Opinion

Sometimes the most useful lessons arrive through the smallest embarrassments. One such lesson came through an ordinary act: ironing a T-shirt before stepping out. The iron was plugged in, the routine began, and the mind moved confidently through a familiar sequence. The hand glided over...

Being in China during US President Donald Trump’s visit was a fascinating experience. The contrast between the official accounts of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was immediately apparent. Trump, true to form, described the summit as “incredible” and claimed that it produced “some...

Melvin Durai Processed food has become extremely popular these days. It’s usually made in factories and packaged well. But you have to watch out for additives. Some are healthier than others. Just ask the Australian man who recently purchased a bag of lettuce from a...

Channing Lee Donald Trump’s recent summit with Xi Jinping has revived a familiar debate: Would the United States defend Taiwan if China invaded? Skeptics point to America’s competing priorities—from the conflict in the Middle East to operations in the Western Hemisphere— as evidence that Taiwan...

Mohammad Reza Farzanegan   The US-Israeli war with Iran has revealed how instability can become a powerful political instrument. Leaders can exploit crises to maintain supporters’ loyalty, even while imposing costs on them, and extract concessions from domestic and foreign adversaries through coercion and manufactured...

Ajit Ranade A falling rupee is usually treated as a macroeconomic problem. It raises the cost of imports, worsens inflationary pressures, unsettles investors and dents national pride. But India’s recent experience has produced a curious paradox. The same rupee weakness that creates external stress has...

The rupee has breached Rs 96-a-dollar mark and is now racing towards crossing the psychological Rs 100 barrier, despite repeated efforts to steady its fall. As the dollar surges, markets grow nervous, policymakers scramble for answers, and ordinary Indians brace for rising costs. The weakening...

The United Arab Emirates' decision to leave OPEC and OPEC+ after nearly six decades of membership has dealt a major structural blow to the cartel. Losing its third-largest producer—capable of pumping nearly five million barrels a day, with ambitions to expand further—will make it increasingly...

By Ranajoy Sen Raking up accusations against Indian policies regarding water resources has become an inveterate foreign policy practice of Bangladesh. The current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, helms a relatively new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration in his country; he opined that in...

By DV Ramana & Sarada Prasanna Das Tamil Nadu’s newly elected Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay began his first innings by announcing free electricity for household consumers. Whether this announcement is driven by electoral strategy or welfare concerns, only time will tell. However, such announcements...