In Focus by The Hindu

The BJP has been in power in Assam for ten years. As the state goes to the polls, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is looking for a second term. Surprisingly, there has been little talk of anti-incumbency. Will the elections pivot on identity politics, or will economic issues take centrestage? How will the 2023 delimitation exercise impact the elections? Will the death of Zubeen Garg be a factor...

The rapidly escalating crisis in West Asia has sent shockwaves through the world's energy supply. Iran has effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel through which nearly a third of the world's LPG passes, after joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other leaders. The West Asian country has also hit Israel and American bases i...

As the war between the United States, Israel and Iran enters its third week, the conflict is widening with rising casualties and growing regional risks. With more than 2,100 people killed and American troops also targeted, the stakes are escalating. What options does America have now? Smriti Sudesh speaks with The Hindu’s International Affairs Editor Stanly Johny on where the war could be heading....

Indians by and large are a highly religious people. But there are many other cultures that are as religious, if not more. What makes India unique in this regard is perhaps the abundance of self-styled godmen, and the mass followings they rapidly acquire.  Many of these godmen, or ‘gurus’, exploit the psychological and emotional vulnerabilities of their followers to amass massive wealth and politic...

Last month, thousands of farmers across the country burnt symbolic copies of the India-US trade deal. They were protesting against the interim framework for a trade deal that India had signed with the US. While the Union government has emphasised that they have kept sensitive agriculture products out of the deal, farmers’ outfits and Opposition parties have said that the government has surrendered...

A major war has erupted in West Asia, with Israel, the U.S., and Iran locked in direct conflict. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel just before the country, along with the U.S., attacked Iran. India did not condemn the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, the war has resulted in rising energy prices, economic risks, and put at risk  the safety of hundreds of thousands of I...

A week after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the immediate shock has faded — but the consequences are still unfolding. The Court made clear that the Trump administration can not use emergency economic powers to redesign the country's trade policy, reaffirming that tariff authority rests wi...

India clinched a historic third T20 World Cup title with a commanding win over New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Standout performances underlined India’s dominance, especially Sanju Samson’s remarkable run through the knockout stages. But the final has also sparked debate. Was the batting-friendly pitch worthy of a World Cup summit clash? Should curators shape conditions to produce high-scoring spectacles...

Days after a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant threatened that “heads must roll” for the “reckless, irresponsible, motivated, contemptuous conduct and manner” in which the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education, portrayed the judiciary as a venal institution in a Class 8 Social Science text...

Nepal’s latest general election appears to mark one of the most significant political shifts in the country’s recent history. For decades, Nepal’s politics has been dominated by a handful of established parties and veteran leaders, with governments frequently changing and coalition politics shaping the country’s governance. But the results of this election suggest that many voters particularly you...

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical energy chokepoint. Every day, over 20 million barrels of oil which is roughly one-fifth of global supply pass through this narrow shipping corridor connecting the Persian Gulf to global markets. Now, rising tensions after U.S.- Israel attacks on Iran have raised fears of disruptions in this vital route. Iran has warned that the strait is off limits...

Last month, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition seeking criminal prosecution of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over divisive and communal speeches, as well as a now-deleted social media post that depicted him firing a gun towards an animated image of two Muslim men. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant remarked that whenever elections approach, t...

We all know by now that ultraprocessed food is bad for our health. Consumption of a lot of it, has been linked to a number of health issues including hypertension, diabetes and obesity. But did you know that researchers are now finding links between ultraprocessed food and mental health? This is especially concerning considering the huge burden of mental health issues among young people in India a...

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed last week in an attack by the US and Israel. Iran has declared 40 days of mourning. Muslims around the world have come out in large numbers to protest his killing and express their grief. In India, thousands of Muslims took to the streets in Kashmir, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Bhopal, among other places, to protest the killing. But beyond the Isl...

The conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran has entered its third day, marked by intense aerial exchanges and escalating regional involvement. With Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's death, Iran has launched widespread retaliatory missile barrages targeting Israel and U.S. assets across the Gulf. The situation remainshighly vol atile, with potential for further spread amid calls for restraint...

In this episode, we take a closer look at the issues shaping the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, which are expected to be announced soon by the Election Commission of India. Even before the formal declaration, the political temperature has begun to rise, with sharp exchanges between the Trinamul Congress, which is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office, and its principal opponent, th...

Artificial intelligence has moved from experimentation to enterprise adoption in under two years, with industry estimates projecting AI services revenues of $10–12 billion in FY26 and rapid growth thereafter. Yet, this moment of expansion coincides with layoffs, automation, and the vulnerability of entry-level roles in India’s IT and BPO sectors. It also coincides with India’s top tech firms contr...

Recently, the producers of a Netflix movie titled ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ were taken to court. A PIL had been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking a ban on the movie. The PIL had been filed by a man claiming to be the National Organisation Secretary of the Brahman Samaj of India. His petition argued that the movie portrayed the Brahmin community in a negative light, by “equating” bribe-taking with the t...

As Mumbai hosted its first Climate Week, the spotlight is on how India’s fast-growing cities will navigate the accelerating energy transition. Renewable power is now cheaper than ever, electric vehicles are expanding globally, and India has emerged as one of the world’s largest generators of wind and solar energy. Yet the shift away from fossil fuels is proving uneven. Regulatory bottlenecks and f...

Rare earth elements (REEs), a group of 17 minerals, have become central to global industry and geopolitics. They power electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, semiconductors, consumer electronics and advanced defence systems. While moderately abundant, they are difficult and expensive to extract and process. China has built overwhelming dominance in this sector, controlling nearly 90% of global pr...

The Indian men’s hockey team has begun 2026 — a year of major stakes — on a worrying note. Four matches in the Rourkela leg of the FIH Pro League ended in four defeats, including a humiliating 8–0 loss to Argentina. With the Asian Games in Japan and the Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium just months away, the results have raised uncomfortable questions. Are these early-season stumbles...

This week a landmark trial is underway in the United States, where Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is being accused of deliberately getting young users addicted to its platforms. Google-owned YouTube is also part of the trial, which hinges on the mental health problems faced by a 20-year-old who has used social media and video content platforms since childhood. Two other similar...

In his speech at the Munich Security Conference last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared the MAGA vision of American foreign policy -- which has been dubbed by some as ‘Make the West Great Again’. At one level, it marked a clear shift from the speech that Vice President JD Vance gave last year, when he accused Europe of suppressing freedom of speech and democracy. Rubio, in contrast, pl...

Last weekend, the Indian Super League (ISL), the highest league in Indian football, kicked off after months of uncertainty. The disruption, which compelled some clubs to halt their operations and consigned the players and coaches to a state of desperation, emanated from the absence of a commercial partner for the league once the Master Rights Agreement between the All India Football Federation (AI...

Japan’s strategic posture is undergoing one of its most consequential transformations since the end of the Second World War. Long defined by its pacifist Constitution and its reliance on the United States for security guarantees, Japan built its global identity as an economic power that exercised influence largely through trade, technology and diplomacy. Over the past decade, however, shifting reg...