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Extra! Texas On 'Weather Steroids'

At least four people have been killed in Texas over the past three days as the state has been hit by a series of storms. The Houston Chronicle described Wednesday what it called a region “on weather steroids.” In Mexico, at least 13 people were also killed as a tornado struck the border town of Ciudad Acuna.

In Houston, the largest city in Texas, 9.8 inches (25 cm) of rain fell in just a few hours, forcing some 2,000 residents out of their homes. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the flash flooding had “tsunami-type power,” and expanded Tuesday the emergency disaster zone to at least 40 counties.

More than 100,000 gallons of wastewater also spilled out in the area because of the flooding, the Houston Chroniclereports. Electrical and mechanical systems were damaged at a treatment plant in the southwest of the city.

The death toll is expected to rise as many people are still missing after the storm. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and thousands of cars abandoned.

ABOUT THE SOURCE: The Houston Chronicleis the largest daily in Texas and Houston’s primary newspaper. It won the 2015 Pulitzer prize for Commentary.

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Society

Tales From A Blushing Nation: Exploring India's 'Issues' With Love And Sex

Why is it that this nation of a billion-plus has such problems with intimacy and romance?

Photo of Indian romance statues

Indian romance statues

Sreemanti Sengupta

KOLKATA — To a foreigner, India may seem to be a country obsessed with romance. What with the booming Bollywood film industry which tirelessly churns out tales of love and glory clothed in brilliant dance and action sequences, a history etched with ideal romantics like Laila-Majnu or the fact that the Taj Mahal has immortalised the love between king Shahjahan and queen Mumtaz.

It is difficult to fathom how this country with a billion-plus population routinely gets red in the face at the slightest hint or mention of sex.

It therefore may have come as a shock to many when the ‘couple-friendly’ hospitality brand OYO announced that they are “extremely humbled to share that we observed a record 90.57% increase in Valentine’s Day bookings across India.”

What does that say about India’s romantic culture?

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