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Brief

flood
Early monsoon hits India

annual monsoon swept through India about two weeks early. But it brought heavy rains causing floods and landslides in eastern India. Unconfi-rmed sources say at least 52 people have been killed and over 3 million affected in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal. As on June 20, Subarnrekha river in Orissa was flowing above the danger level, marooning villages in Balasore, Bhadrakh and Mayurbhanj districts and evacuating 20,000 people. In West Bengal, situation in the East and West Midnapore districts remained critical. In Assam, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Sonitpur districts were seriously hit, where brimming rivers breached 11 embankments and inundated 800 villages. About 45 army boats have been pressed into action to help state authorities. As intensity of rain decreased, the flood situation in Jharkhand improved.
health
ICMR backs animal testing ban

the Indian Council of Medical Research (icmr), in a letter to the health ministry, has endorsed the demands of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (peta) to ban animal testing of cosmetics. peta sees this as a stamp of approval to their campaign. But icmr says it is not endorsing a complete ban; reducing the amount of animal testing is all they are looking at. Says Vasantha Muthuswamy, head of the Basic Medical Sciences division of icmr

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