Opinion

In most democracies, a leader outsourcing high-stakes diplomacy to family members and business associates would provoke outrage. But US President Donald Trump has faced little pushback for doing so, with many downplaying his crony diplomacy as mere “heterodoxy.” The long-term consequences will be severe. Instead...

Melvin Durai I’ve always thought of squirrels as cute, harmless creatures, but I’m beginning to wonder if they just have a very good Department of Public Relations. The department ensures that any negative stories about squirrels are drowned out by positive stories, some of them...

Ian Buruma What should be done about mass murderers once the regime they served is toppled? Countries all over the world, from post-Nazi Germany to post-junta Argentina, have faced this problem. The process is always messy and riddled with hypocrisies. Now it’s Syria's turn to...

Sanjay Kapoor is a veteran Indian journalist and President of Editors Guild of India (EGI), elected unopposed in late 2025. With decades of editorial experience, he is best known for his work as Editor of ‘Hardnews Magazine’. Widely respected for his expertise in foreign affairs...

Shivaji Sarkar None, not even US analysers, expected that a “non-descript war” with a small country like Iran could change the global energy scenario, that America is keen on monopolising. The US plans a conflict decades before as it had envisioned the 1969 Camp David...

Kaushik Basu As the economic consequences of US President Donald Trump's war against Iran become evident, policymakers around the world are running out of patience. The recent Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington made this abundantly clear, with UK...

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is just the latest in a series of major supply shocks the global economy has experienced since 2020. Yet each time, the resulting shortages appear to catch policymakers off guard. From personal protective equipment at the start of...

The recent criticality of India’s Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) in early April marked a long-awaited milestone. It signalled India’s operational entry into the second stage of the three-stage nuclear programme envisioned by Homi Jehangir Bhabha in the 1950s. The achievement is immense: India has,...

By Dasarathi Mishra The Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) study was developed by the World Bank in 2003. The first report on “Ease of Doing Business” was published in 2003, covering 133 economies. Over time, its coverage expanded to 190 economies, becoming a widely used...

By Santosh Kumar Mohapatra International Labour Day, also known as Workers' Day or May Day, is observed worldwide to honour the contributions and rights of workers across all sectors, manual, skilled, and professional. The day underscores the importance of fair wages, safe working conditions, and...