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☆ The scarcity of water is emerging as a global economic threat. With China and India looking the most at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ghosh warned that water scarcity must not be viewed as a sectoral issue, but one that "transcends the entire economy." Asian economies "must understand that it is a regional common good and it is in their own interest to mitigate the risks that come their way in order to prevent the economic shocks that severe water scarcity will impose," he said. India, now the world's most populous nation, will be the hardest hit from water scarcity. "Water scarcity is not particularly problematic to these industries because a lot of the water can be recycled. The Gezhouba dam water conservancy project of the Yangtze River after heavy rain in Yichang, Hubei Province, China.

Persons: Ritesh Shukla, Arunabha Ghosh, It's, Ghosh, Shanshan Wang, Wang, Wayne Middleton, Arup Organizations: Getty, Council, Energy, CNBC, World Bank, Lowy Institute, Arup, Visual China, Getty Images, Water, Future Publishing Locations: Peth, India, China, Asia, Philippines, Singapore, Kunming, Yunnan Province, Getty Images India, Taiwan, Yichang, Hubei Province

☆ Kyiv warns against loose talk as Russia claims to repel a Ukrainian ‘large-scale’ offensive attack in Donetsk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Nathan Hodge Sebastian Shukla Olga Voitovych Sana Noor Haq | Nathan Hodge | Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Monday’s announcement from the Russian side was no exception: The Russian military claimed in a statement to have killed 250 Ukrainians and destroyed armored vehicles used in the assault, but provided scant evidence. A spokesperson for the Ukraine Armed Forces, Bohdan Senyk, told CNN that Ukraine does “not have information” on a purported “large-scale offensive” in Donetsk. Gerasimov, who is chief of Russia’s General Staff, was put in overall command of Russian military operations in Ukraine early this year. Ukrainian troops are pictured near the town of Avdiivka in Donetsk on May 31, 2023. He claimed that Ukrainian troops have increased the intensity of their shelling, and fired Storm Shadow missiles.

Persons: Bohdan Senyk, “, ”, Valery Gerasimov “, Gerasimov, Wagner, Viacheslav Ratynskyi, Zelensky, Sean Gallup, Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Rogov, ” Rogov, Muhammed Enes, Hanna Maliar, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Jake Sullivan –, Joe Biden’s, –, Washington, ” Sullivan, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Organizations: CNN, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian, Ukraine Armed Forces, Russia’s, Staff, Reuters, Getty, Novosti, Storm, Anadolu Agency, Wall Street, Kyiv Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Avdiivka, Russian, Azov, “

☆ An Indian official ordered an entire reservoir drained to find his phone after he dropped it taking a selfie
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Indian official was suspended after he drained an essential reservoir to find his phone. Rajesh Vishwas was taking a selfie when he dropped the phone in the water, the BBC reported. Rajesh Vishwas, a food inspector, was taking a selfie when he dropped his cell phone into the Kherkatta Dam in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh last weekend, according to BBC News. The official has since been suspended from his position, the BBC reported, after he was criticized for exploiting his position and wasting water. Vishwas denied "misusing" his position, saying the drained water was from an overflow section of the dam and was not "in usable condition."

CNN —Moscow alleged Wednesday Ukraine flew two drones toward the Kremlin overnight in what it claimed was an attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine says it had no knowledge of any attempted drone strike on the Kremlin, that it did not attack other countries. “As President Zelensky has stated numerous times before, Ukraine uses all means at its disposal to free its own territory, not to attack others,” Nykyforov added. The Kremlin Press Service called the purported drone attack an “attempt on the President’s life.” “Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit,” it added. Russia has accused Ukraine of multiple attempted drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, including one earlier this year when the governor of the Moscow region claimed a Ukrainian drone had crashed near the village of Gubastovo, southeast of the capital.

☆ Former Indian lawmaker slain live on TV while in police custody, state restricts gatherings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Police officers escort Atiq Ahmed, a former lawmaker in India's parliament, accused in several criminal cases, outside a court in Prayagraj, India, April 13, 2023. A gunman is seen reaching over the shoulders of police to point a pistol at the temple of the former lawmaker, Atiq Ahmed, whose turban is blown off as the gun discharges. Fearing the possibility of violent unrest in the wake of the killings, the Uttar Pradesh government barred gatherings of more than four people across the entire state. He had been wanted in connection to a murder case that was being investigated as part of a wider crackdown into a land mafia operating in Uttar Pradesh. Police in Uttar Pradesh have killed more than 180 suspected criminals during encounters over past six years.

The government said the BBC had failed to respond to repeated requests to clarify its tax affairs related to the profits and remittances from its Indian operations. The documentary, which was only broadcast in Britain, accused Modi of fostering a climate of impunity that fuelled the violence. Reuters spoke to eight Indian journalists, industry executives and media analysts who said that some media which reported critically on the government have been targeted with inspections by government agencies, the suspension of state advertising, and the arrest of reporters. Modi's government has vigorously denied the BBC tax inspection - the first against an international news organisation in decades - was a response to the film. Gupta said there had been complaints after the government reduced its advertising spending but that was not an assault on media freedom.

☆ A pop-up message tells staff 'please go home' 10 minutes before locking their computers at the end of the day to improve work-life balance
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

IT firm Software Computers developed a fun way to get staff to leave work on time, per Reuters. It made a pop-up message to warn staff that their computers will shut down in 10 minutes. It's installed software that displays a pop-up message telling workers that their computers will shut down in 10 minutes when their day is done, Reuters reported. Tanvi Khandelwal, an employee at Software Computers, shared a photo on LinkedIn of the notification, which has had more than 425,000 reactions. A Software Computers representative told Insider that it had deployed the pop-up messages to help its staff.

Adani argued the plants were "unviable" at the trucking rates it wanted to slash by around half. Truckers rejoiced, with a union leader in a street address labelling it as a victory after late-night talks with Adani. After the Hindenburg report, Congress has renewed its claims that Modi for years has unduly favoured Adani. The Adani group wanted freight rates to be lowered to around 6 rupees ($0.0725) per tonne per km, from around 11 rupees. "The Hindenburg report was a gift that saved our businesses."

☆ Fungal infections are becoming more common. Why isn't there a vaccine?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ritesh Shukla | Getty ImagesFungal infections are becoming more common in the United States, but unlike illnesses caused by bacteria or viruses, there's no vaccine to protect against a fungal threat. Fungi cause a wide range of illnesses in people, from irritating athlete's foot to life-threatening bloodstream infections. In the U.S., fungal infections are responsible for more than 75,000 hospitalizations and nearly 9 million outpatient visits each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite the growing threat, there are currently no licensed vaccines — in the U.S. or abroad — to prevent fungal infections. Fatal fungal infectionsNorris said that the ultimate goal would be to develop a single vaccine that protects against all fungal infections.

☆ We spoke with more than 50 CEOs, billionaires, execs, and government officials in Davos. Here are our 4 biggest takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Matt Turner | Cadie Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Insider's Matt Turner and Cadie Thompson share their biggest takeaways from the World Economic Forum. More than 1,500 business leaders descended on Davos in the Swiss Alps last week for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting. The week of Davos, Alphabet published an explainer on its approach to AI signed by execs including CEO Sundar Pichai. "With every technology, there is good and then there's bad," Rima Qureshi, Verizon's chief strategy officer, told Insider. Several of those who spoke with Insider highlighted the need for much-greater collaboration among companies — and a willingness to experiment.

☆ Brown University Discriminates Against South Asians
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Suhag A. Shukla | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Supreme Court is considering whether universities can legally discriminate against Asian applicants in the interest of assembling a “diverse student body.” Meanwhile Brown University has adopted a policy that discriminates against certain Asian students in the name of nondiscrimination. Brown announced Dec. 1 that it has “added a new provision to its nondiscrimination policy that explicitly prohibits caste oppression,” which it described as “a subtle, often misunderstood form of structural inequality.” There has apparently never been a “caste”-related complaint at Brown.

CNN —The body of Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda, a fighter recruited by the mercenary group Wagner for combat operations in Ukraine, was returned to Zambia on Sunday. The body was received by Nyirenda’s family and foreign ministry officials, the ministry stated in a series of tweets Sunday. A relative of Lemekani Nyirenda, who died in the conflict in Ukraine in September, is consoled as his coffin arrives at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka on Sunday. A hearse carrying the remains of Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda at Lusaka's Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. Salim Dawood/AFP/Getty ImagesFlorence Nyirenda, Lemekani Nyirenda's mother, is comforted by family members at the airport in Lusaka, on December 11.

