The Indian Himalayan town of Joshimath was declared a disaster-prone area on Monday as dozens of families were shifted to temporary shelters after land subsidence caused large cracks to open in homes and buildings.
Cracks began to appear in buildings and roads in Joshimath months ago but have widened at an alarming rate in recent days. Out of 4,500 buildings in the town, more than 600 are damaged. Many of them are oozing brown muddy water.
Authorities have declared 229 homes unfit for living and moved nearly 70 families to shelters overnight.
Some residents in the town of about 20,000 people have been spending nights outdoors despite winter temperatures of about 4°C, for fear their homes may collapse on them in their sleep.
Joshimath lies at an altitude of 2,000 metres in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and is on the route to many popular Hindu pilgrimage sites in the mountainous state.
Himanshu Khurana, the district’s top official, said government experts would visit Joshimath on Monday to assess the problem.
“Two teams from the central government are arriving here for a survey of the prevailing sinking condition,” Mr Khurana said.
The prime minister’s office called a meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation in Joshimath and advised the state government to “establish a clear and continuous communication channel with the residents”.
The central government said people's safety was the immediate priority and asked experts to prepare short and long-term conservation and rehabilitation plans.
Joshimath residents have blamed the construction of the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydroelectric project in the area for the land subsidence.
Last February a glacier burst caused a deadly flash flood in the region. As many as 200 people were killed, including 80 who were trapped in a tunnel that was under construction.
“We had been asking the authorities to stop the construction of the tunnel. Ever since they started the digging, the cracks started,” resident Harendra Rana told The National.
India's National Thermal Power Corporation, which is developing the project, denies causing the subsidence.
“The tunnel built by NTPC does not pass under Joshimath town. This tunnel is dug by a tunnel-boring machine and no blasting is being carried out presently,” it said.
A Hindu religious leader, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, has asked the Supreme Court to declare the situation in Joshimath a national disaster and to order financial assistance to the residents.
His plea has been listed for hearing on Tuesday.
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
