Opinion

Although the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been surging in the polls for two years, it has been kept from power by other parties' refusal to enter governing coalitions with it. But since this “firewall” relies on the AfD never winning outright majorities, it...

Unfathomable! In a matter of seconds, an immense mass of ice, rock and frozen earth broke loose high in the Himalayas, unleashing a violent cascade from the Tibetan heights into Nepal. What began at nearly 5,000 metres high became a wall of water, mud, rock...

By Bhaskar Nath Biswal India has long celebrated its youth demographic as an engine of economic potential, yet reality threatens this national promise. A NITI Aayog report, ‘Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047’, highlights a paradox. An estimated 8.7 crore youth aged 15 to 29 are...

By Bruhaspati Samal India is once again celebrating an impressive economic headline. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has reported real GDP growth of 7.8% in the first quarter of 2026–27, covering April–June 2026. Nominal GDP grew by 10.3%, while real Gross Value...

By Dhurjati Mukherjee The nature and scale of disasters are becoming increasingly hazardous, affecting millions of people across the world. This is starkly evident in the very recent glacial flood disaster in Nepal. The disaster was reportedly triggered by the bursting of a glacial lake...

By Gordon Brown As the pillars of the post-1945 global order—support for human rights, multilateral cooperation, the rule of law, humanitarian aid, and environmental stewardship—crumble, and as country after country reduces or even terminates funding for international organizations, the next United Nations secretary-general faces a staggering...

By Rajdeep Sardesai  A fortnight ago, I was in Pune. And something rather unusual caught my eye. From hoardings to lampposts, from signboards to banners, one political face seemed to be staring at me everywhere I went: Rahul Gandhi. For a moment, I had to...

US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is convinced, and prominent economists agree, that AI will meaningfully increase labour productivity. Don't bet on it. In fact, wider adoption of these models could reduce output per worker. Widespread adoption of new technologies is a cornerstone of economic dynamism....

Onam and Nuakhai celebrate harvest and homecoming. For many households, however, these occasions are sustained by distant earnings: historically from overseas in Kerala, but from factories and construction sites elsewhere in India for Odisha. Yet the migration economies differ. Kerala relies more on international migration...

The 26th Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) concluded in Bishkek on 1 September, marking 25 years of the grouping. The summit adopted the Bishkek Declaration — signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian...