business 
What United States President Donald Trumpdid to global trade on April 2, 2025 in Washington closely mirrors a disruptive precedent set by President Richard Nixon in 1971. On August 15, Nixon stunned the world by announcing the “temporary suspension” of the U.S. dollar’s convertibility into gold. This effectively dismantled the Bretton Woods framework that was … Read more
Attack by tariffs By launching very high tariffs against nations, U.S. President Donald Trump has sown the seeds of fear in the world of international trade and business. It is not just about major nations alone. The impact will be felt by smaller nations too. International trade depends and can survive only through smooth trade … Read more
A sentence in a report, “T.N. moved resolution against delimitation to protect State autonomy: Stalin at CPI(M) meet” (‘News’ page, April 4, 2025), read: “The fight against the Central government’s authoritarianism started way back in 1974, when the then Chief Minister and DMK founder, C.N. Annadurai…” It should have been M. Karunanidhi. Published – April … Read more
The issue of defections in Legislative Assemblies has become a vexed one in public life in recent years. Ruling parties — the Bharatiya Janata Party in particular — have adopted an unabashed approach to augment their legislative support by encouraging defections. A commonly used modus operandi — used egregiously in Manipur in the late 2010s … Read more
As the devastating war in Ukraine edges toward a fragile ceasefire, recently reinforced by maritime and energy truces brokered in Riyadh, the question of a more enduring peace looms large, along with a related question: who will oversee its implementation? Peace seems to be in prospect, as both sides appear weary of a long-drawn out … Read more
Once emblems of accessible, high-quality education, India’s state-funded universities and colleges now teeter on devastation. The situation as it is right now is marked by crumbling infrastructure, unfilled position of faculty, and difficulty keeping fundamental services running. Visit any state-funded university, it is highly likely one will run into a swaths of unkempt lawns, buildings, … Read more
The story I share is not mine alone. It belongs to millions of students from marginalised communities across India who face systemic barriers in their pursuit of education. Born to illiterate farming parents in Buldhana district of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, the idea of quality education seemed like a distant dream from my earliest memories. Our … Read more
John Green, author of bestselling books including The Fault In Our Stars, is a passionate campaigner for eradicating tuberculosis. In his new book, Everything is Tuberculosis, he writes about the history of the disease, the role of the U.S., and why he decided to do something about it. An edited excerpt from an interview: A … Read more
Ilaiyaraaja was learning western music from Dhanraj Master while the latter was staying in a lodge in Chennai’s Luz Corner. I belong to the generation that grew up listening to the songs of Ilaiyaraaja, probably the first music director whose fame overshadowed even actors with a mass fan following. This was evident in any cinema … Read more
