T20 WC: Samson, Bumrah star as India clinch third title, beat New Zealand by 96 runs

Ahmedabad: India's Hardik Pandya celebrates after India won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 08, 2026. (Photo: IANS)

Ahmedabad, March 8 (IANS) Fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah picked 4-15 as India became the first team to retain the Men’s T20 World Cup title and win the crown for a record three times after beating New Zealand by 96 runs in front of 86,824 fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Sanju Samson’s blistering 89 off 46 balls, laced with five fours and eight sixes, powered India to 255/5, the highest total in a T20 World Cup final, before Bumrah and Axar Patel (3-27) ripped through New Zealand’s top order to seal victory. The visitors were dismissed for 159 in 19 overs, with only Tim Seifert offering resistance through a fighting 52.

Samson, in prime form after scores of 97 not out and 89 in his previous innings, shared a 98-run opening stand with Abhishek Sharma (52 off 21 balls) while Ishan Kishan added 54 off 25 deliveries. James Neesham briefly checked the charge with three wickets in an over, but Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 26 off eight balls pushed India past 250.

India’s bowlers then ensured there was no repeat of the semi-final scare against England, reducing New Zealand to 52/3 inside the powerplay. The win broke two hoodoos - India’s first victory over New Zealand in a T20 World Cup and their first ICC white-ball triumph in Ahmedabad after defeats in the 2023 ODI final and earlier in this tournament.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav is now the fourth Indian skipper to lead the side to a men’s cricket World Cup title after having not lost a single series since taking charge after the trophy triumph in Barbados in June 2024 - a remarkable record that highlights India's dominance in the shortest format. Head coach Gautam Gambhir also gets his second ICC title, as India completed their two-peat of Men’s T20 World Cup titles via their high-risk and reward approach.

On a flat mixed soil pitch, India’s imposing total was built on an explosive platform laid by their top three, all of whom attacked from the outset with strike rates that underlined their dominance. Samson finished on a strike rate of 193.47, while Abhishek struck at 247.61 and Kishan hit his runs at a strike-rate of 216.

The early overs had set an ominous tone for New Zealand before the tactical decision to introduce fast bowler Jacob Duffy in the third over backfired badly. Runs and boundaries flowed from there like an avalanche, as New Zealand's bowlers were sent on a leather hunt via depending too much on slower balls and bowling away from stump-to-stump lines.

Inserted into batting first, Samson defended solidly off Matt Henry for the first four balls, before opening up with an elegant swing over long-on for six. After Glenn Phillips gave away five runs in the second over, Abhishek announced himself with an ugly heave off Jacob Duffy for four, before sweetly timing a lofted off-drive for another boundary.

Samson, meanwhile, pumped a Duffy inswinger back over the bowler's head for four. The pitch was a belter, and both batters were beginning to sense it as the fourth over opened the floodgates for India. Lockie Ferguson endured a nightmare introduction - two wides, with Abhishek and Samson taking him for a pair of four and six each, as the duo plundered 24 runs.

Henry's second over saw Abhishek launch a slower ball over mid-off for six before Samson rocked back to pull a bouncer for another maximum, even as four wides in the over told its own story. New Zealand's plans were clearly unravelling against batters who simply refused to stick to a blueprint.

Abhishek reached his half-century off just 18 balls in the sixth over, swatting and swinging his way to the milestone with nonchalance via three fours and a six, as India plundered 92 runs in power-play. Though Santner brought himself on in the seventh over, Samson cracked a cut off him for four.

Abhishek's fine innings ended in the eighth over when Rachin Ravindra pushed it wide, and the opener feathered an edge behind to the keeper to depart for 52. Ishan Kishan walked in and immediately fitted the template, as an on-drive for two brought up India's hundred in 7.2 overs. With an off-drive and a muscular four through mid-wicket being the standout from his four quick boundaries, Kishan maintained India’s tempo.

Samson, after raising his third successive fifty, was on an altogether different level – smacking Ferguson for two sixes and a four before smashing three consecutive sixes off Ravindra in the 14th over. By the 15th over, India had already surpassed the highest team total in a T20 World Cup final, even as Kishan’s audacious strokeplay got him his fifty off 23 balls.

But Neesham struck thrice in quick succession - Samson slapped a full toss to long-on and departed for 89, then Kishan holed out to long-on for 54, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav jabbed to deep backward square leg for a golden duck.

Hardik Pandya smacked Henry for a six and four, before the pacer dismissed him on a slower bouncer and cover taking the catch. Shivam Dube ensured India got a great finishing kick by lofting Neesham for four, before smashing the next delivery over midwicket for six and clearing cover for another maximum.

Dube then pulled Neesham for four and finished the innings with a cross-bat drive through cover, as India went past 250, thanks to 24 runs coming off the final over. In defence of 256, Arshdeep Singh found swing early on to keep Seifert and Finn Allen in check.

After Allen was dropped on two by Dube at mid-off, Tim Seifert launched Hardik Pandya for two sixes and two fours in the second over, yielding 21 runs. India's response was swift and ruthless, as Axar, introduced in the third over, had the dangerous Allen holing out to long-on. Bumrah was summoned in the fourth over and struck with his very first ball, as Rachin Ravindra chipped an off-cutter to Ishan Kishan, who took a brilliant diving catch.

Axar then castled Glenn Phillips with a perfectly disguised arm ball in the fifth over, the ball slipping past his bat to peg back leg stump, as New Zealand ended power-play at 52/3. Seifert marched forward to bring up a half-century off 23 balls by carting Varun Chakaravarthy for two sixes.

But India continued to chip away - Mark Chapman chopped onto his stumps off Pandya, while Seifert miscued the pull and Kishan tossed the ball in the air and regained balance to complete a solo relay catch in the deep.

The crowd was briefly silenced when Daryl Mitchell struck successive sixes off Arshdeep Singh, who later fielded off his own bowling and threw the ball back at the batter, invoking an angry reaction from him.

The umpire intervened, with Suryakumar Yadav offering an apology and Arshdeep following with a handshake at the end of the over. Despite the steep asking rate, Mitchell and skipper Mitchell Santner, dropped on 26 by Pandya, continued to smash boundaries.

But Axar came back to have the former hole out to deep mid-wicket off a full toss, while Bumrah castled James Neesham, Matt Henry, and Neesham with slower balls, before Tilak Varma completed a solo relay catch of Jacob Duffy off Abhishek Sharma’s bowling, as India lived up to their pre-tournament hype and made the history they were destined to make in blistering style.

Brief scores:India 255/5 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Ishan Kishan 54, Abhishek Sharma 52; James Neesham 3-46, Rachin Ravindra 1-32) beat New Zealand 159 in 19 overs (Tim Seifert 52, Mitchell Santner 43; Jasprit Bumrah 4-15, Axar Patel 3-27) by 96 runs T20 WC: Samson, Bumrah star as India clinch third title, beat New Zealand by 96 runs | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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Emirates Flight Catering opens world’s largest vertical farm in Dubai

Bustanica exterior

Greens on multi-tier growing racks

• Agronomy experts at BustanicaBustanica has unveiled its 330,000 sq. ft. environmentally controlled farm facility, with an investment of $ 40 m
• Bustanica will annually save in excess of 250 million litres of water and produce over 1 million kg of produce that are free of pesticides, herbicides and chemicals

Bustanica has opened the doors to the world’s largest hydroponic farm, backed by an investment of $ 40 million. The facility is the first vertical farm for Emirates Crop One, the joint venture between Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), one of the world’s largest catering operations serving more than 100 airlines, and Crop One, an industry leader in technology-driven indoor vertical farming.

