Devyani

WHO Pandemic Talks Resume: What Citizens Should Know Before Believing Viral Claims

Talks on the WHO Pandemic Agreement are back in Geneva this week, but citizens should know this is about future preparedness, not sudden public restrictions. Some global health meetings sound boring until a scary WhatsApp forward gives them a villain’s cape. This week’s WHO pandemic talks are one of those. The resumed sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement is being held in hybrid format in Geneva from April 27 to May 1, 2026. The official schedule lists two long daily sessions, from 09:00–13:00 and 14:00–23:00. So yes, negotiators are putting in proper late-night conference hours. What Is Actually Being Negotiated? The main subject is not a new lockdown order, travel ban, or vaccine rule for citizens tomorrow morning. The focus is the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, usually shortened to PABS. In plain words, PABS is meant to decide how countries share pathogen ...

Devyani
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International Dance Day: Reclaiming the Unplugged Nostalgia of the 90s Bollywood Hookstep
International Dance Day: Reclaiming the Unplugged Nostalgia of the 90s Bollywood Hookstep
Before dance went digital, it travelled by memory - one hookstep at a time. It usually begins mid-thought. A beat drops in your head - no warning -...
Al Pacino’s Birthday: The Uncanny 1970s Parallel Between Hollywood’s ‘Serpico’ and India’s ‘Angry Young Man’
Al Pacino’s Birthday: The Uncanny 1970s Parallel Between Hollywood’s ‘Serpico’ and India’s ‘Angry Young Man’
Half a world apart, two actors put on worn-out jackets and basically told the establishment to go to hell. You don't really watch gritty 1970s cine...
Rule 49P Explained: What First-Time Voters Must Do If Someone Has Already Cast Their Vote
Rule 49P Explained: What First-Time Voters Must Do If Someone Has Already Cast Their Vote
A small rule tucked inside election law, but for a first-time voter, it can be the difference between confusion and clarity at the polling booth. I...
Al Pacino’s Birthday: How ‘The Godfather’ Gave Indian Cinema Its Most Chilling Political Anti-Hero in ‘Sarkar’
Al Pacino’s Birthday: How ‘The Godfather’ Gave Indian Cinema Its Most Chilling Political Anti-Hero in ‘Sarkar’
Before we even discuss the roaring guns, we have to talk about the silence - because that is exactly where the real power lives. Watch Al Pacino in...
Rule 49M: Can You Change Your Mind After Signing the Voter Register?
Rule 49M: Can You Change Your Mind After Signing the Voter Register?
A small clause in election law, often overlooked, quietly decides whether a voter’s hesitation has any legal space once the process is underway. Th...
April 24, 1990: The Hubble Space Telescope Launched, Setting the Stage for NASA’s Most Terrifying Zero-Gravity Repair Mission
April 24, 1990: The Hubble Space Telescope Launched, Setting the Stage for NASA’s Most Terrifying Zero-Gravity Repair Mission
It was supposed to be our ultimate window to the cosmos, but NASA’s crown jewel went up legally blind. Here is how astronauts pulled off the ultimate...
386 Constituencies, One Day: Mapping Bengal’s Phase I and Tamil Nadu’s Full-Scale Vote
386 Constituencies, One Day: Mapping Bengal’s Phase I and Tamil Nadu’s Full-Scale Vote
Two states. Two formats. One shared date. April 23 turns into a sprawling civic exercise - from Bengal’s phased map to Tamil Nadu’s all-at-once ballot...
From Queue to Counting Room: The Life Cycle of a Vote in Bengal and Tamil Nadu’s Phase I Election
From Queue to Counting Room: The Life Cycle of a Vote in Bengal and Tamil Nadu’s Phase I Election
From the first ink mark on a fingertip to a sealed machine resting under watch, a single vote travels quietly through an intricate, well-rehearsed sys...
Happy Birthday Manoj Bajpayee: Why Bhiku Mhatre Remains the Ultimate Masterclass in Indian Urban Survival
Happy Birthday Manoj Bajpayee: Why Bhiku Mhatre Remains the Ultimate Masterclass in Indian Urban Survival
Forget the tailored suits and corporate grind; true city resilience wears a loud printed shirt and laughs in the face of chaos. Honestly, I think w...
William Shakespeare’s Birthday: How His Darkest Tragedies Birthed Indian Cinema’s Greatest Psychological Thrillers
William Shakespeare’s Birthday: How His Darkest Tragedies Birthed Indian Cinema’s Greatest Psychological Thrillers
He never stepped foot in Mumbai, but the Bard of Avon practically ghostwrote the blueprint for Bollywood’s gritty modern noir. Let’s just bypass th...
William Shakespeare’s Birthday: The Hilarious, Dramatic 'Desi' Insults We Unknowingly Stole From the Bard
William Shakespeare’s Birthday: The Hilarious, Dramatic 'Desi' Insults We Unknowingly Stole From the Bard
Forget the flowery sonnets - the Bard of Avon was actually the undisputed king of the fiery, street-level roast. Honestly, if you think about it, t...
The 6 PM Deadline: Your Legal Right to Vote if You Are Still in the Queue
The 6 PM Deadline: Your Legal Right to Vote if You Are Still in the Queue
The clock strikes six, but the gate isn't closed yet. Here is why the "Closing Time" is actually just a beginning for those already in line. It is...
The Official 'Selfie Zones': Where You Can and Cannot Photograph Your Voting Experience
The Official 'Selfie Zones': Where You Can and Cannot Photograph Your Voting Experience
You finally got the ink, and naturally, the grid needs to know. But before you hit record, here is exactly where the Election Commission draws the lin...
The First-Time Voter's Master Guide: Form 17A Explained: The Mandatory Register You Must Sign Before Seeing the EVM
The First-Time Voter's Master Guide: Form 17A Explained: The Mandatory Register You Must Sign Before Seeing the EVM
You survived the snaking queue and the sweltering heat, but before you even glimpse that electronic voting machine, a dog-eared government ledger dema...
The First-Time Voter’s Master Guide: ECI Apps, Valid IDs, and Finding Your Booth
The First-Time Voter’s Master Guide: ECI Apps, Valid IDs, and Finding Your Booth
Your thumb is about to do more than just doomscroll. Here is the ultimate cheat sheet to surviving the voting booth without looking entirely clueless....
Charlie Chaplin’s Birthday: How The Silent Tramp Built Raj Kapoor’s Post-Colonial Bollywood Persona From Scratch
Charlie Chaplin’s Birthday: How The Silent Tramp Built Raj Kapoor’s Post-Colonial Bollywood Persona From Scratch
Baggy trousers, a borrowed bowler hat, and an uncanny waddle. How London’s most famous cinematic export gave India’s 'Showman' his definitive soul....
Raid the Wardrobe: Stealing Vintage 'Suta' for an Unplugged, Authentic Poila Boishak and Bengali New Year
Raid the Wardrobe: Stealing Vintage 'Suta' for an Unplugged, Authentic Poila Boishak and Bengali New Year
Ditch the boutique queues. The ultimate festive flex is probably hiding behind a camphor-scented stack in that heavy steel almirah at home. The hum...
The Cinematic Clean Slate: Celebrating Poila Boishak and Bengali New Year with Bollywood’s Best Sisterhoods
The Cinematic Clean Slate: Celebrating Poila Boishak and Bengali New Year with Bollywood’s Best Sisterhoods
Forget the spring cleaning for a second. Let's ring in Nobo Borsho with screen queens who actually have each other's backs. April in Kolkata is una...