The intense heat will persist for a few more days at least.”Andhra Pradesh has been hit the hardest, with 1,636 people dying from the heat over the past month and a half, a government statement said. A further 561 people have died in neighbouring Telangana, said Sada Bhargavi, a state disaster management commissioner. “Cooling monsoon rains are expected this week in southern India before advancing north. The monsoon season will last until the end of September. Forecasting service AccuWeather warned last week of prolonged drought conditions in India, with the monsoon likely to be disrupted by a more active typhoon season over the Pacific.” (Guardian http://bit.ly/1K3hIue)
John Kerry Breaks a Leg. Literally…”U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in a bicycle crash Sunday after striking a curb and scrapped the rest of a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State group. He planned to return to the United States on Monday.” (NYT http://nyti.ms/1K3hvHc)
Stat of the weekend: More than 5,000 migrants trying to reach Europe have been saved from boats in distress in the Mediterranean since Friday and operations are in progress to rescue 500 more, European Union authorities said on Sunday. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1eKjWT6
Africa
A bomb went off in the Gamboru market in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri on Sunday, a resident and a military source said. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1BAalDw)
The Burundian government said it was open to heeding a call by East African leaders Sunday to delay upcoming parliamentary and presidential polls by at least a month and a half amid violent protests sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1HYwUt4)
The United Nations human rights chief urged several countries to intensify their investigations of alleged sexual abuse of young children in the Central African Republic by French and African soldiers posted in the conflict-torn nation. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1HYx8Al)
At least 35 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in a week of clashes in villages near Somalia’s border with Ethiopia, officials and traditional elders said Sunday. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1eKkkkx)
A South African football official on Sunday admitted the country had paid out $10 million dollars in 2008 but denied that it was in any way a bribe to FIFA for the 2010 World Cup. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1FNmyIK)
South Africa today will impose tough new entry rules for minors aimed at preventing child trafficking, which airlines and travel agents say could hurt the important tourism industry. (VOA http://bit.ly/1HYx8R0)
MENA
At least 2,600 people were killed in violence in the 18 months after the military overthrew Egypt’s president in 2013, nearly half of them supporters of the Islamist leader, the head of a state-sanctioned rights body said Sunday. (AP http://yhoo.it/1BAakPR)
Human Rights Watch on Sunday published new evidence alleging a Saudi-led coalition is using internationally banned cluster bombs in Yemen, urging it to stop such attacks that were harming civilians. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1eKiUGO)
Several Americans have been detained in Yemen, a State Department official said Sunday, amid reports that at least four US citizens are being held by Shiite rebels. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1eKk855)
An Egyptian appeals court sentenced a lawyer and award-winning activist to 15 months in jail for breaking into a police station and assaulting officers in 2013, a court official said. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1HYx5EF)
Asia
Myanmar rejected as unbalanced comments made by several Nobel Peace Prize winners calling for an end to the persecution of Rohingya Muslims. (AP http://yhoo.it/1HELqAx)
Thousands of children affected by last month’s earthquake in Nepal returned to schools on Sunday, a working day in the Himalayan nation, five weeks after the disaster killed more than 8,600 people and destroyed many homes. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1HYuNpb)
North Korea has updated farming methods and switched crops that could help soften the blow of drought and avert a disastrous food shortage, an aid worker and an analyst said on Sunday, after a U.N. official warned of another “huge food deficit”. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1HEMd4A)
South Korea’s health minister apologised on Sunday for failing to halt an outbreak of the MERS virus, vowing “utmost efforts” to curb the disease’s spread as the number infected rose to 15. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1eKiQab)
Myanmar’s navy briefly detained journalists who tried to reach a remote island Sunday where more than 700 migrants were being held after their giant wooden ship was found drifting off the country’s southwestern coast. (AP http://yhoo.it/1eKkiJD)
The Americas
Thousands of demonstrators took to Caracas’ streets on Saturday to press for the release of imprisoned foes of President Nicolas Maduro’s government. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1HELpwH)
Thousands gathered in the main square of Guatemala’s capital on Saturday to protest against corruption after a wave of graft scandals prompted a Cabinet shake-up and the resignation of the vice president. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1HELqk4)
Rain caused flooding on roads in parts of Texas on Saturday, an official said, after severe weather killed at least 23 people during the week and prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to declare a disaster in the state. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1KGi5vV)
…and the rest
Opinion/Blogs
What if growth had been as good for the poor as everyone else? (ODI http://bit.ly/1BAbYRu)
Who’s Addicted To What? The First Worldwide Guide (NPR http://n.pr/1KGhQB7)
Buhari’s Tough Challenge in Nigeria (African Arguments http://bit.ly/1KGi4rR)
Aid as entertainment (AidSpeak http://bit.ly/1AGSzDh)
Development work & the myth of the “warm fuzzies” (WhyDev http://bit.ly/1eKpDk1)
Power generation alone won’t deliver energy to Africa’s poor (ODI http://bit.ly/1KGmtLw)
A Theory of Community-Supported Agriculture (Marc Bellemare http://bit.ly/1HEX0ff)
Targeted aid can make a positive difference (Devex http://bit.ly/1M1I8eY)
How does Gender change the way we think about Power? (From Poverty to Power http://bit.ly/1M1Ian0)
Visualizing Strike Activity in China (Dart-Throwing Chimp http://bit.ly/1M1IgLr)
Good intentions and mixed results: Two sides of ‘voluntourism’ (How Matters http://bit.ly/1KGmLln)
Drinking an ethical cup of coffee: how easy is it? (Guardian http://bit.ly/1M1IpP0)