Finland Is World's Happiest Country For 7th Time Straight, India Stands At 126

NEW YORK, Mar 20: India was ranked 126th out of 143 nations in a global happiness index released on Wednesday which noted that older age is associated with higher life satisfaction in the world's most populous country.

Finland emerged as the happiest country in the world, topping the World Happiness Report 2024, the seventh successive year that the country has occupied the top spot on the list.

The other of the top 10 countries are Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Australia.

India is ranked 126th on the list, behind countries such as Libya, Iraq, Palestine and Niger, according to the findings announced on Wednesday to mark the UN's International Day of Happiness.

The World Happiness Report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR's Editorial Board.

The young in India are the "happiest" while those in "lower middle" rung are the least happy.

The US (23rd) has fallen out of the top 20 for the first time since the World Happiness Report was first published in 2012, driven by a large drop in the well-being of Americans under 30.

Afghanistan remains bottom of the overall rankings as the world's 'unhappiest' nation. Pakistan is ranked 108th on the list.

The report said that older age is associated with higher life satisfaction in India, "refuting some claims that the positive association between age and life satisfaction only exists in high-income nations."

On average, older men in India are more satisfied with life than older women "but when taking all other measures into account, older women report higher life satisfaction than their male counterparts," it said.

In India, older adults with secondary or higher education and those of higher social castes report higher life satisfaction than counterparts without formal education and those from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

"India's older population is the second largest worldwide, with 140 million Indians aged 60 and over, second only to its 250 million Chinese counterparts. Additionally, the average growth rate for Indians aged 60 and above is three times higher than the overall population growth rate of the country," the report said.

Satisfaction with living arrangements, perceived discrimination, and self-rated health emerge as the top three predictors of life satisfaction for India in this study, the report said.

"We found that older men, those in the higher age groups, currently married, and those who were educated, report higher life satisfaction compared to their respective peers. Lower satisfaction with living arrangements, perceived discrimination, and poor self-rated health were important factors associated with low life satisfaction among older Indians," it said.

The findings of this study indicate that strengthening family networks to ensure a comfortable living arrangement for older adults, men, widowed, and those without formal education in particular, and bolstering social networks to reduce discrimination may enhance well-being in older age, it noted.

The report added that Serbia (37th) and Bulgaria (81st) have had the biggest increases in average life evaluation scores since they were first measured by the Gallup World Poll in 2013.

The next two countries showing the largest increases in life evaluations are Latvia (46th) and Congo (Brazzaville) (89th), with rank increases of 44 and 40 places, respectively, between 2013 and 2024.

For the first time, the report gives separate rankings by age group, in many cases varying widely from the overall rankings. Lithuania tops the list for children and young people under 30, while Denmark is the world's happiest nation for those 60 and older.

Farmers Are Destroying Vineyards As World Has Too Much Wine

LONDON, Mar 9: Australian grape-grower Tony Townsend destroyed half his 14-hectare vineyard last year.

The fields were healthy and vibrant, but he estimates he would have lost about A$35,000 ($23,000) to harvest them. While a heatwave is holding him back from ripping out the rest, he plans to finish the job once the weather cools - losing all the vines he's tended for the past decade.

"I enjoyed being in the wine industry, but it was just economically unviable to continue this way," said Townsend from his farm, where a pile of discarded plants is waiting to be burned.

He lives in Riverland, a region in South Australia that produces about a third of the nation's crush. Since 2020, a convergence of Covid-fueled cost increases and Chinese tariffs has pushed up supply and depressed prices in the country. While Townsend was never fully reliant on grape growing for his income and works part-time in wine and food tourism, not every farmer has been so lucky.

"There's a lot of people that don't see a future in the wine industry," said Lyndall Rowe, Chief Executive Officer of Riverland Wine, an industry group representing growers and wine makers.

It's a problem that's playing out all around the world. Though global production hit a 60-year low in 2023, a wine glut is persisting, signifying that demand is falling even faster. And while data from the International Organization of Vine and Wine show that global consumption has lagged behind production of wine since at least 1995, the industry has hit an inflection point as changing drinking patterns and lackluster economic conditions look here to stay.

