Liberal paper alters quote, distorting Republican candidate’s abortion stance and upending House race
FIRST ON FOX: A liberal California newspaper was forced to issue a correction this week after printing a false quote from a Republican candidate, effectively distorting his stance on abortion, which the incumbent Democrat in the race then used as a fundraising tool. It took more than three weeks for the Sacramento Bee to correct the candidate questionnaire it published on Feb. 5, in which it quoted Republican candidate and Stockton, California Mayor Kevin Lincoln as saying he is “anti-abortion,” when in fact he described himself as “pro-life” with exceptions for “rape, incest, and the health of the mother.” “What is your view on abortion rights? What would you want Congress to do now, if anything?” the paper asked in the questionnaire. JD VANCE MAKES CHOICE IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE AS GOP CONTROL HANGS IN THE BALANCE “I support the Supreme Court putting the power back in the hands of the states where it belongs. California is a pro-choice state. I am pro-life and support exceptions such as rape, incest, and the health of the mother. I am not going to Congress to support a federal abortion ban,” Lincoln wrote in his original answer. The Sacramento Bee issued a correction to the article on Feb. 27, claiming the piece was “edited to conform to Associated Press style guidelines on abortion,” which dictate that modifiers “anti-abortion or anti-abortion rights” be used, rather than “pro-life, pro-choice or pro-abortion,” unless they are being used as proper names or in a quote, as was Lincoln’s case. Before the piece was corrected, incumbent Democrat Rep. Josh Harder’s campaign sent out a fundraising email capitalizing on the false quote and blasting Lincoln’s abortion stance. “He’s on the record saying, ‘I am anti-abortion,’ as if that was something to be proud of!” Harder wrote in the email, making no mention of the exceptions Lincoln listed in his response. DEMS THRUST KARI LAKE, MCCAIN FEUD INTO SPOTLIGHT AS CRUCIAL SENATE BATTLE HEATS UO: ‘NO PEACE, B—-!’ It’s unclear if Harder knew whether the quote was false at the time the email was sent, and neither his campaign, nor the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The email led to Lincoln’s campaign, as well as the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), accusing Harder of using the false quote intentionally, appearing to suggest his campaign worked in tandem with the Sacramento Bee. “Josh Harder’s use of a deliberately-edited quote mischaracterizing Mayor Kevin Lincoln’s position in a key competitive race casts a long shadow. Harder must immediately correct his false fundraising solicitation and cease and desist from lying about Mayor Lincoln’s position,” Lincoln campaign spokesman Hector Barajas told Fox News Digital. PROGRESSIVE HOUSE DEMS MADE SECRET ‘HUMAN RIGHTS’ TRIP TO CUBA AMID WORSENING BORDER CRISIS AT HOME NRCC spokesperson Ben Petersen echoed Barajas, telling Fox News Digital, “There is no low self-serving Josh Harder won’t stoop to, and weaponizing a fake quote is just the latest example. Harder will be held accountable for lying to Central Valley families.” The Sacramento Bee, Harder’s campaign and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Harder and Lincoln are joined in the race by Republicans Khalid Jeffrey Jafri and John McBride. California’s jungle primary system means the two candidates with the most votes on primary day, regardless of party, will advance to the general election in November. Elections analysts rate the race as either “likely” or “solid” Democrat. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
What to know about 3 states awarding delegates in GOP presidential race on Saturday
Republican delegates in three states will be awarded to candidates on Saturday as Idaho and Missouri hold caucuses and Michigan allocates additional delegates in its Republican state convention days after it held its primary. In Idaho, Republicans will caucus across the state on Saturday and only registered Republicans are allowed to take part. Former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, his former U.N. ambassador, will compete for the state’s 32 Republican delegates. Haley is looking to score her first victory against Trump, but, given the pattern of voting in previous contests this year, she is unlikely to find it in Idaho. The Republican caucuses will largely resemble the first-in-the-nation caucuses that Iowa Republican staged in January. Voters across the state will meet in their designated caucus sites and will hear short pitches on behalf of the various candidates. Then they will vote by secret ballot, with the results tabulated at each caucus