Taj Mahal suffers damages as thunderstorm lashes Agra

A thunderstorm in Agra on Friday night damaged the marble and red sandstone railings and the wooden main gate of Taj Mahal. The storm also damaged the main wooden main gate of the monument. `There has been damage to the Taj Mahal’s premises due to rains and thunderstorm. Part of the marble railing at the back of the main mausoleum towards river Yamuna fell. It is not the first time that Taj has faced damages due to thunderstorms. On April 11 and May 2, 2018, there were similar damages because of thunderstorms. A red sandstone railing fell on the floor. About ten trees on Taj Mahal premises also toppled,`said Ankit Namdev, the Archaeology Survey of India’s Conservation Assistant at the Taj Mahal.The wind speed was assessed at 124 kilometers per hour and brought down trees and walls. Many cars were damaged as walls and trees fell on them. About 20 houses were damaged and a six year old girl died under the debris.The thunderstorm also damaged crops. In rural areas it was a hailstorm which caused damages.

BCCI contingency plans has kept open the option of rescheduling the IPL 2020

The BCCI, as part of its contingency plans, has kept open the option of rescheduling the IPL any time between late August and early October (before the T20 World Cup in Australia). This of course hinges on the hope the disease will be contained in the next four months. Depending on how it plays out, a plan will be redrawn. The IPL organising team will be looking at all the possibilities, from the participation of foreign players to a truncated tournament with only India players. The IPL is a massive revenue generator for the BCCI and is crucial for the wellbeing of Indian cricket.As per the original schedule, India are to play the Asia Cup in September, host England for three ODIs and three T20s. Before going into the T20 World Cup, India are also scheduled to play three T20Is in Australia. India’s three-ODI tour of Zimbabwe is also set to be rescheduled. As for other teams, England host Pakistan (ends on September 2) and then Ireland (ends September 15). South Africa’s tour of West Indies ends on August 16. Australia aren’t playing any matches during this two-month period. They will play a T20 series against West Indies and India in October, just before the start of T20 World cup. Even if the BCCI finds a 37-day window for a full IPL or a smaller window for a truncated tournament, they will still have to identify venues that won’t be affected by monsoon at that time.

Coronavirus: Death toll rises to 81 as China extends holiday

The Chinees national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the spread. On Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and centre of the outbreak.The number of deaths in Hubei rose from 56 to 76, with five deaths elsewhere. Wuhan is in lockdown and several other cities have imposed travel bans.In Shanghai, the government has stopped businesses from returning to work until 10 February. The ban applies to all companies apart from utilities, medical firms, medical suppliers, and supermarkets. The newly death virus rapidly spreds around the world. USA, Canada, Australia, UAE, Thailand, Malasia, Nepal, Few other Europian countries also suffering from Corona Virus. The death toll from a coronavirus outbreak in China rose to 81 on Monday, as the government extended the Lunar New Year holiday and more big businesses shut down or told staff to work from home in an effort to curb the spread. Premier Li Keqiang visited the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, as the central government stepped up its response while city authorities faced growing accusations from the public of mismanagement and a failure to respond to the outbreak in time. Asian shares tumbled, with Japan’s Nikkei average sliding 2.0%, its biggest one-day fall in five months, as investors grew anxious. Demand spiked for safe-haven assets such as the Japanese yen and Treasury notes. The total number of confirmed cases in China rose about 30% from the previous day, to 2,744, with about half in the central province of Hubei, the capital of which is Wuhan. But some experts suspect the number of infected people is much higher.Meanwhile, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is in Beijing to discuss the outbreak with the Chinese government and health experts.

Russian ISIS women urge to Putin to bring them home

Russian women who were held in Kurdish-controlled camps in Syria as Daesh (ISIS) supporters have recorded emotional appeals to President Vladimir Putin to help them return home.The audio recordings released by RBK news website late Saturday were provided by Chechen rights ombudswoman Kheda Saratova, who has been involved in repatriating Daesh widows and children. It was not clear when they were made. Thousands of Russians joined ISIS forces in Syria and Iraq. Russia has repatriated some of the women and children."My request is to help me return home. I don't want to go back to the ISIS," says one woman, who gives her name as Yulia Kryukova from the city of Saint Petersburg, her voice breaking as she starts crying. One woman says she fears she could be beaten up by other women in the camp who still support ISIS. "I appeal to President Vladimir Putin, Kheda Saratova and Natalya Moskalkova," she says, misnaming Russia's rights ombudswoman Tatiana Moskalkova. The women referred to two different camps holding alleged IS family members Al-Hol in northeastern Syria and Ain Issa near the Turkish border.