Located near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, the 330,000 sq. ft. facility is geared to produce more than 1,000,000 kilograms of high-quality leafy greens annually, while requiring 95% less water than conventional agriculture. At any point in time, the facility grows in excess of 1m cultivars (plants), which will provide an output of 3,000 kg per day.

Bustanica is driven by powerful technology – machine learning, artificial intelligence and advanced methods – and a highly specialised in-house team that includes agronomy experts, engineers, horticulturists and plant scientists. A continuous production cycle ensures the produce is super fresh and clean, and grown without pesticides, herbicides, or chemicals.

Passengers on Emirates and other airlines can look forward to forking these delicious leafy greens, including lettuces, arugula, mixed salad greens, and spinach, onboard their flights from July. Bustanica is not just revolutionising salads in the sky – UAE consumers will soon be able to add these greens to their shopping carts at the nearest supermarkets. Bustanica also plans to expand into the production and sale of fruits and vegetables.

Emirates Airline and Group Chairman and Chief Executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “Long-term food security and self-sufficiency are vital to the economic growth of any country, and the UAE is no exception. We’ve specific challenges in our region, given the limitations around arable land and climate. Bustanica ushers in a new era of innovation and investments, which are important steps for sustainable growth and align with our country’s well-defined food and water security strategies.

“Emirates Flight Catering constantly invests in the latest technologies to delight customers, optimise operations, and minimise our environmental footprint. Bustanica helps secure our supply chain, and ensures our customers can enjoy locally sourced, nutritious produce. By bringing production closer to consumption, we’re reducing the food journey from farm to fork. Congratulations to the Bustanica team for their remarkable achievements so far and for setting global standards and benchmarks in agronomy.”

Crop One Chief Executive Officer Craig Ratajczyk said: “After significant planning and construction, and navigating the unforeseen challenges of the pandemic, we’re thrilled to celebrate this tremendous milestone alongside our joint venture partner, Emirates Flight Catering. It’s our mission to cultivate a sustainable future to meet global demand for fresh, local food, and this first large format farm is the manifestation of that commitment. This new facility serves as a model for what’s possible around the globe.”

The farm’s closed-loop system is designed to circulate water through the plants to maximise water usage and efficiency. When the water vaporises, it is recovered and recycled into the system, saving 250 m litres of water every year compared to traditional outdoor farming for the same output.

Bustanica will have zero impact on the world’s threatened soil resources, an incredibly reduced reliance on water and year-round harvests unhampered by weather conditions and pests. Consumers buying Bustanica’s greens from supermarkets can eat it straight from the bag – even washing can damage the leaves and introduce contaminants. Emirates Flight Catering opens world’s largest vertical farm in Dubai | Daily FT

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25 multinationals named to Fortune World’s Best Workplaces list

Great Place To Work, the global authority on workplace culture, and Fortune Media announced the 25 winners of this year’s Fortune World’s Best Workplace list.

Organisations on this list are remarkable for delivering an exceptional employee experience despite the challenges of global scale and complexity. To be eligible for the list, organisations must have 5,000 or more global employees.

This year, organisations earned a higher rank for their ability to outperform their peers both in their local markets and globally on measures of employee trust, pride, and camaraderie. Rankings were based on over 9 million employee surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025, representing the experiences of more than 25 million employees worldwide.

The list of 25 Best Workplaces in the World was topped by Hilton in first place. DHL Express ranked second, Marriott International fifth and Allianz seventeenth on the list. .

These 4 organisations had representation from Sri Lanka that contributed to their parent MNCs global achievement of being recognised on this prestigious list.

“The powerful impact of these great organisations on our planet is a sacred trust,” says Great Place To Work CEO Michael C. Bush. “Of the more than 9 million employees surveyed, more workers at these remarkable organisations say their workplace trusts them and wants them to grow as people and professionals. These economic powerhouses also strengthen the communities where they operate, and are leaving behind a better world than the one they inherited.”

“The World’s Best Workplaces list casts an important spotlight on what employees believe are today’s exceptional workplaces, organisations where they feel trusted, empowered, and energised to do their best work,” says Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell.

Great Place To Work in Sri Lanka Director/ CEO Kshanika Ratnayake stated, “We are proud of Hilton, DHL Express, Marriott International and Allianz in Sri Lanka who are selected to this exclusive list. Their dedication to creating great workplace experiences truly exemplifies their commitment to their people, not just locally but around the globe. We are delighted to shine a spotlight on these leaders and to continue supporting organisations that invest in cultures that uplift business and performance” 25 multinationals named to Fortune World’s Best Workplaces list | Daily FT

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‘Mushroom Mining’ Could Be Cheap Way to Recover Rare Earth Minerals from Industrial Waste

Brandy Vailes via Unsplash

Decades of underinvestment in mining and refining across Europe and North America has landed the manufacturing sector in a problem, which a group of scientists believe can be helped by mushrooms rather than excavators.

One must have been living under a rock not to have recently read the terms “critical minerals” or “rare earth elements.” These components—nickel, to use an example of the former, and gallium from the latter—are needed in increasing amounts to build next generation technologies of all kinds, from longer-lasting batteries in electric vehicles to AI data centers and spacecraft.

Traditionally, these materials have been recovered through mining operations, but each gram that enters the supply chain will eventually become a waste product, and it is out of that waste that scientist from Austria believe mushrooms can recover enough minerals to make a sizable impact in the world economy.

For the mercifully uninitiated, rare earth elements (or rare earths for short) are actually not that rare: they’re found practically anywhere, just at very low levels. For that reason, mining them isn’t very efficient, and they’re very often collected as a byproduct from mining other minerals.

“Mycomining,” as Alexander Bismarck and Michael Jones from the University of Vienna have called it, could take advantage of fungi’s exceptional capacity to grow in contaminated areas to recover rare earths from industrial waste like mine tailings and slime dams, or even from coal ash.

“We really could do this over large areas and quite easily collect [the mushrooms] using existing agricultural machinery,” Jones told the BBC.

Below the innocent mushroom cap we see on the forest floor is a sprawling network of filaments called mycelia that actually makes up more than 95% of the fungi’s total biomass. These mycelia worm their way into every nook and cranny and remain extremely small compared to a tree’s roots which gradually widen.

That mycelia soaks up nutrients the fungi and surrounding plants need, but that’s not all they soak up. Fungi have been studied for the mycelium’s ability to absorb nuclear radiation, toxic heavy metals like lead and mercury, and rare earth elements that go into making our smartphones and other devices.

Compared to other non-mining forms of recovering rare earths, Jones and Bismarck admit that concentrations in fungi would be low, perhaps as little as one tenth that of dissolved e-waste, for example. On the other hand, the fungi don’t need the power of a flash joule heater, which you’d use to dissolve the e-waste, nor would they be grown atop e-waste, but in contaminated areas that might even be hazardous for humans to work in.

