Welcome to the one and only cat sanctuary that floats! A true hidden gem in Amsterdam.
De Poezenboot (translated in English to 'The Cat Boat') first began not on a boat at all. In 1966, a woman in Amsterdam, known as v. Weddle, found a stray mother cat with kittens and took on the task of caring for them. Soon enough, more and more cats began to come and be taken under her wing.
Fast forward to two years later in 1968 and the first boat was born! V. Weedle had a large house with a terrace but was soon becoming too small for the cats so she bought a boat on the canal! The boat was named 'The Tjalk' and was completely furnished and made suitable for all the cats. And as soon as the floating santuary was open people came to help care for all those stray cats -- the first volunteers.
Written in the history of De Poezenboot, "The Tjalk has served faithfully for about 10 years and was replaced by an Ark at the end of 1979. And because the Ark was specially built on the yard for the shelter of cats, this boat met all the requirements we set for it. "
And in 1987, the foundation was founded, "Stichting de Poezenboot."
De Poezenboot is home to so many beautiful cats but is also working to help cats find a forever home with a family. You can donate to their cause here.
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Former World no.1 badminton player Kidambi Srikanth has said that he was not happy with the unexpected break from the sport activities due to the lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Srikanth last played at the All England Championships in March, where he lost to China's Chen Long in the first round. "I am not really happy with this forced break. We, as players, usually would like a break from the regular stretch of tournaments, training and then playing tournaments again," Srikanth said in his column on Hindustan Times.
"Having said that, this is not exactly the kind of break we want to take. You do not want to be in a position where you cannot even train. Hence, this period is really very frustrating as neither can you go out, train or pretty much do anything." Srikanth said that most of his time went in sleeping and he spends about 15 minutes every day working out.
"With so much time available and nothing much to do, I have been sleeping mostly; that is where most of my time goes. I sleep for 12 to 14 hours every day, after which there is little time left anyway," he said.
Srikanth had been in the middle of a race against time to seal qualification to the Tokyo Olympics when the coronavirus pandemic exploded on a global scale. It ultimately led to an unprecedented postponement of the Olympics itself to 2021.
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Ram Kadam has issued a clarification on his 'elope' remark and said that his statement was quoted out of context.
The BJP MLA from Ghatkopar constituency faced a backlash after a video of him where he can be reportedly heard saying that he would kidnap a girl even if she refuses a proposal from a boy and help him elope with her, surfaced on media.
Clarifying his stance on the issue, Kadam told ANI, "A 40-second incomplete video is being circulated by opposition leaders. I would only request them to listen to my complete statement. If my statement has hurt anyone, I won¿t mind expressing regret for the same."
"My statement is being quoted out of context. At that event, I said that all youngsters whether it be a boy or girl should take their parents" in confidence before marrying. If they elope without taking their permission, the parents feel disheartened and it is very wrong to disappoint your parents. After saying so I took a long pause and someone from the audience said something which I repeated on the mike. I also kept speaking after that as well but it was not reported. If I had said anything objectionable, it was being live telecasted and there were a number of journalists present at the venue and someone would have pointed it out. But no one raised an objection because they had heard me completely. To find the true meaning of an address one must listen to it completely," he added.
The BJP MLA made the statement during a 'Dahi Handi' festival organised in Mumbai on the auspicious occasion of 'Janmashtami' on Monday.
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Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil on Friday said the controversy surrounding his party colleague Ram Kadam's remarks against women should end as the latter has apologised. Patil also advised public representatives saying they need to exercise caution while speaking. "Ram Kadam has apologised and the issue should now end. Kadam does not have a history of speaking ill about women. On the contrary, he is known for helping women immensely. Thousands of women in his constituency tie him rakhi every year," Patil told a Marathi news channel.
"Public representatives should be extremely cautious while speaking and they should properly frame every sentence in their heads before uttering them," the minister added. He said new channels should also try to show the true meaning of what has been spoken. "But if what the channels are saying about the remarks is right, the public representative should apologise.
In this case, Ram Kadam was not arrogant and he apologised...So the matter should come to an end," Patil said. Kadam, while speaking at an event during dahi handi celebrations in the city, had said hewould "kidnap" a girl a boy likeseven if she says no to the proposal. "You (youngsters) can meet me for any work," he is seen in the video clip, telling the crowd, mainly comprising youth.
Kadam was heard saying that he got requests from youngsters to help them after girls rejected their proposals. "I will help, 100 per cent. Come (to me) with your parents. What will I do if parents approve (the girl a boy has liked)? I will kidnap the girl concerned and hand her over to you (for marriage)," he was heard telling the crowd.
Kadam was also heard sharing his mobile number with the crowd. His remarks created a huge controversy as it drew sharp reactions from the opposition parties, Shiv Sena and women's organisations. The Maharashtra State Commission for Women issued a notice to Kadam over his remark.