site. Vote totals from all caucus sites will be added up and the results used to determine how many delegates each candidate has won. WHEN COULD TRUMP BECOME THE GOP NOMINEE? HERE’S WHAT THE NUMBERS TELL US Trump easily carried Idaho in the 2020 election beating President Biden by a margin of 30 points. Delegates will also be awarded in Missouri on Saturday where Republicans will be holding a caucus that will start the process of awarding 51 of Missouri’s 54 Republican delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer. Fifty-one of the delegates are awarded to candidates through a monthslong process that begins Saturday. Eleven delegates will be awarded to candidates at the statewide level, while five delegates will be awarded from each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts. That’s a combined total of 51 delegates at stake in what’s known as a “caucus-convention” system. The remaining three delegates are the state party chairman and Missouri’s Republican national committeeman and committeewoman, who may support any candidate they wish regardless of caucus results. NIKKI HALEY SAYS GOP BECOMING ‘PLAYPEN’ FOR TRUMP Caucus-goers will express their preferences for president, and those results ultimately are used to determine the number of delegates awarded to candidates both at the statewide and congressional district level. At both the statewide and district levels, all delegates at stake are awarded to the candidate who receives majority support. If no candidate receives a majority, delegates are allocated proportionally among candidates who received at least 15% of support, with some minor exceptions. Polling conducted earlier this year showed that Trump is likely to cruise to victory in Missouri. Trump was victorious in the Michigan primary earlier this week beating Haley by 41 points and earning 12 delegates compared to Haley’s 4. However, the Michigan GOP will hold a nominating convention on Saturday to allocate the remaining 39 of the state’s 55 presidential delegates in Grand Rapids. Trump has scored convincing victories in each of the primary battles thus far and his team has suggested that he will wrap up the GOP nomination by the end of the month but Haley has pledged that she is staying in the race until at least March 5, Super Tuesday, where over 800 delegates will be at stake. The Associated Press contributed to this report
‘In Gaza, football is the only escape’: Palestine star Mahmoud Wadi on war
On October 7, Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Wadi was recovering from an injury in Egypt when Israel launched its war on Gaza, following the Hamas attacks on southern Israel. The 29-year-old, from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, has spent the past five months desperately seeking news about the safety of his friends and family in the besieged enclave while travelling with the Palestinian national team. He has lived through three Israeli military assaults on Gaza – in 2008, 2012 and 2014 – and says he remembers spending every night wondering if he would make it to dawn. Wadi, who now lives in Cairo and plays for Arab Contractors in the Egyptian Premier League, was part of Palestine’s squad for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, where the team recorded a historic second-round finish. The al-Fidayi (as the Palestinian team is known to its fans) received passionate support from the crowds of people from various countries, religions and age groups, who turned up in their tens of thousands to support the Palestinian team before their round-of-16 elimination by hosts and eventual champions Qatar. In a conversation with Al Jazeera, Wadi opens up about the struggles of putting on his best performance on the field while the war rages at home. Al Jazeera: Growing up in Gaza, what did football mean to you? Wadi: Football is the only escape from war and the Israeli occupation. Young people and children turn to football as it offers distraction from the circumstances. Football makes them feel good. In Gaza, we love football. But the wars waged against us over the years, the harsh economic conditions and the siege that has completely closed Gaza and its people, preventing children from achieving their [footballing] dreams. The Israeli occupation always places barriers and obstacles that prevent us from achieving that and, unfortunately, people leave Palestine. We are forced to look for options elsewhere. Al Jazeera: Why did you leave Gaza and how difficult was that decision? Wadi: To leave your country, your homeland, your family and your friends for a better future is not easy. It brings a constant feeling of alienation and loneliness. But we make sacrifices for our ambitions. We are people who love life, people who want to