BBC spoke with Jones and Bismarck about their project, which is also being investigated separately at the University of Arizona, where Professor Oona Snoeyenbos-West plans to launch a startup to source fungi already growing in contaminated areas for the purpose of bioremediation and bio-recovery of critical minerals, especially rare earths and copper.

Major mining already spends a lot of time and money on bioremediation. DRD Gold, a subsidiary of South African mining major Sibanye-Stillwater, produced around 160,000 ounces of gold during the last fiscal year entirely from retreating mine tailings through a simultaneous rehabilitation program to render both water and materials nontoxic, much of which is powered by solar panels.

Mine tailings refers to the gravel-like material left behind after ore has been stripped of the majority of gold, silver, copper or other metals through the milling, flotation and/or leaching process.

Tailings storage facilities are expensive to build on-site, as they must contain the polluted material from contaminating the nearby environment. Companies can bring their tailings straight from the mill to DRD Gold’s locations for reclamation, saving money and ensuring they are treated soundly. DRD is just one company engaged in this practice, which is becoming more common as operators target big tailings mounds both as an environmental hazard to remove and a bounty of leftover gold, silver, and other metals from eras when metallurgical technologies were less efficient.

The future can only be positive for these strategies of mineral recovery. All the gold in the world both above and blow ground would only form a cube small than the Great Pyramid of Kufu, and eventually there will be more circulating in waste streams than is left below the Earth.

A similar destiny may be in store for rare earths, one in which the preponderance of e-waste—predicted only to grow larger and larger over the next 25 years—becomes so unignorable that the materials already mined and used simply outnumber the quantity recoverable through traditional mining.Will mushrooms be present in that future? No one can say for certain, but it seems likely that few if any methods will be as cheap. ‘Mushroom Mining’ Could Be Cheap Way to Recover Rare Earth Minerals from Industrial Waste

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Billionaire Auctions Rembrandt Lion Drawing for $18M to Help Save the Animal it Depicts, Thanks to Tom Kaplan

Schatborn, Peter. “Young Lion Resting” (2017). In The Leiden Collection Catalogue, 4th ed. via Sotheby’s

Yesterday, Sotheby’s oversaw the record $18 million sale of a drawing by Rembrandt: one of 6 drafts he made of lions, and the only one to have resided in private hands.

Those hands belong to Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan and his wife, who along with standing foremost among the world’s private Rembrandt collectors, ride in the vanguard of global wildlife conservation on behalf of the very cat the drawing so vividly depicts.

Founder of both the Leiden Collection of Dutch and Flemish master works and Panthera, the world’s leading conservation organization dedicated exclusively to wild cats big and small, Dr. Kaplan has been able to synergistically marry these two passions, leveraging one to fund the other, as all proceeds from the record-setting, $17.9 million sale will help ensure the lion survives long beyond both Rembrandt’s time, and our own.

Called Young Lions Resting, Rembrandt depicts with superb draftsmanship the languid, fearless pose of the lion through loose, confident strokes, particularly in the modeling of the lion’s paws, and a controlled shading that brings its gaze to life.

Dr. Kaplan, who’s spoken to GNN before about his work at Panthera, explained how it was the most he and his wife had ever paid for an object after they embarked upon their anonymous journey of collection Rembrandt and other Dutch/Flemish masters pieces in 2003.

“We recognized immediately the synergy, as my wife told me when I asked her opinion of it when I took her to see it before buying it: she responded ‘it’s a Rembrandt, it’s a lion, and it’s beautiful; if it’s not for you then who’s it for?” Kaplan told GNN.

Only 6 drawings of lions by Rembrandt are currently known. Young Lion Resting is the first drawing by the master to come to the market in a century, and the $17.9 million sale price sets a new record for a drawing by Rembrandt by almost $15 million.

Kaplan founded Panthera along with renowned and late conservationist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz just one year after he bought the painting in 2005. Highlighting the plight of the lion across its entire native range, the sale of Young Lion Resting at Sotheby’s was paired with a faithful reproduction entitled Young Lion Vanished, wherein the animal Rembrandt so skillfully brought to life on the paper is replaced by a void—a reality on our Earth across 95% of the lion’s former range.

“Is it savable? Yes, it is, and with much larger landscapes than with the tiger in India. But, in 26 out of the 48 countries through which it roamed, it’s now extinct,” says Dr. Kaplan, who’s involvement in Panthera goes far beyond his role as its billionaire philanthropist founder, and stretches well into the scientific.

Young Lion Resting (top) Young Lion Vanished (bottom) – credit, supplied by Panthera

While Panthera has achieved incredible results protecting leopards and jaguars, Dr. Kaplan says that as regards the lion, its programs are still about “playing defense.”

“The lion is not there not, but it could be. I don’t believe it will ever be extinct in the wild, but it might come to exist only in fortresses, and we want to see more connectivity.”

Young Lion Resting was co-owned with the chair of Panthera’s board of directors, Jon Ayer, who’s spoken with GNN multiple times, and who provided a statement to mark the sale.

“The pulse of life that Rembrandt captured in this lion’s gaze continues to beat today through our conservation field programs,” said Ayers. “This sale provides Panthera with critical resources to combat poaching and habitat loss globally, ensuring that the majesty Rembrandt admired in the 17th century survives well into the 21st and beyond.”

Those resources come as the organization he chairs and Kaplan founded will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. The auction proceeds will support science-directed initiatives fostering human-wild cat coexistence and critical landscape protection in some 40 countries across four continents.

“We probably spend 80% of our time working with people to ensure that we’ve protected them from the human-animal conflict that usually precedes the slaughter of the animals. If people don’t have to kill lions, usually they don’t, but if all of your material wellbeing is wrapped up in a cow or a goat, you’re not going to take that loss stoically,” Dr. Kaplan remarked empathetically.

“You’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again. On the other hand if you create good fences, generally speaking people do not want to kill the cat.”Kaplan told GNN that among those whose job it is to know within the federal government, there is a belief that if Panthera can’t save a wildcat, no one can. If that’s true, then this record Rembrandt auction suggests the lion is in a safe pair of paw Billionaire Auctions Rembrandt Lion Drawing for $18M to Help Save the Animal it Depicts, Thanks to Tom Kaplan

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India overtakes Japan as world’s fourth-largest economy at $ 4.18 t

India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy with a size of $ 4.18 trillion, and is poised to overtake Germany to become the third-largest by 2030, the Indian Government said.

With continuing good growth numbers, India is also the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

India’s real GDP grew 8.2% in the second quarter of 2025-26, up from 7.8% in the first quarter and 7.4% in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal.

“With GDP valued at $ 4.18 trillion, India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, and is poised to displace Germany from the third rank in the next 2.5 to 3 years with a projected GDP of $ 7.3 trillion by 2030,” according to an Indian Government release providing a snapshot of reforms in 2025.

The US is the world’s largest economy, and China occupies the second spot.

The growth momentum further surprised on the upside, with GDP expanding to a six-quarter high in 2Q of 2025-26, reflecting India’s resilience amid persistent global trade uncertainties, it said.

Domestic drivers, led by robust private consumption, played a central role in supporting this expansion.

The release further said international agencies have echoed this optimism and cited projections made by various entities.

