Pani puri vendor's son cracks JEE, gets into IIT after second attempt
Harsh credits much of his turnaround to Motion Education, a Kota-based coaching institute that extended him structured academic guidance and emotional support. 'There were times when I was physically and emotionally exhausted. But Motion never gave up on me. They believed in me even when I lost belief in myself,' said Harsh.His journey was further marred by medical hardship. He was diagnosed with Rectal Prolapse, a painful, recurring condition that disrupted his studies with frequent hospital visits. To make matters worse, Harsh also faced personal loss with the demise of close relatives during crucial exams.Despite all odds, he remained resolute. Inspired by his father's dream and his family's sacrifices, Harsh pushed harder. He studied for up to 12 hours a day and worked part-time to support his brothers' education. 'Dreams are meant to be big and so is the effort you must put in to chase them,' he says.Harsh's story is not just his own. It represents thousands of aspirants who fall, stumble, and still rise—thanks to the power of belief, mentorship, and unshakable grit.(With inputs from Dharmendra Dubey, Mumbai)- EndsMust Watch
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
US life expectancy vs. the world in 2025: Where do Americans stand?
Walk into just about any American coffee shop these days, and odds are the conversation skips right from politics to TikTok trends to – you guessed it – the cost of healthcare, the outbreak of the day, or someone's complicated insurance story. But lurking beneath all these headlines and gripes lies a stubborn, unshakable fact: in 2025, Americans simply don't live as long as citizens in dozens of other high-income countries. If you're an average American baby born this year, you're expected to live about 78 years. That sounds fine, maybe even good to some ears, but step outside US borders even just over to Canada or across the United Kingdom and it's abundantly clear: Americans are living shorter lives than almost all their economic peers and, frankly, than millions of people in less wealthy parts of the world. So, what's going on? Let's take a look into what the latest data tells us about American longevity—and why, for all the tech innovations and world-class medical centers dotting the landscape, life expectancy here just keeps stagnating. How does US life expectancy measure up? First things first: life expectancy is the average number of years a newborn can expect to live under current mortality rates. In the US, that number hit a recent low after COVID-19 but has since bounced back a bit. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Still, it's not keeping pace with history—or with the rest of the developed world. 2023 US life expectancy: 78.4 years Global Average (2025): 73.5 years Ranking: 48th globally (and slipping) Here's the kicker: the US is above the global average, but a few years below its 'peer' nations. Most of Western Europe, plus Japan, Australia, South Korea, and even some smaller nations like Monaco, enjoy life expectancies between 82 and 87 years. Americans are on average living about 3–5 years less than their economic peers, and as much as 8 years less than the world leaders. What the numbers really say The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes the latest stats for the US: Both sexes: 78.4 years (2023 data) Males: 75.8 years Females: 81.1 years By comparison, Canada, France, Japan, and even the UK all clock in well above the US average. WHO (World Health Organization) data lines up: no matter which authority you check, the trend is the same. America's rank in the longevity league So where does that put the US? In 48th place (as per several reports) and, according to the latest forecasts by World Population Review, likely to drop even further down the list by 2050. Other wealthy nations, meanwhile, continue to inch higher, sometimes gaining years while the US just creeps forward months at a time. Peer nations growing faster: For example, Japan, Korea, Portugal, the UK, and Italy already clock in at 80+ years and counting. US trend is stagnating: Some projections put the US at 80.4 years—in 2050. That's nearly a quarter-century just to gain a single year. Why is the US lagging behind? If you spent any time in a US health economics classroom, you might echo this refrain: Americans spend more—way more—on healthcare than anyone else, but live shorter lives. Why? Here's where things get sticky (and let's be real, infuriating). According to the CDC and public health research, several chronic and acute challenges conspire to keep US life expectancy low: Cardiovascular disease and obesity: Rates here dwarf those in peer nations. Diabetes: A chronic and costly epidemic. "Diseases of despair": Suicide, alcoholism, and drug overdoses hit the US particularly hard. Maternal and infant mortality: Above-average for a wealthy nation. Motor vehicle fatalities: Still shockingly high. Healthcare disparity: Insurance rates, cost barriers, and uneven healthcare access. Socioeconomic inequality: Health outcomes dramatically vary by income, ZIP code, and racial group. Americans are living shorter, sicker lives even as the country outspends rivals on everything from advanced surgeries to high-end drugs. Comparing to the UK and peers: A stark gap Let's pause and zero in on a particularly telling comparison: the United States vs. the United Kingdom. Recent investigative reports by Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health deliver this sobering headline: Americans live years less than the Brits. Leading causes of excess US deaths: Heart disease, drug overdoses, infant and maternal deaths What really stands out isn't just the small year-by-year difference. It's the long-term trend: since the 1980s, America's trajectory has flatlined, while Europe trudges upward—even through its own crises. Why? Policy differences: Universal coverage, safety nets, and regenerative social programs in the UK and Europe often make healthier choices easier and provide fallback care when disaster strikes. Public health investment: The UK spends less on care, but more on prevention and community wellness. Digging into health habits and policy differences If you're looking for 'silver bullet' explanations, the data won't cut you any slack. It's death by a thousand small problems, and they're entangled: Diet: Appallingly high processed food consumption, sugar-sweetened beverages, and ultra-processed snacks. Exercise: Sedentary lifestyles prevail, especially among kids and teens. Addiction: A toxic brew of widespread opioid, meth, and alcohol abuse. Overdose rates have reached devastating levels. Mental health: Underfunded and stigmatized, pushing more people into crisis and self-harm. Healthcare Coverage: Insurance gaps, high out-of-pocket costs, and rural hospital closures remain endemic. Environmental factors: Pockets of heavy pollution and 'food deserts.' As the CDC points out, even American children today face a 1-in-5 shot at developing obesity before adulthood, foreshadowing future medical costs and mortality. What would it take for America to catch up? Public health experts and studies converge on a short list of must-dos: Tackle chronic disease: Expand access to preventive screening, healthy foods, and physical activity. Address the opioid crisis: Investment in mental health and addiction treatment. Make healthcare universal and affordable: Reduce insurance and cost barriers. Maternal and infant health: More prenatal care, family leave, and education. Tackle poverty and inequality: Social safety nets, fair wages, and safer housing. Without bolder national action—and strong local follow-through—these gains will remain elusive. America's health gap is no longer a technical problem; it's a political, social, and moral one. Other countries have shown it's fixable, but it takes serious willpower and the humility to learn from others. The question for the next generation, then, is simple: Will we keep coasting along on what's left of the old American advantage, or finally tackle the causes behind our shorter lives? For now, the world's watching and, to tell the truth, living longer. References: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health CDC – Life Expectancy Data Briefs WHO Data: United States
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
'We're still in shock and heartbroken': 25-year-old woman suddenly collapses at work, dies - Here's what happened
Twenty-five-year-old Samantha Kimene from Ireland's Tipperary died last weekend in Spain's Tenerife weeks after collapsing at work, reported on Sunday, quoting the Irish Mirror. The report added that Kimene had collapsed at work three weeks ago and was taken to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with leukaemia and COVID-19. Her uncle Arturs Kimens, with whom she was living at the time, said that Kimene had begun treatment, but it was "too late." "She got the diagnosis too late. What happened was, they were just trying to do the treatment for her, and it was unsuccessful because her body couldn't take it," he told the Irish Mirror. "She had COVID as well and the virus, or whatever it was, spread through her organs and just... she passed away, unfortunately," he added. Arturs also stated that Kimene's mother – Inese, and he were in Tenerife to make arrangements to repatriate her to Ireland. Kimene has had a chance to meet some of the friends his niece made in her new home while they were on the Spanish island of Tenerife. "All the people here that I met, that she was working with, they're in absolute devastation. They're devastated that she's gone, they can't believe it," Arturs Kimens said. He added, "And she meant everything to me. I loved her very much and I'm going to miss her." He even had set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to support Kimene's family. "Please help us raise the funds to bring [her] body back to Ireland, back home for [the] funeral," he wrote. Until Saturday, the GoFundMe has raised more than $25,000. Paying tribute to Kimene, her employer, Paddy O'Kelly's Irish bar in Tenerife, posted a photo of the 25-year-old posing on a balcony in a black dress on Instagram. They wrote, "It's with a heavy heart that our colleague and friend, Sam, has sadly passed away. She was a valued part of our team and will be deeply missed." "A beautiful and kind human with the biggest smile," the message continued. "We're still in shock and heartbroken 💔. Please keep her family in your thoughts during this difficult time." Paddy O'Kelly's directed people to her uncle's GoFundMe and also said the pub would be organizing a fundraiser of its own, added the In its tribute post, the bar wrote, "Rest in Peace Sam. You will be greatly missed. Lots of love. Your Paddy O'Kellys family ☘️."
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Insurance company directed to settle claim of pregnant woman
Dakshina Kannada District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed an insurance company to pay with interest the claim amount of a pregnant woman, overturning the company's decision to repudiate the claim on the grounds that the admission of the woman to the hospital was not required. The commission directed the company to pay the woman ₹45,704, with 6% interest from the date of repudiation of the claim, October 11, 2023, until the date of realisation. It also directed the firm to pay her ₹10,000 as compensation for the deficiency of service and mental agony. Furthermore, ₹5,000 should be paid to her as the cost of litigation, it stated. In the judgement on July 18, the commission said that the New Delhi-based Care Health Insurance Limited has not produced any documentary evidence to support its contention that fever, bodyache and throat pain in the claimant, for which she was hospitalised, was on account of pregnancy, and that hospitalisation was not required for these complaints. The company has clearly violated the terms of the health insurance policy by rejecting the claim without any valid grounds, the commission noted. Ruvin Shain D'Souza, a resident of an apartment in Chilimbi, was offered a Care Health Insurance policy by virtue of being a holder of a savings bank account with the Union Bank of India. Since May 2021, she has paid the premium regularly to renew the policy every year. She paid a premium of ₹10,107 for the policy valid between May 24, 2023 and May 23, 2024. She was pregnant and had fever, body pain and throatache. On the advice of her doctor, Ms. D'Souza was admitted to Father Muller Hospital on October 9, 2023. She was discharged on October 14, 2023. The hospitalisation and medical expenses charges totalled ₹45,704. The company rejected her request for a cashless treatment facility, as indicated in letters dated October 11, 2023, and October 13, 2023. The company gave reasons for rejection as 'admission not justified' and 'permanent exclusion admission primarily for investigation and evaluation'. Terming rejection as a deficiency in service, Ms. D'Souza filed a complaint demanding the settlement of the claim and necessary compensation. In the judgment, the commission, comprising president Somashekarappa Handigol and member H.G. Sharadamma, observed that the contention of the company was neither supported by medical records pertaining to the claimant nor had it examined the treating doctor to prove its contention.
