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Ukraine is confronting a deep population crisis that could reshape the country for generations. In the western town of Hoshcha, a maternity ward that once welcomed hundreds of babies each year is now almost empty. Doctors report only 139 births so far this year, compared to more than 400 a decade ago. Local medical staff say many young men who would have become fathers have died in the war, creating a painful gap in the population. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine had a population of around 42 million. Today, it has fallen below 36 million, and experts fear the decline will accelerate. Millions of Ukrainians have fled to European countries, while hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded in battle. Official data shows that for every birth there are around thr...

    India has rushed further humanitarian support to Sri Lanka as the island nation struggles to recover from Cyclone Ditwah, which has triggered widespread flooding, landslides, and severe damage to critical infrastructure. The official death toll crossed 485 on Thursday evening, with more than 340 people still missing and entire districts cut off from essential services. A C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force arrived on Thursday carrying movable Bailey Bridge systems. These modular structures are designed to rapidly replace damaged bridges and restore road access in areas where relief teams have been unable to reach. According to the High Commission of India in Colombo, the bridges can be assembled within hours and provide immediate connectivity ...

From narrating the stories behind Sikkim’s famous tourist sites to replacing plastic with handcrafted bamboo products, Indra Kari Subba has built a remarkable path in the Himalayan state’s push for a greener future. He has become one of the few voices proving that tourism and sustainability can grow together, while creating income for those with limited opportunities. Sikkim has more than twenty native bamboo species and a long tradition of bamboo craftsmanship. Subba recognised this early and worked to turn untapped potential into livelihoods for women, young school dropouts and others searching for steady work. Born in Thingling Khechuperi village in Gyalshing district, around one hundred and sixteen kilometres from Gangtok, he first became a tourist guide during college because of fi...

    Scores of residents gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday to demand clean air as the national capital continued to experience extended periods of “very poor” air quality. Students from Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia joined the demonstration, along with members of the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India. Protesters held placards carrying messages such as “Delhi residents deserve an Air Quality Index below 50,” “Clean air is a fundamental right,” and “All have the right to breathe.” Several local singers performed to encourage the assembled crowd. Neha, aged twenty-six, one of the protesters, alleged that despite the Bharatiya Janata Party being in power at the Centre and in the Municipal Corporatio...

    Amid rising concern over severe air pollution in the national capital, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament P Wilson on Wednesday described Delhi as a “gas chamber” and urged the Union government to reconsider holding the winter session of Parliament during the peak smog period. Speaking during a debate on a resolution to extend the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024, to Manipur, Wilson said that pollution has moved beyond a statutory concern and has become a national emergency. He suggested that the government should explore serious measures to reduce congestion in Delhi and distribute administrative functions across multiple locations. Wilson stated that the winter months in Delhi have become a health haza...

    Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday released an official letter to counter allegations that the state government failed to seek central assistance for recent flood damage. The move came after Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Member of Parliament Omraje Nimbalkar claimed that Maharashtra had not submitted the mandatory crop damage report to secure financial support from the Union government. Nimbalkar had earlier spoken to a regional news channel, stating that a reply he received in the Lok Sabha suggested the state had not sent a flood loss assessment. “If the state maintains it has already submitted the proposal, then why does the official response say otherwise? Farmers deserve transparency,” he said. Responding to this, Bawa...

    Global trade is continuing to expand despite tariffs, geopolitical uncertainty and shifting supply chains. Goods trade grew by an estimated four per cent in the first months of 2025, defying widespread expectations of a slowdown. Shipping routes are being reorganised, manufacturers have adapted to new trade corridors, and companies appear increasingly able to operate in a fractured geopolitical environment. However, the Trade and Development Report 2025 titled *On the Brink* paints a very different picture beneath the surface. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the apparent resilience of trade activity hides a serious vulnerability in the financial system supporting global commerce. The report argues that world trade is bein...

    The Antarctic ozone hole has fully closed earlier than usual this year, creating an unexpected moment of environmental optimism despite record global temperatures and continuing climate risks. Copernicus, the European Earth observation agency, confirmed that the ozone hole, which formed in August, had completely healed by December 1, 2025. The early closure comes at a time when October 2025 recorded a temperature 1.55 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial average of 1850 to 1900. Yet, according to scientists, the ozone layer displayed one of its strongest signs of recovery in recent years. Copernicus reported that the 2025 ozone hole was the smallest in five years. It was the second consecutive year in which the ozone hole remained relatively limited in s...

    Scientists are warning that large parts of New Delhi are sinking at an alarming rate, posing growing risks to buildings, infrastructure and public safety. New research shows that land near Indira Gandhi International Airport is subsiding faster than in any other Indian megacity, driven mainly by heavy groundwater extraction in areas where piped water remains scarce. Published in Nature, the study analyzed satellite radar data collected between 2015 and 2023 by researchers from India, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The findings identified three major “sinking hotspots,” all within a 12-square-kilometer radius of the airport. Across New Delhi alone, more than 2,200 buildings in a 100-square-kilometer zone are already at risk of structural damage. If...

A new study has raised concerns over forest carbon projects across Southeast Asia, warning that schemes designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are struggling to deliver social protections and biodiversity benefits. Despite their promise as tools to combat climate change, weak governance, insecure land rights and fragmented policy frameworks are limiting their success. Researchers examined 170 social science reports on forest carbon programs, including REDD+ initiatives, and found repeated shortcomings. Projects often prioritize carbon profits over community rights, and in many cases, Indigenous peoples have faced harassment, legal challenges and loss of access to traditional lands. One prominent example is Cambodia’s Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, where communities reported crop des...