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Automobile manufacturer <keyword id="19906086" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="General-Motors" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="General Motors" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="General Motors">General Motors</keyword> (GM) has announced another round of layoffs at its <keyword id="23270054" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fairfax-Assembly-plant" source="keywords">Fairfax Assembly plant</keyword> in <keyword id="20175612" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kansas" source="keywords">Kansas</keyword>, US. According to a <keyword id="21670510" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Worker-Adjustment-and-Retraining-Notification" source="keywords">Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification</keyword> (WARN) notice filed earlier this week, approximately 1,695 employees will lose their jobs in a phased approach starting this November. The move is reportedly a part of GM's larger strategy to streamline operations and cope with changes in market conditions.<br /><h2>Two phases of layoffs <br /></h2><br />The layoffs will occur in two stages, as per a Reuters report. The first phase, set to begin on November 18, will affect 936 workers. Out of these, 686 full-time employees will be temporarily laid off, and 250 temporary workers will have their contracts terminated. This phase is expected to cause an immediate impact on the plant’s workforce and operations, and the layoffs were confirmed in a company filing submitted to the state of Kansas.<br /><br />The second phase will commence on January 12 next year, with an additional 759 full-time employees facing temporary layoffs. The company has not yet provided any further details regarding the specifics of this round. The layoffs are tied to GM's earlier decision in May to halt production of its Cadillac XT4 model post-January 2025 at the Fairfax plant. This pause in production will continue until late 2025 when both the Cadillac XT4 and Bolt EV are expected to roll off the same assembly line once again.<br /><br /><h2 style="margin-bottom: 0.7em; line-height: 1.3; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 24px; background: 0px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">General Motors announces layoffs</h2>Earlier, in August this year, GM also revealed plans to lay off over 1,000 salaried employees across its global software and service units. While these layoffs are primarily focused on its US operations, the restructuring has global implications, with jobs affected worldwide. Various ex-GM employees took to social media sites like LinkedIn and X to express their layoff experience. <br />

General Motors announces another round of layoffs, 1,695 workers to be affected

<p class="drop-cap">"More than any other country," Lyndon B. Johnson once said of America, "ours is an automobile society." He wasn't exaggerating: Americans own more cars per capita than the citizens of any other nation. More than any other technology, the automobile has shaped America's economy, infrastructure, climate, culture, and identity. From Motown to Tesla, from "On the Road" to "The Fast and the Furious<em>,</em>" nothing captures our all-American obsession with speed, freedom, and individuality like the vehicles we drive.</p><p><strong>Explore the United States of Automobiles</strong></p><p>• <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-most-popular-car-models-state-city-county-geography-2024-10">Check out the cars your neighbors love most</a></p><p>• <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/car-models-owned-by-republicans-democrats-american-politics-jeep-2024-10">What our rides reveal about our politics</a></p><p>• <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-car-colors-boring-black-white-gray-cost-cutting-2024-10">Cars used to be really colorful. What happened?</a></p><p>• <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/methodology-for-car-database-united-states-of-automobiles-2024-10">How we crunched the numbers</a></p><p>To provide a comprehensive road map of America's automotive psyche, Business Insider took a close look at what's actually on the road today. Combing through 1.7 million listings on CarGurus, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/methodology-for-car-database-united-states-of-automobiles-2024-10">we analyzed thousands of makes and models</a> in three key areas: geographic location, political preference, and color. The result is an illuminating — and interactive — guide to what drives America. Where is your car most popular? What do your <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-most-popular-car-models-state-city-county-geography-2024-10">neighbors drive</a>? Which rides are most <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/car-models-owned-by-republicans-democrats-american-politics-jeep-2024-10">Republican or Democratic</a>? And why does it seem as if every vehicle on the road today is either <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-car-colors-boring-black-white-gray-cost-cutting-2024-10">white, black, or gray</a>?</p><h2 id="00c14bd8-67f3-4f47-94a3-2de1ac4f09a2">Which car brands dominate which states?</h2><p>More than anything, the data confirms a deeply American trait: We are what we drive. No other choice we make as consumers conveys more information about how we see ourselves — and how we wish to be seen. We use our cars to flaunt our financial status, express our aesthetic leanings, signal our tribal loyalties, and reflect our hopes and fears. Do we opt for size over efficiency? Safety over style? Exclusivity over economy? Whether we're cocooned inside the fortified cabin of a street-legal tank or smugly piloting a Prius to the next community board meeting, how we navigate the world says something about what we think there is to navigate.</p><p>So sit back, buckle up, and take the charts and maps we've assembled for a spin. By entering your own vehicle and town, you can compare what you drive with the makes and models favored by the rest of the country. In the process, you'll discover where you fit in today's automotive landscape — and how that terrain is changing, for better and worse.</p><h2 id="82d15b24-705b-464d-8e20-d0e9ebecd1a9"><strong>Find your car's natural habitat</strong></h2>                                <p><em>Text by </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/mark-healy"><em>Mark Healy</em></a><em>, founder of Flipturn Creative Studios. Data by </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/andrew-thompson"><em>Andrew Thompson</em></a><em>, creator of </em><a target="_blank" href="https://components.one/"><em>Components</em></a><em>, a cultural research project.</em></p>

