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At least 50 deaths blamed on India heat wave in just a week as record temperatures scorch the country
New Delhi — More than 50 deaths have been blamed on scorching early summer heat in India over the last week alone, as temperatures in northern and eastern regions have soared to record highs. After arriving early this year, the summer heat has been unrelenting, with temperatures climbing over the 50 degree Celsius mark, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit, in several cities many times.
Capital New Delhi recorded the country’s highest ever temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.22°F) on Wednesday, though it may be revised down as the weather department suspects sensors at the local weather station may have been faulty.
At least one person died in the capital on Wednesday, a 40-year-old laborer suffered heat stroke. Ten other locations across the country recorded temperatures over 117 degrees on the same day, and at least two of them simmered over 122 degrees.
ARUN SANKAR/AFP/Getty
The scorching heat has resulted in deaths of more than 50 people across India, most dying of suspected heat stroke and other heat-related symptoms. At least 29 people died of suspected heat stroke in the eastern states of Bihar and Odisha on Thursday, where temperatures over 113 degrees were recorded.
Ten of the 29 victims were general elections workers in Bihar, according to a report by news outlet India Today. India nearing the end of its massive, seven-phase general elections, virtually all of which have been conducted amid scorching heat. The last of the seven phases will see voters cast their ballots on Saturday.
In the eastern state of Jharkhand, at least four people died due to heat-related symptoms on Thursday when the mercury rose to over 117 degrees.
HIMANSHU SHARMA/AFP/Getty
In the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, at least five people, including two children aged 12 and 14 years, died due to suspected heat stroke, and in the western state of Rajasthan, more than half of which is covered by the Thar desert, at least eight people, including two newborns, died of heat-related symptoms, according to Dr Ravi Prakash Mathur, the state’s public health director.
Making matters worse for the 32 million inhabitants of India’s sweltering capital, the extreme heat has created a water crisis, with more being consumed and less available from parched rivers. With taps running dry in some areas, authorities have been forced to truck in water tankers to set up public distribution points.
Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times/Getty
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that severe heat wave conditions will continue in eastern parts of the country for some time and it issued a “red alert” for the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, urging people to avoid heat exposure.
Last year, severe heat waves killed more than 100 people in India and neighboring Pakistan in April and May alone. The scorching temperatures also destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of crops, affecting millions of people in India’s vast agriculture sector.
Scientists have linked the killer heat waves on the Asian subcontinent directly to the rapid rate of global warming. Last year, scientists said climate change was making heat waves 100 times more likely to occur.
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You always make your payments on time
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You don’t have enough credit card debt
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You’re considering a large purchase
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The bottom line
Credit card debt forgiveness is a fitting solution for many people – especially if they can’t afford their minimum payments. But, it’s not the best fit for everyone. You may want to consider other options if you always make your payments on time, don’t have enough credit card debt, already have judgments against you or you’re in the market for a large purchase. Chat with an expert about your debt relief options now.
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NEW YORK – Three administrators have been “permanently removed from their positions” at Columbia College and “remain on leave” over texts they exchanged during an on-campus event about Jewish life at the school, Columbia University’s president announced Monday.
It happened during the school’s reunion weekend at the end of May. The program was called “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future,” and took place a month after university leaders called in police to clear pro-Palestinian protesters out of an occupied administration building and dismantle a tent encampment that had threatened to disrupt graduation ceremonies.
One of the controversial messages suggested a panelist could have used recent campus protests as a fundraising opportunity. Another appeared critical of a campus rabbi’s essay about antisemitism.
Texts “touched on ancient antisemitic tropes”
“This incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik wrote in a letter to the Columbia community. “Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community that is antithetical to our University’s values and the standards we must uphold in our community.”
Shafik said the school will “launch a vigorous program of antisemitism and antidiscrimination training for faculty and staff this fall.” Similar training will also be given to students.
Columbia Provost Angela Olinto wrote that the administrators’ conduct was “wrong and contrary to the mission and values of our institution. It revealed, at best, an ignorance of the history of antisemitism.”
Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett, whose text messages were among those published by the Free Beacon, will continue to lead the college after apologizing and committing to working to fix damage caused by the text exchanges, Olinto said. He and his administration will be expected to “deliver concrete change in combating antisemitism and discrimination and creating a fully inclusive environment,” Olinto wrote.
“While not intended as such, some of the text messages exchanged may call to mind antisemitic tropes,” Sorett said in a letter Monday to the Columbia College community. “Any language that demeans members of our community, or divides us from one another, is simply unacceptable.”
“I am deeply sorry that this happened in a community that I lead- and, that I was part of any of the exchanges, and I pledge to spearhead the change we need to ensure this never happens again,” Sorett continued. He said “the loss of trust and the pain this incident has caused, particularly to the Jewish members of our community, must be fully repaired.”
The university did not identify the administrators, who were initially put on leave in June after images of their text exchange were published online by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet. The content of the texts was additionally released by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce last week.