Hello everyone, it's #Newstodon Friday! We have a new story for you:
Although hormone therapy has helped menstruators regulate their periods and avoid pregnancies when used as intended, women in India have been coerced to take these pills to "purify" themselves to attend religious functions.
CPR published reports on air pollution, funded protests and legal battles against projects such as coal mines, government source says
The Centre for Policy Research said the Ministry’s decision was incomprehensible and disproportionate, and some of the reasons provided challenged the very basis of the functioning of a research institution.
Today in Labor History December 3, 1984: A methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killed over 3,800 people and injured up to 600,000 more. Up to 16,000 people died, in total, over the years following the disaster. The Government of Madhya Pradesh has paid compensation to family members of 3,787 of the victims killed. Numerous local activist groups emerged to support the victims of the disaster, like Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla, who won the Goldman Prize in 2004. Many of the activists were subjected to violent repression by the police and government. Larger international groups, like Greenpeace and Pesticide Action Network also got involved. The disaster has played a role in numerous works of fiction, including Arundhati Roy’s “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” (2017) and Indra Sinha’s “Animal’s People” (2007). It has also been referenced in music by the Revolting Cocks “Union Carbide” and the Dog Faced Hermans ”Bhopal.”
Large, round balls are thought to #protect land & cattle in Padlya village near Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh. The balls are named "Kakar Bhairav", the first meaning 'farm' & the second 'ruler'. There are about 256 of them.
Recently, #scientists discovered that the #sacred balls are really fossilised eggs belonging to a #dinosaur species of Titanosaurus.
And in other news.... having failed to convince the US to meaningfully discuss a trade deal, and with #India making seemingly 'difficult' demands, the UK Govt. has managed to conclude a #financialservices deal with #Switzerland to make things easier for #Corporations & wealthy individuals to coordinate their financial affairs between the two states.
How odd that, when it comes to something the rich want, suddenly the #Tories are able to seal the deal.... thank god we 'took back control', huh?
India reiterates call for ‘sovereign, independent, viable state of Palestine’
India’s “longstanding and consistent” policy on Palestinian state remains unchanged, says MEA spokesperson; Operation Ajay begins Thursday with evacuation of 230 Indians from Israel.
🇮🇳 Kerala, India: 30% Of Those With Flu-Like Illnesses In Kochi Hospitals Are COVID Positive.
"Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former WHO chief scientist - who also spoke exclusively to NDTV - has cautioned against dismissing Covid as a common cold, not just because of the people who fall severely ill, but because of the disease's long-term effects, including increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and mental health problems."
Two days after rebel forces in Myanmar’s Chin state overran the junta’s two military bases close to the border with India, they have taken control of a border crossing point between the two countries across the tiny hilly Indian state of Mizoram....
#climate#chaos is making #india uninhabitable. We'll be hearing and reading more stories like this as the globe continues to heat up and threaten humans with #extinction. Yet we tread on like nothing's happening.
It's hard to find this in the corporate-owned (and fossil fuel friendly) news media of the Global North, but here's a story from India's Hindustan Times about a devastating flash flood and dam burst, taking many lives...
At least 14 persons were killed and another 120 people went missing after a flash flood triggered by a glacial lake outburst following heavy rains in north Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday.
The toll is expected to rise sharply with officials saying that at least 40 bodies have been recovered by different agencies after the disaster struck.
“The Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), which caused the rise of water levels with very high velocities downstream along the Teesta River Basin in the early hours of October 4, 2023, has caused severe damage in Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong, and Namchi Districts,” said a statement issued by the Sikkim government.
The flash flood also washed away the Teesta III dam at Chunthang. At least six bridges were washed away and the National Highway 10 (NH10) was damaged in multiple areas.
“North Sikkim has been totally cut off from the rest of the state while Sikkim has been cut off from the rest of India as the flood had badly hit NH10,” said Prabhakar Rai, director of Sikkim’s disaster management department, said.
North Sikkim received around 39 mm rain between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning.
“The rains had probably triggered an avalanche which led to a GLOF. As huge volumes of water and debris comprising boulders came gushing down they hit the hydro dam in Chunthang. The dam was washed away and the entire load gushing down with tremendous force,” said Ashim Sattar, a scientist with IISc Bengaluru, who had studied the lake and the glacier extensively.
Unfortunately, stories like this will become all too common in the months and years ahead. What now seems like (and is) an unthinkable tragedy may soon be almost a daily occurrence.
We are in a climate emergency. It's past time for system change, and Degrowth.
hundred #Delhi Police officers raided almost a hundred homes and offices of journalists and researchers across India as part of a three-year campaign to intimidate #Newsclick, a news website based in New Delhi. The police officers harassed the journalists and researchers, asking them why they were covering the farmers’ movement and the government’s #COVID response
"When the saplings grow to a height of about two or three feet, the women plant them along the embankment.
"Now they are ready to act as a green barricade, their intricate and knotty root systems reaching deep into the soil, strengthening the earthen embankments to absorb the shock of sudden tidal surges."
All major Indian trade unions have called upon the govt to scrap agreement with Israel to export Indian workers & appealed to workers to boycott Israeli products & refuse to handle Israeli cargo.
After battle with junta, Myanmar rebels take control of border point with India (www.reuters.com)
Two days after rebel forces in Myanmar’s Chin state overran the junta’s two military bases close to the border with India, they have taken control of a border crossing point between the two countries across the tiny hilly Indian state of Mizoram....
No ‘export of workers’ to Israel, say trade unions in India (www.nationalheraldindia.com)
All major Indian trade unions have called upon the govt to scrap agreement with Israel to export Indian workers & appealed to workers to boycott Israeli products & refuse to handle Israeli cargo.