Month: April 2025

Live | EU prepared to counter US trade tariffs if necessary: von der Leyen | Trump News | Trade War
The European Union (EU) stands ready to respond to potential U.S. trade tariffs with robust countermeasures if required, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.The EU’s primary aim is to reach a negotiated solution. However, if the situation demands, the European Union is prepared to defend its interests, populace, and businesses, von der Leyen stated.

#live #europeanparliament #ursulavonderleyen #trump #tradewar #tariffs
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LIVE | Putin Hosts Xi Jingping’s Aide As Trump Pushes Russia And Ukraine For Ceasefire | China | US

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to Moscow on Monday for talks with his counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, as Russia and Ukraine discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the 3-year-old war. Wang is scheduled to meet with Lavrov on Tuesday, days after Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle to a limited ceasefire after Trump spoke with the two countries’ leaders. It remains to be seen when such a truce might take effect, how long it might last and what targets would be off-limits.

#WangYi #MoscowVisit #Lavrov #ChinaRussiaRelations #Diplomacy #CeasefireTalks #TrumpProposal

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday asked the government to immediately start the decadal census as well as caste census, saying a large number of people are being left out of welfare schemes due to the delay.

Expressing concern over the delay in conducting the decadal census during the Zero Hour in the House, the senior Congress leader said India has been conducting a census every 10 years since 1881.

It was conducted even during wars, emergencies, or other crises.

He recalled that back in 1931, a caste census was conducted along with the regular census.

Right before the 1931 census, Mahatma Gandhi had said that just like ‘we need periodic medical checkups to assess our health, a census is the most important checkup for a nation’, Mr Kharge stated.

He said the census is a crucial exercise and involves a large number of people who collect data not just on population but also on employment, family structures, socio-economic conditions, and several other key aspects.

Even during major events like World War II and the India-Pakistan war of 1971-72, the census was conducted.

“But it is unfortunate that for the first time in history, the government has made a record delay (in conducting census)”, he said.

Mr Kharge further said that along with the general census, a caste census is also possible because the government already collects data on Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), so it could collect data on other castes as well.

“But the government is silent on both the census and caste census,” he said.

आज राज्यसभा के शून्य काल में जनगणना में देरी का मुद्दा उठाया –

1. हमारे देश में हर 10 साल पर होने वाली जनगणना 1881 में शुरू हुई थी। तमाम आपात हालात, युद्ध और दूसरे संकट आए लेकिन ये काम जारी रहा।

2. 1931 की जनगणना के दौरान जातिगत जनगणना भी कराई गई थी। इस जनगणना के पहले गांधीजी… pic.twitter.com/tqMA1jXUjd

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 1, 2025

He noted that 81 per cent of the countries in the world have successfully completed censuses despite Covid.

He said no clear statement is being made by the government regarding census in India.

Mr Kharge said this year’s budget has allocated only Rs 575 crore for the census which shows the government is unwilling to conduct it, Mr Kharge said, and added delaying the census has serious consequences.

Without accurate and updated data, policies become arbitrary and ineffective.

He said several crucial surveys and welfare programs — such as the Consumer Survey, National Family Health Survey, Periodic Labour Force Survey, National Food Security Act, and National Social Assistance Programme — rely on census data.

Due to the delay in the census, a large number of people are being left out of welfare schemes.

Policymakers are making decisions without reliable and up-to-date data.

“Thus, I urge the government to immediately start the decadal census. Caste census and census should be conducted at the earliest,” the senior Congress leader said.

A fire broke out at a building in Noida Sector-18 on Tuesday afternoon.

Joint Commissioner of Police Shiv Hari Meena spoke to ANI and said, “We received information about the fire at Sector 18, Krishna Plaza in Noida. We arrived with fire services and doused the blaze in a few minutes. People were evacuated, and those feeling unwell were sent to the hospital for treatment.”

“Prima facie, we believe the fire erupted due to a short circuit. We have checked all the floors but will recheck for any individuals trapped inside,” said the official.

Further details on the matter are awaited.

Earlier on Monday, a major fire was reported in New Delhi’s Zakhira area. A slipper and shoe-cutting waste godown caught fire near the railway line in an area of approximately 1000 sq yards.

According to the information, ten railway signal boxes also caught fire due to waste near the railway line.

Five fire tenders were rushed to the accident site. As of now, no casualties have been reported.

“Fire broke out in shoes and slipper cutting waste godown near railway line in open area approx 1000 sq yards and fire was also in ten railway signal boxes due to waste near Railway line, Zakhira area, No casualty reported, Total 5 fire tenders were rushed to the site”, Delhi Fire Service said in a statement.

Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest, usually caused by acid reflux, where stomach acid flows back into the oesophagus. This often happens after eating spicy, fatty, or acidic foods, lying down too soon after meals, or due to underlying conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). While medications like antacids can provide relief, home remedies are effective natural solutions that help neutralise stomach acid, improve digestion, and prevent acid reflux. Keep reading as we share a list of home remedies you can try to relieve heartburn.

Home remedies to cure heartburn right away

1. Drink aloe vera juice

Aloe vera juice has anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe the oesophagus and reduce acid irritation. It also aids digestion and prevents acid reflux from worsening. Drinking half a cup of pure aloe vera juice before meals can provide quick relief from heartburn.

2. Consume baking soda solution

Baking soda is a natural antacid that helps neutralise stomach acid. Mixing half a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and drinking it can provide immediate relief from heartburn. However, it should be used in moderation to avoid disrupting the body’s pH balance.

3. Chew sugar-free gum

Chewing sugar-free gum stimulates saliva production, which helps neutralise acid in the oesophagus and wash it back down into the stomach. This reduces irritation and prevents further acid reflux. Chewing gum for about 30 minutes after meals can be highly effective.

4. Drink cold milk

Cold milk acts as a natural acid neutraliser due to its calcium content. It helps coat the stomach lining, reducing irritation from acid reflux. A small glass of plain cold milk (without added sugar or flavours) can provide instant relief from heartburn.

5. Use apple cider vinegar

Although acidic in nature, apple cider vinegar helps balance stomach acid levels, preventing excess acid production that leads to heartburn. Mixing one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water and drinking it before meals can help prevent acid reflux.

6. Eat a banana or an apple

Bananas contain natural antacids that help counteract stomach acid, while apples have pectin, which aids digestion. Eating a ripe banana or an apple before bed can prevent nighttime heartburn and soothe acid reflux symptoms.

7. Ginger tea for soothing relief

Ginger has anti-inflammatory and digestive properties that help calm the stomach and reduce acid reflux. Drinking ginger tea made by boiling fresh ginger slices in water can help ease heartburn and improve digestion.

8. Drink coconut water

Coconut water is alkaline and helps neutralise stomach acid, reducing the burning sensation of heartburn. It also aids digestion and keeps the stomach lining protected. Drinking a glass of fresh coconut water twice a day can provide long-lasting relief.

9. Try fennel seeds

Fennel seeds contain compounds that improve digestion and prevent acid reflux. Chewing a teaspoon of fennel seeds after meals or drinking fennel tea can soothe the stomach and prevent heartburn.

These home remedies provide natural and effective relief from heartburn while also promoting better digestion. Making small dietary and lifestyle changes, along with using these remedies, can help prevent acid reflux and keep heartburn under control.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Over 2,000 people have died following the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, with rescue workers, sniffer dogs and paramedics rushing to find survivors from rubble as the golden rescue window closes fast, diminishing the realistic chances of survival. Amid the chaos, stories of survival are starting to emerge from the ground zero as rescuers continue to grapple with the scale of devastation.

A video emerged on social media showing an elderly woman and her two teenage granddaughters trapped in a small pocket of air under the debris of their home. The girls filmed their desperate cry for help as they used a butter knife to bang on broken concrete to get rescuers’ attention. 

2 girls and their grandmother keep calm while trapped under rubble in the Myanmar earthquake. They’ve been rescued, but many are still missing.

My heart aches imagining their terror—the crushing weight, the desperate gasps for air during Myanmar’s devastating earthquake. But… pic.twitter.com/QZTaybBTYj

— Yelisaveta Petrov (@YelisavetaPaUSA) March 31, 2025

The trio was trapped under wreckage for a frightening 15 hours before the rescuers pulled them to safety.

Two other women experienced a similar horror when they waited for five agonising hours for rescues to find them under the rubble of their collapsed hotel in Mandalay, where they sat crouched under broken ceilings amid piles of wreckage.

The duo, who don’t want to be identified, shared their borrowing ordeal during an interview with CNN.

“We were trapped in total darkness, but the good thing is we had a phone and we could use its light to see. If we didn’t have that, we could have died. We could see to clear rubble from on top of each other,” one of the women told CNN.

“While being trapped, we learned that nothing is permanent, and the most important thing to do before death is to live a happy life and to do many good deeds. Don’t do bad things, because karma will follow you,” said another woman.

But alongside the miraculous rescues, tales of devastating losses have also reverberated through Myanmar.

Two hundred Buddhist monks were crushed by a collapsing monastery, fifty children killed when a preschool classroom crumbled, and seven hundred Muslims were struck while praying at mosques for Ramadan.

Survivors Without Food, Shelter

Aid groups arriving in the worst-hit areas of Myanmar said there was an urgent need for shelter, food and water for survivors. Civil war in Myanmar, where the junta seized power in a coup in 2021, has complicated efforts to reach those injured and made homeless by the Southeast Asian nation’s biggest quake in a century.

The junta’s tight control over communication networks and the damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure caused by the quakes have intensified the challenges for aid workers.

“In the hardest-hit areas …communities struggle to meet their basic needs, such as access to clean water and sanitation, while emergency teams work tirelessly to locate survivors and provide life-saving aid,” the UN body said in a report.

The International Rescue Committee said shelter, food, water and medical help were all needed in places such as Mandalay, near the epicentre of the quake.

“Having lived through the terror of the earthquake, people now fear aftershocks and are sleeping outside on roads or in open fields,” an IRC worker in Mandalay said in a report.

“There is an urgent need for tents, as even those whose homes remain intact are too afraid to sleep indoors.”

The 7.7 magnitude quake, which hit around lunchtime on Friday, was the strongest to hit the Southeast Asian country in more than a century, toppling ancient pagodas and modern buildings alike.

State media has reported Myanmar’s casulties at 2,065, with more than 3,900 injured and at least 270 missing. 
 

