying to reconnect inner self, and want to get fresh ideas, a new vision of life."&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Kanha Shanti vanam is spread across 1400 acres adjacent to Chegur village in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state in India. This region is drought-prone but since last four years more than one lakh trees have come up in this area and the groundwater table has increased considerably. the trees have changed the landscape completely and has been attracting meditation enthusiasts in thousands. Kamlesh Patel, who's called ``global guide'' of heartfulness is the brain behind increasing the green cover and helping connect meditation and trees. 
&nbsp; 
"Apart from the trees grown here, nearly 1000 trees which were being felled were rescued by this organisation and translocated. The success rate of survival is staggering 80 %," said Kamlesh Patel said. "Relocating a tree is just not an easy task. Uprooting and replanting a grown-up tree has to be done with surgical precision and a lot of care has to be taken in this process which takes months," he added.&nbsp;

This institute has taken up this mission to rescue and relocate as many trees it can. Horticulturists S Sarvanan is working tirelessly to bring and replant trees and faces a lot of challenges. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
"Till now there are nearly 1,20,000 trees on this campus. The target is to raise this figure to two lakh trees, including translocating trees from different places which are otherwise felled for different purposes. On the whole, this is a commendable initiative where meditation helps trees and vice-versa," S Sarvanan said.

Kanha Shanti vanam is spread across 1400 acres adjacent to Chegur village in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state in India

By Prasad Bhosekar Do trees and meditation have a connection? On the outskirts of Hyderabad city in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state in India, an interesting connection between trees and meditation is being established by ``heartfulness meditation'' ( a non profit institute ) where a barren drought-prone area is converted into a green cover with more than one lakh trees to derive positive energy of trees for meditation. On the other hand, this place has also given new lease of life to nearly 1000 trees which were felled or being uprooted for various purposes from nearby areas to as far as 700 kms in Tamil Nadu. Psychotherapist Elena Yushina from Moscow in Russia finds absolute peace and tranquility meditating under a tree in Kanha Shanti vanam in ``heartfulness meditation'' institute. Elena is among the thousands who come here from different parts of the country and abroad and who are trying to get benefits of positive energy of trees while meditating under a tree. ``Modern people and life have stress. Trees are the best friends, they provide positive energy help in balancing emotional state. I am trying to reconnect inner self, and want to get fresh ideas, a new vision of life." Kanha Shanti vanam is spread across 1400 acres adjacent to Chegur village in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state in India. This region is drought-prone but since last four years more than one lakh trees have come up in this area and the groundwater table has increased considerably. the trees have changed the landscape completely and has been attracting meditation enthusiasts in thousands. Kamlesh Patel, who's called ``global guide'' of heartfulness is the brain behind increasing the green cover and helping connect meditation and trees. "Apart from the trees grown here, nearly 1000 trees which were being felled were rescued by this organisation and translocated. The success rate of survival is staggering 80 %," said Kamlesh Patel said. "Relocating a tree is just not an easy task. Uprooting and replanting a grown-up tree has to be done with surgical precision and a lot of care has to be taken in this process which takes months," he added. This institute has taken up this mission to rescue and relocate as many trees it can. Horticulturists S Sarvanan is working tirelessly to bring and replant trees and faces a lot of challenges. "Till now there are nearly 1,20,000 trees on this campus. The target is to raise this figure to two lakh trees, including translocating trees from different places which are otherwise felled for different purposes. On the whole, this is a commendable initiative where meditation helps trees and vice-versa," S Sarvanan said.

With over 1 lakh trees, this place in Telangana derives positive energy of trees for meditation

At least 45 people died in an attack on a village in northern Nigeria, a police official told Reuters on Sunday, the latest in a string of incidents underscoring insecurity in parts of the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari won Nigeria`s 2015 elections partly on promises to bring security to Africa`s largest economy and most populous nation, but has struggled to fulfil those pledges. He is now seeking a second term in February 2019.

