With over 2000 deaths, India experiencing 5th deadliest heatwave in the world

India, with the death toll crossing 2000, is experiencing the 5th deadliest heatwave in the world as per an international database of disasters and reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 31 May 2015. The arrival of monsoons is delayed, it is overdue and the weathermen predict that there would be some more delays.
The deaths due to the current heatwave is maximum from the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, while affecting large parts of the rest of the country.

For the records, the deadliest heatwave on record in India is the one of 1998 one in which 2,541 people died. However, in 2003, there has been recorded the most lethal heatwave in the world which killed more than 71,310 people in Europe. These figures are maintained in the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) and by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) based in Brussels, Belgium.
As per records, six of the top ten heatwaves in terms of deaths have occurred in the 21st century, which has also recorded eight of the ten warmest years ever since records of global temperatures were started being kept.
2014 was tied at the warmest year on record with 1998, and the first quarter of 2015 has already been declared the warmest on record. Obviously, one can assume that global warming and increasing population are the contributory factors to the increasing ferocity of heatwaves.
Incidentally, in the list of top ten deadliest disasters, Indian heatwaves figure four times — 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2015.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Terrorists set their sights on Europe – raids conducted in Belgium

#CharlieHebdo #antiterrorraids #Belgium Following the terror attacks in Paris in the offices of Charlie Hebdo, Europe has gone on high alert and have conducted anti-terror raids and arrests of suspected Islamist militants. Reports indicate arrests of more than 20 people in Belgium, France and Germany. As a result, Belgium has now joined France in deploying troops alongside police and security has been tightened in several countries. Last week’s attack in Paris had left 17 people dead.
Obviously, the concerns if security authorities have increased many fold since many young Europeans who had gone to join the jihadists in Syria, are returning back home. They had gone to fight with Middle East militants and would have acquired various types of experience and knowledge connected to terror activities.
It seems in Belgium, five people were charged with "participating in the activities of a terrorist group" – raids had been conducted and two suspects have died. Moreover, guns, munitions and explosives, apart from police uniforms and a large amount of money have been seized by the police during the operation.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the people had the intention to kill several policemen in the street and at police stations. A total of thirteen people were arrested but only five would be prosecuted. Belgium would seek the extradition of two suspects held in France.
Various measures announced by the Belgian government to counter the terrorist threats include making travelling abroad for terrorist activities a crime.
In Paris, twelve suspects are being held by police in connection to the attacks in which 17 persons died. The arrested persons are being interrogated about their possible logistical support they might have given to the three gunmen – support like weapons or vehicles.