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A major outbreak of dengue fever is sweeping over South Asian countries this year; in India, the reduced rainfall during the current weak monsoon season has emerged as a negative factor.

Low-tech, low-cost strategies could prevent 400 million falls at home, 8.5 million new type 2 diabetes cases and 2.4 million dementia cases by 2040, while unlocking $5.8 trillion in healthcare savings and $645 billion in productivity gains. Yet much of that opportunity remains unrealized because governments and businesses manage health, finances and labour participation separately, a new World Economic Forum report finds.

It is surprising that the government took over three months’ time to issue a directive to Indian shipping companies to restrict operation through conflict-stricken waters in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz following lethal US attacks on a foreign vessel causing the death of three Indian mariners. Till last week, there were 13 Indian flag bearing vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. They were carrying roughly 622 Indian seafarers. Going by the latest reports, there are 233 seamen on board Indian merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman and 329 seafarers on board Indian vessels in the Persian Gulf. In addition, a large number of Indians are deployed on non-Indian merchant ships crossing the strait, making India highly exposed to the US-Iran geopolitical standoff.

The Indian Opposition is facing considerable political challenges due to ongoing conflicts within its parties. This complex political landscape, where party switching and defections have become common, is understandably worrying for many. Such actions can erode trust, weaken accountability, and put our democratic stability at risk. It's important for all of us to feel a sense of responsibility in safeguarding our democracy together during these uncertain times.

Pro-Trump far right billionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella won the Presidential elections run off on Sunday defeating the candidate of the ruling Left coalition Ivan Cepeda by a narrow margin. Espriella got 49.66 per cent of the votes while Cepeda got 48.7 per cent. The difference was less than one per cent.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20 at Tarkeshwar near Kolkata spun a fresh yarn, promising to create a "New Bengal" (Viksit Bangla), as he christened the day “Paschimbanga Divas” (West Bengal Day), since it was on this day that BJP/RSS icon Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who founded the Jana Sangh, “created Bengal, for Hindus”. PM Modi also accused the Indian National Congress of "whitewashing" the history of the birth of the present-day West Bengal for the sake of political agenda, adding that a "new history" would be written inspired by Paschimbanga Divas.

Few issues in contemporary Indian politics carry consequences as profound as the impending delimitation exercise. While elections dominate headlines every few months, delimitation has the potential to alter the balance of political power for decades. It is not merely about drawing constituency boundaries. It is about determining who speaks for India, which states gain influence in Parliament, and whether the country's federal compact can survive one of its biggest demographic transitions.

KOLKATA: It is political theatre of absurd in Bengal as the former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo is witnessing the desertions of TMC leaders close to her and reports coming in from the districts of the state of the closure of the party offices or takeover of those by resurgent BJP supporters.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A budget that proclaims from the housetop out and out privatization for all the problems plaguing Kerala. That is the best description for the maiden budget presented last week by Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan who is also the Finance Minister.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India must “build arms and not just buy them,” he is articulating perhaps the most important shift in Indian defence policy since economic liberalization in 1991. The statement is not merely about weapons. It is about sovereignty, technology, strategic autonomy, jobs, exports and geopolitical influence.