The United States of Automobiles

Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister <keyword id="6355042" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Devendra-Fadnavis" source="Orion">Devendra Fadnavis</keyword> will take decisions on <keyword id="549985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="seat-sharing" source="Orion">seat-sharing</keyword> and <keyword id="22753690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="negotiations-with-allies" source="Orion">negotiations with allies</keyword> for the upcoming assembly polls in the state, a party leader has said. The move aims to prevent undesired delays by streamlining preparations for the assembly elections due in a few months, BJP's Mumbai unit chief <keyword id="6367689" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Shelar" source="Orion">Ashish Shelar</keyword> told reporters on Sunday. <br /><br />"The core committee (of the state unit) has met in Mumbai to delegate all decision-making powers concerning seat-sharing and the selection of assembly constituencies to Fadnavis," he said. <br /><br />Party observer and Union minister Bhupender Yadav, BJP national secretary Vinod Tawde, Union minister and Mumbai North MP Piyush Goyal also attended the meeting. <br /><br />Of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra, the BJP won 104 in 2019. <br /><br />Shelar confirmed finalisation of the "formula for winning, besides the planning and seat-sharing arrangements with the allies". <br /><br />"Fadnavis has been granted full authority in this regard," he said. <br /><br />The BJP-led Mahayuti, also comprising Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and the NCP headed by Ajit Pawar, won only 17 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the recent parliamentary polls. The BJP's tally came down to 9 from 23 five years ago. <br /><br />The Maha Vikas Aghadi, consisting of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), bagged 30 seats. <br /><br />Shelar said, "We have decided to save time by streamlining the planning, discussions, and decision-making processes with all the NDA constituents to finalise the candidates. Once this is done, we can begin preparations for the assembly polls. The list of candidates will be released at the appropriate time." <br /><br />After the BJP's Lok Sabha tally came down to 9 in Maharashtra, Fadnavis had offered to quit the deputy CM's post to enable him to focus on party work ahead of assembly elections. <br /><br />Later, after a party meeting where state BJP legislators passed a resolution reposing faith in him, Fadnavis said he would continue to work.

Maharashtra polls: Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis to decide on seat-sharing, negotiations with allies

