In Focus by The Hindu

The podcast episode features interviews with the four journalists behind Taking on the Heat, a data-driven story on heat stress in Chennai. The story follows the daily experiences of four working-class individuals with varying levels of exposure to direct sunlight. Each participant was equipped with a device that recorded temperature and humidity data throughout their workday.   The analysis sheds light not only on their exposure to heat but also on how they manage it—and what kind of support the State could offer to ease their burden.  Guests: Vasudevan Mukunth, Nitika Francis, Srinivasan Ramani, and Areena Arora  Host: Vignesh Radhakrishnan  Camera: Shivaraj S, Thamodharan B, and Kailas Krishna Editing: Shivaraj S and Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Produced by: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly all of us have seen an instance of it: a child working at a streetside tea shop, begging at a traffic light or perhaps even as a domestic help at some homes. Not many of us realise perhaps that a large number of these children are trafficked: taken away from their families and forced into exploitative, abusive labour. July 30 is observed as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. In today's podcast, we are joined by Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of the organisation Just Rights for Children and a child rights activist to talk about the scope of the problem in India, the government's response and most importantly, what more needs to be done, to protect every child in our land. Guest: Bhuwan Ribhu, Founder of Just Rights for Children and Child Rights Activist Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than a year ago, on options expiry days, which are trading sessions when bets are settled, Mayank Bansal began to notice something odd. Prices were moving just before the close in ways that felt too precise. Someone was winning too perfectly. Mayank, a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based hedge fund manager, had spent years studying options — cheap, high-risk contracts that let you bet on where markets will go. If you're right, the profits can be huge. If you're wrong, which is what most retail investors are, you lose everything. A U.S. court case would later point to Jane Street — one of the world's most powerful proprietary trading firms, which means it trades using its own money, not clients'. Known for its lightning-fast algorithms and puzzle-solving traders, Jane Street had made over $4 billion in India in just two years. India's market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) says Jane Street placed large trades in a few key stocks just before the market closed. These trades pushed the index in just the right direction to make their options bets pay off, a tactic that SEBI calls a “well-planned and sinister” scheme. Jane Street denies any wrongdoing. In this episode, Mayank tells us what he saw and why it raises serious questions about who really wins in India's booming options market. Guest: Mayank Bansal, a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based hedge fund manager Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran Produced by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 11, the upcoming 2025–26 season of the Indian Super League was abruptly put on hold by its organiser, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), citing uncertainty over the Master Rights Agreement with the AIFF. This unprecedented move has left players, clubs and fans in limbo, and raises fresh questions about the governance and sustainability of Indian football's top-tier league. What exactly is behind this standoff? Does it signal deeper structural issues in Indian football? And how is the Indian football ecosystem affected by this? Guest: Amitabha Das Sharma from The Hindu's sports bureau Host: Reuben Joe Joseph Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 2016, Tesla began taking preorders from Indian customers with no timeline for delivery. Now, nine years later, it's officially arrived — but much has changed. The Indian EV space is more competitive, homegrown players like Tata and global brands like BYD have made inroads and import duties remain steep. And in the premium segment that Tesla is targeting, it's not the first mover. German brands like Mercedes, BMW and Audi have been here for years. What took Tesla so long? Why did early adopters like Vishal Gondal cancel their bookings? And is India ready — in terms of infrastructure, pricing and policy — for what Tesla offers? Guest: Vishal Gondal, tech entrepreneur and early Tesla hopeful Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran Produced and edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The buzzword of late, has been wellness. Wellness in mind and body is something all of us strive for. But wellness has also become an entire industry in itself – with products, services and clinics all claiming to offer it in different forms. The nutraceuticals industry for instance, is growing rapidly, projected to be worth 64 billion dollars by 2030, while aesthetic medicine is projected to triple its value by 2029. From protein powders to supplements, anti-ageing lotions to treatments at wellness lounges, there is no dearth of offerings and advertisements. But how safe are these products and procedures? Do what they claim in their advertisements match what offer in reality? What goes into these products and who regulates them? Guest: Prashant Reddy Co-author, Truth Pill: Myth of Drug Regulation Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to the Union Education Ministry, Indian universities have achieved their best-ever performance in the World University Rankings 2026. The rankings are done by a British company, Quacquarelli Symonds, also known as QS.  The new QS rankings feature a total of 54 Indian universities, which makes India the 4th most represented country, with only the US (192), the UK (90) and China (72) having more universities ranked than India. Among Indian universities, 48% have also  improved their rankings compared to the previous year, with six featuring in the top 250. IIT, Delhi is the highest ranked Indian university in the list, coming in at #123.  The government has claimed that the numbers indicate a revolutionary transformation of India's educational landscape.  How exactly are the QS rankings arrived at? What idea of the university is being evaluated in these rankings? Are the metrics relevant to the Indian context and Indian students?  