Kozhikode crash: AI Express employees pay tribute to fallen co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar

Kerala plane crash | 'Precise cause...': Minister says black boxes hold key

A day after shocking plane crash in Kerala, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri paid a visit. Hardeep Puri visited the spot of the plane crash in Kozhikode and said that the black boxes have been retrieved and will help find cause. Puri also tweeted against 'speculative observations' on the tragedy. An Air India Express plane overshot the runway on August 7. The plane fell into a valley where it split into two pieces. At least 18 people, including the pilots, were killed. There were 190 people aboard the aircraft. It was bringing back Indians stranded in Dubai due to Covid-19. "We visited site of crash; two black boxes found. Cause of tragedy will be known by analysing black boxes. Hearts have gone out to those who lost their lives. On behalf of ministry, Air India, we announced interim relief. Rs 10 lakh for kin of deceased, Rs 2 lakh for seriously injured," Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said.

Kozhikode plane crash: Air India Express employees pay tribute to fallen co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar

Air India Express employees paid tribute to Akhilesh Kumar in Delhi. Akhilesh lost his life with 17 others in Kozhikode plane crash on August 07. The body of the deceased was brought to Delhi from Kochi. About 200 Air India Express employees paid tribute to the fallen co-pilot. An Air India Express plane crashed in Kerala after skidding off the runway and breaking into two while landing at Kozhikode Calicut International Airport.Akhilesh Kumar's Brother-in-law, Vijay said, "Our last conversation with him was a video call on the day of Rakshabandhan because Rakhi could not reach him, his flight was going to come on the August15-16, after that he could meet us." Akhilesh Kumar's mortal remains will be taken to his native place in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

Air India Express crash: Investigators find black box data

Friday’s flight was chartered by the Indian government to repatriate workers stranded by the pandemic for months.

Kozhikode plane crash: Mortal remains of co-pilot reach native place

Mortal remains of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar reached his native place in Mathura on August 09. Akhilesh Kumar lost his life in the flight crash landing incident at Kozhikode in Kerala on August 07. 18 people including 2 pilots died in the tragedy.

Watch: Indian Armed Forces give musical band performance at Red Fort

As part of the ongoing celebration of the 74th Independence Day, the Indian Armed Forces give a musical band performance at Red Fort in Delhi.

'Imagine if Covid struck before 2014': PM Modi inaugurates Swachhata museum

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra in Delhi on Saturday. He said that like the Quit India Movement, which was launched under the leadership of MK Gandhi on August 8, 1942, the Swachhata Kendra's inauguration symbolises the ongoing cleanliness drive, or 'Filth, Quit India' movement. Referring to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister said that many habits of hygiene propagated under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan were helping the country in its fight against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus. The PM also took a dig at the Opposition, asking his audience to imagine what the situation would've been if Covid-19 had struck before 2014, when open defecation was prevalent. India has reported over 20 lakh Covid cases so far, making it the third worst-hit country in the world. However, with over 42,500 deaths so far, India has among the lowest Covid mortality rates, coupled with a high recovery rate. Watch the full video for more.

Watch: Rain fury wreaks havoc in Kerala; landslides kill over 10 in Idukki

Heavy rainfall has caused havoc in Kerala once again with landslides being reported from several parts of the state. 5 people have reportedly been killed due to a landslide in Idukki. NDRF has been deployed in the area by the Kerala government. Police, fire and other rescue officials have also been asked to join the rescue operation in the area. Many houses have also been destroyed  by landslides in the area. The Chief Minister's office has reportedly also sought the help of the Indian Air Force to provide helicopter services to help in rescue operations. Roads in most of the low lying areas are completely submerged in water. Visuals of A temple in Kochi inundated have also been doing the rounds. The India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert for Idukki, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts. Rescue and relief operations are underway in all the affected regions and around 2000 people have been shifted to relief camps. Extensive damages have been reported from Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts following heavy rain and strong winds. Watch the full video for all the details.

