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survey reveals that 73 percent of Indians prefer to read ingredient lists and nutritional value before purchasing snacks, highlighting a growing inclination towards healthy snacking in the country. The Healthy Snacking Report 2024, released on Sunday, is based on a survey of over 6,000 people across India and aims to examine the evolving consumption trends. «Seventy-three per cent of those surveyed prefer to read labels for ingredient lists and nutritional value before making a purchase. Of this, 93 per cent expressed a desire to transition to healthier options, highlighting a correlation between label reading and conscious choices while pushing for transparency,» read the report. The report comes in the wake of increasing cases of food adulteration in products such as spices, confectionaries, and fast-moving goods. This issue has prompted consumers to be more cautious, with many checking food packets for potentially harmful substances.

flood plan to safeguard lives and property amid forecasts of an above-normal monsoon rainfall in most of the country in July and August. A senior government official told ET that the plan includes identifying vulnerable locations, drawing up alternate diversion routes and deploying emergency response teams at critical points. Besides, all vulnerable slopes and tunnels will be monitored in real time.

WASHINGTON—Facing an uncertain outcome in U.S. elections in November and no clear pathway to NATO membership for his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed Tuesday in a speech at the beginning of the alliance summit to a traditional vision of U.S. leadership.

Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader on track to be the UK's new prime minister, on Friday thanked voters and said the people of the country are «ready for change» and to «end the politics of performance». Starmer, 61, in his victory speech after winning from Holborn and St Pancras, said whether people voted for him or not, «I'll serve every person in this constituency.» According to the exit poll, which is often quite close to the final tally, Labour could win as many as 410 seats, comfortably crossing the half way 326 mark and notching up a 170-seat majority with the incumbent Tories led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak down to just 131 seats. «I will speak out for you, have your back, fight your corner every single day,» he said, adding people are «ready for change» and to «end the politics of performance».

Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla on Thursday said that Team India's triumph at the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup was a 'great achievement'. The Men in Blue got hold of the prestigious T20 WC trophy for the second time, defeating South Africa by seven runs in Barbados on Saturday. Speaking to ANI, Shukla said that everyone in the country is happy after Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup. The BCCI vice-president gave all the credit to the players and BCCI officials for their success in the marquee event.

HIV infection. The trial tested whether the six-month injection of lenacapavir would provide better protection against HIV infection than two other drugs, both daily pills. All three medications are pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) drugs. Physician-scientist Linda-Gail Bekker, principal investigator for the South African part of the study, tells Nadine Dreyer what makes this breakthough so significant and what to expect next.

BSF) has beefed up security at sensitive outposts and launched a crackdown on smugglers and touts enabling human trafficking, a senior official said. BSF Tripura Frontier Inspector General (IG) Patel Piyush Purushottam Das said that during recent talks in Shillong with Bangladesh Border Guards, a dossier containing a list of Bangladeshi criminals operating in the border areas has been handed over to the force of the neighbouring country. «The BGB has assured us that action would be taken against them as per the law,» Das told reporters here on Saturday.

Sweden is launching a groundbreaking new law, allowing grandparents to care for their grandchild and get paid

optimistic growth projections for India's GDP. The expectation is that it may surpass many developed countries such as Germany and Japan. Which sector could benefit the most from this anticipated growth in GDP? The wire industry is poised to be a frontrunner.

Chinese automaker BYD has inaugurated its first electric vehicle plant in Thailand, part of the company's effort to expand into Southeast Asia while also tackling wealthier markets in the U.S. and Europe

Pariksha pe Charcha' initiative might soon be recreated for a virtual platform, with the NCERT working on a proposal to develop a portal to host his speeches and allow students to capture selfies with him in an interactive 2D/3D environment. The move comes against the backdrop of a raging row over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations with the opposition raising questions on credibility of the examination processes in the country. The Opposition has taken swipes at Modi, demanding that he should hold one such interaction on medical enrance exam NEET issue as well. The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released an Expression of Interest (EoI) document this week to identify vendors for developing the Virtual Exhibition for Pariksha Pe Charcha.

