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Bhubaneswar witnessed a troubling contradiction in 2025 as significant conservation achievements by the Odisha Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department were overshadowed by a series of corruption cases involving forest officials across ranks. From foresters and deputy rangers to divisional forest officers, multiple arrests and vigilance raids exposed what officials described as deep-rooted corruption within a department otherwise credited with notable wildlife protection successes. The most recent case emerged on December 27, when forester Niranjan Satpathy, aged 59, was arrested just five months before his retirement. Satpathy, who began his career in 1988 with a modest salary, was posted in Koraput at the time of his arrest. Vigilance officials alleged that he had amassed ass...

    Large parts of India welcomed the New Year with sharply contrasting weather conditions, as biting cold gripped north India, fresh snow covered the higher reaches of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, and heavy rainfall swept across Mumbai. The first day of 2026 highlighted the intensity and spread of winter systems influencing different regions of the country. In north India, severe cold conditions dominated the morning as Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region continued to reel under low temperatures and poor air quality. The national capital remained enveloped in dense smog, with air quality staying in the “very poor” category. Delhi had ended 2025 by recording its coldest December day in six years, with the maximum temperature plunging to 14.2 degrees Celsiu...

The year 2025 emerged as a defining and difficult chapter for Bangladesh, as political uncertainty, economic strain and climate-related disruptions converged to test the country’s resilience. From tense domestic politics to persistent cost-of-living pressures and mounting environmental risks, the year underscored the fragility of stability in one of South Asia’s most densely populated nations. Politics remained at the centre of national attention throughout the year. In the wake of the general elections, Bangladesh saw prolonged political tension, with opposition parties raising questions over democratic space and governance. Protests, arrests of political activists and restrictions on dissent kept the political climate charged. Concerns expressed by international rights organisations o...

    The southwest monsoon of 2025 in India and Pakistan has emerged as the deadliest climate disaster of the year, claiming the highest number of lives among all major global climate events, according to a new report by UK-based charity Christian Aid. The monsoon season, which recorded rainfall eight per cent above normal, also ranked as the fifth most expensive climate disaster worldwide in terms of economic losses. Published in London on December 27, the report titled Counting the Cost 2025 highlights how extreme weather events driven by climate change caused more than $120 billion in losses globally this year from just the ten most severe disasters. The South Asian monsoon alone caused estimated financial damages of $5.6 billion, or over ₹50,000 crore, across India an...

    NEW DELHI: More than a year after recurring waterlogging began at the RR Hospital underpass near Dhaula Kuan, Delhi’s civic agencies have failed to identify the exact cause of the problem despite spending over ₹15 lakh on repairs, prompting the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to take charge of the stretch. According to a presentation made during a Delhi government meeting last week, the underpass, located on the Dhaula Kuan–Terminal 1 approach road, was formally handed over to NHAI in November. The move allows the authority to engage expert agencies and seek financial assistance from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to find a permanent solution. Officials said repeated efforts by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to trace the source of water...

As the festive season gathers momentum, lenders and financial platforms are rolling out attractive financing options to help individuals and families meet their festive expenses with ease. From home renovations and weddings to business expansion and debt consolidation, instant cash loans of up to ₹50 lakh are now available with faster approvals and minimal paperwork. Banks, NBFCs and digital lending platforms are offering customised personal and business loan products designed to match festive needs. These loans typically come with competitive interest rates, flexible repayment tenures and quick disbursal timelines, making them a preferred choice for borrowers looking for immediate liquidity. Industry experts say festive demand traditionally leads to a surge in credit uptake, especia...

    Thousands of glaciers across the world are expected to disappear every year in the coming decades, with scientists warning that the planet is approaching a period they describe as “peak glacier extinction.” A new study published in Nature Climate Change shows that unless global warming is sharply reduced, the pace of glacier loss will accelerate dramatically by the mid-21st century. Researchers estimate that today the world loses about 1,000 glaciers annually. By the 2040s, that number could double or even quadruple, depending on how much the planet warms. The study finds that government climate action will largely determine whether the world loses around 2,000 glaciers a year or as many as 4,000 by the 2050s. Led by glaciologist Lander Van Tricht, the research sh...

    Groundwater rarely features in employment debates, yet it has silently powered rural livelihoods across India for decades. Beneath fields and villages, this unseen resource has sustained irrigation, extended cropping seasons, and generated millions of days of casual farm work. Now, as water tables fall in large parts of the country, that invisible employer is slowly disappearing with serious consequences for rural workers. India’s groundwater picture looks stable at the national level, but the reality on the ground is far more troubling. According to official assessments, while overall recharge still appears sufficient, hundreds of blocks are already extracting more water than nature can replenish. In these over-exploited and critical areas, wells are running dry, pu...

    Tiny pieces of plastic are quietly entering the human body every day, mainly through food and drinking water. Scientists have been warning about microplastics and nanoplastics for years, but a new study suggests there may be an easy, household-level solution to reduce their presence in drinking water. Researchers in China have found that simply boiling tap water and then filtering it can remove a significant amount of microplastics and nanoplastics. The method works with both soft and hard water, although the results are especially striking in water that contains higher mineral content. The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters tested tap water samples by adding known quantities of microplastics and nanoplastics. When the water was boi...

    In the forest-fringed hills of Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, villages once marked by crop failures, soil exhaustion and distress migration are quietly reclaiming their agricultural future. In the Saigohan watershed, farmer-led natural farming has begun to reverse years of ecological decline, turning a struggling landscape into a living example of agroecological resilience. For decades, small tribal farmers in villages like Saigohan, Naktidhana and Jhirnadhana battled erratic rainfall, falling groundwater levels and rising input costs. Repeated crop losses pushed many families to migrate in search of work. Today, that cycle is weakening as farmers themselves take charge of rebuilding soil health, restoring water systems and reshaping local livelihoods. The trans...