INDIA MAKES PRESCRIPTION MANDATORY FOR ALL SYRUPS AFTER SAFETY SCANDALS

Thu 18 June 2026: The Union Health Ministry has removed ‘syrups’ from Schedule K of the Drugs Rules, 1945, ending their over-the-counter availability. This change, effective June 9, 2026, means all syrup-based medicines, including cough syrups, now require a doctor’s prescription. The amendment followed a draft notification issued in December last year and was approved […]

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OVER 8,500 ATTACKS ON EDUCATION RECORDED GLOBALLY, PALESTINE AMONG WORST-HIT

Thu 18 June 2026: At least 8,500 attacks on education took place globally in 2024 and 2025, marking an increase of more than 40 percent from the previous two-year period, according to a report by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA). The report, titled Education Under Attack 2026, published on Monday by […]

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NATO CHIEF URGES CHEAPER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE COUNTER-DRONE SOLUTIONS

Thu 18 June 2026: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed Wednesday the need for cheaper and more sustainable ways to counter drone threats. He said at a news conference in Brussels alongside Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs that the alliance cannot rely indefinitely on expensive interceptor missiles to neutralize low-cost unmanned systems. Rutte pointed to […]

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CHINA UNVEILS YUAN INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGY, AIMS TO MAKE SHANGHAI A TOP FINANCE HUB

Thu 18 June 2026: China has unveiled new measures to accelerate Shanghai’s development as a global financial center and promote wider international use of the yuan, the South China Morning Post reported Wednesday. Speaking at the annual Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai, People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng said authorities would launch a pilot program […]

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WHO BENEFITS FROM ZIMBABWE’S LITHIUM BOOM?

Thu 18 June 2026: New projects and foreign-backed mines are reshaping Zimbabwe’s lithium sector, with uneven local gains. Harare, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe’s lithium industry is dominated by a handful of large-scale mining projects, most of them backed by Chinese investment. Major producers include Bikita Minerals in Masvingo Province, Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe’s Arcadia Mine near Harare, Kamativi […]

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TRUMP SAYS IRAN PACT ‘NOT FINAL,’ WARNS OF RENEWED STRIKES

Wed 17 June 2026: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the deal announced with Iran this week is a “Memorandum of Understanding” and remains subject to change. “If I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines […]

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DIGITAL DETOX: HOW TO SWITCH OFF WITHOUT PAYING THE PRICE – NEW RESEARCH

Wed 17 June 2026: Switching off can be surprisingly expensive. Much like the smoking cessation boom of the 1990s, the digital detox business – spanning hardware, apps, telecoms, workplace wellness providers, digital “wellbeing suites” and tourism – is now a global industry in its own right. People are increasingly willing to pay to escape the technology they […]

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TELEGRAM CEO PAVEL DUROV ACCUSES RELIANCE, WHATSAPP OF LOBBYING FOR TELEGRAM BAN IN INDIA

Wed 17 June 2026: Telegram CEO Pavel Durov alleged that Reliance was disrupting access to Telegram through “BGP hijacking” and claimed the company may have been involved, alongside Meta-owned WhatsApp, in lobbying for the platform’s temporary ban in India, ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. In a post on X on Tuesday, Durov alleged that […]

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LOUVRE ‘AT BREAKING POINT’ AS AGING INFRASTRUCTURE THREATENS COLLECTIONS

Wed 17 June 2026: France’s Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, is “at breaking point” due to deteriorating infrastructure and growing funding demands, its new head said Wednesday. “We can say it without ambiguity … the Louvre is at breaking point,” Christophe Leribault told the French Senate’s Culture Committee. He noted that the institution was facing […]

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AFRICAN LEADERS RALLY SUPPORT FOR $518M RESPONSE PLAN TO COMBAT SPREAD OF EBOLA

Wed 17 June 2026: African leaders on Tuesday convened a high-level virtual summit to rally support for the continent’s $518 million response plan to curb the Ebola outbreak in East Africa. Noting that the outbreak had 800 cases and 200 new deaths, the summit emphasized the importance of improving national and regional response plans, strengthening […]

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