The selection process for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 H-1B visa cap was completed on Monday, with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) receiving enough registrations to meet the required limit.
Those who have been selected can now proceed with filing their H-1B cap-subject petitions, according to the official website of the USCIS.
How to check your H-1B selection status
Prospective petitioners who submitted electronic registrations can check their status by logging into their online accounts. USCIS has notified all selected beneficiaries, and their accounts will display the updated registration status. More details on the process are available on the H-1B Electronic Registration Process page.
Next steps for selected applicants
Petitioners with selected beneficiaries can begin filing their H-1B cap-subject petitions from April 1, 2025. This includes those eligible under the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). However, only those with valid registrations can submit petitions.
To ensure the petition is processed smoothly, applicants must:
1) File their H-1B cap-subject petition at the correct location or online at my.uscis.gov
2) Submit the petition within the designated filing period (at least 90 days)
3) Include a copy of the selection notice with the petition
4) Provide evidence of the beneficiary’s valid passport or travel document used during registration
Who can apply for an H-1B visa and what jobs qualify?
The H-1B visa program allows US employers to hire foreign professionals for specialised jobs on a temporary basis. To qualify, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a specific field that requires advanced knowledge.
Common H-1B occupations include engineering, architecture, mathematics, medicine, social sciences, education, business, accounting, law, theology, and the arts. This visa is designed for roles that require both theoretical and practical expertise in specialised fields.
Final steps before approval
Although selection in the registration process allows an applicant to file the H-1B petition, it does not guarantee approval. Petitioners must still submit the necessary evidence to prove their eligibility for the H-1B visa.
For further details, applicants are advised to visit the official USCIS website and stay updated on the filing process.

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An Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs early Tuesday killed at least three people, marking the second attack on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire was brokered four months ago.
Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed the casualties and reported at least seven others injured.
The Israeli military stated the strike targeted a Hezbollah member allegedly assisting Hamas in planning attacks against Israel. The operation, conducted under the direction of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, followed a similar strike on Friday after rockets were fired from Lebanon—an attack Hezbollah denied involvement in.
Strike during Eid
The airstrike came without prior warning, despite Israeli forces issuing alerts before their previous attack. Jets were heard over Beirut’s Hay Madi neighbourhood moments before the strike, which hit a residential building in Hezbollah’s stronghold, Dahieh.
“We were at home. It was Eid al-Fitr,” said local resident Hussein Nour El-Din. “We didn’t know where it happened, but once the smoke cleared, we saw it was the building facing us.”
Images and videos circulating online showed severe damage to the upper floors of the building, with debris covering nearby cars. Rescue workers were seen evacuating injured residents.
Tensions despite ceasefire
Since the ceasefire took effect in November, Israel has continued launching strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, citing violations by Hezbollah. The agreement, brokered by the US, required Israel to withdraw from Lebanon by late January and for Hezbollah to pull its forces north of the Litani River, but Israel has maintained its presence in five strategic locations.
Hezbollah has not commented on Tuesday’s strike, but the group’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, warned on Saturday that if Israel’s attacks persist and Lebanon’s government fails to act, Hezbollah would resort to “other alternatives.”
Lebanon has urged the international community to pressure Israel to cease its strikes and withdraw from Lebanese territory. The Lebanese military has deployed forces in the south as Israeli forces continue targeting alleged Hezbollah positions.

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A series of essential household bills are rising at the start of April, with warnings that single parents are among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices and council tax are all going up on Tuesday in what has been dubbed “awful April”, although the minimum wage is also increasing.

The charity Citizens Advice said the finances of millions of people on the lowest incomes were “already stretched to breaking point”.

Many single parents in particular would struggle because a greater proportion of their money was taken up by essential spending, it said.

Laura Roan, a single mother of two daughters from Cardiff, said: “Without my own mum helping, there would be some days when I would not have any electric.”

The 41-year-old, who works part-time in Asda, is using emergency credit on her energy meter and regularly dips into her overdraft.

“I got paid last Friday and it has all gone. I just live day to day.”

She said her five-year-old daughter Prudence brought her joy and often took her mind off the financial challenges they faced.

Those challenges are increasing as a host of price rises kick in. The costs of a TV licence, car tax, and broadband and phone bills are among those going up in cost.

Among the changes:

“After years of cost-of-living pressures, households across the country are about to feel the extra shock of rising essential bills,” said Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice.

“For those on the lowest incomes, these unavoidable costs are already eating away at their finances, leaving their budgets stretched beyond breaking point.”

The charity said households in the lowest 10% for income were already spending around two fifths (41%) of their earnings – after housing – on water, energy, broadband and car insurance bills. That was a considerably bigger proportion than those on higher incomes.

Single-adult households, and particularly those with children, were more likely than others to be spending 20% or more of their post-housing income on these bills, leaving them more exposed to price shocks, it said.

John Paine is a single dad with three autistic children aged between five and eight. He said he had £100 left over at the end of the month when all the bills were paid.

“It goes quickly,” he said, with a school trip, a picnic or a day out usually taking up a big chunk of that spending money. “It means we do not go out very much,” he said.

Official figures show that a fifth of families do not have any savings, leaving them at risk.

Dozens of people have got in touch via Your Voice, Your BBC News to tell us of their experiences.

Among them is Bradley Bayton-Harvey, who lives with his partner Ange in Dudley. They have three girls, including three-year-old Darcie-Mai. Both have full-time jobs with the NHS.

“We both work nearly 200 hours a month, and it is still a stretch. We’re rejiggling finances again and again,” he said.

“If we can try to get any additional shifts in our rest days to get that extra income, it’s frustrating because those rest days should be family time.

“You shouldn’t have to turn around to your kids and say that you can’t afford to go on holiday.”

Any silver lining?