His critics and opponents question his track record tackling the multitude of conflicts that plague Nigeria, from Boko Haram and a thriving Islamic State West Africa insurgency in the northeast, to clashes between farmers and herders in the hinterlands that have left hundreds dead.

It was not immediately clear why the Gwaska village in the northern state of Kaduna was attacked on Saturday.

"Yesterday we recovered 12 corpses and today we retrieved 33," Austin Iwar, Kaduna`s commissioner of police, told Reuters by phone.

The village, in the Birnin-Gwari area of Kaduna, lies near an area known for banditry, where thick forests provide remote hideouts from law enforcement.

Those groups of bandits have for years frustrated authorities` attempts to apprehend them, and in some cases have amassed thousands of stolen cattle and fought off security agent task forces sent to deal with them.

President Muhammadu Buhari won Nigeria`s 2015 elections partly on promises to bring security to Africa`s largest economy and most populous nation, but has struggled to fulfil those pledges

At least 45 people died in an attack on a village in northern Nigeria, a police official told Reuters on Sunday, the latest in a string of incidents underscoring insecurity in parts of the country. President Muhammadu Buhari won Nigeria`s 2015 elections partly on promises to bring security to Africa`s largest economy and most populous nation, but has struggled to fulfil those pledges. He is now seeking a second term in February 2019. His critics and opponents question his track record tackling the multitude of conflicts that plague Nigeria, from Boko Haram and a thriving Islamic State West Africa insurgency in the northeast, to clashes between farmers and herders in the hinterlands that have left hundreds dead. It was not immediately clear why the Gwaska village in the northern state of Kaduna was attacked on Saturday. "Yesterday we recovered 12 corpses and today we retrieved 33," Austin Iwar, Kaduna`s commissioner of police, told Reuters by phone. The village, in the Birnin-Gwari area of Kaduna, lies near an area known for banditry, where thick forests provide remote hideouts from law enforcement. Those groups of bandits have for years frustrated authorities` attempts to apprehend them, and in some cases have amassed thousands of stolen cattle and fought off security agent task forces sent to deal with them.

At least 45 dead in attack on Nigerian village, police say

Due to the contaminated water of Shamli's Kairana meat plant, there is panic in the public with the wrath of Hepatitis C and cancer gripping people in the village.

The villagers informed that more than 35 people have died in the last few days after drinking the contaminated water and about 70 percent are suffering from serious illnesses due to the same.

The locals told ANI, "Around 35 people have died due to water-borne diseases but no action has been taken by the government as yet."

Village head Irshad said, "There is a pond of about 35-36 bighas in our village, in which drainage is filled with all the filthy water. And this messy water goes down to the ground floor. Because it comes in from the taps, the people here have black jaundice. The treatment of some people is going on in Rohtak and Meerut. The poor people do not have money hence die."

Shamli CMO Rajkumar accepted the ongoing problem in the village and informed about his next course of action stating that an investigation has been set up and it is going on in full swing.

"We will be setting up health camps and will also get the water tested for investigation. The patients will be tested by camping in the village and the doctors will soon present a report for the same," said Rajkumar.

Shamli CMO Rajkumar accepted the ongoing problem in the village and informed about his next course of action

Due to the contaminated water of Shamli's Kairana meat plant, there is panic in the public with the wrath of Hepatitis C and cancer gripping people in the village. The villagers informed that more than 35 people have died in the last few days after drinking the contaminated water and about 70 percent are suffering from serious illnesses due to the same. The locals told ANI, "Around 35 people have died due to water-borne diseases but no action has been taken by the government as yet." Village head Irshad said, "There is a pond of about 35-36 bighas in our village, in which drainage is filled with all the filthy water. And this messy water goes down to the ground floor. Because it comes in from the taps, the people here have black jaundice. The treatment of some people is going on in Rohtak and Meerut. The poor people do not have money hence die." Shamli CMO Rajkumar accepted the ongoing problem in the village and informed about his next course of action stating that an investigation has been set up and it is going on in full swing. "We will be setting up health camps and will also get the water tested for investigation. The patients will be tested by camping in the village and the doctors will soon present a report for the same," said Rajkumar.

