Author: Sharad Natani
From pandemics to cyber warfare, and from geopolitical instability to AI disruption, the world’s risk landscape has changed dramatically over the last five years. A new global risk outlook highlights a striking shift: climate change has now emerged as the single biggest threat to humanity, overtaking pandemics, economic shocks, and terrorism. According to global risk experts surveyed across 57 countries, climate change has steadily climbed to the top of the risk rankings from 2021 onwards and continues to dominate projections through 2025. What began as an environmental concern has now evolved into a multidimensional crisis, influencing food security, energy supply,…
Air pollution has emerged as a silent but severe public health crisis, with its most devastating impact falling on pregnant women, newborns, and couples planning a family. From life-threatening pregnancy complications to long-term developmental risks for infants, polluted air is now being linked to alarming maternal and neonatal outcomes, experts warn. Speaking at the Conference on the Impact of Air Pollution on Health and Preventive Measures, Padma Shri awardee Dr. Malvika Sabharwal, Chief Gynaecologist and Obstetrician at Jeewan Mala Hospital, highlighted how prolonged exposure to polluted air can push pregnancies into high-risk territory. The event was organised by the Illness…
The year 2025 emerged as a landmark year for Indian taxpayers, bringing long-awaited relief to salaried professionals, middle-class families, senior citizens, and Indians with global financial exposure. In a decisive shift from complexity to clarity, the government rolled out a series of income tax reforms focused on lower tax burden, easier compliance, and greater transparency. From zero tax on incomes up to Rs 12 lakh to relaxed TDS rules, expanded deductions, and longer timelines for return filings, these reforms directly reshaped household finances. The changes reflected a clear policy intent: make taxation predictable, humane, and taxpayer-friendly. As 2025 draws to…
India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has once again marked a historic milestone in global space technology. On December 24, 2025, ISRO successfully launched the BlueBird Block-2 satellite of US-based company AST SpaceMobile using its heavy-lift rocket LVM3-M6, paving the way for direct satellite connectivity to smartphones across the world. The mission was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 8:54 AM IST after a brief delay of 90 seconds. With this launch, ISRO has demonstrated not only its technical excellence but also its growing dominance in the global commercial space market. Heaviest Payload Ever…
India’s $280-billion information technology industry is entering 2026 at a critical crossroads, balancing mounting global uncertainties with its most ambitious push into artificial intelligence and global delivery transformation to date. Heightened scrutiny of the US H-1B visa programme,including proposals such as a steep $100,000 fee for new visas and discussions around an outsourcing tax, has added fresh pressure on Indian IT firms that depend heavily on the US market. The United States remains the single largest export destination for India’s IT services sector. Visa Curbs Trigger Strategic Shift Policy signals from the US in late 2025 rattled markets and disrupted…
The debate over India’s upcoming CAFE-3 (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency) emission norms has intensified, with Kia India formally writing to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to oppose a proposed weight-based exemption for small petrol cars. The move places Kia alongside JSW MG Motor India and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, deepening divisions within the domestic automobile industry. Industry sources confirm that Kia sent its representation last week, raising serious concerns over a draft proposal that would allow additional emission relaxations for petrol cars weighing below 909 kilograms. Automakers opposing the move argue that such an exemption could undermine the core purpose…