‘COVID-19 laid bare inherent weaknesses in health systems globally’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images “The only possible answer to the question of how we can survive the plague is by living.” — José Saramago Last month, March, we marked five years of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. By now, we have had events, conferences, … Read more
The ongoing programme of revoking the visas of foreign students in the U.S., ostensibly for opposing the country’s foreign policy, is a direct outcome of the xenophobic tendency in the Trump administration. The danger is that the ‘Make America Great Again’ movement that propelled Donald Trump into the Presidency may soon permeate deep into campus … Read more
Today’s China is evidently not the China of Deng Xiaoping. With the advent of Xi Jinping in 2013, China has changed even more and there is little indication that it has since retracted from this path. On the other hand, it is harking more and more to its past, wallowing in self-pity as a ‘wronged’ … Read more
Residents of central Jaipur face persistent disturbances from air horn usage by buses and trucks even during late hours. Despite existing noise pollution regulations, enforcement has been inadequate. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued an order limiting air horn usage on major roads between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. However, enforcement agencies, including the traffic … Read more
Governments are often judged by how well they react, but true leadership is about how well they reform. Ministries tend to excel in responding to crises such as managing disasters, controlling conflicts, and restoring law and order. While necessary, this approach only addresses immediate threats without securing long-term solutions. Reforms, on the other hand, shape … Read more
Last week’s Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit — the sixth — which brought the leaders of seven neighbouring countries to Bangkok at a time of global turbulence, was an opportunity to reignite the regional grouping after years of stasis. Originally cast as a “bridging” mechanism between South Asia’s … Read more
Scorching trade April has turned out to be the cruellest month given the rapidity with which a trade war is unfolding globally on account of the Trump tariffs affecting global markets. The Trump tariffs are a problem as there is also a legal aspect, their permanence (will there be a political blowback after an upending … Read more
The photo caption that accompanied a report, “Following public outcry, J&K panel meets stakeholders on quota issue” (‘News’ page, some editions, April 7, 2025) wrongly identified Farooq Abdullah as Omar Abdullah. The error was corrected in later editions. Published – April 09, 2025 12:32 am IST
A LinkedIn post by a former student of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, currently employed as a postdoc in a university of repute in the United States, caught me off guard a few days ago. He is actively seeking new positions where he may be able to leverage his experience in the biotech, pharma, or … Read more
In a world where the idea of state control of all economic activities is passé, and in a country where class differences have been overtaken by caste segmentations as entrenched identity markers, it is not a surprise that a party like the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has faced erosion in its support base and … Read more