Flood-like situation continues in Kerala due to heavy downpour

Flood-like situation continues in Kerala's Wayanad district due to continuous rainfall since last three days. Heavy rains lead to waterlogging in Panamaram Village of Wayanad district. On the other side, a Shiva Temple was submerged in water due to heavy rainfall in Kerala's Kochi. The temple was submerged as the water level increased in Periyar River following incessant rainfall.

Watch: Heavy rains lash parts of Kerala, IMD issues yellow alert

Heavy rains lashed several parts of Kerala on Wednesday. Rains were accompanied by strong winds. Heavy showers have inundated low lying areas. IMD has issued orange alert for six districts namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Idukki. It has been raining heavily since Tuesday night. Several areas in Kochi city, including the busy Jos junction, MG road, Panampilly nagar are waterlogged. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus terminus in the city is inundated. Water has also entered many homes in west Kochi. Fishermen have been advised not to put out to sea. With wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph likely to prevail along and off Kerala coast, fishermen have been advised not to put out to sea. Kerala had been devastated by the worst floods in the last 100 years during August 2018 that claimed over 400 lives and razed several houses, while last year the state's northern parts were flooded again in August as heavy rains and widespread landslides had wreaked havoc, claiming over 120 lives. A large number of people including women and children had lost lives at Kavalappara in Malappuram and Puthumala in Wayanad alone when the massive landslides rocked the places.

People across country celebrate Raksha Bandhan in unique ways

People across country celebrated Raksha Bandhan on August 3 in their own unique ways. Women in Ayodhya tied Rakhi to idols of Lord Rama on the auspicious occasion. 'Festivals have no religion,' this was quiet evident when Muslim women in Kanpur tied Rakhi to Hindu brothers. In view of COVID-19 pandemic, people in Amritsar preferred to tie 'mauli' instead of Rakhi and made sweets at home instead of buying it from shops. They also tied masks on each other's face. In the national capital, people maintained social distancing norms while purchasing rakhi and sweets.

'Sawan': Devotees offer prayers at Shiv Temples across India on last Monday

The prayers were being offered to Lord Shiva by devotees across nation on August 03. Devotees offered prayers at Gauri Shankar Temple in Delhi's Chandni Chowk on the last Monday of 'sawan' month and Raksha Bandhan. Temperature of devotees was also being checked with thermal gun, as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of coronavirus. On the other side, devotees offered prayers to Lord Shiva from outside the Augarnath Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut. The doors of temple are closed for devotees since the beginning of COVID-19 lockdown. Devotees also offered prayers at Baidyanath Temple to Lord Shiva in Jharkhand's Deoghar. The Baidyanath Temple is one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas' in the country and attracts lakhs of devotees every year.

Delhi Police crime branch arrests two dreaded criminals

A team of Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested two dreaded criminals. Secret information was received at Interstate cell of crime branch that two criminals and associates of Sunil Rathi involved in a murder case registered at PS Bhudhana, Muzaffar Nagar, UP would be coming near Loni Gole Chakkar to meet someone. Accordingly, a team was constituted under the supervision of senior officers of the crime branch. The team reached the place of the information and laid a trap. The team swung into action and overpowered the two persons namely Anubhav Nandu and Anshul Bhura. During sustained interrogation, both the accused confessed their involvement in the above-mentioned murder case. Further interrogation is in progress to verify the involvement of the accused.

Jal Shakti Ministry joins hand with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to clean Ganga

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will increase participation in the initiatives of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju interacted with representatives of different districts of the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) through video conferencing in a meeting organized in the main office of the Namami Gange project on Friday. Shekhawat wants to engage in continuous dialogue with the people working on the ground to ascertain ground realities, whereas Rijiju committed to partnering with his 75 lakh youth volunteers in working towards making all the major rivers of the country clean. After the Covid-19 Pandemic subsides, the Ministers of the two central Ministries will visit the areas adjoining the banks of the river Ganga from Uttarakhand to West Bengal to get information about cleanliness programs directly. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga informed that 20 thousand Ganga Doots' are active at the grassroots level for cleaning the Ganga, who have been given all necessary training. Public participation in NMCG's pollution abatement and rejuvenation efforts has gained momentum in 2336 villages in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.