California is currently experiencing "one of the worst imbalances in demand and supply we've seen in 30 years," said Stuart Spencer, executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission in the Central Valley.

Meanwhile, Australia produced its smallest amount of wine in 15 years in the 2022-23 season but continues to struggle with historically high inventory levels, according to a November report by industry group Wine Australia.

On top of Covid, costs for inputs like fuel and fertilizer have gone up because of the war in Ukraine and insurance premiums are increasing due to climate change, said Richard Halstead, chief operating officer of consumer insights at alcoholic beverage research company IWSR.

"The recent sharp increases in input costs have destabilized wine's very delicate economic model," he said.

Meanwhile, secular changes in drinking habits are taking root, with red wine feeling the pain more acutely. More people are drinking lower-alcohol sparkling, rosé or white wines instead of reds, said Christophe Chateau, spokesperson for the Bordeaux Wine Council. Gen Z consumers are also consuming less alcohol, fueling a boom in nonalcoholic drinks.

In Riverland for example, Rowe doesn't expect many red wine producers, which make up almost all of the region's output, to be able to sell at a profit this season, while some farmers are replacing the vines with other crops like almonds or watermelons.

In Spain, there is an oversupply of Rioja reds, according to Jose; Luis Benitez, director general at industry group Federacion Espanola del Vino, while demand for white wine is high.

Farmers "are going to have problems down the line in one to two years because you can't transform reds into whites," he said.

The French government originally allocated €200 million ($216 million) to help farmers nationwide pull up vineyards and send their wine to be converted into ethanol, promising each farmer €75 per hectoliter. Bordeaux, a major red-wine-producing region, received additional funding to pull up 9,500 hectares of land.

But supply destruction isn't having a major effect. France overtook Italy to become the largest producer of wine in the world in 2023. Sign-ups for the ethanol scheme were so large that each farmer could only offload half the volume they wanted to, according to Chateau.

Bordeaux growers took part in the wider French farmer protests in January blockading roads across the country over the removal of fuel subsidies and EU green policies. Grape farmers won a further €150 million for uprooting vines and planting alternative crops.

But adjustments are particularly hard for an industry like wine to make. Many wine makers go back generations and are steeped in tradition, while the nature of grape-growing means long lead times and grapes themselves can't be easily sold and repurposed.

"What you plant today will be funding your children's salaries - or even your grandchildren's," said Halstead. "So when markets change, it can be incredibly difficult to respond quickly." A well-maintained vine can last for more than 50 years, meaning that investment cycles tend to be measured in generations, he added.

Brands also haven't done enough to meet new changes, said Spiros Malandrakis, industry manager of alcoholic drinks at Euromonitor International. For example, by focusing on developing premium brands at a time when people's budgets are being squeezed means the industry is failing to cultivate a new generation of wine drinkers.

"If there are not cheap, economic, reliable wine brands to go to, you will just leave wine and just go into ready-to-drink cocktails or beer or cheap spirit brands," said Malandrakis, adding that Gen Z's use of cannabis has also lessened wine's appeal.

That leaves no option for many farmers but to leave the industry altogether. A survey carried out by Riverland Wine in 2022 found that about a quarter of the region's growers are planning on quitting in the next three years.

For Townsend, once he finishes removing his vines he plans to repopulate the barren land with native plants.

"The money that would've been lost from our vines towards the end will now return joy to us tenfold when we get to see the native animals and birds comes back to our land," he said.

UK Man 'Dead' For 50 Minutes Makes Miraculous Recovery, Baffles Doctors

LONDON, March 1: In a story defying medical odds, 31-year-old Ben Wilson has made a remarkable recovery after suffering two cardiac arrests last June, according to The Metro.