Benefits and the state pension are going up in a week’s time. Wages have also been rising at a faster pace than the rate of inflation, and the start of April also brings an increase in the minimum wage. It means:

In addition, experts say there are ways to cut costs to keep household bills as low as possible.

“Our research shows that switching providers if you’re out of contract can slash broadband, pay TV and mobile bills by up to £235,” said Emily Seymour, from the consumer group Which?.

“It’s also worth checking if you’re eligible for any council tax reductions or exemptions and could save money by installing a water meter.”

Some of the UK’s biggest banks have also said they would pro-actively contact customers they believed were struggling financially to offer assistance.

Additional reporting by Kris Bramwell & Bernadette McCague.

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My daughter was bitten by an XL bully. I met an owner to ask why they’d have one

A year ago, seven-year-old Lydia was walking to post a letter with her dad when she was savagely attacked by an XL bully that had escaped from a neighbour’s garden.

Matt says the day turned to horror in an instant, telling us he first saw the escaped dog out of the corner of his eye and within seconds it was “attached” to his daughter’s arm, biting her three or four times. He says the dog kept lunging for Lydia and in a frantic effort to stop it mauling his daughter, he had to “lie on top of it”.

“It was remarkably strong,” says Matt. He remembers Lydia’s screams and seeing blood coming from her wounds, not knowing if her life was in danger.

Lydia ended up in hospital but her dad says it could have been much worse: “I could be dealing with the fact that she’s not with me and she’s been killed. That kept me awake at night.”

He says the weeks immediately after the attack were tough for the family. Lydia would scream every time her bandages needed to be changed and on one occasion she jumped into Matt’s arms when a dog approached them in the park.

Lydia says she thinks dogs should be on a lead and is clearly still wary of them: “I still like little dogs but I don’t like the dogs that look like the one that bit me.”

The incident left Matt with one question: Why would anyone want to own one of these dogs? He contacted Your Voice Your BBC News – and we took him to meet an XL bully owner to see if he could get some answers.

Matt is meeting Lily Collins, 25, who lives in Redditch with her partner Hayden and their two-year-old XL bully, Doug, at a secure dog field near their home.

It’s a bright and cool spring morning and before Matt arrives, Lily takes Doug for a charge around. She throws a ball for him, which he enthusiastically retrieves, and the dog practises some of his training drills. Lily says she wants to show another side of XLs, which she thinks often gets overlooked.

When he gets out of the car, Matt is nervous and noticeably quiet. We’ve arranged for him to first greet Lily and Doug while they are on the other side of the high metal fence which surrounds the field.

Throughout our chat outside the gate, Doug sits at Lily’s feet, wagging his tail, apparently happy to be getting so much attention.

After a brief conversation through the chain link fence, Matt says he’d be happy to continue the conversation in the field, provided Doug is muzzled and under Lily’s partner Hayden’s control at a distance. He says, even though he feels Doug is well-trained, he can’t stop thinking about what happened to Lydia.

As we open the gate, Matt visibly gulps. “I don’t find myself uncomfortable like this very often,” he says, adding that he feels awful to ask Lily to keep her pet away from him. “I feel sad that there’s this thing almost automatically between us because of the type of dog it is.”

Lily, however, says she is used to people acting apprehensively around Doug but tells us she firmly believes that a dog’s behaviour is determined by how it is brought up and trained.

Since February last year, it has been illegal to own an XL bully in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.

The ban means there are now five banned types of dog in Britain – pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Doga Argentino and Fila Brasileiro, as well as XL bully. Dogs registered before the ban must be neutered, muzzled in public, and kept in secure conditions.

Lily says she got Doug before the ban was introduced and that she has invested significant time into training her family pet.

The dog was rescued from a backyard breeder and Lily tells us, if she and Hayden hadn’t taken him in, there was a danger he’d have ended up in the wrong hands. “He’d either be dead or he would be like one of the dogs you probably see on the news,” she says.

She describes what happened to Matt’s daughter as heartbreaking. “How has that dog just escaped the house?” she asks. “It boils my blood.”

Lily says she is confident Doug would never hurt anyone – but Matt wants to know if she can see the potential for harm that an XL bully dog has. “I look at him and think ‘yeah, he could rip my throat out’,” he says. “I want to be balanced and fair about it but it’s hard not to look at his physique and think ‘good grief’.”

Lily says she often hears this reaction, but maintains it’s a question of how the dog has been raised by its owners.

The attack on Lydia was not life-threatening but it left permanent scars. The dog was destroyed on the same day and, in November, its owner was given a 26-week suspended prison sentence, a 12-month community order and disqualified from keeping dogs for five years.

“These dogs are so powerful, they’re so big and if you push them to their fullest capacity to be this big monster then it can happen,” Lily says. “But I believe it’s how you bring them up, how you treat them.

“These dogs need so much mental stimulation, they are not easy dogs to own. They are hard work.”

Matt says he can understand why Lily has taken Doug in – to rescue him from a different life – but he is still left with the same question: “Why would someone go after that breed of dog? Because all I can see is that it’s about power and intimidation.”

“These are great family pets,” Lily replies. “He’s not a status thing for us, he’s not a weapon. We just love him so much.”

Before the XL bully ban was introduced, the government estimated there were about 10,000 XL Bullies in the country.

That proved to be a significant underestimate, as there are now more than 57,000 XLs registered with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The RSPCA says there could be as many as 100,000 XLs in Britain, including many that have not been registered.

Matt would like licences to be mandatory for all big dogs that can cause harm – and to be conditional on owners showing they have done the correct training.