The World Bank has projected a 6.5% growth in 2026; Moody’s expects India to remain the fastest-growing G20 economy with a growth of 6.4% in 2026 and 6.5% in 2027.

The International Monetary Fund (MF) has raised its projections to 6.6% for 2025 and 6.2% for 2026; the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecasts 6.7% growth in 2025 and 6.2% in 2026.

“India is among the world’s fastest-growing major economies and is well-positioned to sustain this momentum. With the ambition of attaining high middle-income status by 2047 – the centenary year of its independence – the country is building on strong foundations of economic growth, structural reforms, and social progress,” the Indian Government said.

The release also highlighted that inflation remains below the lower tolerance threshold, unemployment is on a declining trajectory, and export performance continues to improve.

Furthermore, financial conditions have stayed benign, with strong credit flows to the commercial sector, while demand conditions remain firm, supported by a further strengthening of urban consumption. (The Hindu Business Line) India overtakes Japan as world’s fourth-largest economy at $ 4.18 t | Daily FT

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What exactly is inflation, and are interest rates the only option for dealing with it?

Luke Hartigan, University of Sydney

Just when we thought it was safe to return to the supermarket aisle, it seems inflation has come back to bite us again. Worse, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) predicts it will linger for longer than previously expected, adding to cost-of-living concerns.

So, what is inflation, and what causes it? Do we have to worry about inflation? And if so, what are the options for getting it back under control?

What is inflation and how is it measured?

Inflation is a sustained rise in the general level of prices for goods and services purchased by households.

In Australia, inflation is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and published every month.

The CPI consists of a basket of goods and services consumed by the typical household. Each month, the Bureau of Statistics calculates the price changes of items in the CPI basket from the previous month, and combines them to work out the inflation rate for the entire basket.

For example, if milk increased during the month by 2% and haircuts by 5%, then the overall inflation rate would include those two price rises based on the item’s weight in the CPI basket.

Each item’s weight in the CPI basket reflects the proportion of a household’s total spending on that item. For example, housing (21%) is the largest category, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages (17%), recreation and culture (13%, including holiday travel) and transport (11%, including petrol). Communications (2%) is the smallest category.

What causes inflation?

Inflation results mainly from the interplay between demand and supply of goods and services in the economy. Other influences include the level of the Australian dollar, and household and business beliefs about the future path of inflation.

If demand outpaces supply, this excess demand puts upward pressure on prices. This is known as “demand-pull” inflation and is the cause of Australia’s current inflation problem. Inflationary pressures ease when the opposite occurs, which is why inflation falls during recessions.

In contrast, “cost-push” inflation happens when it becomes harder or more expensive to produce goods and services, so supply falls relative to demand. This happened during and after the COVID pandemic, when shipping and other bottlenecks delayed the arrival of goods, causing inflation to spike.

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Why worry about inflation?

Inflation is a concern because it erodes living standards. If your wages don’t keep up with inflation, your purchasing power will be diminished. It’s worse for people on low or fixed incomes such as pensioners.

This causes people to devote time and resources to coping with rising prices rather than developing new products or services that create real value.

Inflation also penalises savers by reducing the value of their savings, while benefiting borrowers who repay debts with money worth less than when they borrowed it.

If left unchecked, inflation can be very costly to get back under control, as Turkey’s experience with inflation above 30% shows.

If inflation causes problems, why not aim for zero inflation? While it would be nice for prices to stay constant, achieving zero inflation is not ideal either.

For starters, the CPI as a measure of inflation is imprecise. It has some biases, meaning a small positive number is probably close to zero anyway. Some modest inflation is needed and is a sign of a growing economy.

What is the best way to manage inflation?

The RBA is responsible for dealing with inflation. It does so by raising or lowering the official cash rate, which changes the interest rates we all pay. That flows through to borrowing costs across the economy for households and businesses, and thus influences demand.

But interest rates are a blunt instrument for managing inflation because they affect the whole economy and not just the source of inflation. And interest rates can’t deal with cost-push inflation either.

As a result, some commentators question the effectiveness of using interest rates as a tool for tackling inflation in Australia.

Instead, some are suggesting alternative options, such as:

• changing the rate of the Goods and Services Tax (GST)
• changing the rate of compulsory superannuation contributions.

Both suggestions might be effective in controlling total demand through changing the spending decisions of households. They would have little impact on businesses.

However, since both options would require changes to legislation, the process would require political agreement and could take years to pass. In contrast, changes in interest rates start flowing through to the economy in a matter of days.

More importantly, these alternative options only affect demand and consequently inflation via household spending or the “cash-flow” channel.

In comparison, interest rates affect demand through two other channels, which research by the RBA suggests are more important. These include the wealth channel (mainly house prices) and the exchange rate. Both channels would be lost under the alternative options.

Is there anything the government can do?

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix for Australia’s current inflation problem. The federal government does have a role to play though. In the short term, it could implement policies such as tax hikes or curbing government spending, which seem to be on the agenda for the federal budget in May.

Longer-term, the key to fixing Australia’s inflation problem is by boosting productivity, which has stalled in recent years.

Here the government could implement policies to bolster the supply-side of the economy via deregulation, invest in education and infrastructure, and encourage business growth to boost production capacity.

This would lift the economy’s “speed limit” so it can grow faster without stoking inflation. But this will take time.

Luke Hartigan, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Amentum to be delivery partner for Rolls-Royce SMR

How a Rolls-Royce SMR might look (Image: Rolls-Royce SMR)

Amentum has been appointed as programme delivery partner for Rolls-Royce SMR small modular reactor projects, beginning with those in the UK and the Czech Republic.

The companies said Amentum, which is US-headquartered but with more than 6,000 employees in the UK, "will enable programme delivery, provide integration, oversight and governance, and deliver the construction management programme for the deployment of Europe's first SMRs".

Rolls-Royce SMR has been selected as the preferred bidder by Great British Energy - Nuclear to build three units in the UK, and by Czech Republic nuclear operator ČEZ to build up to 3 GW of new capacity.

Amentum said the UK Rolls-Royce SMR project would create "more than 8,000 quality long-term British jobs".

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce SMR CEO, said the combination of the businesses would "enable successful delivery on our order commitments in multiple markets", adding: "This partnership plays directly to our strengths - ours in advanced manufacturing and engineering, and theirs in programme and construction excellence."

John Heller, Amentum CEO, said: "The Amentum Rolls-Royce SMR collaboration advances the deployment of this transformational technology, a critical enabler in strengthening energy security in the UK and continental Europe."

Loren Jones, Senior Vice President and head of Amentum Energy and Environment-International business, said: "Amentum's deep nuclear expertise and robust supplier network are ideal to support the growing energy requirements and drive long-term industrial growth."

Ruth Todd, Rolls-Royce SMR's Operations and Supply Chain Director, said: "This partnership supplements our existing capabilities with specialist expertise, geographical reach and provides access to the breadth of Amentum's wider supply chain. It ensures we are equipped to deliver our programmes in the UK and Czech Republic with confidence, scale and robust delivery assurance."

Amentum has been part of a consortium of supply chain companies that began working with Rolls-Royce in 2016 on the SMR development.