live like others and follow our dreams. The difficulty lies in the fact that you are leaving behind the people you love. Now, I live abroad and my family is in Gaza exposed to the killing, destruction and displacement. I left Gaza, my family and friends to play football, but I live in fear and anxiety. We do not leave Palestine because it is not a beautiful country. We love our land madly, but we have to search for a better life. Al Jazeera: What are the struggles of being an international footballer for Palestine? Wadi: In light of the Israeli occupation and its obstacles, it is not easy to be a footballer. It has a massive impact because you cannot gather players for football camps in Palestine. Players from Gaza cannot enter the occupied West Bank, and vice versa. There are players outside Palestine who cannot enter, and so on. Despite the difficult circumstances, the Palestine national team gathers abroad from various places. We have players from the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, Palestine 48, from various Palestinian refugee camps in the occupied territories, and from the diaspora. No team in the world can go through such conditions and participate in a prestigious regional championship [like we have]. This in itself is considered a great Palestinian achievement and source of pride. We have always harboured dreams and ambitions but the occupation tries to crush our spirit. We rose from under the rubble of three wars in order to reach where we are now, and we hope to carry on this path. We derive our strength from our people’s courage and steadfastness. Mahmoud Wadi, centre, trains with the Palestinian football team during the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Doha, Qatar [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] Al Jazeera: How difficult is it for you to communicate with friends and family back home? Wadi: It is very difficult, especially when communication is cut off in Gaza. I have never left my phone since the start of the war. Be it in Egypt, while travelling with the team, or during our training sessions. One morning, my brother disappeared. No one in my family knew anything due to a communication blackout. I felt very anxious during those 10 hours until I heard from him. This is our situation: A constant feeling of anxiety and unimaginable conditions. It’s indescribable not knowing where your loved ones are, feeling helpless and unable to do anything. All you can do is pray. Every second of our lives is a test. Al Jazeera: How do you feel after speaking to your family and friends in Gaza? Wadi: They try to describe a small part of the reality they live through every day but it’s very difficult for them to convey their feelings. Words cannot describe the reality of the war. Our conversations are focused on the harsh and bitter conditions they face. But just like everyone else in Gaza, they remain brave. Al Jazeera: What was it like to meet your family after two months? Wadi: I met my mother, brothers, and their families in Egypt after more than 80 days of war. I had an image in my mind about the ugliness of the war, but when I looked at their weak faces, eyes, frail bodies, and white hair, it was far worse than anything I could imagine. I have lived through three wars. It was scary spending nights waiting for bombs to drop and for the roof to crush me – but this war is not the same. Al Jazeera: What is the last memory of Gaza in your mind? Wadi: I remember the people, their affection, and their bonds of love. It feels great. My last memory of Gaza was its sea, streets, buildings, and the electricity schedule – on for
Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 148
At least 17 people are killed in Israeli attacks on Deir el-Balah and the Jabalia refugee camp as the humanitarian crisis worsens. Here’s how things stand on Saturday, March 2, 2024: At least 17 people were killed on Friday night after Israeli fighter jets attacked three residential buildings in the Gaza Strip’s Deir el-Balah area and the Jabalia refugee camp. The United Nations humanitarian agency confirmed that 193 Palestinians were killed and 920 injured between Thursday afternoon and midday on Friday. The death toll of Palestinians killed after Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd waiting to receive food aid on Thursday morning has risen to 115. Some 760 people were wounded in the Israeli attack that has triggered global condemnation. A UN team found that most of those injured in Thursday’s killings – some as young as 12 – have gunshot wounds. That has been corroborated by the acting director of al-Awda Hospital who said 80 percent of the wounded brought to the hospital had been shot. Hamas’s military wing said seven more Israeli captives held