High-quality journalism does not come free of cost Following The Hindu ’s Open House in Kochi, many wrote to us seeking more details about the increased space for contributions from readers. Some raised a few questions about the idea of an interactive readers’ mail, which will deal with local and …

Mired in Afghanistan, America’s retreat strategy mirrors its Vietnam war campaign By the late 1960s, it became evident to American leaders that they could not win the Vietnam war. Richard Nixon, who was elected President in 1968, assigned Henry Kissinger, the National Security Adviser, to hold talks with the communist …

India needs a national party to provide substantive opposition to the government — all is not lost for the Congress Today, we, the people of India, are trapped between a rock and a hard place. On one side is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which continues to bulldoze legislation, controversial …

In India, it is the quintessential form of political privilege and social authority As the young woman from Unnao, victim of multiple outrages, battles for her life, we, who are often reduced to being hapless chroniclers, have once again to wonder at the everyday workings of India’s criminal justice system. …

U.S., Taliban push for peace on day 2 of talks The U.S. and the Taliban were thrashing out elements of a deal to bring a close to Afghanistan’s 18-year conflict at the second day of renewed talks in Doha on Sunday. The talks, now in their eighth round, began on …

China warns it ‘will not sit by idly’ Riot police fired tear gas at pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday during a second consecutive night of clashes, as China delivered fresh warnings over the unrest. The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city is reeling from two months of protests and violence …

Elections to be held after joint council’s rule for three years Sudan’s pro-democracy movement signed a power-sharing agreement with the ruling military council on Sunday aimed at paving the way for a transition to civilian rule following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April. Representatives initialled a Constitutional document …

Hate-filled screed draws inspiration from Christchurch attack Nineteen minutes before the first 911 call alerted authorities to a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, a hate-filled, anti-immigrant manifesto appeared online. It spoke of a “Hispanic invasion of Texas.” It detailed a plan to separate America into territories …

Gunman kills 20 people at a Walmart store in Texas while another murders nine, including his sister, in Ohio Thirty people died and dozens were wounded in two mass shootings within just 13 hours of each other in the U.S., shocking the country and prompting calls from some politicians for …

After a strong uptrend in June, the prices of gold and silver in the international market remained largely range-bound in July. Though the precious metals managed to eke out marginal gains on a month-on-month basis, the strength in the U.S. dollar arrested the scope for significant gains. Comex gold futures …