“Banning the breed doesn’t seem to have changed much,” says Matt. “But if you have to have a licence to own the dog, that feels like a more rigorous way of stopping the people who lead to attacks.”

Lily says she completely agrees and adds that the law should go even further, requiring licensing for all 13 million dogs in the country.

She admits her dog could cause more damage than a smaller dog, but says they also fight and attack people.

Today, the RSPCA has renewed its calls for dog licensing schemes to be introduced across the UK, saying it believes such a move would help to tackle the challenges with dog ownership and allow better enforcement around dangerous dogs.

The BBC understands the government currently has no plans to bring in dog licensing and, in a statement, a spokesperson insisted that current laws were all about keeping people safe.

There are others who do think the Dangerous Dogs Act and XL bully ban are having an impact. Professor Vivien Lees, from the Royal College of Surgeons, told us that even though she and other surgeons were treating similar numbers of patients, they were seeing fewer of the most extreme injuries than they were the previous year.

Data from freedom of information requests to NHS England suggests surgeons are on course to treat as many under-10s for dog bite injuries this year as they did in 2023-24, before the strict rules came into full force. But it’s not clear what proportion of these injuries were caused by XL bullies.

In Scotland, where a ban entered force last August, more under-10s are set to be treated for dog bites this year. And of the NHS trusts in Wales that responded to us, surgeons are expected to treat fewer under-10s over the same period in 2023-24. So building up a clear picture is tricky.

Back in Redditch, having met Lily and learnt more about how she’s trained her pet, Matt has decided he’s happy to meet Doug and give him a pat.

The experience of meeting Lily and Doug appears to have had an impact. When Matt first emailed BBC News he said: “I used to be very pro-dog but now am ultra cautious and cynical about dog owners. I hate seeing dogs off lead and owners excusing it.”

Now, he tells Lily: “Because we’ve chatted it and I’ve heard how you are so passionate about caring for him, that makes me feel a lot more comfortable… I’m happy to give it a go.”

The last time he was this close to a dog, Matt says he was lying on top of it trying to stop it attacking Lydia. It brings back memories of the day of the attack. “I remember how sleek the coat is,” he says as he pats Doug.

“Hearing what happened to your daughter it really makes me sad,” Lily adds. “It makes me sad too,” Matt replies.

Additional reporting by Emily Doughty and photos by Emma Lynch

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NHS billions wasted as bipolar patients left ‘forgotten and failed’

Failing to properly diagnose and treat people with bipolar disorder is wasting billions of pounds a year in the UK, according to new data shared exclusively with the BBC. Experts say many of the estimated million people living with this condition are “ghosts in the system”, whose lives are being torn apart by poorly managed extreme suicidal lows or manic, erratic highs.

Emma was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her early 30s, after experiencing a mental health crisis.

When she was 32 weeks pregnant, her grandmother died unexpectedly, sending her into a “deep low”. “I felt awful, but the perinatal team wouldn’t take me on,” she says. “They said my symptoms weren’t that serious.”

When Emma gave birth, the extreme lows of her pregnancy were replaced by an unexpected high. She felt amazing in the days after her baby was born – but she didn’t sleep and her behaviour became increasingly erratic.

A few weeks later, her mood flipped again. When her baby was three weeks old, Emma took an overdose.

It took a week in hospital for her liver function to return. But even after that, she was in and out of hospital for a year before finally being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and medicated correctly.

“If I had the correct care, and been listened to during my pregnancy or even earlier, I could have avoided taking that overdose – 100%,” she says.

It wasn’t Emma’s first experience of poor mental health – she’d spent her teens seeing doctors and receiving different antidepressants. No one had ever suggested she might have bipolar disorder.

Experts have told the BBC how most people living with bipolar disorder in the UK are “undertreated, undiagnosed and left to try and survive in a system that has failed them”.

The majority who, like Emma, are eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder, are incorrectly prescribed antidepressants initially, which makes their symptoms worse rather than better. Experts also say there is a lack of continuity of care from GPs through to psychiatrists.

Their warning comes as data exclusively shared with the BBC suggests the cost of the condition in the UK is now an estimated £9.6bn a year. That equates to more than £300 per taxpayer.

This breakdown includes NHS costs, such as GP services, psychiatrist appointments and visits to A&E and hospital admissions. It also includes economic costs, such as lost days at work and the need for family and friends to take time off to provide informal care.

But it does not include welfare payments for those out of work, or costs for police services dealing with people in crisis.

‘Common, complex and costly’

“This nearly £10bn figure is actually quite conservative,” says Prof Judit Simon, from the Medical University of Vienna, who worked with the BBC to generate the number.

“If this is a government that really wants to try and bring down the welfare bill, then bipolar disorder should be its absolute priority, the target disorder to actually move the dial.”

The data suggests up to 372,000 people with bipolar disorder are currently out of work and claiming benefits in the UK.

For a treatable disease, this number could be slashed if the correct care was on offer, say experts.

Prof Guy Goodwin, emeritus professor of psychiatry at University of Oxford, says: “If you want to cut the costs of a disease, you need to reduce hospital admissions and emergency care. If you don’t focus on cutting hospital admissions then you waste money.”

According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP), bipolar disorder is a manageable condition.

Dr Trudi Seneviratne, registrar at the RCP and a commissioner on the Bipolar Commission, says it is “completely treatable” with a combination of medication, talking therapies and lifestyle factors.