in Gaza have been killed due to bombardments by the Israeli military. At least 10 children have died from malnutrition and dehydration, Gaza’s health ministry announced on Friday, amid warnings by the UN of “famine” in the Strip because of inadequate aid. Gaza’s southern Zeitoun neighbourhood, once densely populated, has been levelled by Israeli bombings, an Al Jazeera correspondent said on Friday, adding that dozens of bodies remain trapped beneath the rubble. The US has announced plans to drop airdrop aid into Gaza at an unspecified date. President Joe Biden said on Friday that Washington would work with Jordan to ramp up aid to Gazans, possibly through sea borders. Regional tensions and diplomacy More countries are calling for an independent probe of the deadly aid delivery incident in Gaza on Thursday. France, Germany and the European Union all said on Friday that Israel must “explain” why its troops opened fire on aid seekers. The UN Human Rights office revealed that “at least 14” attacks similar to the aid killings have occurred since mid-January, and has also called for an investigation. Meanwhile, the US military said it destroyed a surface-to-air missile that Yemen’s Houthi rebel group was preparing to launch. US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasised their support for Israel’s right to “self-defence” in a meeting at the White House on Friday, and also discussed the urgent need for more aid in Gaza. Separately, Biden told reporters on Friday he hoped for a ceasefire in Gaza by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, although, he added, “We may not get there”. Also in the US, Abdullah Hammoud the mayor of Dearborn, an Arab-majority city in the state of Michigan, has criticised Biden’s plan to airdrop aid in Gaza. Hammoud said the White House was refusing to hold Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable. Violence in the occupied West Bank Israeli soldiers killed 16-year-old Muhammad Murad al-Deek, after a raid on the Kafr Nima village in Ramallah early on Saturday morning. Elsewhere, Israeli soldiers arrested a young man during raids on Qalqilya city and the eastern Azzun town on Friday night – the sixth consecutive night of raids in that location. Israeli forces used live bullets and sound bombs as they were confronted by Palestinian youths resisting a raid on the town of Jaba, south of Jenin. Adblock test (Why?)
Iranian singer ‘sentenced to jail’ over Mahsa Amini protest anthem
Shervin Hajipour says he was sentenced to more than three years in prison for ‘inciting people to riot’. An Iranian singer whose song became an anthem during the 2022 mass protests has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for “inciting and provoking people to riot to disturb national security”, the 26-year-old artist posted on his Instagram account on Friday. Shervin Hajipour won Grammys for the song Baraye (“For”) which supported the protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Amini was detained for allegedly not wearing an appropriate hijab (headscarf), which is mandatory in the country. It was not immediately clear when the verdict was issued, and it was not reported elsewhere. Iranian state-run media also did not report the sentencing. But Hajipour posted it on the same day that Iran held its parliamentary elections. Voting counting is under way in the first elections since the nationwide protests. Hajipour thanked his lawyers and his agent for their support. “I will not mention the name of the judge and the prosecutor so that they don’t get insulted and threatened, because insults and threats are not in the religion of humanity,” he wrote. “Finally, one day we will understand each other. Until then.” The singer already had served some prison time, but was out on bail pending the court’s decision. It was unclear if he had already reported to serve his sentence. Under Iranian law, jail sentences run concurrently, meaning Hajipour would serve three years behind bars. Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to a request for comment. “Baraye” was played at a White House celebration in March 2023 marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. A month earlier, US First Lady Jill Biden awarded Hajipour a special Grammy for best song for social change, calling the tune a “powerful and poetic call for freedom and women’s rights”. Amini’s death sparked months-long protests which saw hundreds of people, including dozens of security forces, killed, and thousands of others arrested. Hajipour’s sentencing comes as other activists, journalists and artists have faced arrest, imprisonment and harassment since the demonstrations. Among those imprisoned is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi. Adblock test (Why?)
