'Poverty eradication is a continuous process. There is no full stop to it.'
'Workers are the people who create all the wealth in this country. How can you call them anti-national?'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued his New Year's message for 2026 in Hindi, among other languages, urging world leaders to prioritize development over destruction. He highlighted the staggering scale of human suffering and the disproportionate global military spending.
'I met with a man who really wants to see New York be great again. I think he can bring it back. I think he wants to make it greater than ever before, and if he can, we'll be out there cheering. I'll be cheering for him.'
'At COP30, the emphasis will be on unlocking climate finance, reinforcing the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and building resilience through inclusive transitions and the mainstreaming of adaptation.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Independence Day, focusing on economic growth, self-reliance, and national security. He emphasized manufacturing quality products at affordable prices, supporting farmers, and combating terrorism and infiltration.
'I noticed a nine-year-old child hugging another child every few minutes.' 'The two were sisters and were playing in their village when an armed gang attacked their village and set fire to it.' 'They hid together, only to witness their mother and father being killed.' 'Now, the older child is constantly comforting the younger one.'
'The Weather Channel argues that India faces the gravest challenge: Climate change-induced health vulnerability.' 'This is an issue often neglected, alerts Claude Arpi: "Prolonged summers, unpredictable rains, floods, droughts, and rising sea levels are the harsh realities of climate change in the country. These factors increase the frequency and severity of illnesses, pushing people into poverty, and forcing migration".'
Citing evolving needs and aspirations of the citizens, he said that the civil service must adapt to contemporary challenges to remain relevant.
The earthquake rocked many parts of Thailand including its capital Bangkok, the venue for next week's summit of BIMSTEC regional grouping that is scheduled to be attended by Modi among other leaders.
Three-quarters into the 10 years that Mr Modi had sought for transforming India, the 'output' numbers look impressive, but the key 'outcome' numbers don't show up much, if at all, observes T N Ninan.
'Because the same stupid questions are repeated year after year when an exam should provoke the students to think and not ask repetitive questions.' 'So, what do coaching institutes do? They teach students to memorise these questions and answers without understanding the subject.'
According to the report, floods (43.4 per cent) and storms (28.2 per cent) are the two most frequently occurring disasters.
In July, the Planning Commission said that the number of people living below poverty line has come down both in rural as well as urban areas.
India loses $ 9.8 billion every year due to multi-hazard disasters as its 58.6 per cent land is prone to earthquake.
"As we look to 2050 we see climate change with unprecedented levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, a looming water crisis that governments across the globe are failing to acknowledge, and a health and poverty disaster with 65 per cent of the world's projected 8.5 billion population living in mega-cities," he said.
The actor-turned-politician has been allotted Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Environment, Forests, and Science and Technology portfolios.
The new idol of Lord Ram was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi temple on Thursday afternoon, ahead of the January 22 consecration ceremony.
The Odisha government told the assembly over 40,000 workers migrated from the state last year, with the highest number -- 26,151 -- from Balangir.
Though Beijing asserts the Dalai Lama's successor needs its approval, observers say it remains concerned as the present Panchen Lama, the number two spiritual leader who was appointed by it after unseating the boy nominated by the Dalai Lama, has not gained much traction in Tibet.
Economist Jayati Ghosh noted that the word 'freebies' indicates the class position of those who use it.
The most important lesson is that you have to build your political proposition, and sell it yourself. You can't leave it to the courts, media, NGOs and civil society and expect them to play the role of the Opposition. That's precisely what Mr Modi's challengers have been doing and we know the results, notes Shekhar Gupta.
Growth in India is expected to slow to 6.3 per cent in FY 2023/24 (April-March), a 0.3 percentage point downward revision from January, the World Bank said Tuesday but noted there is an unexpected resilience in private consumption and investment and robust growth in the services. The World Bank made these points in its latest edition of Global Economic Prospects according to which global growth is projected to decelerate from 3.1 per cent in 2022 to 2.1 per cent in 2023. In Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs) other than China, growth is set to slow to 2.9 per cent this year from 4.1 per cent last year. These forecasts reflect broad-based downgrades.
'There is no safe spot in Gaza.' 'Israeli airstrikes are targeting everything, everywhere.' 'Hospitals, mosques, churches, schools have been bombed. These are places where people were taking shelter.'
The Summit would also underscore the need for putting in place a Regional Response Mechanism regarding disaster preparedness.
Deepa Gahlot picks 10 Web series that was worth the viewer's while.
Pakistan was "drowning" in debt and it was the new government's job to "sail this ship ashore," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday.
"If India truly wants to be a superpower," Dr Abhijit Vaidya tells Kangana Pandiya, "48 per cent of our people cannot be malnourished. We need to ensure health for all."
'I worry that the suffering of these people might be as invisible as the people themselves,' observes Geetanjali Krishna.
On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Modi had announced the decision to withdraw Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes with the ultimate aim of reducing corruption and black money in the economy.
'What is most distressing is that the revival of the economy, creation of more employment, and reducing poverty are not on the agenda of the government at all.' 'We are an economy on the verge of a demographic disaster.'
'At least we had an asteroid. What's your excuse?'
'The roadmap ahead seems very difficult especially in the rural areas where there is very poor infrastructure, vaccine reach and hesitancy.' 'These are a deadly cocktail for the next wave.'
'... the government provides adequate cash and kind support for the poorest of the poor for survival... ...conditional cash and skilling support for the economically poor to raise their incomes to adequate levels... ...and make functional arrangements for providing unemployment allowance to the vulnerable poor during disasters like the present one.'
China continued to have pockets of poverty despite massive development.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim to halve world poverty by 2015. South Asian countries should include disaster-risk management in national strategic plans, the study 'Rethinking Disasters' released on Thursday by Oxfam said. Two to six per cent of South Asias gross domestic product is lost to disasters every year, the study said.
Gandhi said he was proud that his father Rajiv Gandhi and grandmother Indira Gandhi got killed while standing and defending something.
More than 3,71,500 babies were born worldwide on New Year's Day and India is estimated to have recorded the highest number of births at around 60,000, according to the United Nations' children's agency.
The powerful cyclone, strongest to hit India in 20 years, made landfall at around 8 am in India's eastern state of Odisha, killing at least 12 people.
