In Focus by The Hindu

Last week, the Supreme Court of India set aside a two-year ban that the RBI had imposed on cryptocurrency trading in India through a circular issued in 2018. The apex court found that circular to be too prohibitive. So, for now the ban on cryptocurrency has been lifted though it’s not the end of the story. The RBI will appeal the decision and the Central government also just has to legislate aroun...

As the spread of the coronavirus dominates headlines around the world our weekly international affairs round up from an Indian perspective tackles the issue form three angles. We discuss the progress made by China and South Korea, cited by the WHO, in containing the outbreak and the measures they took, look at the crash of global markets and how financial institutions reacted, and get a brief regi...

Crude oil prices have fallen to record lows as Saudi Arabia launched a coronavirus-sparked price war with Russia. Saudi Arabia slashed prices after Russia refused to go along with OPEC’s proposal to rescue the oil market, which has been on a decline due to coronavirus-related fears and restraints on economic activity. That may have been the initial spark but Saudi Arabia’s stand-off with Russia is...

Senior Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia dramatically quit the party this morning after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He will now join the BJP and be given a Rajya Sabha ticket. Scindia’s disaffection with the Congress party goes back a year and more, with growing differences over not getting his due after the Congress gained power in Ma...

The Nifty and Sensex lost all gains made over 2019, as the bourses witnessed an absolute bloodbath today. The Sensex dropped by over 2,000 and the Nifty, by over 500 points, as both suffered their biggest one-day fall in history. All told, some ₹5 trillion of investor wealth was lost. Aside from the massive global sell off amid fears that the coronavirus could cause an economic slowdown, the other...

On March 6, Dr. Manmohan Singh, India’s former Prime Minister, wrote an Op-Ed piece for The Hindu in which he noted that India had become majoritarian state in economic despair. “No amount of tweaking of tax rates, showering of corporate incentives or goading will propel Indian or foreign businesses to invest, when the risk of eruption of sudden violence in one’s neighbourhood looms large,” he wro...

The first of what we hope is a regular feature, this episode is an analysis of two major international stories from an Indian perspective. We discuss the impact on India of the manufacturing slowdown in China. And looking elsewhere to the Democratic Primary race, what may be the policies of the two remaining candidates, Berne Sanders or Joe Biden toward India if they manage the formidable feat of...

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human rights took the unprecedented step of filing an intervention application in the Supreme against India’s amended citizenship law on March 3. The move marked a high point in what is now a growing international concern, and condemnation, of domestic events in India. How can the government engage with global leaders to ease their concerns. A...

The peace deal signed on February 29 between the United States and the Taliban is expected to result in U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan in 14 months, fulfilling U.S. president Donald Trump’s much-vaunted campaign promise of bringing American troops home. The war that seemed never-ending may be coming to a close, but at what cost? In this episode, we analyse how the peace deal strengthens the Talib...

The Hindu's former China Correspondent Ananth Krishnan was on holiday there for two weeks during the height of the scare around the Novel Coronavirus outbreak. He describes how life came to a standstill in Beijing and how people began to blame the government for their handling of the issue, and the economic and political challenges now being faced by President Xi Jinping in the aftermath. Guest: A...

In this episode of the In Focus Podcast, historian Srinath Raghavan, in conversation with The Hindu's associate editor Anuradha Raman, breaks down the significance of last week's Supreme Court judgement on permanent commission and commanding roles for women in the Indian army. What has been the resistance to accepting women as commanders, what were the arguments against it and how can we understan...

The stories told by Hemani Bhandari and Jatin Anand offer differing perspectives on the riots that took place in Delhi in the last few days, originating around the Citizenship Amendment Act before appearing to take on a purely communal colour. Hemani describes some chilling scenes from the immediate outbreak of violence and Jatin reports on the aftermath of the first two days of the clashes. Guest...

United States President Donald Trump’s visit to India was marked by a lot of spectacle and bonhomie between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this episode, we analyse the impact and policy outcomes from the visit. Host: Narayan Lakshman, Associate Editor, The Hindu Guests: Michael Kugelman, Senior Associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, and Alyssa Ayres, Senior F...