Rameshwaram Cafe blast: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to chair meeting with top police officials today
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called a meeting of senior police officers on Saturday afternoon in connection with the blast incident that took place at Rameshwaram Cafe
‘Reminds us of home’: An Indian kitchen serves love against bias, violence
New Delhi, India – Bidotama, 26, is in the kitchen stirring peanuts in a pan. Every few minutes, she turns to her best friend, Mardza, 25, who is busy chopping tomatoes and slicing U-morok, a hot chilli variety, that will go into the special chicken curry bubbling on a two-burner gas stove. They speak in their native Meitei language and chuckle as they continue cooking. In the living room, Akoijam Sunita, 45, is moving a mixture of black perilla seeds, ginger and salt between a heavy pestle mortar and an electric grinder, hoping to get a grainy texture and not a paste. The graininess is key to getting thoiding asuba, a Manipuri side-dish, right. Bidotama, or Bido as she likes to be called, and Mardza dressed in those comfy, furry pants the young like to live in these days, have been up since 4:30am cooking for a Sunday lunch service that they run out of Akoijam’s three-bedroom apartment in New Delhi. Until May last year, both Bido and Mardza worked as digital marketing managers in Imphal, the capital of Manipur in India’s northeast. Akoijam, or Akoi as she is referred to, was their Delhi-based team leader. Mardza and Bido cooking food for Lombard Kitchen at the New Delhi apartment of their friend, Akoi [Suparna Sharma/Al Jazeera] Now Bido and Mardza are Akoi’s house guests and she is their business partner in the lunch service they have started in an attempt to rebuild their lives after they were wrenched from their homes in Manipur in the wake of ethnic violence that broke out in May. It has left over 200 people dead and thousands injured, and turned the beautiful, scenic state with the world’s only floating national park, into a ravaged war zone. A day after violence erupted, Manipur was placed under curfew and an internet ban was imposed that lasted till December. In those seven months, many businesses shut down, including Bido and Mardza’s. In the clashes between the dominant, largely Hindu Meitei community and the minority Christian Kuki-Zo community, many have lost their homes and continue to live in relief camps in Manipur or, like Bido and Mardza, fled the state fearing for their lives and in search of a livelihood. [Clockwise from top right] A pressure cooker with dal, chayote squash, lightly boiled Manipuri chicken curry with king chillies and kambong kanghou, a stir-fry dish made with brinjal, crispy peanuts and water bamboo [Suparna Sharma/ Al Jazeera] In the New Delhi apartment, all three women find solace in cooking, eating, talking about their food and running the Lomba Kitchen. “This meal from Lomba Kitchen is Yum Gi mathel,” types Akoi on her phone as she composes a brief note about the Manipuri dishes. She will WhatsApp it to customers as the food parcels are sent out for delivery later in the day. Their enterprise is named after a purple-coloured herb that looks like lavender and has a citrusy aroma and a peppery taste – the Lomba. It flowers around October-November and is used as a garnish in several Manipuri dishes. “The name Lomba has meaning … When we think of winter, we think of Lomba. It reminds us of home,” says Bido. Akoi crushes some Lomba flowers and sprinkles them on eromba, a mash made with yendem (colocasia) stalks, beans, sponge gourd, potatoes and fermented grilled fish. In the text she is sending to customers, she calls it “an object of our unconditional love”. It’s 7am, and New Delhi’s temperature has dropped to a freezing single digit. But Akoi’s apartment, where the Sunday lunch menu is slowly coming together, is warm with the aroma of Manipur. Akoijam Sunita, 45, at a pop-up dinner she hosted in Bengaluru, India, recently [Photo courtesy Lomba Kitchen] ‘Dirty food’ Roughly 1,500 miles from New Delhi, Manipur is one of the seven ‘sister states’ in the northeast that is geographically connected by a narrow 200km (120-mile) strip of land called the Chicken’s Neck to India’s mainland. Most people from the northeast have distinct physical features and culinary traditions