Rescuers race to find missing people in India glacier collapse

Rescuers in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand are racing to find more than 100 people missing after a glacier collapsed on Sunday. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today India glacier collapse leaves more than 100 missing [Rescuers work at one of the hydro power projects at Reni village in Chamoli district, in Indian state of Uttrakhund to save 37 people after part of a glacier broke off, releasing a torrent of water and debris, Feb.8, 2021.] Credit: AP Rescuers in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand [are racing to find more than 100 people]( missing after a glacier collapsed on Sunday, and sent a wall of water and debris rushing down the mountain. More than a dozen people lost their lives in the disaster when a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier calved off, [sending water smashing through a dam](, then surging downstream, damaging another dam project and taking out buildings and trees. Most of the missing are workers on the two dam projects. Rescuers said they were focusing [on saving more than 30 workers stuck inside]( a tunnel at one of the affected hydropower plants who had been out of contact since the flooding. Scientists raised concerns that the glacier collapse in the middle of winter [could be linked to climate change]( and a team of experts were expected at the site on Monday to investigate. What The World is following Health officials in South Africa announced a [halt to the rollout]( of the AstraZeneca vaccine after [new data suggested]( it doesn’t appear effective at preventing mild to moderate illness from the COVID-19 variant dominant in the country. News of the halt comes as South Africa had just [received 1 million doses]( of the AstraZeneca coronavirus jab and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the government would now wait for additional advice on how to proceed. And with the new Biden administration announcing [a return to diplomatic efforts]( (🎧) around the world after four years of President Donald Trump’s "America First" policy, the Iran nuclear deal, which the US pulled out of in 2018, is expected to be a priority. Biden on Sunday suggested that the US [would not lift sanctions on Iran]( until it complies with the terms of the deal. But Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded saying it was the [US that violated the deal]( and America itself should “implement its obligations.” --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [In Germany, fighting against extremism starts at school]( [Anika Färber is a trainer for The Network for Democracy and Courage, or NDC, one of several organizations in Germany confronting racism.]( Credit: Ryan Delaney Activists [are working with children and youth in schools]( to combat extremism amid a renewed wave of anti-immigrant politics, conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic attacks in Germany. [Dr. Atul Gawande: Pandemic led to a ‘rethink on what matters’]( [A man wearing a face mask walks through the Sensoji temple in the snow in Tokyo, Jan. 28, 2021.]( Credit: Hiro Komae/AP Almost a year into the pandemic, societies are faced with immense contradictions: processing shocking death tolls while finding hope in promising vaccine rollouts. Surgeon, writer and researcher Dr. Atul Gawande speaks with The World’s Marco Werman about [what it means to be human in this precarious moment.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Many in the US have languished with a sad desk lunch — eating right at your desk while continuing to work. Now French employees might get to enjoy (?) that questionable American habit. France is [set to scrap a law in the nation's labor code]( that forbids companies from "letting workers take their meal inside the work premises," or face a fine. The Labor Ministry says this will be a temporary measure aimed at limiting employees’ exposure to COVID-19. [Screen grab from of a tweet from Adora]( Credit: Courtesy of Twitter --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it from The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.