The Rolls-Royce SMR is a 470 MWe design based on a small pressurised water reactor. It will provide consistent baseload generation for at least 60 years. Ninety percent of the SMR - measuring about 16 metres by 4 metres - will be built in factory conditions, limiting activity on-site primarily to assembly of pre-fabricated, pre-tested, modules which significantly reduces project risk and has the potential to drastically shorten build schedules.

In June 2025 Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the UK government's preferred technology for the country's first SMR project. A final investment decision is expected to be taken in 2029. In November the UK government announced that Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, would be the site to host the three Rolls-Royce SMR units. It said the site - where a Magnox plant is being decommissioned - could potentially host up to eight SMRs.In October 2024, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected by CEZ to deploy up to 3 GW of electricity in the Czech Republic, and CEZ took at 20% stake in Rolls-Royce SMR. Amentum to be delivery partner for Rolls-Royce SMR

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Aus Open: Alcaraz ends Djokovic’s perfect finals record to win first Australian Open title in Melbourne

(Credit: X/Aus Open)

Melbourne, (IANS) Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz made tennis history on Sunday, winning his maiden Australian Open men's singles title and in the process, becoming the youngest professional tennis player to achieve a career Grand Slam.

Carlos Alcaraz achieved a Melbourne milestone, overcoming a shaky start to defeat Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and claim his first title at the season's first Grand Slam tournament. By inflicting a first defeat on Djokovic in 11 Australian Open finals, the 22-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, which is achieved by lifting the trophy at all four majors, in the open era.

The World No.1 roared back into action after an uncharacteristically flat opening set in which Djokovic came out firing. Alcaraz locked in from the baseline to take control of his first Australian Open final. The Spaniard broke his rival’s serve twice to win the second set and appeared back to his free-flowing best in a third set featuring several stunning all-court exchanges in one of the best final encounters in Melbourne in recent times.

Djokovic dug deep in the fourth set and fended off six break points to hold in the second game. However, the 38-year-old was unable to counter and maintain his perfect championship-match record at the Rod Laver Arena and went down fighting.

Alcaraz broke decisively in the 12th game of the fourth set to seal a three-hour, two-minute triumph and ensured Djokovic’s wait for a record 25th Grand Slam title continues.

Alcaraz is now a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, making him level with his fellow ATP No. 1 club member John McEnroe and Mats Wilander on the all-time list. The Spaniard's Melbourne victory continued the stranglehold that he and his great rival Jannik Sinner have had on the majors in recent years: the pair have won the past nine Grand Slam titles between them, dating back to Djokovic’s triumph at the 2023 US Open. Sinner lost to Djokovic in the 2026 Australian Open semifinals.

Djokovic came out fresh and strong despite playing a marathon five-set semifinal against 2024 and 2025 champion Jannik Sinner on Friday night and pummeled the ball aggressively from the first game. The 38-year-old Serbian, who was bidding to lift an all-time record 25th Grand Slam trophy and also become the oldest winner of the men’s singles title at a major in the Open Era, barely put a foot wrong in a statement opening-set display.

Just as he had against Sinner, Djokovic came out determined to dictate play with his forehand, and the Serbian carved out the opening three break points of the set in the fourth game. Although Alcaraz held his nerve to fend off the first two, Djokovic prevailed in an extended baseline rally on the third to gain an early advantage.

Alcaraz himself contested the longest semifinal in tournament history on Friday against Alexander Zverev, and he delivered a low-energy opening set. Djokovic expertly capitalised on his momentum by breaking his opponent’s serve again in the eighth game to clinch a set in which he dropped just two points behind serve, according to Infosys Stats.The Spaniard became the eighth player to complete a career Grand Slam, joining Fred Perry (1935), Don Budge (1938), Rod Laver (1962), Roy Emerson (1964), Andre Agassi (1999), Roger Federer (2009), Rafael Nadal (2010), and Djokovic (2015). Of these, Budge and Lever bagged the Grand Slam in a calendar year. Aus Open: Alcaraz ends Djokovic’s perfect finals record to win first Australian Open title in Melbourne | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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Aus Open: Rybakina brushes past Pegula to set up final showdown with Sabalenka

Photo credit: AusOpen/X

Melbourne, (IANS) Elena Rybakina booked her place in the women's singles final of the Australian Open 2026 with a composed, hard-fought straight-sets victory over sixth seed Jessica Pegula on Thursday night, prevailing 6-3, 7-6(7) under the lights at Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park in Melbourne on Thursday.

The fifth seed reached her third career Grand Slam final, and her first since 2023, by withstanding a fierce late surge from Pegula, saving two set points in a tense second-set tiebreak to close out the match in just over two hours. Rybakina will now meet World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka for the title, renewing their rivalry from the 2023 Australian Open final.

Rybakina appeared in control early, dictating play with her serve and first-strike power to take the opening set. Serving at 5-3, she brushed aside a brief wobble with a series of heavy deliveries, repeatedly pushing Pegula behind the baseline. A moment of resistance came when Pegula erased one set point with a stunning backhand winner, but Rybakina quickly shut the door, finishing the set with a body serve followed by a clean forehand strike to secure it 6-3.

The second set unfolded as a far more dramatic contest. Pegula, seeking to become the first woman in the Open Era to reach her first two Grand Slam finals after turning 30, refused to fade. Down 5-3 and facing three match points on her own serve, the 2024 US Open runner-up dug deep, holding serve before breaking Rybakina twice as the Kazakhstani attempted to close out the match at both 5-4 and 6-5.

That resilience forced a tiebreak filled with momentum swings and extended rallies. Pegula struck first, winning a gruelling 19-shot exchange to set the tone, but Rybakina answered with clutch serving, firing aces at key moments to stay level. Neither player could create separation as mini-breaks were exchanged and tension mounted.

At 7-7, Rybakina found her breakthrough. A pair of aggressive returns pressured Pegula’s second serve, setting up match point. She sealed it emphatically, ripping a backhand down the line from well outside the sideline to end the contest and spark a roar from the Melbourne crowd.

The win sends Rybakina into her second Australian Open final, where she will again face Sabalenka, who won their 2023 Melbourne showdown in three sets on her way to her maiden major title and holds a narrow overall edge in their head-to-head. However, Rybakina has enjoyed greater success in their final matches, including a straight-sets victory at the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh.

With her serve firing and her nerve holding firm in the biggest moments, Rybakina now stands one win away from a second Grand Slam title — and a chance to settle the score on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

Rybakina and Sabalenka will contest a rare repeat Australian Open final, becoming only the fourth pair this century to meet multiple times in Melbourne. Neither player has dropped a set en route to the final, a feat last achieved at the Australian Open in 2004 and only the 23rd time in the Open Era overall.Rybakina enters the final in outstanding form, having won 19 of her last 20 matches since losing to Sabalenka in Wuhan last October, including nine straight victories over Top 10 opponents. She also improved her head-to-head record against Jessica Pegula to 4-3 with her semifinal win. Aus Open: Rybakina brushes past Pegula to set up final showdown with Sabalenka | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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India’s life sciences leaders scaling AI, digital transformation: Report

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New Delhi, Life sciences leaders in India are scaling artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, said a report on Friday.

The report by KPMG, which surveyed 110 global Life Sciences leaders, noted that life sciences CEOs in India are also investing in enhancing workforce skills, and the country is on track for sustainable growth in the sector.

