Pravien E. Birje

Desi consumption will hold ground, because non-rich still want to spend.

Suvendu Adhikari comes from one of the state’s most influential political families. His father, Sisir Adhikari, served both in the West Bengal Assembly and the Lok Sabha, while his brother Dibyendu Adhikari was earlier a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP before joining the BJP in 2024. Suvendu began his political journey with the Congress during the 1995 municipal polls before moving to the newly formed TMC alongside his father in 1998. He rose rapidly within Mamata Banerjee’s party and became one of its strongest organisational faces in coastal Bengal.

Two Indian nationals aboard a cruise ship have tested positive for hantavirus, but health officials assure there's no immediate threat to India. The virus, primarily spread by rodents, does not transmit easily between humans. Global health authorities are monitoring the situation, with the public risk deemed very low.

What began as a dream Antarctic expedition turned into a global health scare after a rare hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius went undetected for weeks, leaving three passengers dead and others critically ill even while nearly 150 people, including two Indian crew members, remain on the ship

A US-based businessman, Graham Walker, gifted his 540 employees a staggering $240 million from the $1.7 billion sale of his family's company, Fibrebond Corp. This generous act, where workers received an average of $443,000, stemmed from a condition Walker imposed before the sale to power-management giant Eaton.

Private hospitals in Kolkata are refusing or restricting admissions for Swasthya Sathi beneficiaries as they await clarity on the scheme's future under the new government. Hospitals cite concerns over the scheme's profitability and are unofficially suspending admissions, impacting patients seeking treatment.