The post Uddhav Thackeray urged the citizens and political parties to avoid crowds during celebrations appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Maharashtra’s daily tally of cases has been stable for quite some time now but capital city of Mumbai has been witnessing a sudden surge, the city reported 495 cases on Sunday, the highest since July 15.
The state is gearing up for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations which is set to start later this week and Thackeray has cautioned citizens to avoid crowds and abide by proper Covid-19 preventative norms as cases rose after celebrations concluded last year. “There was a surge in Covid-19 cases after festivals last year. I request all to avoid crowding. Wearing a face mask is important even after vaccination,” he said on Sunday during an interaction with doctors.
Thackeray urged political parties to prioritize the well-being of citizens as festivals can be celebrated later when the pandemic is under control. “We can celebrate festivals later. Let us prioritise the lives and health of our citizens. The situation can go out of hand in view of the spike in daily cases,” Thackeray said in a statement. “Who would like to impose restrictions on festivals and religious programmes? But people’s lives are important,” he added.
“We have to avoid crowding…have patience. We should not be required to close the places which have been opened up now,” he said, adding, “people should know that the enemy is yet not completely defeated…the thick tail is still there.”
Thackeray also warned political parties for demanding temples be reopened across the state. “Do not agitate for reopening of temples but do it against Covid-19,” he said on Sunday without naming any particular political outfit.
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]]>The post At least 17 people were killed in celebratory gunfire in Kabul : Reports appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Leaders of opposition to the Taliban have denied that the province has fallen.
The Shamshad news agency said “aerial shooting” in Kabul on Friday killed 17 people and wounded 41. Tolo news agency gave a similar death count.
At least 14 people were injured in celebratory firing in Nangarhar province east of the capital, said Gulzada Sangar, spokesman for an area hospital in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.
The gunfire drew a rebuke from the main Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.
“Avoid shooting in the air and thank God instead,” Mujahid said in a message on Twitter. “Bullets can harm civilians, so don’t shoot unnecessarily.”
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]]>The post Festivals need to be celebrated in a restrictive manner : Dr VK Paul appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>“Festivals are like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali and Eid coming. This year too, like the last year, they will need to be celebrated in a restrictive manner, and it is our appeal to all to stay at home,” Dr VK Paul, member of the government’s think tank NITI Aayog and chief of the COVID-19 task force on COVID-19 said.
“Like last year, festivals need to be celebrated in a subdued manner. Wearing masks is an absolute must while in any public place,” he added, speaking at the Health Ministry’s news briefing on the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr Balram Bhargava, Director-General at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said, “We are still in the second wave of COVID-19 and hence appeal to all in the country to continue with all Covid restrictions in your area. Follow COVID-19 SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and maintain Covid-appropriate behaviour.”
India reported the biggest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases in two months on Thursday, amid concerns about the virus spreading from the most-affected Kerala, schools reopening, and the start of the festival season.
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]]>The post Music is not banned in Kabul wedding halls appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>According to reception hall’s manager, Shadab Azimi, 26, at least seven wedding parties have been held since the Taliban takeover of Kabul two weeks earlier, with festivities moved to daylight hours because of security concerns.
The Taliban, who during their previous rule between 1996-2001 had banned most music, except for devotional Islamic songs, did not announce a ban of live music, Azimi said. However, wedding singers canceled on their own, for fear of running afoul of possible new Taliban restrictions.
He said in recent celebrations, couples played taped music. Azimi said business was down by 80% over the past two weeks, presumably because of a sense of uncertainty.
The manager said Taliban patrols check in a couple of times a day, asking if he needs help with security, but have not seemed threatening. And unlike the security forces under the deposed government, the Taliban have not demanded bribes, he said.
“Former officials, including police officers, were asking us for money and we were forced to host their friends for lunches and dinners,” he said.
Even before the Taliban takeover, wedding parties were traditionally been segregated, with men and women celebrating in different spaces.