that add to India’s much-vaunted diversity. But incidents of racial discrimination, even verbal and physical abuse for their food choices, are routine in cities they migrate to, like New Delhi and Mumbai. Staples like fermented bamboo shoots, soya bean paste and dried fish are added to northeastern dishes for their meaty, savoury aroma and umami flavour – one of the five core tastes that include sweet, sour, bitter and salty. In her 2022 paper on “Dirty Food, racism and casteism in India”, anthropologist Dolly Kikon gives the instance of landlords and neighbours finding the food cooked by people from the northeast “stinky and revolting”, a reaction that, she says, stems from “ignorance of the eclectic food cultures in northeast India”. The 2019 Bollywood film Axone, about a group of friends cooking the northeastern delicacy akhuni (or axone) with pork and strong-smelling, fermented soya beans, captures the hate that northeastern food often faces in the rest of India. “My food has been so racially attacked that I always wanted to do something around food … When they [Bido and Mardza] came to stay here, we started talking about cooking … Maybe invite people over for a Manipuri meal,” Akoi says and then laughs as she adds, “But we didn’t have a dining table.” Cooking chicken with king chilli [Suparna Sharma/Al Jazeera] ‘The drums fell quiet’ ”I’m here and she’s over there. We have a river in the middle,” says Bido, gesturing to explain where she and Mardza live – across the Nambul river that runs through Imphal, a city where the sun comes up early and the streets get crowded by 6am. On alternate days, Bido and Mardza would set off around 4am to buy vegetables from the Ima Keithel or Mothers’ Market, the largest all-women market in the world. And then they would cook for both their families before heading to work. May 3, 2023, was no different. After finishing work, Mardza filled petrol
Argentina’s Milei vows to push economic reforms with or without parliament
Argentina’s libertarian leader says he will ‘keep pushing forward’ with radical economic agenda. Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei has promised to keep pushing his agenda of radical economic liberalisation with or without the support of parliament. In a state-of-the-union-style address to lawmakers on Friday, Milei said he would “keep pushing forward” with a package of sweeping economic reforms aimed at jolting the country out of decades of dysfunction and decline. “We are going to change the country for good … with or without the support of political leaders, with all the legal resources of the executive,” Milei said. “If you look for conflict, you will have conflict.” Milei laid down the gauntlet to parliament after lawmakers last month rejected his omnibus reform bill despite tough negotiations with the opposition that reduced the number of proposed changes by nearly half. In more conciliatory remarks to local governors, Milei called for a 10-point “social pact” that would overhaul the framework for distributing tax funds between the federal government and provinces. Milei, who was elected resoundingly in a run-off election in November, began his term by devaluing the peso by more than 50 percent, slashing state subsidies for fuel and transport, cutting the number of ministries by half, and scrapping hundreds of regulations. His government has claimed credit for tentative signs of economic revival, including the country’s first monthly budget surplus in 12 years and growing foreign currency reserves. But sky-high inflation and Milei’s austerity measures have weighed heavily on Argentinians, prompting strikes and protests. Milei, a self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist who has pledged to restore the dynamism of Argentina’s “golden age” during the early 20th century, took office warning Argentinians to prepare for a “shock adjustment” to fix the economy. “I ask for patience and trust. It will be some time before we can perceive the fruit of the economic reorganisation and the reforms we are implementing,” Milei said in his address on Friday. Argentina, Latin America’s third-largest economy, has stumbled between economic crises for decades, beset by enormous debt, widespread poverty and triple-digit inflation. Adblock test (Why?)
Are snakebites rising in South Asia — and what’s responsible?