“But there are many, many people who are suffering in silence with lower levels of symptoms because there isn’t a good clinical care pathway for them in the UK.”

She says if care for bipolar disorder was fit for purpose, it would cut “the cost to society” as well as reducing “the human suffering this disease unnecessarily causes”.

It is this sense of waste – with people who could be leading a good life but aren’t – that angers experts most, who say it is a neglected diagnosis.

Prof Allan Young, from Imperial College, says: “Bipolar is common, complex and costly – but it is so often unrecognised.

“People know it is there but somehow people are just not being cared for correctly.”

This lack of correct care is what Rosie says resulted in her being arrested at Stansted Airport for jumping the security barriers during a manic episode in her early 20s.

“I was utterly delusional,” she says. Following her arrest, Rosie was taken to A&E and locked in a room. She waited there for more than 12 hours while a bed at a specialist mental health unit was found.

Like Emma, Rosie had been dealing with mental health issues since childhood, but it was only after being in crisis that her condition was recognised. This particular period of psychotic mania had been triggered by a relationship breakdown.

She was sectioned and hospitalised for three months, after which she finally began finding a combination of medications that worked for her.

Now 29, Rosie says she still has high and low periods, but adds that she is far more stable and is able to work part time.

“I was failed,” she says. “I’m told my symptoms were a textbook case for bipolar lows and highs – energetic, grandiose language, erratic – but no one even considered this diagnosis for me until I was sectioned.”

Costs could be halved

The Maudsley Hospital, in South London, has an intensive specialist care programme for its sickest, most regularly relapsing bipolar patients. The service aims to try and stop patients hitting crisis point.

Similar to services offered in other European nations, the hospital provides group sessions for patients and their families. The classes help patients to understand when an episode might be starting and then contact the service once they spot early warning signs.

They can then attend an outpatient clinic and adjust medications. The relatively cheap programme has seen re-admission rates to hospital fall by 80% as intervention takes place before a crisis.

Prof Young says costs associated with bipolar disorder could be halved with more specialist care programmes.

“Undoubtedly, specialist treatment could contribute to getting lots of people back into work. And we know that work is very good for helping people recover from episodes of mental ill health.”

However, many experts say patients still face a postcode lottery about whether they can see a psychiatrist at all.

Carolyn Chew-Graham, a GP and professor of general practice research at Keele University, says those who are acutely unwell will be picked up quickly by crisis teams but those with “less florid manic episodes” can miss out on referral to specialists for diagnosis.

“There’s a high threshold of referral,” Prof Chew Graham says. “People really have to be quite unwell before they are seen in specialist services”. She says GPs may be reluctant to refer patients – even if they strongly suspect they have bipolar disorder – for fear they will be rejected.

“GPs may think I won’t even consider bipolar because if I mention it to the patient and then I can’t get them seen, I am a bit stuck”.

Prof Young says bipolar patients need long-term specialist care.

“But that’s the frustration here – even though there is strong evidence that specialist care improves the outcomes for the patient, and costs the state less, there are still so few bipolar specialist facilities.

“It’s a tragedy.”

An NHS spokesperson said bipolar disorder could often take time to diagnose because it affected everyone differently and the symptoms were similar to other mental health conditions.

“NHS staff are working incredibly hard to get people diagnosed and reduce waiting times for care.

“Staff are treating a million more people than they were six years ago and are working to transform services alongside this demand – this includes strengthening community services, trialling new 24/7 open access mental health centres and rolling out mental health crisis lines.”

The Department of Health and Social Care says it has already announced £26 million to open new mental health crisis centres and it will recruit 8,500 mental health workers to cut waiting times and provide faster treatment.

If anything in this article makes you concerned please consult your GP.

If you’ve been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via BBC Action Line.

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Globetrotters are travel enthusiasts who seek adventure and unforgettable experiences, wishing to explore every part of the world. However, the elaborate visa procedure often poses a hindrance to their desires. Navigating through a complex web of paperwork, waiting periods, and restrictions can be a test of patience. But did you know that there is one place that allows you to visit three countries in just three seconds? If you don’t believe us, then this viral video is for you. Recently, a travel vlogger posted a reel on Instagram showcasing how she traveled visa-free to three countries in seconds.

Aachen, a city in the westernmost part of Germany, offers tourists this unique traveling facility. Situated near Aachen, the region known as the Three-Country Border is where the borders of Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium meet. To reach the spot, travelers must climb the Vaalserberg hill, which is the highest point in the Netherlands. In the video, the travel vlogger stands at the Three-Country Border, where the three territories are demarcated with three strings on the ground. With a simple jump, the vlogger effortlessly shifts between Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Also Read: Watch: World’s Coldest Market In City Where Temperature Goes Down To -60 Degrees In Winters

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A post shared by Samrangy Sadhu (Jhilik) (@jhilik.sadhu)

Reacting to the post, a user asked, “Where is the passport control?” Another user inquired, “Can we get here by train?” A third user commented, “It’s super cool.” Meanwhile, another individual shared, “There’s a similar triple border among Luxembourg, Germany, and Belgium, located in the town of Schengen.”

Things To Do Here

You can visit the Wilhelminatoren, an ancient wooden tower offering scenic views of the Dutch territory. The area is surrounded by dense forest. Alternatively, you can climb a 34-meter-high tower in Belgium, which provides unobstructed views of Gemmenich, a Belgian city. On the Netherlands side, you can take pictures of Vaals, a charming town in the Netherlands. If you’re a fan of mazes and labyrinths, be sure to visit the Labyrint Drielandenpunt. Additionally, there are several restaurants serving delicious meals. Thrill-seekers can also go hiking, taking in the breathtaking beauty of the surroundings.

