India probes snake in school lunch after 100 children fall sick

India probes snake in school lunch after 100 children fall sick
Above, children sit outside a house in the Indian state of Bihar. More than 100 children fell sick after eating lunch served at a government-run school in the city of Mokama in Bihar. (AFP file photo)
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Updated 01 May 2025

India probes snake in school lunch after 100 children fall sick

India probes snake in school lunch after 100 children fall sick
  • The meal was served last week in a government-run school in the city of Mokama in Bihar
  • The incident sparked angry demonstrations from the children’s families

NEW DELHI: India’s human rights body said Thursday it was investigating reports more than 100 children fell sick after eating a school lunch served after a dead snake was found in the food.
“Reportedly, the cook served the food to the children after removing a dead snake from it,” the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement.
The meal was served last week in a government-run school in the city of Mokama in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states, it said.
The commission demanded local government officials and police investigate media reports that “more than 100 children fell ill” after eating the school lunch.
The incident sparked angry demonstrations from the children’s families.
“The news about the children falling ill, due to the consumption of the midday meal, led to the blocking of the road by the protesting villagers,” it said.
Free lunches are offered to millions of children in government schools throughout India, seen by authorities as a way to encourage children to continue their education.
The commission said it demanded a “detailed report” from senior state officials and the police, to include “the health status of the children.”
It said the report, if confirmed, poses the “serious issue of violation of the human rights of the students,” the statement added.
In 2013, 23 schoolchildren died after being served a meal laced with pesticides in Saran district of Bihar. The disaster prompted the government to improve food safety in schools.


Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive

Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive
Updated 05 November 2025

Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive

Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive
  • Bailey takes the mantle from “The Office” star John Krasinski, who was the 2024 selection
  • The 37-year-old had audiences swooning as Prince Fiyero in his 2024 big-screen debut in “Wicked,” the popular movie musical

Something has changed for “Wicked” star Jonathan Bailey, something is not the same — he is People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025.
The magazine’s pick was announced Monday night on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Bailey takes the mantle from “The Office” and “Jack Ryan” star John Krasinski, who was the 2024 selection.
“It’s a huge honor,” Bailey, 37, told the magazine. “Obviously, I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd.”
Bailey had audiences swooning as Prince Fiyero in his 2024 big-screen debut in “Wicked,” the popular movie musical in which he proudly urges fellow students to join him in his shallowness. The second half arrives in theaters Nov. 21.
He dripped with charm as Lord Anthony Bridgerton on Netflix’s “Bridgerton,” and earned a 2024 Emmy nomination for his role in the Showtime series “Fellow Travelers.” Most recently, he starred in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which came out in July.
Bailey told Fallon that the title was an “honor of a lifetime.”
“I’m sort of thrilled that People magazine have invited someone in – bestowed this honor on someone who can really cherish the value of a sexy man,” he said.
Bailey told People that he’s known he wanted to be an actor since he was 5 years old and his grandmother took him to see a production of the musical “Oliver!” Within two years he had achieved that dream, preforming with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The first Sexiest Man Alive was Mel Gibson in 1985. Other past recipients include Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John F. Kennedy Jr., David Beckham, Michael B. Jordan, John Legend, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Rudd, Pierce Brosnan and Patrick Dempsey.
Bailey, who will be the cover story in People’s edition coming out Friday, had to stay tight-lipped about the news. But he admitted to the magazine that he couldn’t keep it a complete secret — he shared to news with his dog Benson, who will also be featured in the magazine.