The Manusmriti, an ancient Sanskrit text on dharma, law and social conduct, has returned to the centre of public debate in India. Recent political references to specific verses, particularly those concerning women, have renewed calls to reject the text as a symbol of patriarchy and hierarchy. Yet a closer look at the work itself reveals…
As leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping gather in New Delhi this weekend, the formal agenda will focus on global order, conflicts in distant theatres and the search for alternatives to Western-dominated institutions. Yet a quieter but consequential conversation will unfold on the sidelines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin…
The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to challenge before the Supreme Court an Allahabad High Court order that quashed the National Security Act detention of Delhi University graduate and student activist Aakriti Chaudhary. The High Court had also directed the state to pay her Rs 5 lakh as compensation, with the amount to be recovered…
The Telangana Legislative Assembly witnessed a sharp escalation in tensions on the third consecutive day of its Monsoon Session when Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar suspended more than 20 legislators belonging to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. Among those suspended were senior party leaders K.T. Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, and T. Harish Rao. The action…
As India prepares to host the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026, attention is turning to bilateral discussions expected on the sidelines with Chinese counterparts. Indications suggest that the Indian side will raise concerns over restrictions affecting the import of critical technologies from China and investment-related barriers faced by companies operating in…
A controversy has unfolded in Kerala after prominent Sunni cleric A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, widely known as Kanthapuram, made remarks asserting that women should remain confined to their homes. The comments, which followed the participation of Muslim women in Eid and Onam-related festivities, drew sharp criticism from political leaders, particularly from the CPI(M), and prompted the…
A powerful series of eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel across western Indonesia, forcing the temporary closure of eight airports and leaving tens of thousands of travellers stranded. The volcanic activity, which began late on Friday and continued through the weekend, sent towering plumes of ash high into the atmosphere. By Sunday,…
For centuries, humans have wondered whether animals are trying to tell us something through their calls, movements and behaviour. A bird singing from a tree, a whale producing complex sounds underwater or a wolf howling across a forest may appear simple to people, but scientists believe these signals could contain far more information than humans…
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has added India-born Manjit Singh Bedi to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list over allegations of a large-scale benefits fraud scheme. Authorities say the naturalised United States citizen used a grocery store in Tacoma, Washington, to convert government food assistance into cash, causing losses of at least 600,000 dollars to the…
Lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries belong to the same broad family of rechargeable power sources. The distinction that matters most to users and designers is not a completely different chemistry but differences in electrolyte form and packaging. Understanding this relationship helps explain why the two appear in different devices and why the labels can sometimes create…