35 die in UP's Shamli village, residents blame meat plant

Under acute drinking water crisis, a village in Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh town has been deprived of water for the past three long years.

Villagers travel for almost five km every day to fetch water for their daily needs. With a population of 3,000, most people in this village are either farm labourers or petty traders.

The schemes launched by both the Central and the State governments have failed to reach the villagers despite many attempts and complaints.

"We have to walk till Uttar Pradesh border to get water. Our children can't go to school as all their time goes in fetching water. Due to non-availability of drinking water, womenfolk of the village walk five km every day through forest road to collect water," locals told ANI.

"The district administration too has ignored our problems for the last three years," locals added.

The village in Tikamgarh town also continues to be deprived of basic facilities such as school, all-weather road and electricity.

The village in Tikamgarh town also continues to be deprived of basic facilities such as school, all-weather road and electricity

Under acute drinking water crisis, a village in Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh town has been deprived of water for the past three long years. Villagers travel for almost five km every day to fetch water for their daily needs. With a population of 3,000, most people in this village are either farm labourers or petty traders. The schemes launched by both the Central and the State governments have failed to reach the villagers despite many attempts and complaints. "We have to walk till Uttar Pradesh border to get water. Our children can't go to school as all their time goes in fetching water. Due to non-availability of drinking water, womenfolk of the village walk five km every day through forest road to collect water," locals told ANI. "The district administration too has ignored our problems for the last three years," locals added. The village in Tikamgarh town also continues to be deprived of basic facilities such as school, all-weather road and electricity.

Madhya Pradesh: This village has been battling a water crisis for the past three years

Over 40 houses were gutted in a fire that broke out at Kaishani village of Shimla district in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

The fire spread fast and engulfed a large number of heavily timbered old houses with traditional wood carving. Villagers ran out of their homes in panic as the blaze swept.

The villagers fought the flames and stopped the fire from spreading to a cluster of about 150 houses. However, around 35 to 40 houses were completely gutted by the time the fire engines from Rohroo and Kotkhai arrived at the spot.

The locals helped in dousing the fire by the time fire tenders reached the spot. SDM Ghanshyam Sharma said fire tenders were also rushed from Kotkhai and the fire was contained by daybreak.

No casualty has been reported so far, according to sources.

The blaze, suspected to have started in a wooden house, gradually engulfed adjoining houses, majority of which were also made of wood, reports said.

Babu Ram Sharma, the sub-divisional magistrate of Rohroo said, "50 families rendered homeless by the fire have been provided immediate relief of Rs. 10,000, temporary shelter, clothes and ration."

Amit Kashyap, the Deputy Commissioner of Shimla, who reached the spot, said relief camps have been set up and a community kitchen has been started for victims and all possible assistance was being given.

This is the second incident of fire within two days in Himachal Pradesh.Yesterday, a two-storied building caught fire at Chaupal village in Shimla.&nbsp;

The villagers said the fire was caused due to a short circuit and spread fast leaving no time to salvage the belongings which were reduced to ashes

Over 40 houses were gutted in a fire that broke out at Kaishani village of Shimla district in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. The fire spread fast and engulfed a large number of heavily timbered old houses with traditional wood carving. Villagers ran out of their homes in panic as the blaze swept. The villagers fought the flames and stopped the fire from spreading to a cluster of about 150 houses. However, around 35 to 40 houses were completely gutted by the time the fire engines from Rohroo and Kotkhai arrived at the spot. The locals helped in dousing the fire by the time fire tenders reached the spot. SDM Ghanshyam Sharma said fire tenders were also rushed from Kotkhai and the fire was contained by daybreak. No casualty has been reported so far, according to sources. The blaze, suspected to have started in a wooden house, gradually engulfed adjoining houses, majority of which were also made of wood, reports said. Babu Ram Sharma, the sub-divisional magistrate of Rohroo said, "50 families rendered homeless by the fire have been provided immediate relief of Rs. 10,000, temporary shelter, clothes and ration." Amit Kashyap, the Deputy Commissioner of Shimla, who reached the spot, said relief camps have been set up and a community kitchen has been started for victims and all possible assistance was being given. This is the second incident of fire within two days in Himachal Pradesh.Yesterday, a two-storied building caught fire at Chaupal village in Shimla.

