In Focus by The Hindu

On April 7, the AI firm Anthropic, which makes the popular Claude product, said that a new model it’s been working on, Mythos, is so powerful at finding cybersecurity vulnerabilities that it would not release it publicly. Instead, the company said, it would share the model with tech firms that make the foundational critical software that are widely used across the economy. The initiative, known as...

Ashok Vardhan Shetty is one of the three members of the Justice Kurian Joseph Committee, appointed by the DMK government headed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to study Union–State relations. The committee recently submitted Part 1 of its report to the Chief Minister, who has since tabled it in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.  Tamil Nadu has historically been very vocal about issues such as decentralisatio...

The Islamabad peace talks between the US and Iran failed to yield a peace deal after 21 hours of negotiations. Both the sides have blamed each other for the failure. What exactly were the sticking points? What does the deadlock mean for the ceasefire? And how will the US attempt to blockade Iranian ports take shape? Guest: Suhasini Haider, The Hindu’s Diplomatic Affairs Editor Host: G Sampath Prod...

Traditionally, higher inflation leads to interest rate hikes to slow demand. This approach was used after the pandemic, when prices surged across major economies. But this time, the situation is more complex. The conflict in West Asia has pushed up energy prices and while that is driving inflation higher, it is also straining household budgets. As people spend more on essentials like fuel and elec...

Tamil Nadu is heading into a crucial election, with the DMK government led by M. K. Stalin completing its first full term in office. While the party continues to foreground its welfare-driven “Dravidian model,” questions are being raised about governance, fiscal sustainability, and whether there is any perceptible anti-incumbency on the ground. The AIADMK is attempting to consolidate the oppositio...

Cuba is facing its worst crisis since the Soviet collapse. The Trump administration has imposed a de facto naval blockade, cutting off oil supplies for three months, triggering repeated electricity grid collapses, and leaving over 1,00,000 patients waiting for surgery. President Trump has spoken of "taking Cuba," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for regime change. In this conversati...

As Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry head to the polls, India's vibrant democracy is on full display once again. But behind the rallies and roadshows, there’s a growing concern: elections are becoming increasingly expensive. With political parties spending heavily on campaigns, advertising, and outreach, the role of money in shaping electoral competition is under scrutiny. Data...

After a dramatic 24 hours that saw U.S. President Donald Trump shift from a stark warning of mass destruction to announcing a two-week pause in military action, a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is now in place. With Tehran calling it a victory, Washington framing it as mission accomplished, and Pakistan emerging as a key mediator, questions remain over what really changed, what the de...

On March 28, millions of people took to the streets across the U.S. under one banner — “No Kings” — marking one of the largest protest mobilisations in recent American history. What began as a loose coalition of advocacy groups has rapidly evolved into a broad-based movement cutting across issues such as civil liberties, immigration enforcement, foreign policy and the cost of living. With organise...

India is a poor country, but it is ‘data-rich’. The dominant consensus today holds that data – including personal data -- should be exploited for economic growth. Is it possible that this consensus is wrong? One outcome of this consensus is the ‘consent regime’, which paves the way for monetisation of personal data. You tick a box to give your ‘consent’ and that’s it, so far as your privacy is con...

West Bengal is gearing up for assembly elections. Mamata Banerjee will face her toughest challenge, given the anti-incumbency factor of three terms. The BJP, in 2021, had cemented its position as the primary opposition, winning 77 seats to the Trinamool’s 215 seats. This time, unusually, but no longer surprisingly, the Election Commission has become a key character in the political narrative. The...

With elections in Tamil Nadu gearing up, one development drawing sharp attention is the entry of Vijay, whose political debut is expected to command a significant share of the vote. He comes from a long line of figures in the State who have transitioned from cinema to politics. In Tamil Nadu, the film world and politics have mutually benefited each other. The Dravidian movement changed the face of...

