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The total GDP loss due to climate change under median climate change scenario in 2070 is found to be 16.9% in Asia and the Pacific, with all economies experiencing losses. Changes are in GDP are most pronounced in Bangladesh (-30.5%), Viet Nam (-30.2%), Indonesia (-26.8%), India (-24.7%), Rest of Southeast Asia (-23.4%), Higher Income Southeast Asia (-22.0%), and Pakistan (-21.1%).

KOLKATA: With international assistance to Bangladesh on account of its feeding and sheltering a million Rohingyas to be sharply reduced from next month (April), Bangladeshi interim caretaker regime is lobbying hard to secure more help from abroad.

NEW YORK: In a big win for senior citizens, federal workers, and anyone else Social Security covers or who pays payroll taxes, a federal judge in Greenbelt, Md., tossed Elon Musk—Donald Trump’s puppeteer—and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency out of Social Security’s offices and its files. Thousands also marched in 150 cities across the country yesterday demanding an end to Trump efforts to privatize the U.S. Postal Service.

NEW YORK: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has never faced a revolt like this before. The broad left has never pulled its punches when it comes to the eight-term senator, suspicious of his Wall Street ties and unhappy with willingness to strike deals with Donald Trump. But it’s not the Left that Schumer has to worry about these days. Over the past week, Schumer has faced an unprecedented barrage of often public criticism and rebuke from within his own party, longtime Democratic loyalists, and party-aligned media outlets.

Is the Bangladesh Army going to take over control of their politically turbulent country, either from front or behind, to precipitate the holding of early elections? This question is being raised by the seasoned political observers in Dhaka, as the whole of last week was dominated by highly controversial posts on Facebook, Instagram, interviews in YouTube channels and both formal and unofficial interventions by the country’s top army officials through statements and meetings.

Another maverick action by United States President Donald Trump, launching large-scale military strikes against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi pirates, who have made cargo movement through the Red Sea a high-risk exercise since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza broke out over a year ago. At a stake is nearly 12 percent of the global trade and 30 percent of global container traffic. The trade is worth over US$1 trillion annually between Asia and Europe, which transit through the Red Sea. Although the Indian Navy has been active in the region to frequently rescue vessels under Houthi attacks, it is not enough. The Houthi pirates are generally selective about their targets. They are mostly after US, UK and Israeli flag carriers or cargo vessels linked with the countries supporting Israel, directly or indirectly, against Hamas militants. Incidentally, a large portion of India’s sea trade engages foreign flag carriers.

Workers’ two-month campaign against the four controversial labour codes has just begun afresh, after the adoption of a declaration in this regard in the National Convention of Workers organised by the joint platform of the 10 Central Trade Unions and Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations. The declaration has also called for a nationwide general strike of workers on May 20 on the day of culmination of the campaign.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, of Indian origin, is in the news these days. Her team has returned safely to Earth after spending nine months in space. They intended to be in space for eight days, but technical problems extended their mission. The spacecraft returned without them in September. This week, they landed in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule with Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov.

Will the RSS succeed in retaining its grip on the BJP? The three day Pratinidhi Sabha of the RSS which concluded in Bengaluru on Sunday threw this question in a very strong way. The delegates who had assembled in Bengaluru left disillusioned as the Sabha could not provide a fresh food for thought besides some usual rhetorics. The members returned to their states nurturing the feeling that RSS was faced with a decision making crisis.

The statement 'Comedian Kunal Kamra keeps me in splits' is not comedy. Neither is ‘Kunal lives in a room which is his surname!’ And if a child drops the line “Papa bought me a Kunal Kamra to take pictures”, it still isn’t a joke. What’s called ‘Stand-up Comedy’ is people paying money to listen to jokes at a comedy club in a hotel in Maximum City Mumbai!