CNN —President Vladimir Putin made rare public comments specifically addressing the Russian military’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure Thursday, while clutching a glass of champagne at a Kremlin reception. Ukraine has been facing a wide assault on critical infrastructure and power sources since early October. On Monday, Russia unleashed a fresh wave of drone and missile attacks targeting energy infrastructure across Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes caused extensive power outages in several regions, including Kyiv and Odesa. Ukrainian authorities are engaged in the delicate work of trying to balance the national power grid, leaving many households without electricity.

☆ Russia pardoned Zambian prisoner ‘to join military operation in Ukraine,’ says minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Russia pardoned a Zambian prisoner so that they could be deployed to Ukraine, where they died fighting for the Wagner mercenary unit, Zambia’s foreign affairs minister said Friday. Zambian national Nathan Lemekhani Nyirenda was “pardoned on 23rd August, 2022 in order to join the military operation, in exchange for amnesty,” the minister, Stanley Kakubo, said in Lusaka, adding that this information was provided to him by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. However, it appears that Lavrov also gave the first indication that the Russian government is sanctioning the recruitment of prisoners from Russian prisons for the war in Ukraine. During the summer, the financier of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, toured Russia’s prisons searching for prisoners to join the war in Ukraine. He was caught on video at multiple Russian prisons giving speeches to potential recruits.

Zelensky’s unlikely career path has taken him from comic actor to wartime president in the space of only a few years. Zelensky has been named Time person of the year, along with "the spirit of Ukraine." Zelensky follows Elon Musk as TIME person of the year for 2021. Russian President Vladimir Putin was TIME person of the year in 2007. The title is not necessarily awarded as an honor, but indicates that the winner had influence on the world’s events.

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a visit to the Kerch Bridge, a key link between the annexed Crimean peninsula and mainland Russia which was partially destroyed by an explosion in October, according to Russian state media. In another video Putin is seen walking along a section of the bridge. The Kerch Bridge pictured after the explosion on October 8. The 11-mile Kerch Bridge is the longest in Europe and carries both road and rail traffic. In 2018, Putin symbolically drove a truck across the Kerch Bridge to mark its opening, which was greeted with great fanfare on Russian state TV.

CNN —Russian forces unleashed a new round of missiles towards Ukraine on Monday, ramping up attacks on the central and southeastern regions of the country. “We see that strategic bombers have taken off and the first wave of missiles was already launched,” said Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Forces, adding that there may be several more assaults. Citizens sheltered in the metro in Kyiv on Monday, as Russia released another missile attack towards Ukraine. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty ImagesMost of the Russian missiles were intercepted: KyivThe Ukrainian Air Force said they had intercepted more than 60 Russian missiles on Monday, repelling further attacks on power facilities. Air defense intercepted most of the missiles.

☆ India and climate change: Can Modi deliver what the world needs?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

By 2030, Modi wants half of India’s energy to come from renewables. The state is fast becoming a hotbed of solar energy, yet is also home to at least seven coal-fired power plants. “Even during Covid it hasn’t stopped.”At COP26, Modi outlined a series of targets for India’s efforts to combat climate change. It’s also a question of funding – investing in renewable energy and other climate change mitigation efforts is expensive. And your other burning questions answered 03:37 - Source: CNNIf India doesn’t receive the financial support it needs, maintaining its pace on developing renewable energy will be difficult.

☆ In Indian village, residents take to YouTube to fulfil their Bollywood dreams
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Sunil Kataria | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TULSI, India Oct 21 (Reuters) - A man sporting a black cap and pink T-shirt sits on a bullock cart, pile of grass behind him, and busts a rhyme to a camera while riding across the dusty streets of India's Tulsi village. The hip-hop video is just one of many home-grown, Bollywood-inspired productions being created for the village's flagship YouTube channel, which boasts nearly 120,000 subscribers and has more than 200 uploaded videos. They now produce two to three videos a month, from slapstick comedy and action dramas to educational shorts and music videos. But for some, the channel is an opportunity to dream big -- well beyond the confines of the small village. "We want the entire world to know us, not just India," said Verma, 30.

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