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  Asbestos , a substance known to cause cancer, has been detected in 60 per cent of rangoli powder samples tested in a laboratory in South Korea, raising concerns about the safety of products used during Diwali and other festivals. Indian samples recorded particularly high contamination rates, according to an investigation released by environmental and public health organisations.

  A new study published in the "Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres" reveals that global potential productivity loss from humid heat stress has increased abruptly since the mid-1980s, with India contributing to over half of this total global increase. 

  A progressive and potentially fatal lung disease is tearing through the global workforce involved in stone cutting and polishing, sparking international bans and mounting lawsuits in the United States. Yet, while American politicians debate corporate liability, the crisis remains a deadly, underreported reality for millions in India, particularly among agate and ceramic workers.

Official quick estimates say SME-heavy sectors drove growth in tier 2 and 3 cities, but the figures remain unverified amid wide apprehensions over the reliability of Government of India data — and a one-month festive-season bump cannot be generalised as a durable industrial recovery. 

  A group of 18 water experts, environmentalists, researchers and civil society representatives has urged the Central and Delhi governments to prioritise rejuvenation of the Yamuna and protection of its floodplain instead of pushing a Sabarmati-style riverfront development project along the 52-km stretch of the river in the capital. In a  representation  published by the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), the signatories warned that replicating the Ahmedabad model in Delhi would be “scientifically inappropriate” and could “threaten the river’s ecological integrity, compromise flood safety and weaken floodplain protection”.

  India’s recent employment data presents a seemingly triumphant narrative: rural women’s labour force participation has nearly doubled, soaring from 24.6% in 2017-18 to 47.6% in 2023-24, marking one of the sharpest increases globally. However, a deeper analysis by global civil rights group Oxfam, coupled with warnings from financial accountability experts, reveals that this statistical surge is not a hallmark of women’s economic empowerment. Instead, it is a distress signal pointing to shrinking opportunities, falling wages, and a dismantled rural safety net.