In a video message issued Wednesday, Kadam expressed regret over his remarks saying, "I have very high regard for women. Without giving any explanation about the video clip (of his controversial remarks), I express my regret." He also tweeted saying, "By doctoring my statements, my political rivals created an atmosphere which has hurt the sentiments of our mothers and sisters. I have already expressed regret over my comments and (I am) once again tendering an apology to all my mothers and sisters."
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Over a 100 goons led by the deputy sarpanch of Kalamb village in Vasai attacked the house of a vegetable vendor who had been helping migrant workers fill forms online and register with the state government to go back to their villages, on Tuesday night.
Vasai police have registered a case against 12 people, including the deputy sarpanch Anand Gharat, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and arrested one person.
The goons, armed with iron rods and bamboo sticks, first started throwing stones at the bungalow of Brijesh Chauhan in Nirmal village, Vasai West. The house's glass windows were shattered and Chauhan's wife, Reema, got injured by little shards of glass.
The incident happened after Chauhan registered a Non-Cognisable (NC) complaint against one of the accused a day before the attack.
"My husband has been helping migrant workers fill forms online. On May 4 at 8:30 pm, two migrant workers came to my house to get themselves registered online. My husband told them to collect the details of at least 10 people and then one or two can come to submit the details as it also maintains social distancing," said Reema.
"But the duo got angry and told my husband that they belong to Kalamb village and their work should be done on priority. They screamed at us and then left, only to return 15 minutes later with Darshan Gharat and 20 other people from Kalamb village. They shouted and abused everyone in our family, including women. My senior citizen father-in-law was also manhandled," she added. "After abusing us, the mob returned to Kalamb village. Around 10 minutes later, they came with deputy sarpanch Anand Gharat, who too abused us. Somehow we managed to send them away," Reema said.
Brijesh then registered an NC against the group. "On May 5 at 9 pm, Anand and goons riding triple seat on motorcycles, armed with iron rods, bamboo sticks, etc. came shouting and started pelting stones at my house. I got injured. Neighbours came to our rescue and police also came on the spot just 10 minutes after we called them," she added.
Deputy sarpanch flees
An officer from Vasai police said, "We have registered a case against 12 people and other unidentified people and arrested one person. In all, 12 people, including deputy sarpanch Anand are wanted. We are trying to trace him."
Deputy sarpanch Anand Gharat
Anand, who is planning to seek anticipatory bail, told mid-day that Brijesh had assaulted a student residing in Kalamb village. "I had gone to resolve the matter but they have registered a case against me. An officer from Vasai police asked me to surrender but I am innocent," said Anand, who is out on bail in a rape and kidnapping case registered against him at Vasai police station last year.
May 5
Day the incident occurred
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Bengali actress Paoli Dam, who is waiting for the new season of the bilingual web series Kaali 2, says that the show is a homage to womanhood and she enjoyed doing all the action sequences in the show.
The trailer of the show has been released, and Paoli said, "There is a place for everyone's truth in this world, and 'Kaali 2' will show people the strength and perseverance needed to fight for their truth. The show is a homage to womanhood and is a celebration of power and femininity through the eyes of Kaali. It is a power-packed action thriller and I was quite pumped about the action sequences."
Paoli plays a mother who is admired for her strength, tenacity and perseverance, and will go against all odds for her son.
The first season of the show was shot in Bengali. The second season is created and directed by Rohan Ghose and Aritra Sen with an ensemble cast including Rahul Banerjee, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Abhishek Banerjee, and Vidya Malvade among others.
"We shot both in Hindi and Bengali, which was a great experience for my co-stars as well as me," she said. Kaali 2 is set to release on May 29 on the OTT platform ZEE5.
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Shweta Tiwari, one of the most popular faces in the television industry is winning hearts with her portrayal as Guneet Sikka in Sony Entertainment Television's show, Mere Dad Ki Dulhan. She has always been intensely passionate about her work and has left no stone unturned to give it her all to all the roles she has played on screen.
Over the years, Shweta has had a huge fan following who have admired her work. She tries to entertain her fans in whatever she does. As actors are also staying put, she along with her family is whiling her time by reading books and learning new recipes. While she misses shooting for Mere Dad Ki Dulhan, she is enjoying her family time, too. Recently she gave her son Reyansh a haircut since the barbershops are shut, too.
She cut her baby boy Reyansh's hair and shared a few pictures from the recent haircut session on her Instagram account.
Have a look right here:
View this post on InstagramAlways be yourself, unless you can be a Barberðâï¸ #nanhayatri #stayhome #haircut
Talking about this, Shweta said, "Desperate times need desperate measures. I know that the barbershops will be shut for a while and it's only safe to stay indoors, but not depriving my son of a haircut is the least I can do. I love dressing him up and now that I gave him a haircut, he looks more cute than ever. Sure I miss shooting for Mere Dad Ki Dulhan and playing Guneer Sikka, but I am also enjoying a lot of family time."
