Top court on ED The beauty of democracy lies in questioning. Sadly, such voices are not heard in India’s State Assemblies and in Parliament. One only has the higher judiciary coming to the rescue (“ED crossed all limits with raids on Tasmac, says SC”, May 23). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) too is not beyond questioning. … Read more
‘While the externalisation of terrorism through high-impact, war-like response is necessary, the caveat here is that it may end up distracting us from the primary goal — terrorism in J&K’ | Photo Credit: THE HINDU/IMRAN NISSAR The Pahalgam terror strike, on April 22, perpetrated by Pakistan proxies, and India’s retribution through Operation Sindoor, on May … Read more
Civic life in the United States stands on multiple, strong and independent institutions in different fields. These institutions, whether constitutionality mandated or not, have a continuity, life and standing of their own, beyond particular individuals. They enable diversity and pluralism, and provide protection against arbitrary decisions by those in power. Ironically enough, U.S. President Donald … Read more
Oxygen is a life-saving essential medicine with no substitute. Because of the complexity of the industrial production process, there are many challenges in access to medical oxygen such as availability, quality, affordability, management, supply, human resources capacity and safety. Some five billion people around the world lack access to safe, quality, and affordable medical oxygen. … Read more
At 10 a.m., I begin scanning the papers for the day’s news. Exactly 12 hours later, a colleague from the data team and I will need to deliver a 600-word piece with supporting graphs for the ‘Data Point’ section on the oped page. Like a cyclone far out at sea, the deadline feels distant and … Read more
Parallel to the recent escalation of military tensions between India and Pakistan, misinformation and disinformation surged online, making it increasingly difficult for the public to distinguish fact from fiction. Many media outlets published sensational stories riddled with unverified claims, and disseminated fake pictures and videos. Jingoism often drove the public response. Is establishing the truth … Read more
In the aftermath of the presidential election in the United States in 2024, renewed implementation of substantial tariffs could lead to a fundamental restructuring of global technology supply chains that power artificial intelligence (AI) development. While established players recalibrate, countries such as India are finding themselves in a precarious, yet potentially advantageous, position — as … Read more
By staying the operation of Tamil Nadu’s multiple amended Acts — to the extent that they empower the government to appoint Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) of 18 State universities — the Madras High Court has effectively halted the momentum that followed last month’s landmark Supreme Court verdict, which granted deemed assent to 10 Bills on which the … Read more
Israel and western world The change in stand by Canada, France and the U.K. in the context of the belligerent and brutal campaign on Gaza by Israel, is also a part of a churning in the current global disorder, marked by a complete disregard for the UN Charter by nations with economic and military clout. … Read more
“An impactful approach that India has not effectively employed so far is the strategy of ‘lawfare’” | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Operation Sindoor has powerfully demonstrated India’s intent to use kinetic measures to tackle terrorism emanating from Pakistan. In addition to executing “hot pursuits”, India possesses other potent non-kinetic strategies, going beyond regular diplomacy, to … Read more