Shimla: Over 40 houses gutted in village fire, leaves families homeless

Farmers in Chhattisgarh&#39;s Rajnandgaon district have gone against the state government&#39;s decision to take over their land for setting up food park for food-processing companies, including Ramdev&rsquo;s Patanjali Ayurveda, reports said on Friday.&nbsp;

The government had decided to acquire land at Bijetala village at Rs 10 lakh per acre - four times the value of the land. About 100 farmers had agreed to give up their land but 66 refused with a fear of becoming &#39;landless.&#39;&nbsp;

A &nbsp;memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between three food processing firms to set up units at an estimated investment of Rs 762 crore in 2017. Out of this, Patajanli had decided to invest Rs 671 crore for setting up a &lsquo;Food and Herbal Processing Unit&rsquo; on 500 acres of land, officials informed.

The company intends to manufacture and process honey, amla juice, aloe vera juice, tomato ketchup, frozen vegetables, rice and pulses in the proposed Chhattisgarh facility.

Reports say that when the plan was initially introduced no one was willing to give the land but after some government intervention, some farmers agreed. Farmers who agreed to give their land said they had to do so as people, who have small land holdings around their land, agreed, &ldquo;and therefore, I thought I will be stuck as I will not get a path (way) to reach my land&rdquo;.

Patanjali spokesperson, SK Tijarawala said that this would help farmers and also give farmers a better price for their yield and employment. However, Chhattisgarh Bachaao Andolan and parties like Congress and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh have since carried out protests in opposition to this project.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

The government had decided to acquire land at Bijetala village at Rs 10 lakh per acre - four times the value of the land. About 100 farmers had agreed to give up their land but 66 refused with a fear of becoming 'landless'

Farmers in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district have gone against the state government's decision to take over their land for setting up food park for food-processing companies, including Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurveda, reports said on Friday. The government had decided to acquire land at Bijetala village at Rs 10 lakh per acre - four times the value of the land. About 100 farmers had agreed to give up their land but 66 refused with a fear of becoming 'landless.' A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between three food processing firms to set up units at an estimated investment of Rs 762 crore in 2017. Out of this, Patajanli had decided to invest Rs 671 crore for setting up a ‘Food and Herbal Processing Unit’ on 500 acres of land, officials informed. The company intends to manufacture and process honey, amla juice, aloe vera juice, tomato ketchup, frozen vegetables, rice and pulses in the proposed Chhattisgarh facility. Reports say that when the plan was initially introduced no one was willing to give the land but after some government intervention, some farmers agreed. Farmers who agreed to give their land said they had to do so as people, who have small land holdings around their land, agreed, “and therefore, I thought I will be stuck as I will not get a path (way) to reach my land”. Patanjali spokesperson, SK Tijarawala said that this would help farmers and also give farmers a better price for their yield and employment. However, Chhattisgarh Bachaao Andolan and parties like Congress and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh have since carried out protests in opposition to this project.

Chhattisgarh farmers refuse to give up land to Patanjali, other companies

The official opening of the Olympic Village in Rio turned into a fiasco on Sunday with the discovery of blocked toilets and leaky pipes, prompting Australia to call the facility &quot;not safe or ready&quot;. 
 
