In Focus by The Hindu

Later this week, on March 18, top officials from the U.S. and China will hold the highest in-person engagement under the new Biden administration as they meet in Alaska, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will engage with their counterparts, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Communist Party of China's Politburo and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs...

In this episode, we bring you analysis of the key developments from the first ever leadership summit of the Quadrilateral Framework or ‘Quad’ grouping of countries - India, Australia, Japan and the United States. The leaders of all the member countries highlighted cooperation among the member countries to beat the global COVID-19 pandemic, with joint partnership on vaccines, and emphasised the nee...

On this episode we’re doing today of the first ever summit of the leaders of the Quadrilateral Framework or ‘Quad’ that will take place virtually on March 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the discussion which will also witness the participation of President Joe Biden of the United States, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The...

In this episode we discuss the spectrum auction that took place last week and try to decipher the trends that it gives us for the telecom industry going forward and where things stand between the major players at this point. By most accounts, and according to most commentators, the auction itself was a rather tepid affair. Only 37 percent of the total available spectrum was sold and that too was b...

In today’s episode we’re discussing China’s plans to build a major hydropower project on the Brahmaputra river and it’s a topic that because of the geopolitical situation between the two countries, assumes a strategic context. Here’s the story so far: China has made public a plan to build a dam in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river before it crosses the border from Tibet into Arunachal...

In today's podcast we continue our discussion around the new rules that the government has introduced to regulate the digital space, called the Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media) Ethics Code Rules of 2021. These rules seek to provide a grievance redressal mechanism for users of social media platforms, messaging applications, streaming services as also digital...

In today’s episode we will discuss the new rules that the government has introduced to regulate the digital space, called the information technology guidelines for intermediaries and digital media ethics code rules of 2021. These rules seek to provide a grievance redressal mechanism for users of social media platforms, messaging applications, streaming services as also digital news publishers. The...

On March 1, India launched the second phase of its Covid-19 vaccination programme, targeting 27 million citizens above the age of 60 and those above 45 with co-morbidities. Looking back, how did the country perform in phase 1 of its vaccination drive that was launched in January for healthcare and frontline workers? With the country seeing a surge in cases after a few months of a decrease in numbe...

Joining us for this special episode today is Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mr Vaishnav’s research is centred around the Political Economy of India, for instance, state capacity, corruption, governance and electoral behaviour. He is the author of When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics, and has edited a number of b...

In this episode we will discuss the sweeping changes made by India in the regulation of geospatial data and maps. The rules governing the sector have been liberalized in a complete reversal of the government's approach till date. According to the new guidelines, entities and individuals required no prior approval or security clearance, or a license for collecting, processing, publishing or storing...

In this episode we discuss the India Pakistan agreement for a ceasefire or a re-observance of the 2003 ceasefire agreement. Was the announcement of the agreement a surprise, is there something still going on behind the scenes and should we expect more? And is there potential now to use this agreement as a stepping stone to build on India-Pakistan ties? Guests: TCA Raghavan, Director Indian Council...

On February 19, China said for the first time that it had lost four soldiers in the June 15, 2020 clash in the Galwan valley, breaking its silence eight months after the incident. The announcement has triggered an outpouring of national sentiment in China, coupled with a media blitz on the clash from the State-run media. In this episode, we analyse how China's official media is rewriting the narra...

In her Budget speech this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced that the government will set up a ‘Bad Bank’ to better manage the ‘bad loans’ (non-performing assets) of public sector banks. The idea, apparently, is to transfer the NPAs of public sector banks to the books of this Bad Bank, which will function as a two-in-one institution – an asset reconstruction company and also an ass...

India’s decision to agree to a “phased” withdrawal of troops rather than a package deal for a complete disengagement across the Line of Actual Control could become a cause for concern in the future said former National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) Chairperson and former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran in this special interview for the In Focus Podcast with The Hindu's Diplomatic Affairs Editor Suh...

India mustn't reduce its interest in the Quad as the challenges from China will continue despite the disengagement at the Line of Actual Control, says Lisa Curtis, who served as the Deputy Assistant to former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021), in this special interview for the In Focus Podcast with The Hindu's Diplomatic Affairs Editor Suhasini Haidar. Ms Curtis was the key American official o...

In this episode, we look ahead to the IPL Auction 2021 in Chennai on Thursday, February 18. Like the previous year, this is a mini auction, which the eight franchises would use to fine-tune their squads and fill gaps caused by players being released and retirements during the off season. On Thursday, a total of 292 players will be competing for just 61 available slots across the eight franchises....

In this episode, we discuss the disengagement plan between India and China and ask if it helps or hurts India's long-term security interests with regard to the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Does the plan mean a full restoration of peace and the status quo? Where does this leave the unresolved points of discord along the LAC? Why is one of those points, the Depsang plains, the most significant for...

In this episode we discuss the high profile legal tussle between the corporate giants Amazon and Reliance industries over the acquisition of the Future Group. This is a story that has seen a lot of developments in the courts. Most recently, Amazon has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme court, appealing against a recent Delhi High Court order that allowed Future Group to go ahead with a...

India and China on Thursday announced an agreement to disengage from Pangong Lake, which has been at the heart of the recent tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Speaking in Parliament, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said both sides will cease their forward deployments both on the north and south banks of the lake in a phased, coordinated, and verified manner, and return to their perma...

This episode is a quick update on the flash floods in Uttarakhand that happened on Sunday and it’s split into two parts. We’ll briefly give you an update on the rescue operations that are still underway and we’ll also go into a slightly longer discussion as we know more now about what caused these floods and how such events might be linked to climate change and the building of hydropower plants in...

The Central government has issued a notice to Twitter after the microblogging platform reinstated several accounts that the government wanted blocked. Twitter which initially complied with the request and blocked accounts and tweets that mentioned 'farmer genocide', later reinstated the content, reportedly saying that it "constituted free speech and was newsworthy." The government's initial order...

This episode is a short explainer on a news issue that’s dominated the day which is prominent voices from outside of India speaking in support of the farmers’ protests and the Indian government’s unprecedented response. The whole issue started with tweets by the pop singer Rihanna and the climate activist Greta Thunberg, but has sort of taken on a life of its own with several developments. Ther la...

In this episode we turn our attention to international affairs and take a deep dive into what’s happening in Myanmar, where the military has once more taken over the country, declaring a year-long state of emergency and placing elected leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi under detention. It seized control following a general election which Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a...

India has begun its massive COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and over 16 lakh frontline workers have been vaccinated so far. This however, falls somewhat short of the government's targeted number. There has also been some debate with regard to the emergency use authorisation granted to one of the vaccines being used. Experts point to vaccine hesitancy as one of the reasons the expected numbers have not b...

We do a quick status check on the border situation with China, both about a clash that was recently reported and the continuing efforts at corps commander level talks to come to some kind of agreement on de-escalation. News broke on Monday, January 25, that Indian and Chinese troops clashed at Naku La in North Sikkim last week, in what the Army termed a “minor face-off”, resulting in some minor in...