Wilson's heart stopped beating twice within a 50-minute span at his home, requiring paramedics to use a defibrillator 17 times to revive him. Doctors at the hospital prepared his family for the worst, stating his survival chances were slim and that even if he did recover, he could face significant long-term issues, reported the news portal.

However, in a testament to his strength and resilience, Wilson defied those predictions.

After spending five weeks in a medically induced coma to protect his brain from oxygen deprivation, he has gradually regained his ability to walk and talk. He recently proposed to his partner, Rebekka Holmes, who reports that he only experiences minor speech and short-term memory issues.

She said, "When the paramedics came, they said it wasn't looking good. They used a defibrillator to shock him 11 times in 40 minutes before finally getting a heartbeat. But when they got him outside in the garden, he went again, and they shocked him six times in another ten minutes and brought him back again. They put him in an induced coma right away to minimise any damage."

Wilson, a traffic management worker, is now back at home and planning his wedding, a testament to the human spirit's ability to overcome even the most daunting challenges.

"I stayed by his side the whole time, telling him I loved him. I sang him our song "Dream a Little Dream of Me," sprayed my perfume on his pillow, and put a teddy he bought me on it, saying "I love you to the moon and back," at his side. I believe my love for him brought him through. It is a miracle that he has survived, but there are studies that say love and touch can help," Rebekka Holmes further said.

"Ben has always been a hopeless romantic, getting me flowers and cards, and I feel I was repaying him for all the love and affection he has shown me over the seven years we have been together."

Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh Announce Pregnancy; Baby Due in September

MUMBAI, March 1: Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are expecting their first baby together. The actress announced the happy news on her Instagram handle and also revealed that she’d deliver the baby in September this year. Deepika shared an adorable poster with “September 2024” written on it. The poster also had children’s clothes, toys and balloons as the border.

Soon after Deepika shared the pregnancy announcement, fans and friends rushed to the comments section to congratulate the couple.

Vikrant Massey wrote, “OMGGGGGGG!!!! Bahut bahut shubhkamnaen aap dono ko!!!” Kriti Sanon commented, “Omg!!!! Congratulations you two!!!” Among others, Sonam Kapoor, Manish Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Anjali Anand, Neena Gupta, Bhumi Pednekar and Angad Bedi also sent wishes to Deepika and Ranveer.

Injured Monkey Rescued From Rashtrapati Bhawan, Treated, Released Into Natural Habitat

NEW DELHI, Jan 26: In a swift rescue operation, Wildlife SOS’ Rapid Response Unit successfully treated a 4-year-old rhesus macaque from the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises in New Delhi. The monkey, discovered with an injury to its left hind leg, was unable to walk and exhibited signs of distress.

Wildlife SOS’ Rapid Response Unit successfully intervened in rescuing a 4-year-old rhesus macaque found injured at the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises in New Delhi. The distress call to the organisation’s emergency helpline prompted the NGO to dispatch its Rapid Response Unit to the location for the monkey’s rescue.

Following the successful rescue, the macaque was transported to Wildlife SOS’ treatment facility, where a team of veterinarians assessed the situation. They identified an internal injury with bleeding from the anal region, causing the monkey distress and hind-leg impairment.

The experienced veterinary team administered antibiotics and coagulants to stop the bleeding, and fluid therapy to alleviate lethargy displayed by the monkey. After a few days of diligent medical treatment, the macaque responded positively to the treatment and showed signs of complete recovery. Subsequently, the monkey was released back into its natural habitat.

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS, said, “Our swift and effective rescue operation not only aimed to save the injured macaque but also prioritised providing essential medical care. The successful rescue and release of the monkey exemplifies Wildlife SOS’ unwavering commitment to the preservation of urban wildlife.”

Wasim Akram, Deputy Director-Special Projects, Wildlife SOS, said, “We appreciate the empathy shown by the staff at Rashtrapati Bhawan, who promptly contacted Wildlife SOS for the monkey’s treatment. The timely intervention in delivering necessary medical care has proven to be a lifeline for the monkey.”

Wildlife SOS emergency helpline No. +91 9871963535