The votes are in, the election commission is armed, and tallies are finally being made. As lakhs of viewers tune into their news to update themselves, many are coming away shocked at the current standings. Despite confident promises of capturing 400 of the 543 Indian seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>) has barely won a dozen or two seats more than the halfway mark of 272, as per the initial few rounds of counting.<br /><br />This is still an impressive position to be in, and certainly enough to help the BJP-led <keyword id="105903" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-democratic-alliance" source="Orion">National Democratic Alliance</keyword> (<keyword id="19938590" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NDA" source="keywords">NDA</keyword>) make another term. However, the overwhelming, yet lukewarm, support has inadvertently deflated the ‘Abki baar 400 paar’ chant echoed by the party throughout its campaigning. Further, this comes mere days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the slogan the ‘common man’s mantra’.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Exit polls gone wrong" comment="subhead" text="Exit polls gone wrong"><span data-til="noop"><keyword id="21129157" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="exit-polls" source="keywords">Exit polls</keyword> gone wrong</span></cmsannotation><br />Party conjecture aside, most exit polls had also predicted a landslide victory for the NDA, with some even predicting the party crossing the 400 marks, helping the alliance comfortably bring in a third term for current Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword>. However, Congress leaders staunchly dismissed these findings, asserting that the <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">INDIA</keyword> alliance will achieve at least over 250 seats this election.<br /><br />While exit polls have exercised a notoriously patchy reputation for delivering inaccurate findings in the past, the surveys might have gotten it wrong far more than usual this time around. For instance, the BJP has been predicted to win 400 seats by News 24-Today’s Chanakya poll, 358 as per Times Now-ETG, 392 per India V-CNX.<br /><br /><table class="redcator-table-advance" style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6em; box-shadow: none; width: 955.049px; font-family: Merriweather; padding-bottom: 10px !important; background-image: inherit !important; background-position: inherit !important; background-size: inherit !important; background-repeat: inherit !important; background-attachment: inherit !important; background-origin: inherit !important; background-clip: inherit !important;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">NDA</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">INDIA</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">Others</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">Times Now - ETG<br /></td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">358</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">152</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">33</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">Matrize - Republic</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">361</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">126</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">56</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">Jan Ki Baat - NDTV<br /></td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">377</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">151</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">15</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">PMARQ - Republic</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">359</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">154</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">30</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">India News - D-Dynamics</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">371</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">125</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">47</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">Today's Chanakya - News24</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">400</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">107</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">36</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">India TV</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">386</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">124</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">33</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">Poll of polls</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">369</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">143</td><td style="padding: 5px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top;">31</td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table><br />However, the Modi-led alliance has yet to cross the 300 mark. If this trend holds, a majority government will form with BJP-led NDA acquiring slightly below 300 seats, almost mirroring exact forecasts by on-ground reporters and some political experts. However, this is quite in contrast with almost all exit polls this election season.<br /><br />If the scorecard settles at the current mark, this will end up becoming the poorest performance for NDA since their historic win in 2014. The alliance came to power after winning an overwhelming 336 seats in 2014, and 353 seats in 2019.<br /><br />However, the main point of shock has come from the performance of Congress and the INDIA bloc, who have maintained a steadfast 200+ seats since the initial polling rounds. Out of the nine odd exit polls that came out with results recently, none had predicted the INDIA bloc to win over 150-170 seats.<br /><br />As the tallying moves into its final phases, let’s look at how exit polls performed in the previous election cycles.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="2014 elections" comment="subhead" text="2014 elections"><span data-til="noop">2014 elections</span></cmsannotation><br />In 2014, 834 million voters participated in the largest-ever elections worldwide — only to be surpassed by the 2019 <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections. An average of eight exit polls had indicated that the BJP would see a 283-seat victory, while the opposition would have had to settle for 105 seats.<br /><br />Just as predicted, the BJP saw a landslide victory and swooped in 282 of the 543 seats, with a vote percentage of 31.3%. This win was a huge blow to the INC, which only won 44 seats compared to the 206 in 2009. Since a party must win at least 55 seats to become an official opposition party in India, the Congress’s defeat meant that there was no official opposition party for India.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="2019 elections" comment="subhead" text="2019 elections"><span data-til="noop">2019 elections</span></cmsannotation><br />The previous Lok Sabha elections turned out to be an even bigger win for the BJP! In 2019, exit polls had predicted that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance would peak at 306 and that the INC-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) would win just 120.<br /><br />However, the post-poll statistics turned out to be underwhelming. The BJP won a whopping 37.36% of the vote — the highest by a political party since the 1989 general elections. It won 303 seats, while the NDA collectively won 352 seats. It was another crushing defeat for the Congress, which won just 52 seats, failing to claim the post of Leader of the Opposition once again.<br />

Trends indicate INDIA maintaining 200+ seats, defying all exit poll predictions; how accurate have these surveys been since 2014?