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]]>The post Boman Irani talks about celebrating Parsi New Year appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Ask him about his fondest memory of celebrating the Parsi New Year and he shares, “We got new clothes. I also remember the food very fondly. Thankfully, none of that has changed. Earlier, mom would make a big deal of it and now Zenobia (Irani; wife) is following suit.”
So what are his prayers for the new year that begins today?
“I’m looking forward to a new era, the post-Covid era. Every religion and community is hoping for prosperous, peaceful and healthy days ahead. And I’m sure that they are also looking forward to come together as families and celebrate festivals. We’ve lost a few people and I hope that we slowly limp back to normalcy,” says the actor.
Irani looks at the silver lining and believes that the on-going pandemic has brought families closer. “During the pandemic, we’ve spent more time with our families than we could have ever imagined. It’s important to realise that family is number one,” he remarks, adding, “Festivals were designed to bring families together. We travel to each other during festivals. I might be working today but I’m still close to my loved ones.”
An elaborate Parsi spread completes the auspicious occasion for him. “My favourite is the saas ni machchhi, patrani machchhi and pulaao daal. I’ll miss them this year but the day I land back in Mumbai, Zenobia will have them prepared for me,” he ends.
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]]>The post All you need to know about International Day of Indigenous Peoples appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Like all International days and weeks, which are marked to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is also celebrated to recognise the contribution and achievements of indigenous communities and to highlight the plight they face in their existence.
Significance of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was marked for the first time by UN General Assembly in December 1994, to commemorate the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
The UN celebrates this day every year to “demand indigenous peoples’ inclusion, participation and approval in the constitution of a system with social and economic benefits for all”. Indigenous communities have also been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, whose life expectancy was already 20 years lower than that of their non-Indigenous counterparts before the pandemic hit.
The UN has been working towards ushering in constitutional reforms at the international level to address the ill-treatment of indigenous communities and the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by the General Assembly in September 2007, by a majority of 144 states in favour, was another step in the direction. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States were the four nations who initially opposed the adoption but later reversed their decision to support the declaration.
In 2022, the UN will start another milestone with the Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022- 2032). It aims to conserve Indigenous languages, which helps preserve their cultures, world views and visions, as well as expressions of self-determination. The agency estimates that one indigenous language dies every two weeks.
Theme this year
UN has decided on the theme of ‘Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract’ for this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Defining social contract as an “unwritten agreement that societies make to cooperate for social and economic benefits”, the UN seeks to encourage societies to treat indigenous communities as stakeholders since they were not included in the initial social contract, which was formulated by dominant communities.
It credits indigenous communities for fighting climate change and helping biodiversity flourish and asks nations to formulate a “new social contract” which “must be based on genuine participation and partnership that fosters equal opportunities and respects the rights, dignity and freedoms of all. Indigenous peoples’ right to participate in decision-making is a key component in achieving reconciliation between indigenous peoples and States”.
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]]>The post Police arrests a man along with his friend for firing shots during b’day celebration appeared first on The Edge Media.
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The arrest of the accused comes after the police took cognizance of a widely circulated video showing the man firing shots in the air at the birthday celebration organised on the rooftop of a house in outer Delhi’s east Paschim Vihar.
The police said the purported video, posted on the social media on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday showed the accused — Sumit Tanwar — firing shots in the air.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Parvinder Singh said, “Taking cognizance of a video on social media, a case under section 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at Paschim Vihar East police station.”
During enquiry, the rooftop in the video was identified. On August 4, Tanwar, a resident of Guru Harkishan Nagar here, was celebrating his friend’s birthday at the house at Pushkar Enclave in Paschim Vihar, which is owned by another of his friend, Abhijeet Adana, the officer said.
In the purported video, Tanwar was seen firing a few rounds in the air from a firearm, he said.
“The revolver used in the firing belongs to Tanwar’s friend Adana, which is being verified. The two accused are being questioned for recovery of firearm,” Singh said.
Police said Tanwar’s father owns a factory of leather products in Jaipur and the accused is looking after the office in Delhi, while Abhijeet Adana is into the property dealing business.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Edge Media staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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