The centre has sounded an alarm over the likely impact of El Niño on India's 2026 southwest monsoon, warning that 315 districts across 12 states could face significant rainfall deficits during the crucial kharif cropping season.

As South Asia grapples with climate vulnerabilities, economic disparities, and historical animosities, initiatives like COVA’s video competition offer a beacon of hope.

Fernando cautioned that declining leaf quality, driven by erratic weather, could soon trigger a broader collapse in quantity and output.

In a sobering assessment released this week, the United Nations has painted a complex portrait of Afghanistan under Taliban governance, where a dramatic increase in security incidents coincides with fragile stability, devastating cross-border violence with Pakistan, and a deepening humanitarian and human rights crisis.

Sri Lanka’s prison system is under intense scrutiny following multiple deaths in custody.

The government has projected growth of around 4 per cent for the next fiscal year, while aiming to keep inflation under control and continue fiscal consolidation.

For millions of Indians whose lives and livelihoods are tied to the rains, the coming weeks will be critical.

The report comes as India is in the grip of a escalating heat crisis and heatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense, and deadly, threatening lives, livelihoods, public health, agriculture, and economic productivity.