Abu Dhabi, Aug. 18 : United Arab Emirates (UAE) has formed a committee to provide relief to the people affected by flash floods in Kerala.

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan took to Twitter to make the announcement and urged "everyone to contribute generously towards this initiative."

"The people of Kerala have always been and are still part of our success story in the UAE. We have a special responsibility to help and support those affected, especially during this holy and blessed days" his first tweet read.

Sheikh Khalifa further wrote, "UAE and the Indian community will unite to offer relief to those affected. We have formed a committee to start immediately. We urge everyone to contribute generously towards this initiative."

Describing the situation in Kerala as "the most devastating in a century," the UAE President added, "The state of Kerala in India is currently witnessing huge floods, the most devastating in a century. Hundreds have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Ahead of Eid Al Adha, do not forget to extend a helping hand to our brothers in India."

To be chaired by the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), the national emergency committee will include representatives from the UAE's humanitarian organisations, according to Gulf News.

Sheikh Khalifa, UAEs Vice President and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed grief and extended condolences to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on loss of life and damage in the Kerala floods. They also wished a speedy recovery for the injured.

According to recent reports, at least 324 people have lost their lives. Kerala has been witnessing incessant rainfall over the last few days, causing unprecedented flooding and landslides in several parts of the state.

Presently, Prime Minister Modi is in Kerala to review the flood situation.

 courtesy : aninews.in

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London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.

A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."

Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.

“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”

Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.

“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”

The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.

At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.

Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.

Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.

“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”