Even Brazilian athletes who were meant to have started taking up lodgings in the brand-new complex from Sunday were being kept in hotels instead.&nbsp;Britain&#39;s delegation said it, too, had encountered some &quot;maintenance difficulties&quot;, but added it was staying in the Village as planned. 
 
Rio&#39;s Olympic organisers said such teething problems plagued all Olympic Games. They promised that &quot;adjustments&quot; were being made to resolve the problems. 
 
The Olympic Games, the first to be held in South America, are to open on August 5, less than two weeks away.&nbsp;The lack of preparedness in the Olympic Village was another embarrassing blow for host Brazil, which is struggling to show all will be well with the Olympiad. 
 
It is already facing low ticket sales, general public apathy amid a deep recession, fears over the Zika virus, and a spike in street crime as police complain of lack of resources. 
 
Australia&#39;s delegation highlighted the poor state of the Village, 31-building complex located in the Barra da Tijuca district in the west of Rio de Janeiro designed to house more than 18,000 athletes and coaching staff over the coming weeks. 
 
&quot;Problems include blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells where no lighting has been installed, and dirty floors in need of a massive clean,&quot; the head of the Australian team, Kitty Chiller, said in a statement. 
 
During a test involving taps and toilets being turned on in apartments on several floors, &quot;water came down walls, there was a strong smell of gas in some apartments and there was &#39;shorting&#39; in the electrical wiring&quot;. 
 
Chiller later told reporters: &quot;This is my fifth Olympics Games, I have never experienced a Village in this lack of state of readiness at this point in time.&quot;&nbsp;She added that, &quot;in our mind, our building is not habitable&quot;, and the Australian team would stay in nearby hotels. 
 
But she said a team of plumbers was already at work to fix the problems, and &quot;I am reasonably confident that we will be able to enter the Village on Wednesday&quot;.&nbsp;The rest of the Village, she said, &quot;is one of the best&quot; she had seen.&nbsp;A spokesman for the British delegation confirmed similar problems but noted &quot;this is not uncommon with new-build structures of this type&quot;. 
 
Rio&#39;s mayor, Eduardo Paes, tried to laugh off the matter, according to Brazilian media reports.&nbsp;&quot;We are going to make the Australians feel at home here. I&#39;m almost putting a kangaroo out front to jump for them,&quot; he said.&nbsp;He also boasted that the Village was &quot;more beautiful and better&quot; than the one in Sydney in the 2000 Olympics. 
 
New Zealand Olympic committee chef de mission Rob Waddell said the village was not completely ready when he arrived last week, but the issues had been resolved, and Kiwi athletes were beginning to move into their allotted accommodation. 
 
&quot;We were disappointed the village wasn&#39;t as ready as it might have been when we arrived, and it hasn&#39;t been easy. Our team has had to get stuck in to get the job done,&quot; he said in a statement. 
 
 
Russia to participate 
 
As dire as the Australian description of the Village sounded, one of the 207 delegations was relieved on Sunday to find out its athletes would be able to make it to Rio at all. 
 
Russia, whose participation had been uncertain following revelations of state-run doping, hailed a decision by the International Olympic Committee to not impose a blanket ban on all its sportsmen and women.&nbsp;The IOC ordered individual sports federations to decide whether Russian competitors should take part in the Rio Games. 
 
 
Boosted security 
 
Security, naturally, will be high around the complex, and around Rio generally.&nbsp;The arrest on Thursday of 10 Brazilians suspected of planning attacks during the Olympics revived memories of the Munich Games in 1972, when an armed Palestinian group took Israeli athletes hostage and killed 11 of them. 
 
Brazilian justice minister Alexandre de Moraes said the suspects were &quot;absolutely amateur&quot;, &quot;disorganised&quot; and had no specific targets. 
 
But recent attacks, such as the one on July 14 in Nice, France that killed 84 people, have prompted officials to bolster their security plans, notably by reinforcing checks and screenings. 
 