The government introduced the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 on March 25. The Bill aims to amend the FCRA Act, 2010. The main thrust of the amendment is the introduction of a ‘Designated Authority’, which will have the power to take over the assets of an NGO, if it fails to renew its FCRA-certificate on time, or even if it voluntarily surrenders it. The Bill has sparked out...

The Left Front has been in power in Kerala since 2016. It is looking for a historic third consecutive term in power. But can it overcome the anti-incumbency that has built up over these ten years? The poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and in the recent  local body elections might indicate that the LDF (Left Democratic Front) faces an uphill task. Does this mean that the Congress-led...

Ashok Vardhan Shetty is one of the three members of the Justice Kurian Joseph Committee, appointed by the DMK government headed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to study Union–State relations. The committee recently submitted Part 1 of its report to the Chief Minister, who has since tabled it in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.  Tamil Nadu has historically been very vocal about issues such as decentralisatio...

Gold usually rises during geopolitical crises, but this time, it’s falling. Why? In this episode of In Focus, we unpack what’s driving the recent drop in gold prices, from shifting interest rate expectations and a stronger U.S. dollar to liquidity pressures in global markets. Has gold lost its safe-haven appeal, or is this just a temporary price correction after years of growth? Here we discuss th...

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the growing importance of the care economy – a rising demand for caregivers globally and an opportunity to train and skill young people to meet this demand. India stands at a unique position here – despite having the largest youth population in the world, it is also a rapidly ageing country. Estimates indicate that by 2050, we will have over 300...

The Supreme Court’s recent verdict in the case of Harish Rana, allowing for the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, as the 32-year-old had been in a persistent vegetative state for over a decade is a landmark judgement. It builds upon the framework of the Court’s own 2018 Constitution Bench guidelines, and it upheld the right to die with dignity. Following this, there has been a lot of discus...

Last week, in a ruling on maternity leave for adoptive and surrogate mothers, the Supreme Court called on the Union government to examine the need for a formal law recognising paternity leave for all fathers, adoptive or biological. It noted that though parenthood is not a solitary function, fathers are often relegated to the periphery of their children’s lives, especially in infancy and early chi...

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just months away, an escalating war in West Asia has put FIFA in an unprecedented bind. With co-host United States directly involved in the conflict, uncertainty now surrounds the participation of the Iran national football team. Iran’s request to move its matches to Mexico underlines how deeply geopolitics is beginning to affect the tournament. If Iran is forced to wi...

Donald Trump’s five-day pause on striking Iran’s energy infrastructure does appear like a tactical U-turn—but not a full reversal. Just days after issuing a 48-hour ultimatum, he cited “productive” talks and stepped back, signalling possible de-escalation. However, U.S. attacks on other Iranian military targets continue, suggesting this is a limited pause rather than a policy shift. Guest: Stanly...

As the Iran–Israel conflict intensifies, a deeper question emerges: can the United States and its allies sustain this war? In this episode, The Hindu’s data team examines the hidden economics and industrial limits behind modern warfare. From the cost mismatch between Iranian drones and U.S. interceptor missiles, to the strain on American stockpiles, the numbers tell a story of a conflict that may...

The war in West Asia has now entered its fourth week. US and Israel have continued their aerial bombings of Iran, and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel and the GCC countries are ongoing.  This is a war of choice for US and Israel, but a war of survival for Iran. So far, much of the commentary on the conflict has been coming from Western sources – and even in India, it’s largely been from the pe...

The Transgender Persons Amendment Bill 2026 has sparked nationwide protests and a constitutional debate. In this exclusive interview, Kalki Subramaniam, Southern Regional Representative of the National Council for Transgender Persons, reveals how the Union Government drafted these changes without consulting the council itself. We dissect the "red flags" of the amendment—from the removal of self-id...

As governments begin deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in public administration, national security and policymaking, questions about its safe usage and accountability have taken centre-stage. The issue came into focus in the U.S. after reports revealed a dispute between the Pentagon and AI company Anthropic, which refused to remove safeguards that were in place to prevent mass surveilla...