After years of intensified focus on <keyword id="19897423" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="COVID-19" source="keywords">COVID-19</keyword>, <keyword id="19992404" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tuberculosis" source="keywords">tuberculosis</keyword> (TB) has once again emerged as the leading <keyword id="20564668" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="infectious-disease" source="keywords">infectious disease</keyword> killer worldwide. This resurgence is a sobering reminder that despite our pandemic response, TB has continued to claim lives, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where resources are often stretched thin.<br /><br />According to the latest <keyword id="19896311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Health-Organization" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="World Health Organization" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="World Health Organization">World Health Organization</keyword> (<keyword id="19895006" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WHO" source="keywords">WHO</keyword>) report, approximately 8.2 million people were diagnosed with TB in 2023, marking the highest number of cases recorded since global monitoring began in 1995.<br /><h2><keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> and Indonesia</h2>The recent spike in TB cases is largely driven by increases in two countries — India and Indonesia. Together, they accounted for 45% of the global rebound in TB diagnoses between 2021 and 2023, underscoring their critical role in the worldwide fight against TB. Three other countries, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Pakistan, also made significant contributions, collectively accounting for another 32% of the increase. This means that more than three-quarters of the global resurgence in TB can be traced to these five countries alone.<br /><br />One key reason for these increases is the “backlog” effect created by COVID-19 disruptions. During the pandemic, healthcare systems in many countries, including India and Indonesia, had to shift focus to COVID-19, which delayed TB diagnosis and treatment. In 2023, as these countries ramped up recovery efforts, many previously undetected TB cases surfaced, creating an apparent spike in reported numbers. This trend highlights the importance of sustainable healthcare infrastructure capable of handling simultaneous health crises.<br /><h2>Gaps in TB case detection</h2>Despite the daunting increase in TB cases, some countries have made notable progress in <keyword id="23741990" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="treatment-coverage" source="keywords">treatment coverage</keyword>. Among the 30 high-burden TB countries, those with the highest levels of treatment coverage in 2023 included Brazil, India, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia, with coverage rates surpassing 80%. India’s <keyword id="21052657" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-tuberculosis-elimination-program" source="keywords">National Tuberculosis Elimination Program</keyword> (NTEP) has undoubtedly played a pivotal role in this, aiming to eradicate TB by 2025 — five years ahead of the global target. By focusing on expanded testing, improved diagnostic tools, and more accessible treatment options, India has achieved high treatment coverage levels despite the challenges.<br />    <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114732986" title="Air Quality Alert: Nearly 30% of asthma cases tied to fine particulate matter exposure from bad air" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>However, a significant treatment gap remains. The difference between estimated TB incidence and actual diagnoses still affects millions, especially in countries with large populations like India, Indonesia, Pakistan, China, and Myanmar. These five nations together account for about 50% of the global gap in reported TB cases, with India alone responsible for 16% of the discrepancy.<br /><h2>India’s unique position in the global TB fight</h2>As the nation with the largest share of global TB cases, India has a unique and critical responsibility in addressing the disease. The high TB burden in India is tied to several factors, including undernutrition, poverty, and limited access to healthcare in rural areas. Moreover, with 26% of all TB cases globally, India’s battle against TB will significantly impact the global fight. The government’s financial support for TB-affected households also aims to reduce the economic burden of treatment.<br /><br />However, challenges remain, especially with <keyword id="22004277" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="multidrug-resistant-TB" source="keywords">multidrug-resistant TB</keyword> (MDR/RR-TB). While treatment success rates for MDR/RR-TB have reached 68%, diagnosing and treating all drug-resistant cases is an ongoing challenge. In 2023, India’s coverage of preventive treatment for TB among people living with HIV and close contacts of TB patients also saw improvements, but underfunding continues to limit the full scope of TB elimination efforts.<br /><h2>Global funding gaps</h2>Global funding shortages for <keyword id="21039793" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="TB-prevention" source="keywords">TB prevention</keyword> and treatment are a significant hindrance to progress. Only $5.7 billion of the targeted $22 billion in funding was met in 2023, and for LMICs — where nearly all of the TB burden lies — the available funding falls well short of their needs. The United States remains the largest bilateral donor, and contributions from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria are crucial. However, these funds are not enough to meet essential TB service requirements, leaving healthcare systems under-resourced.<br />    <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114646545" title="Doctors struggle to treat long Covid patients in India; researchers point to inadequate studies" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Even in 2022, only one-fifth of the $5 billion target for research funding was achieved, as per the report. This underfunding hampers the development of improved diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines, which are crucial to TB prevention and treatment. <br /><br />Moreover, many of the drivers of TB are related to social factors, such as undernutrition, smoking, alcohol use, and diabetes, making it imperative to address these root causes. For instance, almost half of the TB-affected households globally face what the WHO calls "catastrophic costs" in seeking treatment. This burden is particularly severe in India, where low-income families often forgo treatment due to financial constraints.<br /><br />As WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus puts it, "The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage, when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it, and treat it.”<br /><br />The WHO’s Global tuberculosis report 2024 can be accessed <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/global-tuberculosis-programme/tb-reports/global-tuberculosis-report-2024">here</a>.<br />