Watch Shweta Tiwari as Guneet Sikka in Mere Dad Ki Dulhan, Monday to Friday at 10 PM only on Sony Entertainment Television.
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Singer Madonna and world leaders have raised over $8 billion for Covid-19 relief to help those impacted during this pandemic. Recently, she also revealed that she had tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.
Taking to her Instagram on May 6 to clarify certain things, she wrote, "“I’m Grateful that I can be a part of supporting Research to Find the cure for Covid -19!! And just to clear things up for people who would rather believe sensationalist headlines than do their own research about the nature of this virus—I am not currently sick."
“When you test positive for anti-bodies it means you HAD the virus which I. clearly did as I was sick at the end of my tour in Paris over 7 weeks ago along with many other artists in my show but at the time We all thought we had a very bad flu. Thank God we are all healthy and well now. Hope that clears things up for the band wagon jumpers!! Knowledge is Power," Madonna added.
Madonna has donated $1.1 million for the relief fund. She has also joined hands with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to find a drug that will prevent or treat COVID-19.
Governments must borrow to meet their deficits and not impose higher tax burdens when economic activity has ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Wednesday after the Centre and the Delhi government hiked taxes on petroleum products. New or higher taxes are justified only when the economy is booming, the former finance minister said, dubbing the imposition of taxes as "cruel". Tax burdens on the middle class and the poor is actually taxing distress, he said in a series of tweets.
"Governments should give money to the people in times of distress, not squeeze and take money from the people," Chidambaram said. "We have been pleading for cash transfers from the government to the bottom half of the people/families. Instead governments are doing a reverse transfer of money from the people to the government! Cruel," he said.
New or higher taxes will impoverish families further, Chidambaram asserted. "Governments must borrow to meet their deficits, not impose higher tax burdens when economic activity has ground to a halt," he said. Chidambaram's remarks come after the central government on Tuesday night hiked the excise duty on petrol by a steep Rs 10 per litre and that on diesel by Rs 13 a litre.
Retail prices of petrol and diesel will not be impacted by the tax changes as state-owned oil firms will adjust them against the recent fall in oil prices, industry officials said. Petrol prices in the national capital were hiked by Rs 1.67 a litre and diesel by a steep Rs 7.10 per litre after the Delhi government raised local sales tax or value-added tax (VAT) on the two fuels.
Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 71.26 a litre as against Rs 69.59 previously, oil industry sources said. Diesel price has been hiked to Rs 69.39 per litre from Rs 62.29. Struggling with low revenues during lockdown, several states have also hiked taxes on alcohol.
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Gestational diabetes -- high blood sugar condition during pregnancy -- may cause early-stage kidney damage that can later lead to chronic kidney diseases among women, reported a study.
The study showed that women with gestational diabetes were more likely to have a high glomerular filtration rate (GFR) -- an estimate of how much blood per minute passes through the glomeruli, the tiny filters within kidneys that extract waste from the blood.
Women with gestational diabetes had more than triple the risk of an elevated GFR, which may precede the early kidney damage that accompanies pre-diabetes -- a condition with higher blood sugar levels but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
"Our findings suggest that women who have had gestational diabetes may benefit from periodic checkups to detect early-stage kidney damage and receive subsequent treatment," said Cuilin Zhang from National Institutes of Health's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in Maryland, US.
The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, included data from 601 Danish women having gestational diabetes and 613 non-diabetic women.
The results showed that women who had gestational diabetes and later developed diabetes were approximately nine times more likely to have an elevated GFR later in life, compared to women who did not have gestational diabetes.
They were also likely to have an elevated urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR), which is an indicator of kidney disease.
The study could not prove that gestational diabetes causes kidney damage, and the authors noted that more research is needed to confirm their findings.
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Former Australia cricketer Damien Fleming also celebrated his birthday on Friday as he completed a half-century! Incidentally, Sachin Tendulkar and the swing bowler were involved in the same triangular series final at Sharjah on April 24, 1998.
Two days before the final, Damien dismissed Sachin to put an end to the epic sandstorm innings of 143.
On Friday, a journalist posted a video clip of that caught behind dismissal, Sachin walking off despite the umpire not raising his finger, and Damien throwing his arms in the air.
"Two birthday buddies arguing about whose would matter more two days out from their birthday. And it looked like @bowlologist got the better of @sachin_rt here #Sachin #BowlologistBirthday #SachinTendulkar," remarked the writer.
Damien retweeted it with the words, "Out or not out" mfollowed by a thinking face emoji.
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An active ingredient found in fruit peels and some herbs can halt and reduce further damage to neurons in multiple sclerosis (MS), reports a new study.
Protruding teeth in kids are more prone to injuries and long-term consequences. Therefore, regular dental check-ups, especially for kids, are necessary to protect their dental health.
Potential mechanism underlying the reason for inflammation, blood vessel damage and heart disease due to long-term exposure to noise was identified by
CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10), a substance naturally produced by the human body and found in beef and fish, can reverse the harmful effects produced by BPA, according