A growing type of insurance, called parametric insurance, is helping farmers and others in developing countries respond to extreme weather events

Keir Starmer stepped through the front door of 10 Downing St. for the first time as prime minister on Friday. When he did, he entered the alternate reality of a man who meets regularly with King Charles III and has ultimate control of Britain's nuclear missiles, all while adjusting to life in a creaking 17th century landmark and trying to balance his work and personal life. On his first day in office, Starmer will get briefings from senior civil servants about key issues facing the government, receive congratulatory phone calls from world leaders and begin the process of appointing his Cabinet. Here is a look at some of the other traditions and responsibilities he faces on his first day inside No. 10.

Michigan University have now got an option of suing the US Government over activities by ICE agents which involved them getting duped of thousands of dollars in tuition fees. This was made possible following a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, who have ruled in favor of the students who had been arrested by ICE agents for studying at University of Farmington in Farmington Hills.

The U.S. and Canada say they have agreed to update a treaty that governs the use of one of North America’s largest rivers, the Columbia, with provisions that officials said would provide for effective flood control, irrigation, and hydropower generatio...

Imran Khan said on Friday that his party would take part in the official consultative meeting regarding a new operation against militants after a dramatic spike in the attacks by rebels against the security forces in recent months. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month announced the launch of 'Operation Azm-e-Istehkam' to stem the tide of militancy in the country. However, the idea of a new military offensive received a cold response from several political parties, including Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). To blunt the criticism about the new operation and win broader support, the government has decided to take into confidence all political parties regarding the new military strategy and hold an All Parties Conference (APC) on the new operation against terrorists.

WASHINGTON—As President Biden continues to grapple with the fallout from his bad debate against former President Donald Trump, more Democrats are publicly and privately suggesting Vice President Kamala Harris is the only viable replacement if Biden were to bow out of the race. The president has insisted he will not step aside, arguing he is best positioned to defeat Trump in November. But Democrats are nonetheless weighing the possibilities ahead, including the prospect that the party might find itself scrambling to nominate a successor if Biden, 81, is unable to overcome the increased skepticism from donors, party strategists and some Democratic lawmakers over his political future.

Reserve Bank deputy governor Michael D Patra. India, however, will have to overcome various challenges with regard to labour productivity, infrastructure, contribution of manufacturing sector in GDP, and greening of the economy for sustainable development, he said in his address to the officials of the Indian Administrative Service at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. «Given the innate strengths, I described and the resolve to achieve its aspirational goals, it is possible to imagine India striking out into the next decade to become the second largest economy in the world not by 2048, but by 2031 and the largest economy of the world by 2060,» he said. The senior RBI official further said it has been estimated that if India can grow at the rate of 9.6 per cent per annum over the next ten years, it will break free of the shackles of the lower middle income trap and become a developed economy.

southwest monsoon has covered the entire country six days ahead of the normal date, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday. «The southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab today. Thus, it covered the entire country on 2nd July 2024, against the normal date of July 8 (six days before the normal date of covering the entire India),» the IMD said in a statement. The monsoon arrived in Kerala and the northeastern region on May 30, two and six days earlier than usual. It progressed normally up to Maharashtra but lost momentum, extending the wait for rains in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, and worsening the impact of a scorching heat wave in northwest India.

Fitch Ratings on Friday revised its outlook on domestic steel major Tata Steel to negative on account of uncertainty surrounding the turnaround of the company's operations in the UK. However, the expected robust growth in Tata Steel's India operations and likely earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) profits at Dutch operations in FY25, may offset any losses at UK operations, Fitch Ratings said in a report. «Fitch Ratings has revised the Outlook on India-based Tata Steel Limited's (TSL) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to Negative, from Stable, and affirmed the IDR at 'BBB-'. »We have also affirmed the rating on the USD 1 billion notes due July 2024 issued by TSL's subsidiary ABJA Investment Co. Pte. Ltd. and guaranteed by TSL, at 'BBB-'," the statement said, adding that the negative outlook reflects uncertainty surrounding turnaround of the UK operations.

Germany's top security official says the country will bar the use of critical components made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in core parts of its 5G networks in two steps starting in 2026