Opinion

By Melvin Durai The seven adults in the Intermediate Level English class at the Newcomer Center in Minneapolis, US, had just taken their seats when the instructor, Raj Parambola, wrote a single word on the blackboard: IDIOM. “Today we are going to talk about idioms,”...

By Vappala Balachandran There are several enigmas surrounding the present US-Israel war against Iran, answers of which are still not clear. Is it, as economist and public policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs says, in a video now viral, an American attempt “to continue or maintain, or...

By Daron Acemoglu Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s former dictator, won the big prize in the country’s national lottery in 2000. And he won for a simple reason: because he could. Once you destroy institutions constraining your power, as Mugabe did during his 37-year reign, you can...

Satish Singh Gold has evolved beyond its traditional role as mere adornment; it is increasingly recognised as a significant non-official currency. In the international market, the price of gold has soared to an impressive $5,190 per ounce. Meanwhile, in the domestic Indian market, its value...

Ajit Ranade There are moments in public life when a single news item captures the moral and fiscal drift of an entire political system. Last week, Maharashtra’s forest minister reportedly said that teak plantations worth Rs 12,000 crore may be monetised, including felling mature teak...

By Debasish Mahapatro Hidden beneath tranquil coastal waters lies an ecosystem of immense value—seagrass meadows—quietly nurturing marine life, stabilizing shorelines, sustaining fisheries, and enhancing climate resilience, yet remaining largely unnoticed and undervalued. There could be no better time than now to spark a global conversation...

By Lekha Rattanani The AI Impact Summit 2026 ended on February 20 in New Delhi on a celebratory note. That is, if you merely look at the numbers, the people who attended, and the investment pledges. However, at the end of it, the summit with its...

By Nikunja BIhari Sahu National Science Day (NSD) marks the ground-breaking discovery of the Raman Effect by eminent physicist Sir C.V. Raman on February 28, 1928 and his subsequent felicitation with the Nobel Prize as the first Asian in Physics. Celebrating the day in India...

By Ian Buruma Revelations from the files of the convicted sex offender and prolific social networker Jeffrey Epstein keep coming, drip by drip. With every story of well-connected politicians, bankers, billionaires, journalists, academics, and royals socializing with Epstein to raise money, receive stock-market tips, take...

Alexander De Croo This year's Munich Security Conference brought plenty of talk about geopolitics, spheres of influence, the future of NATO, and defence budgets. But as much as these debates matter, they no longer define the full spectrum of power. In today's fractured world, security...