Health

The episode marks a critical moment for global health diplomacy. As pandemics and health crises increasingly transcend borders, the debate over the US withdrawal from the WHO highlights the fragile balance between national interests and collective security in an interconnected world.

The EPA, which enforces federal environmental laws, said it would stop estimating the economic value of health benefits from reducing ozone and fine particulate matter, even though it acknowledges that they contribute to pulmonary disease, heart attacks, and premature deaths. 

The American Psychological Association also made it clear that social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to anyone, but each experience is affected by how one shapes their feed, who they choose to follow, etc.

Local communities, for their part, have begun to address some of these issues: they are forming their own trader groups to facilitate legal trade and negotiate better prices.

Late at night at the Khamarbari intersection, groups of nearly 40 displaced individuals –including many children – huddle around small fires made from burning scraps of wood and paper. The flickering flames offer fleeting warmth against the biting chill, but the bare pavement beneath them provides no cushion or protection. Children in thin, filthy sweaters shiver as they chat or try to sleep, their bodies pressed together for shared heat.

Health minister Sudha Gautam, a senior gynaecologist herself, is positioned to drive change. Experts urge her to prioritise regulation, monitoring, and awareness campaigns.

The holding centres often lack necessities like water and sanitation, and the people held there are lucky if they even receive two meals a day, as food stocks are often too low to supply enough meals. The need for blankets and winter kits is increasing.

The meeting also reviewed management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, with emphasis on designating C&D waste sites, stopping demolition activities during peak pollution periods, and partnering recycler associations for scientific disposal.