India and Qatar Forge Strategic Partnership During Modi-Amir Talks

A recent study published in The Lancet HIV predicts a potentially catastrophic increase in HIV infections and deaths due to diminishing international funding. Researchers at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia, warn that cuts in financial support could lead to 18 million new infections and 2.9 million AIDS-related deaths globally by 2030. This surge could reverse decades of progress made in combating the disease. According to the study, a 24% reduction in global HIV funding is anticipated by 2026, driven by cuts from major donor nations, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. These countries provide over 90% of international HIV aid, and their reduction in support—ranging from 8% to 70%—could severely impact prevention and treatment efforts. Dr. Debra Ten Brink from the Burnet Institute emphasized that the US withdrawal of support, particularly following the 2016 presidential election, has disrupted critical services including antiretroviral therapy and HIV testing. The study highlights that marginalized populations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, will bear the brunt of these funding cuts, exacerbating existing disparities in HIV infection rates.

India's economy has surpassed $4.3 trillion, more than doubling in size over the last ten years and achieving a remarkable growth rate of 105%, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This growth trajectory positions India to potentially overtake Japan and become the fourth-largest economy globally by the third quarter of 2025, with Japan's GDP currently at $4.4 trillion. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal labeled India's economic performance as "outstanding," emphasizing that the nation outpaced major economies such as China, the USA, and Germany. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, India's GDP increased from $2.1 trillion in 2015 to its current figure. India has accelerated its growth, taking just four years to transition from a $3 trillion to a $4 trillion economy, a significant improvement compared to the lengthy periods of earlier decades. If current trends continue, analysts suggest that India could reach a staggering $10 trillion economy by the end of 2032.

Researchers have detected oxygen in the galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0, located 13.4 billion light-years away, an announcement that could reshape our understanding of the early universe. This galaxy, first identified by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) last year, existed when the universe was merely 300 million years old. Using the ALMA radio telescope, astronomers from the Netherlands and Italy confirmed the presence of oxygen. According to the European Southern Observatory, this finding contradicts existing theories that the "Cosmic Dawn" period primarily consisted of light elements such as hydrogen and helium. Notably, JADES-GS-z14-0 contains ten times more heavy elements than previously expected. Sander Schouws from Leiden Observatory remarked that this discovery is akin to finding a teenager when only newborns were anticipated, suggesting rapid evolution in galaxies. Italian astrophysicist Stefano Carniani described the finding as "incredible," indicating a need for a reevaluation of how and when galaxies formed. Since JWST's operational launch in 2022, astronomers have increasingly observed that early-universe galaxies were more luminous and complex than historically believed.