NewsBytes

Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, pending an ethics investigation over accusations she was too deferential to a senior Cambodian leader when the two discussed a recent border dispute in a phone call that was leaked. Paetongtarn has faced growing dissatisfaction over her handling of the dispute, which involved an armed confrontation on May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed. In a call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, she attempted to defuse tensions — but instead set off a string of complaints and public protests by critics who accused her of being too fawning. Paetongtarn's suspension raises the possibility of renewed instability in Thailand, a still fragile democracy that has suffered several similar bouts of uncertainty. At the root of much of that were concerns from the conservative establishment, including the military, that the political dynasty started by Paetongtarn's father, the popular but divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was growing too powerful.

Several Italian regions banned outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day, France shut scores of schools and Spain confirmed last month as its hottest June on record as a severe heatwave gripped Europe, triggering widespread health alerts. Spanish authorities were investigating whether a street sweeper's death over the weekend in Barcelona was caused by the heatwave and trade unions blamed the heat for the death on Monday of a 47-year-old man on a construction site near Bologna. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, with extreme heatwaves occurring earlier in the year, and persisting into later months. "What is exceptional, and I would stress exceptional but not unprecedented is the time of year," said World Meteorological Organization spokesperson Clare Nullis. "We are the first of July and we are seeing episodes of extreme heat which normally we would see later on in the summer. The Mediterranean Sea was up to 6 degrees Celsius warmer than usual for the time of year, hitting a record of as much as 30 C (86 F) in Spain's Balearic Sea as a heat dome trapped hot air above Europe, the country's AEMET weather forecaster said.

Researchers at the George Institute for Global Health have identified key areas where India's health system can improve support for patients seeking care for burn injuries, officials said.  Mental health support for patients, more training and counselling for healthcare providers and anti-discrimination policies in health institutions were among several recommendations that was made in the study conducted by the medical research institute. The study conducted in Uttar Pradesh explored how burn survivors experience stigma and discrimination within healthcare settings and proposed a set of policy and practice recommendations to address these gaps. Claimed to be first-of-its-kind study globally that specifically aimed to assess stigma faced by burn patients in hospitals and healthcare settings, the research was carried out as part of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) early career grants programme, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UK. Even as survival rates have increased with better medical care, the study suggested that institutional neglect, under-resourced facilities, overburdened staff, and systemic failures are some reasons for burn patients receiving discriminatory and low-quality care.

President Droupadi Murmu, who inaugurated the Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath AYUSH University in Uttar Pradesh, stressed the role of traditional Indian healthcare systems and lifestyle in the nation's progress. She said that if the public remain healthy, the dream of making India developed by 2047 can be realised. "Today, India's voice is being heard across the world. But to sustain that momentum, every citizen must contribute. We say health is wealth. If we remain healthy, our dream of making India a Viksit Bharat and a Vishwaguru can be realised by 2047," Murmu said, adding that the AYUSH University will be a key medium in that journey. Endorsing the traditional healthcare systems, the President said that people must adopt the Ayurvedic and nature-based lifestyle alongside the modern medicine. "It is important to follow our age-old traditions to maintain health, even after taking conventional medicine," she said.