Kerala tables State budget, Operation Tiger, U.S and Iran sign peace agreement and more: The week in 5 charts

(1) Ammonia leaks from factory, kills at least eight Ammonia gas leaked from a seafood processing plant in Tiruvallur district on Sunday last week (June 21, 2026), killing at least eight people and over 60 being admitted for treatment. According to a bulletin, 77 individuals were affected by the leak. Routine industrial operations exposed workers … Read more

Kerala Budget 2026: Despite white paper warning, no plan to cut committed expenditure

After releasing the “Kerala’s Fiscal Health — A Status Report” (white paper), which raised serious concerns over the State’s rising debt burden while strongly criticising the previous Left government for alleged fiscal mismanagement, the new United Democratic Front (UDF) government on Thursday presented its maiden budget. The budget estimates the debt-to-GSDP ratio to come down … Read more

How lopsided was the SpaceX IPO that raised $85.7 billion?

Technopreneur Elon Musk’s affinity for superlatives is well-known, particularly when it comes to selling his business ideas. It was therefore not a coincidence that his company SpaceX’s stock market debut on June 12, 2026 was laden with superlatives. Mr. Musk, who already holds the record for being the planet’s richest person, became the first trillionaire … Read more

India’s childbirth divide is about more than public vs. private: what lies behind the NFHS 6 numbers

According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024, 95.4% of all live births in India now take place in a medical institution, whereas in 2019, the figure was 82.8%. The National Health Mission, Janani Suraksha Yojana, and other public health programmes and incentives have evidently delivered results. In India, deliveries take place in … Read more

One in every 3 faculty posts vacant in top technical institutes | RTI data

Of the 20 IITs, nine reported staff vacancies exceeding 35%. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA Over 15 lakh students appeared for the high-stakes Joint Entrance Examination this year to secure a seat in the country’s premier technical institutions. The competition has always been gruelling, particularly for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), with roughly … Read more