The announcement by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia of the conclusion of a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement has, expectedly, rankled nerves in New Delhi. In the statement’s text, the part which says “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” has raised concerns and questions alike, specifically over the trajectory of the … Read more
President Donald Trump delivered to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) an address that was allergic to facts. Describing climate change as the “greatest con job perpetrated on the world”, he said that Europe’s decades-long trimming of its carbon footprint had come at the expense of shuttered factories and job losses. In his Luddite conception … Read more
Each year, urban India braces for the monsoon — contractors are deployed, drains desilted, and emergency protocols rehearsed. Yet, when the rain finally arrives — often untimely and more intense than expected — headlines are dominated by flooded roads, waterlogged homes, and stranded commuters. The deeper issue is that our cities are often still designed … Read more
On September 23, Kolkata received rainfall of about 252 mm rainfall in a span of just 6-7 hours, which led to flooding and the deaths of nine people in the city and its adjoining districts. Eight of the deaths occurred in Kolkata alone. All the victims — most of them street vendors and security guards … Read more
India-U.S. ties appear to be recovering some of their normal cadence, with trade negotiators resuming talks in Delhi and Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New York, and a U.S. Congressional delegation visiting India, all within the past week. The U.S. Ambassador-Designate to India, Sergio Gor, has … Read more
Trumpeting a line It appears that there is no end to Donald Trump’s repeated boasting that it was only his intervention alone that stopped the India-Pakistan conflict notwithstanding the Narendra Modi regime’s firm response, in no uncertain terms, that it never sought any third party mediation. It is difficult to fathom as to why the … Read more
Choosing the best footballers on the planet is an unenviable task. Aside from the fact that elevating individual players to superstardom in a quintessential team sport is fraught with pitfalls, France Football, the French magazine which has long presented the Ballon d’Or, sets exacting standards. The criteria for the 100 journalists from the top 100 … Read more
France has joined the United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal and Australia in recognising Palestinian statehood — the first step in the fulfilment of the legitimate aspirations of the long-suffering Palestinian people. One hundred and fifty-plus of the 193 countries that are members of the United Nations have now done so. India had been a leader in … Read more
There is renewed attention in India on the harmful effects of high sugar food items and the use of fats or oils in cooking. The context is the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD), more so obesity, in all age groups including in children and adolescents. However, there is one component which is of equal … Read more
Eight countries of South Asia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, are home to 25% of the world’s population, and 40% of the world’s democratic population, says former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi. As he traces the origin and evolution of democracies in South Asia in his latest book, Democracy’s Heartland: … Read more