Weather:
The Good: Flood Victims Helped In Mumbai
Last week Mumbai was hit with unprecedented amounts of rain that halted the city’s infrastructure including roads and railways. Although hundreds of people were displaced by the rain and flooding that rendered many homes and businesses inhabitable, the people of Mumbai showed a remarkable display of compassion and empathy as some 50 volunteers helped others survive the poor conditions. Neighbors from across the city came out to supply families with food and water and even opened their homes for those who were forced to evacuate. In addition to the efforts put forth by volunteers, 1500 people who were trapped inside trains were saved by the National Disaster Response Force this Tuesday. After flooding stopped the rail system, riders waited between 4 and 8 hours before receiving help by boat. Officials are currently waiting for waters to recede as they move trains back into storage yards to make room for more equipment that have stalled out.
Although citizens are grateful for the assistance, a Mumbai High Court is calling for answers from The Central & Western Railway company. “Why can’t you raise the height of tracks to avoid flooding?” asked the court, who also condemned the company’s handling of operations saying they have done nothing to ensure an avoidance of intermittent service even though they’ve known about flooding issues for years. No fatalities have yet been reported.
The Bad: Japan Recovering From Record Rainfall
The death toll continues to climb as rescuers and workers unravel the disaster caused by relentless rain which triggered intense flooding and landslides in Japan last week. So far at least 100 bodies have been discovered and reported by Japanese authorities who are calling the storm the most rainfall the country has witnessed since 1976, with water levels rising 10.4 inches. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was scheduled to complete several international visits to Belgium, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia but has cancelled the trips and instead visited some of the most effected areas of the country. Seen consoling citizens who’ve lost their homes and loved ones, Abe has called for an immediate and all out focus on giving aid to citizens and mitigating damage. So far 73,000 rescue personnel have been dispatched to aid in relief efforts saving some 2300 people in the city of Kurashiki, however rescuers admit they still have much to do and are raising against time.
Law:
The Good: DOJ Reopens Emmett Till Case
In 1955, Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy who was falsely accused of grouping Carolyn Bryant at a convenience store. Till was eventually kidnapped and brutally murdered by Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, Carolyn’s former husband and brother-in-law. Although both men were prosecuted for the murder, an all white jury acquitted the men who later told a journalist they did in fact murder Till. Both men have passed away, neither ever facing punishment for their crime.
After decades of injustice, the United States government has said it will be reopening the closed case after new information came to light last year after the book “The Blood Of Emmett Till” was published with an admission of perjury from Bryant who admitted she lied to a jury when she said Till came onto her sexually. Although no other details have come out about what other new information the department of justice has or what it’s next plans will be after it’s probe, speculation on who could be charged is growing among legal experts who say the statue of limitations may have run out decades ago. Carolyn Bryant who is now 81 and living in North Carolina declined to comment on the reopening of the case.
The Bad: Officer Resigns Following Viral Video
Tweets sent out by the governor of Puerto Rico seemed to have been the final event to force Illinois police officer Patrick Connor into resigning his post following an investigation into his failure to assist a women being verbally harassed and intimidated by a man who was angry about her choice of clothing. Mia Irizarry was wearing a shirt with the Puerto Rican flag on it last month in Cook County, Illinois, and filmed herself requesting help from officer Connor who simply stood by and watched. The video has since gone viral prompting global outrage and a tweet from Governor Ricardo Rosselló saying: “I am appalled, shocked & disturbed by the officer’s behavior…We will be looking into this incident as our offices in DC are in contact with local and state authorities, demanding that this officer be expelled from the police force.”
Forest Preserves has issued a statement via Twitter claiming they initially put Officer Connor on desk duty following the event and arrested the intoxicated man in the video who has been identified as Timothy Trybus.
International:
The Good: Sudanese Teen Continues To Fight For Freedom
#JusticeForNoura continues to trend in Sudan as the attorneys representing Noura Hussein have appealed a Sudanese court’s decision to sentence her to 5 years in prison and to pay $337,000 Sudanese pounds ($18,600 U.S.) in “blood money” to the victim’s family members. The initial court case began in 2017 after Noura killed her husband Abdulrahman Mohamed Hammad with a knife. Noura who was 15 at the time claims that she was forced into the marriage and was being raped by her husband with the help of his family. Noura says that on the night of the incident, Hammad tried to rape her while his family held her down. Forced to defend herself, Noura picked up a knife which she found under a pillow and fatally stabbed Hammad. Initially the court ruled that she be put to death by hanging, but reduced the sentence after world wide outrage ensued. Hammad’s family denies the claims of rape and is petitioning the court to uphold its original decision to put Noura to death, even threatening to kill men in Noura’s family if the court refuses to compile.
The case has now brought light to Sudan’s practices of forced marriage and legal rape of girls who are mostly under the age of 18. The hashtag #WeAreMany is being used to uncover countless cases of human rights violations and women’s rights concerns in Sudan and countries across the globe.
The Bad: Taj Mahal May Be Demolished
One of the world’s wonders is turning into an eye soar as the once spectacular marble made Taj Mahal is becoming a yellowish green pollution trap that the Indian government has had enough of. This week the Indian Supreme Court condemned the government’s efforts to properly care for the tourist attraction that’s responsible for nearly $340 million in revenue each year. The court said Thursday: “Either we will shut down the Taj or you demolish or restore it,” judges told government representatives.
Although several efforts have been made to decrease the impact of pollution on the structure, they’ve proven to be insufficient in rectifying the situation. Currently there is a limit on the amount of people who are allowed to visit a day as well as laws restricting pollution emitting entities such as cars and factories to be within 50 kilometers of the Mahal. Currently there are no official plans to close the monument, instead the court has forced government officials in charge of the Mahal’s upkeep to stay in touch on a daily basis to ensure progress and will likely continue to hear petitions in court throughout the summer.
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