By Nitya Chakraborty India’s South Asia diplomacy is proving a disaster as the neighbouring countries of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are discussing in details the issue of the revival of SAARC which has been lying inactive in the political arena since 2016 due to India’s...
By K Raveendran The tension between freedom of expression and protection of reputation is both inevitable and delicate. Speech rights lie at the core of democratic governance, enabling citizens to critique, dissent, and challenge power. But reputation, dignity, and the risk of false or malicious harm also matter, and...
By T N Ashok NEW YORK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to skip the 80th United Nations General Assembly session, sending External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in his place, represents far more than a scheduling conflict. Earlier, a provisional list of speakers issued in July had scheduled Prime Minister...
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Since 1995, the world is wealthier, healthier and better educated. Yet, progress in certain areas remains limited, and stark global inequalities endure. Hence, in spite of the many improvements, disenchantment with institutions is widespread and persistent. Governments, unions and businesses face declining levels of trust,...
By Satyaki Chakraborty The global economy is entering a period of weak growth and systemic disruption, according to the World Economic Forum’s latest Chief Economists’ Outlook, released on September 24.. Some 72 per cent of surveyed chief economists expect the global economy to weaken over the next year, amid...
By Sushil Kutty United States President *Donald Trump gave a speech on Tuesday at the United Nations. The teleprompter wasn’t functioning. That did not stop Trump from taking charge. His wisecrack that “whoever operated the teleprompter” will pay a price drew laughter. First Lady Melania Trump was among those...
By Jag Mohan Thaken CHANDIGARH: Stubble burning cases are on increase in Punjab and in the past eight days up to 23 September, media reports reveal that 70 cases have been reported and FIRs against 20 farmers under Section 223 of the Indian Penal Code have been lodged. The...
By Tirthankar Mitra Climate, culture and public health can sometimes collide in unexpected ways. Kerala’s interaction with a deadly brain infection is a pointer to it. Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic organism thrives in warm, untreated freshwater. It can invade the human brain through the nose. A near fatal condition...
By Nadia Williams NEW YORK: Zohran Mamdani, the likely new mayor of New York City, was 17 in December 2008 when his accomplished filmmaker mother, Mira Nair, with son in tow, led a free walking tour of Delhi. She showed the stark realities of the lives of Indian street...
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Ban order on caste based political rallies issued by the Uttar Pradesh government on September 21, 2025 has significantly raised the political heat in the state, since it is likely to impact all political parties and political alliances,.. Nevertheless, the BJP led government under Chief...
By Subrata Majumder Amid world deepening in geopolitical tensions and global trade turmoil, Russia-India-China troika paves the way for India-China thaw, geared by Russia and poses a challenge to Trump’s unilateral tariff imposition policy, even with political considerations. Russia-India-China (RIC) troika evokes both primary challenge and opportunity. Russia took...
By Asad Mirza As Israel pushes for Gaza takeover, several Western nations have formally announced their plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly. The move, which is being led by major western nations among others, is poised to deepen Israel’s international isolation, but will...
By Anjan Roy Prime minister, Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Sunday on the eve of the cut in GST was a purely political play. The GST has been reformed and reset by the GST Council, which is the competent body to finally amend the GST regime. Its...
By Sushil Kutty The Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress wants a bigger share of everything from the DMK alliance in the 2026 assembly elections which isn’t far away, a few months more and all things polling will be on the state’s head. And Tamil Nadu is a political...
By T N Ashok NEW YORK: In the annals of economic self-harm, few policies rival the spectacular myopia of Donald Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee. What began as a weekend of bureaucratic chaos—complete with panicked flights from Bangalore and corporate travel bans—has evolved into something far more consequential: America’s...
By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The habitual critics of Kerala’s Left Democratic Front Government (LDF) are running for cover; the incorrigible detractors have ended up with egg on their faces. The reason for their acute embarrassment: the success of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam held by the Travancore Devaswom Board. Belying...
By Dennis Broe PARIS: Building on last week’s Bloquons Tout movement on the streets of France , a national protest against Emmanuel Macron’s austerity budget, which drew supporters from both left and right, the combined might of the French unions last week led an even more impressive mobilisation. “Let’s...
By Nantoo Banerjee Few will disagree that India should keep investing substantially in both onshore and offshore oil search as the country is becoming increasingly dependent on the import of petroleum crude to meet its energy needs. Currently, almost 86 percent of India’s annual crude petroleum needs are being...