Editorials

The Taliban assault on the city could alterthe balance in Afghanistan’s civil war The massive Taliban assault on the strategically important Ghazni city in southeastern Afghanistan has exposed the vulnerabilities of Afghan troops once again. If the city falls, it could alter the balance in the stalemated war, rendering the …

The lack of research in evolutionary biology in India is a matter of concern The marginalisation of research and education in evolutionary biology in India has justifiably been a matter of concern for some time. Evolutionary biology is important in understanding multi-drug resistance in microbes, for instance. The Nipah virus …

India and Pakistan will both gain immensely by encouraging bilateral trade In his speech on July 26, after his electoral victory, Pakistan Prime Minister-elect and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan conveyed a sense of hope when he spoke of the need for harmonious relations with neighbouring countries, including India. …

The Chief Election Commissioner on proxy voting for NRIs, the fake news challenge, electoral bonds, and why EVMs are the best option In the Monsoon session, the Lok Sabha passed a Bill that allows ‘proxy voting’ to non-resident Indians (NRIs). Is it going to be a game changer? Chief Election …

Our Independence Day is, very specially, our Prime Minister’s day. It has been that way since our very first Independence Day, August 15, 1947, when Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister, chiselled his name for all time into that date with his ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech in Parliament House. …

The Lok Sabha to-day [August 13, New Delhi] decided to refer to a Joint Select Committee the comprehensive Bill to amend and consolidate the law relating to patents. At the same time it passed another related Bill, the Indian Patents and Designs (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to replace an Ordinance …

At the Burma Resources Committee to-day [in Rangoon, on August 13], the chairman, Mr. J.P. Hardiman, Controller of Munitions, announced that the Tata Industrial Bank intended to open a branch in Burma as soon as possible, the date being governed by the difficulty at present of obtaining staff. A sub-committee …

Given conflicting claims about health effects, India should tread cautiously on e-cigarettes In a recent hearing on a public interest litigation in the Delhi High Court, the Delhi government said it was planning to ban e-cigarettes. If it follows through, the NCT will join States such as Karnataka and Maharashtra …

Kerala’s floods show the need for governments to strengthen resilience planning The catastrophic impact of monsoon rainfall on several districts of Kerala has come as a grim reminder that the vigil against unpredictable natural disasters must never be relaxed. More than three dozen people have died and an estimated Rs. …

Kerala is increasingly becominga transgender-friendly society Where have Kerala’s hijras gone?” was the rhetorical headline of my story on transgender individuals (TGI) published in The Hindu a decade ago. The story opened with this sentence: “After a quarter century of tortured life as a woman trapped in a man’s body …