“India’s life sciences sector is moving from aspiration to execution. CEOs are scaling AI and digital transformation, pursuing M&A with strategic clarity, and investing in workforce skills,” said Vijay Chawla, Partner and Head – Life Sciences, KPMG in India.

“By combining innovation with efficiency and leveraging India’s talent base, the industry is positioning itself for sustainable growth and global leadership in a rapidly evolving healthcare and Life Sciences ecosystem,” he added.

Globally, over 80 pc global life sciences CEOs believe AI is crucial for growth, reducing emissions, and improving energy efficiency.

The report showed that leaders are decisively shifting from experimentation to execution, focusing on integrating AI, strategically transforming their businesses through M&A, and reshaping their workforce to unlock a new era of innovation and efficiency.

While 86 per cent of CEOs reported a moderate-to-high appetite for M&A over the next three years, signaling a continued drive for transformation, 80 per cent noted adjusting their growth strategies to navigate interrelated market challenges.

Notably, 73 per cent of global leaders reported plans to allocate between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of their technology budgets specifically to AI initiatives. 65 per cent of CEOs anticipate measurable returns on these investments within the next three years.

However, as AI adoption accelerates, cybersecurity remains a critical concern for 84 per cent of CEOs.

Further, the report said CEOs are making talent development a central focus, acknowledging that 85 per cent believe workforce readiness for AI is crucial to achieving their goals.

For life sciences CEOs, executing ESG initiatives also ranks as the second-most important operational focus over the next three years.About 80 per cent of CEOs believe that AI will play a significant role in reducing emissions and enhancing energy efficiency. As a result, sustainability objectives are increasingly translating into tangible operational improvements and financial gains, signaling a promising path forward for the industry India’s life sciences leaders scaling AI, digital transformation: Report | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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FA Cup: Chelsea beat Charlton Athletic; Macclesfield knock out holders Crystal Palace in greatest upset

Credit: Macclesfield FC/X

London, (IANS) Liam Rosenior's reign as Chelsea head coach began with a convincing 5-1 victory away to Charlton Athletic as the Blues' progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Rosenior was appointed as Blues head coach on Tuesday, replacing former head coach Enzo Maresca, but didn't take training until Thursday, meaning this was his first game in charge.

Chelsea were totally dominant in the first half, enjoying 78 per cent possession and having Charlton camped in their defensive third for most of the opening 45 minutes.

However, Chelsea had to wait until the fourth minute of injury-time to take the lead when Jorrel Hato smashed home an impressive first goal for Chelsea.

The head of Tosin then doubled the advantage five minutes after the restart before Miles Leaburn pulled a goal back soon after.

Chelsea's two-goal advantage was restored five minutes later, though, through Marc Guiu and the win was rounded off in injury time with further goals by Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez, the latter from the penalty spot.

Earlier, FA Cup holders Crystal Palace were knocked out in stunning fashion by non-league Macclesfield FC in one of the greatest upsets in the competition’s history.

Macclesfield FC delivered the greatest upset in Emirates FA Cup history as they bridged a gap of 117 league places to stun defending champions Palace in a magical third-round tie.

Paul Dawson’s towering header and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts’ genius flick ensured the National League North team are the first non-league side to beat the Cup holders in 108 years.

The 117 league places between the sides at kickoff represent the largest gap of any upset in FA Cup history and it was the first time a non-league side scored twice against the FA Cup holders since Runcorn v Preston in 1939.

In another action, Manchester City didn’t hold back against Exeter City, scoring a phenomenal 10 goals including one from Antoine Semenyo, who made his debut the day after signing for the club from AFC Bournemouth.

A top-flight team hasn’t scored 10-plus goals in an FA Cup game since Tottenham Hotspur beat Crewe 13-2 in 1960.Semenyo also set up Rico Lewis – making him the first player to score and assist on his Man City debut since Sergio Aguero, in 2011, in an impressive first game. FA Cup: Chelsea beat Charlton Athletic; Macclesfield knock out holders Crystal Palace in greatest upset | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship ends in Doha

The 2025 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship concluded in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday.

The Open section featured 247 players from 64 countries, including 126 grandmasters.

GM Magnus Carlsen became world champion, scoring 10.5 points out of 13, the Armenian Chess Federation reported.

Among the players representing Armenia, the best results were achieved by GM Shant Sargsyan and GM Haik Martirosyan, who scored 8 points, finishing 38th and 51st, respectively.

American-Armenian GM Samuel Sevian scored 9 points and tied for 6th place, finishing 11th on tie-breaks.

The Women's Championship featured 141 players from 42 countries, including 23 grandmasters and 32 international masters.

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina became Women's World Champion, scoring 8.5 points out of 11. GM Zhu Jiner and GM Koneru Humpy also scored 8.5 points. The champion was decided in a play-off.

Among Armenian women players, the best result was achieved by IM Lilit Mkrtchian, who scored 7 points, tying for 15th place and finishing 29th on tie-breaks.The Blitz Championship is scheduled for December 29-30. Souurce: https://www.panorama.am/

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Over 600 Lakes, Ponds, Reservoirs Restored Across the Whole of India by Divinely-Inspired Nonprofit

Vandalur Lake in Chennai before EFI restored it (top) and after (bottom) – credit, EFI, taken as screengrabs.

Recently, an Indian environmentalist and editor was invited to share his incredible work restoring hundreds of natural and man-made water sources all across India with a unique style of landscape engineering.

His nonprofit has cleaned and reshaped more than 600 bodies of water either to a state of nature or to a clean and functioning source for human use.

Often incorporating letters and designs made of soil in the middle of reservoirs, ponds, and spillways, their unnatural shapes fulfil very natural processes like cycling water to prevent stagnation and offering birds firm ground to nest on.

The Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) works hard to help water sources big or small, natural or manmade, not only because they often bear the brunt of India’s pollution problem, but because for millennia, water has been a sacred embodiment of spiritual and physical energy for the subcontinent and her people.

It’s easy to convince a nation which worships a river that all water is sacred—necessary to sustain the country’s huge population, rich agriculture, and priceless wildlands.

“Water and nature worship has been an integral part of our cultural evolution,” EFI’s founder, Arun Krishnamurthy, tells CNN.

“We understood that without water, there’s no life. For us, water is God, and water means energy, and thanking water is what most and all celebrations are about.”

EFI has successfully cleaned and restored nearly 75 water bodies just in and around Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu—1 of 19 Indian states EFI has worked in.

Their work incorporates a number of landscape engineering methods, like shallow-shored embankments to allow animals to easily descend to the river to drink without causing erosion. Recharge boxes are short innocuous pits dug into the landscape surrounding the water body to catch and funnel rainwater into the underground water table.

Islands are a common feature in the restored water bodies, many of which are shaped like the letter G, or like the constellation Pisces, or as a island surrounded by a moat upon an island in a lake. These attract nesting birds and help channel water from different sectors of the lake, which not only helps to oxygenate the water but prevent it from becoming too stagnant.

“How was the embankment laid? Where was the palm tree planted? How was the canal cut?” Krishnamurthy said, explaining how many of the strategies were taken from their ancestors’ designs. “So taking lessons from the past, adapting it to the present-day challenges is what we are implementing.”