Tuberculosis dethrones COVID-19 as world’s top infectious killer again; Half of all new cases from India, Indonesia

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The threat to the undersea cables carrying internet data is growing more acute.</li><li>A Russian unit called GUGI is surveilling them, CNN said.</li></ul><p>Russia's threat to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-could-take-out-west-internet-gps-back-up-plan-2024-8">subsea cables the West relies on for the internet</a> is growing more acute amid surveillance from a specialist undersea sabotage unit, a NATO official said.</p><p>The official told Business Insider that the alliance was stepping up measures to protect the cables in the wake of a report that they're being targeted by Russia's General Staff Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research.</p><p>"Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, threats to subsea infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines as well as data cables have increased," said the source.</p><p>"Allies have long warned of the risk that Russian spy ships and sabotage vessels patrolling subsea cable routes could pose to critical underwater infrastructure."</p><p>It comes after two US officials told<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/06/politics/us-sees-increasing-risk-of-russian-sabotage-undersea-cables/index.html"> CNN on September 13</a> that Russia had deployed a secret submarine unit called The General Staff Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research. Known by its Russian acronym, GUGI, the unit's goal is to surveil and possibly destroy the undersea cables the West relies on for the internet.</p><p>The cables run for thousands of miles under the ocean between Europe and North America, carrying everything from communications to streaming and financial data.</p><p>A Pentagon official told BI that "we are aware" of these reports, but had nothing further to add at this time.</p><h2 id="90cbdaee-3b89-44d0-a1b4-3be5f9ec6ef8">A unit specializing in undersea sabotage</h2><p>Analysts have long warned that the cables that stretch unprotected for thousands of miles underwater are exposed to being attacked and disabled by Russia.</p><p>The cables, which carried telegram data during World War I, have long been seen as military targets.</p><p>But as the world has become more dependent on internet data, the potential for disruption caused by sabotage has become greater.</p><p>And with relations between Russia and the West deteriorating in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, the Kremlin is signaling that these cables are a legitimate target.</p><p>Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of Russia's security council, in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-medvedev-says-moscow-now-has-free-hand-destroy-enemies-undersea-2023-06-14/">June warned</a> that Russia could attack the cables in response to the destruction of the Norstream pipeline.</p><p>The threat is not idle with GUGI, specifically formed for subversion back in the Cold War, reportedly gearing up its operations.</p><p>Sidharth Kaushal, an analyst at London's Rusi think tank, told BI that the unit's core aims were "surveillance, espionage, and sabotage," and it operated not as part of the navy but under the direct command of the Russian Ministry of Defense because of the sensitivity of its missions.</p><p>The unit operates a small fleet of specialist deep water submarines capable of operating at a depth of around 2,500 metres and a surveillance vessel, the Yantar, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/08/russian-spy-ship-yantar-loitering-near-trans-atlantic-internet-cables/">which was spotted </a>near sensitive cables off the UK coast in 2019.</p><p>As <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-gugi-submarines-likely-operating-around-undersea-cables-pipelines-2023-7">BI previously reported,</a> GUGI appears to be an elite and difficult-to-join unit. Soviet-era candidates needed to be officers and have at least five years of experience in the submarine service.</p><p>GUGI members receive "considerable salaries" because the organization treats their "effective salaries as a deployment bonus related to the time they spend at extreme depths," Kaushal said in a report last year. "As a result, in 2012, GUGI personnel were earning 600,000 roubles," or about $20,000, a month.</p><div type="image" title="Fiber optic cables on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea." height="1500" width="1999" msid="113428436" hostid="261" sizebytes="128368"></div><p>There is already evidence that Russian units may have tampered with undersea cables, with experts saying that Russian units likely played<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://archive.is/SI8xU#selection-2369.8-2369.26"> a role in the disappearance of miles </a>of the cables near Lofoten off the coast of Norway in 2021.</p><p id="6135b716-0e1b-4fa6-bda3-084cd1c8e8bb">Kaushal said that if a direct conflict breaks out between Russia and a NATO state, GUGI would likely first seek to sever military cables, specifically those enabling the tracking of Russian military submarines.</p><p id="6135b716-0e1b-4fa6-bda3-084cd1c8e8bb">But it could also menace the cables civilian communications depend on as a "useful means of calibrated coercion," he said.</p><p id="6135b716-0e1b-4fa6-bda3-084cd1c8e8bb">Though the cables are exposed to damage in storms or can be accidentally damaged by anchors, an act of calculated sabotage would cause damage on a different scale.</p><p id="6135b716-0e1b-4fa6-bda3-084cd1c8e8bb">"Recovering from a deliberate sabotage campaign would take time," Mark Cancian, an analyst with the CSIS think tank in Washington, DC, told BI.</p><h2 id="11a9f719-8508-4515-8aa5-3b0a191b6b0b">NATO steps up patrols</h2><p id="6135b716-0e1b-4fa6-bda3-084cd1c8e8bb">In a recent report, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/safeguarding-subsea-cables-protecting-cyber-infrastructure-amid-great-power-competition">experts at the CSIS called</a> on countries to intensify efforts to safeguard the infrastructure, warning that "without coordinated international efforts to safeguard these cables, the risks of disruption, espionage, and economic instability will continue to grow."</p><p id="6135b716-0e1b-4fa6-bda3-084cd1c8e8bb">The NATO official said that the alliance had "stepped up naval patrols near undersea infrastructure" and said that "NATO's North Atlantic Council has stated clearly that any deliberate attack against Allies' critical infrastructure will be met with a united and determined response."</p><p id="6135b716-0e1b-4fa6-bda3-084cd1c8e8bb">But Kaushal said that because no Western nations were officially at war with Russia, it was unclear what could be done beyond monitoring the activity of Russian vessels such as GUGI's near sensitive undersea cables.</p><p id="6135b716-0e1b-4fa6-bda3-084cd1c8e8bb">"What is more challenging is the question of what rules of engagement exist when suspicious activity is occurring on international waters in peacetime when there is no legal basis to deny Russian platforms access," he said.</p>