Also Read: Woman Using Wheelchair Takes Flight After Long Time, Appreciates IndiGo And Mumbai Airport Staff

Equity benchmark indices slumped on Tuesday dragged by blue-chip stocks amid heightened uncertainty about US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs.

After a weak beginning, the 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex further tanked 1,233.95 points to 76,180.97 in late morning trade. The NSE Nifty dropped 321.5 points to 23,197.85.

From the Sensex pack, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, Axis Bank, HCL Tech, Titan, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services and Sun Pharma were among the biggest laggards.

Among the gainers, IndusInd Bank jumped nearly 5 per cent.

Zomato also traded in the positive territory.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong were trading in the positive territory.

US markets ended mostly higher on Monday.

President Donald Trump plans to roll out a set of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, which he says will be “Liberation Day” for the US.

“Globally markets are focused on the details of Trump’s reciprocal tariffs to be announced on April 2. The market trends after the announcements will depend on the details of the tariffs and how they will impact different countries and sectors,” VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Ltd, said.

India outperformed most markets in March with 6.3 per cent return, he said.

“FIIs turning buyers and the consequent short covering contributed to the rally. Can the rally continue or will there be another downturn? This will depend mainly on what Trump announces in tariffs,” Vijayakumar added.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 4,352.82 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.

Stock markets were closed on Monday for Eid-Ul-Fitr.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.20 per cent to USD 74.88 a barrel.

On Friday, the Sensex declined 191.51 points or 0.25 per cent to settle at 77,414.92. The Nifty dropped 72.60 points or 0.31 per cent to 23,519.35. 

Two persons were killed and four others injured in a collision between two goods trains in Jharkhand’s Sahebganj district in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.

The collision between the two trains, operated by power major NTPC, happened around 3 am near Bhognadih in Barhait police station area, they said.

The tracks on which the accident happened are also owned by NTPC and mainly used for transporting coal to its power plants.

“The drivers of both the goods trains were killed in the head-on collision,” Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Sahebganj Kishore Tirkey told PTI.

Eastern Railway spokesperson Kausik Mitra told PTI, “The goods trains and the tracks belong to the NTPC. It has nothing to do with the Indian Railways.” The line on which the accident happened, commonly known as NTPC Lalmatia MGR, connects the PSU’s Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district to the Farakka Power Plant in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

In a statement, the railways said, “The NTPC sought help from Malda Division and requested for a 140-tonne crane from Malda Division of Eastern Railway, and it has been arranged from Sahibganj.” “Indian Railways is extending all possible help to NTPC authorities required for restoration,” it added. 

NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams said she plans to visit India soon, and meet with ISRO’s team during her visit.

Ms Williams said during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Post-Flight News Conference that she found India to be ‘amazing’ each time her spacecraft passed by the Himalayas during her extended stay of nine months in space.

“I hope and I think for sure I’m going to be going back to my father’s home country and visiting with people and getting excited about the Indian astronauts who’s going up on the ISRO mission coming up,” she said.

Sunita Williams’ mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya (nee Zalokar), is of Slovenian-American descent, while her father, Deepak Pandya, is from Gujarat.

Ms Williams said she would love to share her experience up in the space with ISRO, and said it was great how India put its foot forward in the space sector, being a fellow democracy.

“[It’s] pretty awesome- they’ll have a hometown hero there of their own that will be able to talk about how wonderful the International Space Station is from his perspective,” she said.

“I hope I can meet up at some point in time and we can share our experiences with as many people in India as possible because it’s a great country, another wonderful democracy that’s trying to put its foot in the space countries and I would love to be part of that and help them along,” she added.

When asked if she planned to take her crew along in her impending trip to India, she responded in the affirmative and jested, saying the crew would be primed with spicy food.

“Absolutely! You might stick out a little bit but that’s okay- we we’ll get you all primed with some spicy food we’ll be good,” she said.

Williams said that she could see India’s geographical formation, when the landmass collided to form Himalayas and as a ripple effect, India was formed.

“India is amazing. Every time we went over the Himalayas- we got some incredible pictures of the Himalayas- so just amazing. Like I’ve described it before just like this ripple that happened. Obviously when the plates collided and then as it flows down into India. It’s many, many colors,” she said.

Ms Williams talked about India’s diversity visible from the space, from the Himalayas, to a different culture from the East to the fishing fleet on the West.

“I think when you come from the East, going into like Gujarat and Mumbai- the fishing fleet that’s off the coast there gives you a little bit of a beacon that here we come! All throughout India,” she said.

Ms Williams said the country looked like a network of lights, with major cities being the brightest, and waning down towards smaller cities.

“I think the impression I had was it was just like this network of Lights from the bigger cities going down through the smaller cities. [It was] just incredible to look at night, as well as during the day. Highlighted of course by the Himalayas which is just incredible as a forefront going down into India,” she said.

NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov breathed earthly air for the first time in over nine months on March 19 after the successful splashdown of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.

Delays caused by issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which surfaced during a test flight piloted by Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams last summer, led to the astronaut duo remaining in space for nine months instead of a week, CNN reported.

At that time, ISRO expressed its desire to collaborate with Williams in future space missions.