In 1950, Roald Dahl wrote a short story titled Poison. The tale, set in colonial India and often found in deckle-edged children’s anthologies, tells a riveting story about racism. In the story, a striped snake called a common krait slithers on the stomach of one of the main characters. The journey to save the character from the krait’s bite brings the plot to a panicky crescendo, to reveal that the poison was racism all along. The krait possibly worked as an excellent metaphor because the fear of poisonous snakes is very real and pervasive in India, among other South Asian countries including Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Hence, snakes have slithered their way into folklore, pop culture and media, but incidents of venomous bites may also be rising. The World Health Organization estimates that 5.4 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year – half of those by venomous snakes, causing 100,000 deaths. Snakebites in South Asia contribute to almost 70 percent of these deaths. Research from India alone indicates that 58,000 deaths result from about one million cases of snakebite envenoming there each year, the WHO said. Worryingly, this is likely to rise. A 2018 study from the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka also concluded that climate change is likely to increase the number of snakebites. The WHO announced last year that it is stepping up its work to prevent snakebites in South Asia, which it describes as a “biodiversity hotspot for venomous snakes, and is also home to some of the world’s most densely packed agrarian communities”. Where do snakebites occur most frequently in South Asia? Data about snakebites in South Asia is patchy, a fact which prompted the WHO to add snakebite poisoning to its list of neglected tropical diseases in June 2017. No official data has been available from Pakistan since 2007, when 40,000 snakebites occurred, killing 8,200 people, according to the WHO. Nepal’s official Ministry of Health and Population does not have official data for snakebite deaths, either. However, a study carried out by doctors in Nepal showed that 40,000 people are bitten by snakes every year there, too, of whom about 3,000 die. The WHO estimated that 33,000 snakebites in Sri Lanka between 2012 and 2013 had resulted in 400 deaths. It is thought that these numbers are severely underreported, however, due to the lack of research into snakebites in South Asia. “Because they’re underreported, it’s thought to be maybe not as large of an issue,” said Rmaah Memon, a resident physician at Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Furthermore, as the study from the University of Kelaniya suggests, snakebites in Sri Lanka may already be increasing. That study carried out climate change projections and estimated that the annual snakebite burden could increase by 31.3 percent over the next 25 to 50 years. The common krait, one of the ‘big four’ snakes in India [Shutterstock] Which snakes are the most common? Common species of snakes found in Pakistan and India include the big four: the common krait, Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper and the Indian viper (naja naja). Other species include the king cobra, which averages 3-3.6 metres in length but can grow as large as 5.4 metres. It is found in northern India and also in Nepal alongside the banded and common kraits, green pit vipers, checkered keelbacks and the Nepal kukri snake. In Sri Lanka, species of Russell’s viper and the common krait are found, as well as the Indian python. The king cobra can be found in northern India and Nepal [Shutterstock] How dangerous are snakebites? Of the 5.4 million snakebites which occur each year, 1.8 to 2.7 million result in “envenoming”. Envenoming is when the poison from a snakebite results in a possibly life-threatening disease. “Snake venom can kill the victim from a few minutes up to two to three hours if not treated in time,” said Sadanand Raut, a doctor who, along with his wife Pallavi Raut, has made it his mission to prevent snakebite deaths entirely in the Narayangaon region of India’s Maharashtra state. Raut is also a member of the WHO roster of experts for snakebite envenoming. Raut explained that the type of snake venom depends on the species of snake. He said that Indian cobras have very quick-acting neurotoxic venom, which means it has a paralysing effect that can cause symptoms minutes after the bite. While krait bites inject the same type of venom, it may take longer – four to six hours after the bite – for symptoms to show. Krait bites might not hurt initially, but cause issues such as an inability to open the eyes, difficulty in breathing and cardiac problems when left untreated, Raut added. Other snakes such as Russell’s vipers and saw-scaled vipers release vasculotoxic venom. These snakebites are very painful and result in necrosis, which means death of the body tissue. Raut explained that vasculotoxic venom can result in the thinning of the blood and can even lead to kidney failure. The symptoms can begin to show within minutes of the bite. The Russell’s viper releases a vasculotoxic venom which can result in necrosis – the death of body tissue [Shutterstock] What happens when a snake bites you? The effects of a poisonous snakebite can be terrifying, according to those who have survived. Kabiraj Kharel was about 18 years old when a krait bit his right hand. Kharel, now 50, whose family are farmers, had been removing ears from a batch of corn at his home in Sagarnath, Nepal, close to the Indian border, when he noticed the bite. Kharel recalled feeling terrified. “I thought I was going to die,” he told Al Jazeera. He rushed to get medical help. The nearest hospital was 25km (15.5 miles) from his house. Kharel said that he was aware of his surroundings for the first 20km, then his eyes and tongue began to tingle and go numb. After that, he lost consciousness. Venomous snakebites
Himachal Pradesh crisis: CM Sukhu calls rebels ‘black serpents’ amid doubts over Vikramaditya Singh’s next move
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has taken steps to address the crisis within the state’s Congress party after six MLAs crossed party lines in the Rajya Sabha polls.