A secretive Russian submarine unit could sabotage the subsea network of cables that powers the internet

The counting of votes for <keyword id="65591" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mizoram" source="Orion">Mizoram</keyword> Assembly polls began on Monday morning amid elaborate security arrangements in all 11 districts of the state.<br /><br />Additional Chief Electoral Officer H. Lianzela said that initially, postal ballots are being counted and then, the counting of votes polled through the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) would be taken up.<br /><br />Over 4,000 officials including women are engaged in the counting process. These officials are posted at 40 counting halls under 13 centres in 11 districts to count the votes, the official told IANS.<br /><br />Director General of Police, Anil Shukla said that adequate security measures have been taken for the smooth conduct of the counting process.<br /><br />Adequate contingents of Central Armed Police Forces and Mizoram Armed Police have been deployed across the state to maintain law and order.<br /><br />More than 80% of the 8.57 lakh voters exercised their franchise to decide the electoral fate of 174 candidates, including 16 women.<br /><br />The ruling <keyword id="297846" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="mizo-national-front" source="Orion">Mizo National Front</keyword> (MNF), the main Opposition Zoram People's Movement (<keyword id="746547" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="zpm" source="Orion">ZPM</keyword>) and the Congress have fielded candidates from all 40 seats while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is contesting on four seats.<br /><br />The BJP has fielded candidates on 23 seats with a special focus on linguistic minority inhabited areas, especially where the Reang and Chakma tribal communities are in reasonable numbers in the voters' list.<br /><br />Besides them, 27 independent candidates are also in the fray.<br /><br />The counting of votes was earlier scheduled on Sunday in the Christian-majority state (87%) but after repeated appeals by all political parties, NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, churches, youth and student bodies including the influential Young Mizo Association (<keyword id="549549" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="yma" source="Orion">YMA</keyword>), the Election Commission of India (ECI) rescheduled the counting to Monday.<br /><br />Polling for the 40-member Mizoram assembly was held on November 7.  <br />

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