Many of the restoration projects involve the clearing of both waterborne and bankside weeds, which often clump up in horrendous tangles that require hydraulic excavators. Desilting—the removal of the layers of topsoil and dust runoff from nearby roads and agricultural fields comes next, before a double embankment is dug and native vegetation planted around the water body.

This was how the 76-acre Vandalur Lake along the southern beltway road of the Chennai metropolis was restored to a natural paradise of green and blue. The layers of silt at the bottom led to a much lower water infiltration rate into the ground. This lack of water control saw flooding in the nearby towns, and because of the pollution in the lake, the floods brought many waterborne diseases.That’s just one of 600 mini tragedies of the commons that EFI has helped relieve. Over 600 Lakes, Ponds, Reservoirs Restored Across the Whole of India by Divinely-Inspired Nonprofit

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GOAT India Tour: Messi leaves fans, celebrities mesmerised; gets signed India jersey from Tendulkar

Mumbai: Argentine football icon Lionel Messi with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar during an event held as part of his ‘G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025’ at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai on Sunday, December 14, 2025. (Photo: IANS)

Mumbai, December 14 (IANS) He came, he saw, and he conquered hearts -- all in one hour. In one Messi-merising hour spent at the iconic Wankhede Stadium as part of his GOAT India Tour 2025, Lionel Messi interacted with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, some current India and former football players, film stars, celebrities and politicians.

By the time he left, exactly one hour after making a grand entry into the stadium at 5.30 pm, the crowd was satisfied, unlike his 20-odd-minute appearance in Kolkata, which left ardent fans fuming and led to chaotic scenes, including rioting by some angry fans and forced the West Bengal government to initiate a judicial inquiry.

Mumbai was the third stop on his GOAT India Tour 2025, and the Argentine World Cup winner spent the most time with the fans after making a brief appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and a slightly longer stay at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal.

He spent some time talking to Tendulkar with the help of his translator. Tendulkar presented his signed India jersey and was seen pointing to the No 10 on the back, a number he shared with the Argentine great. Tendulkar also addressed the gathering, talking to them initially in Marathi and then switching to English, telling them that his meeting with Messi would be among the memorable moments he spent at the Wankhede.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with Argentine football icon Lionel Messi during an event held as part of the latter’s ‘G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025’ at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai on Sunday, December 14, 2025. (Photo: IANS/CMO)

In an iconic moment, the crowd chanted for Messi's name alongside that of Tendulkar and Luis Suarez, who, along with Rodrigo, are accompanying Messi on this GOAT India Tour 2025. Through Messi, the crowd also tried to send a message to FC Barcelona for a visit to Mumbai, chanting 'Barca, Barca'.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Fadnavis officially launched the Project Maha-deva, of which Bollywood star Tiger Shroff is a mentor and brand ambassador. Project Maha-deva plans to provide transformative support for school-going boys and girls players from the state and help them realise their football dreams. The Chief Minister, in his address, informed Messi & Co, the details of the project and hoped that one day players from this project would rule the football world just like the Argentine legend has done. The Maharashtra government has picked 16 players as an initial intake in the Maha-deva project.

Mumbai: Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh with Argentine football icon Lionel Messi during an event held as part of the latter’s ‘G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025’ at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai on Sunday, December 14, 2025. (Photo: IANS/instagram/@harbhajan3)

Messi reached the Wankhede at around 5.30 pm, around 30 minutes later than what was scheduled. But he looked more relaxed and ready to mingle, at times pointing out to the security personnel and officials the areas of the ground he would like to go to. He came from the nearby Cricket Club of India (CCI) where he participated in a programme promoting Padel and reportedly played some time with businessman Parth Jindal of JSW Sport.

He reached the Wankhede Stadium halfway through the Celebrity Football Match involving India XI, versus Mitra XI, which involved Bengaluru FC players like Sunil Chettri, Rahul Bheke, Jayesh Rana and Ashutosh Mehta, along with India woman star Bala Devi.

Messi shook hands with the two teams and posed for photographs with them. After that he took a lap of the stadium, kicking footballs into the crowd to carry home as mementoes of his visit. Suarez and Rodrigo joined him in the lap of order. Messi also kicked a ball with school kids from the Maha-deva project and also interacted with them.

Mumbai: Argentine football icon Lionel Messi with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and actors Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff and others during an event held as part of his ‘G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025’ at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai on Sunday, December 14, 2025. (Photo: IANS)

After reaching the make-shift stage, Messi was welcomed by Fadnavis and his wife and presented a GOAT Tour jersey to the Chief Minister. He also posed for photographs with Bollywood stars Tiger Shroff, Ajay Devgn, and Dino Morea.

After a lengthy interaction with Tendulkar, Messi left the stadium to attend some more events as part of his whirlwind tour of the city. He is scheduled to attend a celebrity fashion show where he is likely to auction some signed jerseys and mementoes.The Argentine football captain is scheduled to depart for Delhi on Monday morning. GOAT India Tour: Messi leaves fans, celebrities mesmerised; gets signed India jersey from Tendulkar | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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Innovative Tapeless Zipper Saves Tons of Fabric While Creating a Better Fit on Your Clothes

The AiryString Zipper – credit, YKK, provided to Wired

For a company that makes half the world’s zippers, new ideas have big impacts.

At Japan’s YKK, they’ve debuted a zipper sans fabric tape—the typically black-colored strip of material that separates the back of the zipper teeth from the garment.

Descente Japan was among the first to prototype AiryString® in 2022. The North Face has selected the system for use in its new Summit Series Advanced Mountain Kit, and the reception is positive—with users testifying to flexibility, lighter weight, a more unifying design, and a better, more natural fit. The secret behind is that zipper teeth are actually more bendy and twisty than the fabric tape they attach to, and that if you attach them directly to the garment, these properties are conferred to it.

But how can a zipper attach directly to fabric?

Don’t worry, all your questions can be answered in the pair of videos below. But for now, have a read about the impressive potential this upgraded zipper can bring the world.

The beforementioned YKK has an unusual level of market dominance. It owns not only patents and/or trademarks on its finished products in 180 countries, but also on a suite of sewing machines that the company manufactures itself. In addition to this, it designs and makes its own molds for zippers, and even spins its own thread.

With so much supply chain security, YKK can afford to innovate in a way that others can’t. In fact, one could be applauded for pointing out that YKK is as much if not more of a monopoly than Standard Oil ever was.

Since the modern zipper’s debut in 1910, there’s been little need for innovation. Textile and garment fabrication, however, rarely rests, and today brands wield “smart fabrics” featherweight nylon blends, and other extremely innovative fabrics that have left the zipper, in the words of Wired Magazine writer Amy Francombe, “out of sync with what surrounds it.”

It’s ironic to think of a zipper being out of sync, but indeed the stiff stitching along the tape-teeth seam makes for a less-flexible bind than do the newly redesigned teeth on the AiryString.

Without that tape though, YKK had to redesign everything. New machinery had to be developed to sew and close the garment. The resulting tapeless zipper seems impossible, but it’s anything but.

The sewing room floor has benefited by the change, as has the planet. Thousands of yards of fabric tape scraps are generated during zipper production, as well as gallons of water used with dye to color the tape—all of which have been removed. Add in shorter labor hours, and the result is a more efficient, eco-friendly product.

