Bangladesh

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 9 DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Water levels were slowly receding Thursday in major rivers in Bangladesh's flood-hit northeast, bringing hopes of relief to millions of Bangladeshis, but woes continued in India’s northeast, where 5.5 million people remained affected, officials said. Up to 78 people have died in floods and 17 others in landslides in India’s Assam state, while at least 42 monsoon-related deaths have been recorded in Bangladesh since last month, when floods began ravaging parts of the two South Asian countries, forcing millions to take shelter away from their homes. Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Center said water in all major rivers in the country’s northeast was receding, but downstream water levels in central and eastern parts of the country could rise over the coming day. Aid workers said the pace of decline in water levels … [Read more...] about Water receding slowly in flood-hit northeast Bangladesh

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 GAUHATI, India (AP) — Pounding rain following weeks of heavy downpours triggered a mudslide in northeast India that killed at least seven people and left about 40 others missing, authorities said Thursday. Disaster response workers, police and local villagers were trying to rescue those buried under the debris in Noney, a town near Imphal, the capital of Manipur state. All of the confirmed dead were members of the volunteer Territorial Army, state chief minister N. Biren Singh said. He said five Indian Railway officials were among those feared missing. A railway project is being constructed in the area, where there is a rebel insurgency, and the army personnel were providing security for railway officials overseeing the project. The state's decades-old insurgency seeks a separate homeland for ethnic and tribal groups. Continuous rainfall over the past three weeks has … [Read more...] about Mudslide in northeast India leaves 7 dead, 40 others missing

Opinion by Arundhati Roy Updated 0717 GMT (1517 HKT) June 22, 2022 Arundhati Roy is the author of "The God of Small Things," which won the Booker Prize in 1997 and "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness," which was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2017. Her collected political writing has been published as "My Seditious Heart" (2018) and "Azadi" (2020). She lives in New Delhi. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion at CNN. New Delhi (CNN) When two spokespeople from India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed last month, it prompted an international firestorm. The incident led to protests among India's Muslim minority in several states. Some Muslim-majority nations summoned their India ambassadors. India's foreign ministry said the comments did not reflect the views of the government, and the officials involved -- one of whom later withdrew her remarks -- … [Read more...] about Arundhati Roy: ‘The damage to Indian democracy is not reversible’

0 This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. Arts & Entertainment TheatreWorks Silicon Valley celebrates the holiday season with a riotous escapade, "Around the World in 80 Days." Bay Area Arts info , Community Contributor Posted | Updated Reply PALO ALTO, CA (5 October 2017) — TheatreWorks Silicon Valley celebrates the holiday season with a riotous escapade, Around the World in 80 Days . Taking place in an 1870s alive with danger, romance, and comic surprises, fearless adventurer Phileas Fogg and his faithful valet circle the globe in an unheard-of 80 days. In the hilariously theatrical style of The 39 Steps , five actors portray dozens of characters in a thrilling race against time and treachery, recreating one of the greatest adventures of all time. Full of stampeding elephants, raging typhoons, and runaway trains, Around the World in 80 Days , adapted by the … [Read more...] about TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Presents Around the World in 80 Days

California’s record wildfire season two years ago dished up some of the worst and most memorable air pollution in modern times - the smoke, the dark skies, the eerie orange glow of the sun. But just how bad it was, and what the toll of the unhealthy air will be on people and communities, is a matter that’s still coming to light. A new report finds that California was home to 19 of the 20 worst counties in the nation for particulate pollution in 2020. If sustained, these pollution levels could shave months, if not years, off the lives of residents, according to the Air Quality Life Index, published this month by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Mariposa County, in the Sierra foothills, recorded the nation’s highest concentration of particulate matter, with the average life expectancy estimated to drop by 1.7 years if the pollutants persist. The dangerous amounts of particulate matter, essentially the tiny liquid and solid particles in bad air, … [Read more...] about California ranks worst in nation for air pollution because of wildfire smoke

Nearly 1,200 forced marriage cases were logged by the government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) last year, new data shows, with the body saying the number “may not reflect the full scale of the abuse.” Of the 1,196 cases flagged 2017, more than one in four victims were younger than 18-years-old, and one in five were males, the FMU said in a report. The document reveals that that, since 2012, the unit has logged between 1,200 and 1,400 cases each year, involving more than 90 foreign countries. In 2016, the FMU recorded over 1,400 victims, up from 1,200 in 2015, as reported by Breitbart London. A massive 439 of the marriages in 2017 either took place or were due to take place in Pakistan, followed by Bangladesh with 129 reports, and 91 in Somalia. The list continues with India, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Romania, and Saudi Arabia. Despite the vast majority forced marriages taking part in Islamic states or predominantly Muslim countries, the report “does not provide a … [Read more...] about Gov Logs 1,200 Forced Marriage Cases in One Year, But ‘Not Full Scale’ Shown