World Tour: Monsoon rains hit India; and the March for Jesus

NICK EICHER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour.

European Parliament opens amid controversy—We begin today in France. 

AUDIO: [Sound of rally outside of European Parliament]

Multiple protests marked the beginning of the European Parliament’s new five-year session on Tuesday. Leading the way: pro-Brexit demonstrators and those backing Catalan independence.

AUDIO: [Sound of opening session of EU Parliament]

Huge turnout in last month’s elections sent more anti-immigration and pro-environmental lawmakers to EU Parliament seats. 

On Tuesday they made it clear they are not interested in the status quo: some refused to stand for the EU’s anthem, while others literally turned their backs on the proceedings.

Doctors cut off food, water for quadriplegic—REICHARD: Elsewhere in France, doctors have decided to stop providing food and water to a man with quadriplegia.

The legal wrangling has split the man’s family. His wife and six of his siblings are advocating for his so-called “right to die.” Meanwhile, two other siblings and his parents oppose shutting off his nutrition and hydration systems.

Viviane Lambert, his mother, made her case before the UN Human Rights Council on Monday. 

SOUND: [Viviane Lambert speaking before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 1 July 2019]

Lambert says authorities want to murder her son and asked the council for help. She says her son is not “at the end of his life,” and in her words, he’s “not a vegetable.”

Doctors say the man has been in a persistent vegetative state for more than a decade.

Monsoon rains hit India— EICHER: Next we go to India. Heavy monsoon rains in the western part of the country have killed at least 31 people and are blamed for dozens of injuries. 

AUDIO: [Sound of Indian monsoon rescuers]

Rescue teams—including the Indian Navy—are using detection dogs to search rubble.

Rain in India’s largest city Mumbai is the heaviest in a decade and the second-worst in four decades. 

Forecasters are calling for continued heavy rainfall the rest of the week and beyond.

Total Solar Eclipse—REICHARD: Now to South America. 

AUDIO: [2019 eclipse cheer]

Thousands of tourists and astronomers gathered all across northern Chile and Argentina for the best view of yesterday’s total solar eclipse. 

One eclipse enthusiast spoke with Al Jazeera television beforehand: 

AUDIO: People say, “What’s so special about it? Why do you want to travel so far to see it?” After you see the eclipse, you will know why. 

Totality lasted for only a few minutes, but travelers said they were glad they made the trip.

HERVE: Yes, it’s an expensive hobby, but a full eclipse, you get addicted actually. It’s like you want to see the next one. 

The next total solar eclipse will be visible in December 2020, over parts of South America.

March for Jesus—EICHER: And finally, we end today with more sounds from South America. Recently in São Paulo, Brazil, an estimated 3 million Christians descended on the capital city for the 27th annual “March for Jesus.”

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro became the first sitting president to attend the march. He told the crowd they were changing the destiny of Brazil.

AUDIO: [President Bolsonaro addressing crowd]

He added that it was good to be among friends, especially friends with “God in their hearts.”  

The “Jesus March” is held each year to pray, worship, and call for national revival. 

AUDIO: [Music]

The event ended with nearly 10 hours of praise and worship music from 28 singers and bands. 

That’s this week’s World Tour.

(AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) A demonstrator holds a flag of the Spanish Catalan region outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Tuesday June 2, 2019.

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