It’s attached to the garment via a sewing machine that feeds each half of the zipper along two gears made of the same zipper teeth as the AiryString.

YKK representatives told Francombe that adoption will take time, as the machines are not readily available, even if the zipper can fit into regular workflows. This has limited it to high-end brands, but if it proves popular, there’s virtually no limit to its future.

Personally, GNN would like to hear from users about whether the new teeth are easier to unjam in situations where the garment’s fabric gets stuck between them.WATCH how it works below… Innovative Tapeless Zipper Saves Tons of Fabric While Creating a Better Fit on Your Clothes

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Global life expectancy rises sharply since 1960, with Armenia outpacing regional trends

Global life expectancy has climbed from about 51 years in 1960 to 73.3 years in 2023, driven by advances in health care, sanitation and living standards, according to new study by the YSMU Heratsi National Research Center. Despite a brief setback during the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide longevity has returned to its long-term upward path.

Japan remains a global leader, rising from roughly 68 years in 1960 to 84 years in 2023. Hong Kong and Monaco are the only places reporting higher figures. Italy, at 83.7 years, continues to benefit from strong health systems and diet-related habits common across much of Europe.

The United States increased from about 70 years in 1960 to 78.4 years in 2023, but its progress has been slower than that of other high-income nations due to issues including opioid misuse, obesity and health inequities. China, meanwhile, recorded one of the world’s most dramatic gains, jumping from about 33 years in 1960 to 78 years in 2023, supported by economic growth and improved medical access.

Armenia’s life expectancy reached 78.6 years in 2024, its highest in more than two decades. As in many countries, women live longer than men: women reached 81.7 years and men 75.1 years, up from 75.8 and 70.1 years respectively in 2000.

Regional differences remain stark. Africa’s average life expectancy stood at 63.8 years in 2023, ranging from 76.5 in Tunisia to 54.8 in Nigeria. Asia averaged 74.6 years, led by Hong Kong at 85.5 and Japan at 84.7, while Afghanistan recorded the lowest at 66. Europe averaged 79.1 years, with Monaco topping the list at 86.4 and Moldova lowest at 71.2. In South America, Chile led at 81.2 years, while Bolivia posted 68.6. Australia reported 83.9 years.Life expectancy is a key measure of society's well-being, reflecting the health, economic and social conditions, which is essential for shaping effective public policy. Source: https://www.panorama.am/

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Challenging the stereotypes

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New Delhi, (IANS) Unstereotype Alliance, an initiative of the UN Women is an effort to bring together the advertising doyens and corporate world to create campaigns, which are able to change the stereotypical images of women, racial and physical profiles, besides helping in creating a more equal world for She and He.

We often hear complaints of objectifying and sexualising women in the advertising world. However, though the advertising world propagates or translates its ideas into the final copy, but the fact remains that it is driven by the client’s demands, and in most cases to generate revenues the advertising firms bow down to the client pressure.

In addition, we also bemoan poor performance of India on many social indicators, but it indeed it may hearten you to know that India is perhaps the only country in Asia which has a law in place defining indecent representation of women through advertising.

Policy interventions by the government in India from time to time, on the issue have indeed been progressive. The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act was passed in 1986 and it was further amended in 2012 and 2018.

In addition the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Broadcasting Complaints Council of India (BCCI) and the largest state broadcaster Doordarshan have their own Code for the advertisers besides the industry’s self-regulatory bodies, however, most advertisements across brands, defy these norms.

This leads one to the question whether we are fulfilling our duty to stop objectification of women and discrimination to other disadvantaged groups based on their race, skin colour, social status an physical appearances, just in words or are we approaching the issue from a wrong angle.

Recognising this anomaly and addressing the issue from a direct approach, the UN Women launched a new initiative titled Unstereotype Alliance in 2017, underlining the SDG-5, which was aimed to consolidate the activities related to gender issues and women, particularly through advertising and marketing platforms.

The Unstereotype Alliance aimed to address the advertising industry, its leaders and decision makers and the creative teams to aim to end the anti-women stereotypes in advertising. The initiative received the desired support from the industry leaders and corporates around the world and as a result within five years of its launch it is supported by 12 member countries, including the US, the UK and India across five continents with an impressive 45 per cent growth in industry membership, besides support from international and national advertising bodies.

Coalitions like Unstereotype Alliance provides us an opportunity at the global level to promote gender equality and break the stereotypical notions associated with both genders. In a way Unstereotype Alliance provides us an opportunity to systematically study and analyse the gender representation in advertising in different countries.

Globally, research has found that customers across the world are increasingly responding and rejecting the set stereotypes, which are fed through the advertising industry and they respond in a positive manner to a balanced and representative portrayal of women in advertising.

In a country like India, women are usually portrayed in traditional roles like house makers, teachers etc. engaged in activities which are traditionally associated with them like cooking, cleaning the house and caring for the family besides the traditional beauty products or being showed as fair and thin. In contrast they are negatively portrayed in advertisements where there is no need for them to be present.

An article in exchange4media.com, a leading platform of industry players related to advertising, marketing and media world, in 2020 found that industry research reveals that as compared to 25 per cent of advertisements which feature men there are only 8 per cent advertisements which feature women.

However, it is heartening to note that several Indian companies have tried to bust the myth and in the past had launched women-centric advertisements. Several brands like Tanishq, Raaga, Titan, Airtel, Havell’s, Tata Tea or Dalda, some of which are owned UnStereotype Alliance Champion in India i.e. Hindustan Unilever Limited have tried to break the stereotypical mould and start a fresh campaign with a newer perspective.

In India, the Unstereotype Alliance could focus on promoting girl education, gender parity, nutrition, skills and empowerment and hygiene management. All these initiatives should try to break the traditional roles of women and instead male leads could be shown to support the message as they are going to be target audience. In addition, the positive outcome of women education, women employability, women breaking the gender barrier, women gaining entry into traditionally male preserved domains like engineering should be given more focus besides highlighting their successes in corporate or other domains.

Also to reach our target audience in rural India, Unstereotype Alliance could focus on promoting the key messages in the vernacular or regional languages as the traditional English-medium advertising retains only the educated class as the main audience, but in order to break that myth and connect with the masses, it is important to connect with them in their language, ensuring a better connectivity and recall of your messages.

Expanding the Unstereotype Alliance is not going to be a challenge but an additional bonus in the sense that Indian advertising industry and advertisers, both are working to negate the traditional stereotypes. There have been several advertising campaigns initiated in the past, which have been received, positively by the target audience and the industry both.

So what we need in the current scenario is perhaps a little push to set the tone and delivery right. Though the research points to the negative results about the portrayal of women in the Indian advertising campaigns. Yet, with little sensitisation and providing the stimuli could work wonders for the Unstereotype Alliance in India, as most of the advertising bodies are already on board to set the tone right in the Indian advertisements.

In this regard a collaborative effort could be initiated with the Government of India, too through its various ministries like Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Minority Affairs. They could be targeted to promote the Prime Minister’s campaign, 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'.

Additionally, another positive factor working in favour of the Unstereotype Alliance is that currently, a majority of CEO’s or MD’s of leading Indian advertising firms are women and definitely it would require less of an effort to join the Unstereotype Alliance in its fight against the stereotyping the women., Unstereotype Alliance Challenging the stereotypes | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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