From Sunday, some 50,000 police and soldiers are being deployed in Rio to protect sports venues, tourist spots and key transport areas. 
 
(AFP)

Australians leave 'not safe or ready' Rio Village, while Russian athletes are just grateful the IOC let them in

The official opening of the Olympic Village in Rio turned into a fiasco on Sunday with the discovery of blocked toilets and leaky pipes, prompting Australia to call the facility "not safe or ready". Even Brazilian athletes who were meant to have started taking up lodgings in the brand-new complex from Sunday were being kept in hotels instead. Britain's delegation said it, too, had encountered some "maintenance difficulties", but added it was staying in the Village as planned. Rio's Olympic organisers said such teething problems plagued all Olympic Games. They promised that "adjustments" were being made to resolve the problems. The Olympic Games, the first to be held in South America, are to open on August 5, less than two weeks away. The lack of preparedness in the Olympic Village was another embarrassing blow for host Brazil, which is struggling to show all will be well with the Olympiad. It is already facing low ticket sales, general public apathy amid a deep recession, fears over the Zika virus, and a spike in street crime as police complain of lack of resources. Australia's delegation highlighted the poor state of the Village, 31-building complex located in the Barra da Tijuca district in the west of Rio de Janeiro designed to house more than 18,000 athletes and coaching staff over the coming weeks. "Problems include blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells where no lighting has been installed, and dirty floors in need of a massive clean," the head of the Australian team, Kitty Chiller, said in a statement. During a test involving taps and toilets being turned on in apartments on several floors, "water came down walls, there was a strong smell of gas in some apartments and there was 'shorting' in the electrical wiring". Chiller later told reporters: "This is my fifth Olympics Games, I have never experienced a Village in this lack of state of readiness at this point in time." She added that, "in our mind, our building is not habitable", and the Australian team would stay in nearby hotels. But she said a team of plumbers was already at work to fix the problems, and "I am reasonably confident that we will be able to enter the Village on Wednesday". The rest of the Village, she said, "is one of the best" she had seen. A spokesman for the British delegation confirmed similar problems but noted "this is not uncommon with new-build structures of this type". Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, tried to laugh off the matter, according to Brazilian media reports. "We are going to make the Australians feel at home here. I'm almost putting a kangaroo out front to jump for them," he said. He also boasted that the Village was "more beautiful and better" than the one in Sydney in the 2000 Olympics. New Zealand Olympic committee chef de mission Rob Waddell said the village was not completely ready when he arrived last week, but the issues had been resolved, and Kiwi athletes were beginning to move into their allotted accommodation. "We were disappointed the village wasn't as ready as it might have been when we arrived, and it hasn't been easy. Our team has had to get stuck in to get the job done," he said in a statement. Russia to participate As dire as the Australian description of the Village sounded, one of the 207 delegations was relieved on Sunday to find out its athletes would be able to make it to Rio at all. Russia, whose participation had been uncertain following revelations of state-run doping, hailed a decision by the International Olympic Committee to not impose a blanket ban on all its sportsmen and women. The IOC ordered individual sports federations to decide whether Russian competitors should take part in the Rio Games. Boosted security Security, naturally, will be high around the complex, and around Rio generally. The arrest on Thursday of 10 Brazilians suspected of planning attacks during the Olympics revived memories of the Munich Games in 1972, when an armed Palestinian group took Israeli athletes hostage and killed 11 of them. Brazilian justice minister Alexandre de Moraes said the suspects were "absolutely amateur", "disorganised" and had no specific targets. But recent attacks, such as the one on July 14 in Nice, France that killed 84 people, have prompted officials to bolster their security plans, notably by reinforcing checks and screenings. From Sunday, some 50,000 police and soldiers are being deployed in Rio to protect sports venues, tourist spots and key transport areas. (AFP)

Rio Olympic Village opening characterised by clogged toilets

village

Village, News on Village, stories on Village, articles on Village, Village stories at Wion, Village news, Village latest news