The death toll in clashed between pro and anti-CAA protesters in northeast Delhi rose to 27 on February 26 as the Delhi High Court came down hard on the police for not acting in time to halt the spread of the violence. What's been the response of the political parties and what can we expect next? Guest: Amit Baruah, Resident Editor, Delhi, The Hindu Also read | Analysis: Centre, Delhi govt. are bo...

As United States President Donald Trump embarks on his first official state visit to India, The Hindu's Foreign Affairs Editor Stanly Johny chats with The Hindu's U.S. Correspondent Sriram Lakshman about the diplomatic moving parts involved, including a possible trade deal, and the larger strategic relationship between the two countries at present. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

The issue of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) payments is very much in the news now with both Airtel and Vodafone Idea, two of the countries biggest telecom majors, having to pay up thousands of crores. Vodafone Idea has even flagged concerns over the continuing of its business in India. Back in November, we had recorded a podcast on the mounting financial troubles of the two majors, explaining the le...

The Hindu In Focus Podcast In this episode of the In Focus Podcast The Hindu's cinema editor Namrata Joshi sits down to chat with acclaimed film director Vikramaditya Motwane about Parasite's sweep at the Oscars, the films of Bong Joon-ho and the factors that have allowed Korean cinema to reach such a pinnacle of international success. How far does Indian cinema have to go? Guest: Vikramaditya Mot...

The Aam Aadmi Party today swept to power with a decisive majority in the national capital for a second time, bagging 63 out of 70 seats. Our initial analysis of the Delhi election results breaks down the vote shares of each party, analyses the differences between the Lok Saba polls and state elections and speculates on a possible future path for the AAP. Guest: Srinivasan Ramani, Deputy National E...

The 2018 Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala claimed 17 lives but also resulted in the State setting up a sophisticated surveillance and detection system to contain future outbreaks. In this episode, a top virologist who led the battle to contain the Nipah outbreak, speaks of the steps that Kerala can now take in containing the Novel Coronavirus, the what is yet to be learnt about the new outbreak and...

In this episode we do a quick catch up with three major news events that all seemed to occur virtually simultaneously in the U.S. The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump ended with his acquittal by the United States Senate. Mr Trump then proceeded to deliver a State of the Union Speech that was something of a victory lap. Meanwhile the Democratic primary process to pick a challenger to go...

In this episode we drill down into the specifics of the optional new tax regime proposed in the Union Budget which proposes that individuals foregoing exemptions and deductions would be taxed at reduced rates. What effect will this new opt-in structure have on the market for insurance, how will it affect home loans and most importantly, which structure may benefit you in the short or long term. We...

As Delhi goes to vote on February 8, the BJP has targeted anti-CAA protesters as the central plank of its campaign, unleashing a level of vitriol that observers in the capital say they have never seen. The AAP has manoeuvred artfully, with their manifesto delivering a few surprising twists of its own. The Congress meanwhile, is making a last minute push. The second of our two part series on the De...

As the national capital gears up to vote on February 8 the ruling Aam Aadmi Party have emerged as the clear front runners, showcasing their governance record over the last five years. The BJP has responded by pitching its campaign on national issues like the CAA. And where does the Congress stand? Our first episode on the Delhi elections is a quick primer on the campaign of each party. Guest: Varg...

Over the past few months Australia has seen some of the worst bushfires in its history, devastating land, property and wildlife as they have swept along the continent. At the time of our recording this episode, fire season is still on and warnings continue to be issued in several States. What caused the severity of this crisis in Australia and what lessons can the rest of the world take from it? G...

The Supreme Court on January 27, asked the government to explain why a law meant to protect the transgender community requires a magistrate’s certificate as a prior condition for the State to even identify a transperson. The court was responding to a petition filed by Swati Bidhan Baruah, an Assam-based advocate and transgender rights activist. As this story develops, here's our podcast on the Tra...