“When Bharat under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Modi ji is working towards making India as a developed country, we wish to utilise your expertise in the space exploration,” it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the tributes being paid to Shivakumara Swami, the head of the Siddaganga Mutt in Karnataka’s Tumakuru, on his 118th birth anniversary. Swamiji, who was popularly known as “Nadedavuru Devaru” (Walking God) in Karnataka, died in 2019. He founded a total of 12 132 institutions for education, which range from nursery school to colleges for engineering, science and arts. The institutes are run by Siddaganga Mutt that oversees also oversees centres that not only teach Sanskrit, but also science and technology. 

In his tribute, PM Modi said Swamiji has been a guiding light, illuminating the path for society. He also shared a 1.17-minute video in which he recalled moments with the revered Swamiji during his visit to the Mutt.

Who Was Shivakumara Swami?

He was born on April 1, 1907, at Veerapura in Magadi Taluk near Bengaluru to Honnappa and Gangamma as Shivanna. He had 11 other siblings.

News agency PTI said in a report that Shivanna’s mother died when he was 8, which led to a transformation in his behaviour, and he was drawn towards spirituality.

He completed his primary education at his village before heading to Bengaluru for his Bachelor of Arts.

Shivakumara Swami took over as the “peethadipati” (pontiff) of Siddaganga mutt succeeding his Guru Sree Sree Uddana Sivayogigalu Shivakumara Swami and headed it for about 76 years.

Shivakumara Swami’s contributions

He founded Sri Siddaganga Education Society under which thousands of students, mostly from villages and under privileged sections, were given both traditional and modern learning.

Swamiji was proficient in Kannada, English and Sanskrit, and was known for his strict discipline. He even taught English and Sanskrit at the Mutt’s institutions.

The Swamiji was bestowed with the prestigious “Karnataka Ratna”, the state’s highest civilian award, and ‘Padma Bhushan”.

Tributes to Shivakumara Swami

Taking to social media platform X, Prime Minister Modi stated, “Heartfelt tributes to His Holiness Dr Sree Sree Sree Shivakumara Swamigalu on the special occasion of his Jayanti. He is remembered as a beacon of compassion and tireless service. He showed how selfless action can transform society. His extraordinary efforts across various fields continue to inspire generations.”

Heartfelt tributes to His Holiness Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu on the special occasion of his Jayanti. He is remembered as a beacon of compassion and tireless service. He showed how selfless action can transform society. His extraordinary efforts across various fields… pic.twitter.com/833wy47HL2

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 1, 2025

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Karnataka to attend the late Shivakumara Swamiji’s 118th birth anniversary programme in Tumakuru, posted on X, “Heartfelt tributes to His Holiness Dr Sree Sree Sree Shivakumara Swamigalu on his Jayanti. A true embodiment of compassion and selfless service, he dedicated his life to uplifting the underprivileged through education and social welfare. His legacy of kindness and wisdom continues to guide and inspire generations. May we all strive to walk the path he illuminated.”

Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi stated, “On the birth anniversary of Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Math, revered as the ‘Walking God’ and a true Kayaka Yogi, who forever resides in the hearts of devoted followers, we offer our deepest and most heartfelt respects at his sacred feet.”

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “Shivakumara Swamiji, who dedicated himself not only to religious discourses but also to social service, remains eternally revered for his selfless service and deep compassion toward the underprivileged. A divine soul who attained godliness through service – a saint, a philosopher, and a beacon of Trivida Dasoha (service of food, education, and knowledge) – I offer my infinite salutations to him.”

Malaysia Pipeline Explosion LIVE, A massive explosion was triggered by a fire that broke out inside a gas pipeline in Putra Heights of Selangor state near Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday, prompting authorities to order evacuations from nearby residential areas.

#live #malaysia #gaspipeline #malasyiagaspipeline #fire

Self-styled preacher Pastor Bajinder Singh has been sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with a 2018 rape case by a court in Punjab’s Mohali. 42-year-old Singh, who became popular as the “Yeshu Yeshu prophet”, was lodged in the Patiala jail after he was convicted under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (punishment for voluntary causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

The case was registered based on a complaint filed by a woman at Zirakpur police station in 2018. The complainant had alleged that Bajinder Singh lured her by promising to take her abroad. He raped her at his residence in Sector 63 in Mohali and made a video of it. She had alleged that the accused had threatened to post the video on social media if she did not agree to his demands.

Apart from Singh, five other accused in the case, namely Akhbar Bhatti, Rajesh Chaudhary, Jatinder Kumar, Sitar Ali and Sandeep Pehlwan, were acquitted.

Earlier this month, the Mohali Police had booked the pastor for assault and other charges, days after a video of him purportedly arguing and slapping a woman went viral on social media. In the video, which appeared to be CCTV footage of a room, said to be dated February 14, Singh was seen arguing and throwing a bunch of papers at the woman, before slapping her.

Singh also faces a probe in a sexual harassment case filed on February 28 filed by a 22-year-old woman, whose allegations he calls baseless. She claimed he started sending her inappropriate messages, summoned her alone to his cabin, and engaged in unwanted advances. Police have formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Superintendent of Police Rupinder Kaur, to probe the charges.

He became a preacher in 2012, and his congregations see large attendance with followers approaching to cure ailments through miracles. He runs The Church of Glory and Wisdom at Tajpur in Jalandhar, and another church at Majri in Mohali, but supporters claim his church has many branches in India and abroad.

On his YouTube channel “Prophet Bajinder Singh”, where his congregations are broadcast live, the preacher has garnered over 3.74 million subscribers.