Guest: Professor Anita Rampal, former Dean, Faculty of Education, at Delhi University. Anita, welcome to the pod.  Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu  Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nipah virus is not new to Kerala: the State is experiencing it's eighth outbreak since 2018 this July. So far, there have been four confirmed cases: of these, two persons have died, while the other two remain hospitalised. A total of 675 people across the State are currently under observation, with 38 classified as being in the highest risk category.One question that many have wondered about is: why Kerala? Why is it that this one State has seen multiple outbreaks of the deadly virus? What do we know about how it spills over from fruit bats to humans? And what can be done to contain it? Guest: Dr. Anoop Kumar A.S., director of critical care medicine at Aster North Kerala Cluster, who played a pivotal role in detecting the Nipah virus outbreak in the State in 2018 Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a June morning, Air India flight AI171 lifted off from Ahmedabad, bound for London. The aircraft was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner — among the most advanced long-haul jets in service. But less than a minute after takeoff, the plane crashed. Two hundred and sixty people were killed. Only one survived. It was India's deadliest air disaster in nearly three decades. Now, a preliminary investigation points to a chilling cause: fuel to both engines was cut off just after takeoff. The engines lost thrust. The plane had neither the altitude nor the time to recover. What happened in those final seconds? Was it a technical failure or human error? Guest: Jagriti Chandra, Special Correspondent at The Hindu covering aviation Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, was scheduled to be executed in Yemen today on July 16, as per reports, but the execution has now been postponed after multiple levels of talks and negotiations got underway. Nimisha Priya has been on death row in Yemen since 2018 for the murder of her former business partner, a Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mehdi . Efforts to have her released have included raising funds for ‘blood money' or money that is paid to the victim's family as compensation. The case has presented complications because of the internal breakdown in Yemen, Yemeni capital Sanaa is controlled by Ansar Ullah (Houthi) while the Internationally Recognised Government of Yemen operates out of Aden. We do a deep dive into the case of Nimisha Priya, the rights of Indian citizens who get enmeshed in criminal judicial systems in other countries, India's obligations to these citizens and the death penalty laws in India with Shreya Rastogi, Director of Death Penalty Litigation and Forensics, The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR University of Law, Delhi Host: Zubeda Hamid Guest: Shreya Rastogi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's been a lot of action in the world of footwear fashion – especially legal action involving claims and counter-claims about cheap fakes of expensive originals, and also expensive rip-offs of cheaper originals. First it was the crocs, the uniquely shaped perforated sandals. The American company which makes them, Crocs Inc., is pursuing legal action against several Indian companies, including the likes of Bata and Liberty, for copying their visual design and “passing off” their product as crocs. Then we have the case of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada, which has been facing heat in India after it showcased men's ‘Toe-ring Sandals' that looked a lot like Kolhapuri chappals. And now we have the German sandal brand Birkenstock getting court approval to inspect factories in India and seize counterfeit Birkenstock sandals. Are these three cases comparable? How exactly does the copyright regime work in the fashion world? And why are Indians crazy for Birkenstocks? In Part 2, we shift focus to the cultural and fashion dimensions of the sandal scandal, examining how Crocs, Birkenstocks, and even Kolhapuris became trend statements. Host: G Sampath Guests: Rosella Stephen, editor of The Hindu's Sunday Magazine, and Shantanu Sood, a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property-related issues. Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's been a lot of action in the world of footwear fashion – especially legal action involving claims and counter-claims about cheap fakes of expensive originals, and also expensive rip-offs of cheaper originals. First it was the crocs, the uniquely shaped perforated sandals. The American company which makes them, Crocs Inc., is pursuing legal action against several Indian companies, including the likes of Bata and Liberty, for copying their visual design and “passing off” their product as crocs. Then we have the case of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada, which has been facing heat in India after it showcased men's ‘Toe-ring Sandals' that looked a lot like Kolhapuri chappals. And now we have the German sandal brand Birkenstock getting court approval to inspect factories in India and seize counterfeit Birkenstock sandals. Are these three cases comparable? How exactly does the copyright regime work in the fashion world? And why are Indians crazy for Birkenstocks? In Part 1, we look at the legal battles. In Part 2, we explore how footwear became a cultural and fashion phenomenon. Host: G Sampath Guests: Shantanu Sood, a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property-related issues, and Rosella Stephen, editor of The Hindu's Sunday Magazine. Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the U.S. wraps up its 90-day tariff pause, the pressure is on — but many of America's key trading partners, including India, haven't signed trade deals.President Donald Trump announced 'Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2, but paused from April 9 to July 9 in a bid to sign deals with trading partners.The U.S. successfully signed pacts with Vietnam, China, and the U.K., but did not secure deals with major partners like the EU, Japan, or India.Now, the pause is officially over, and with retaliatory duties expected to take effect from August 1, the future of global trade has just become more uncertain.India may have reason to worry. In FY2025, India's total trade with the U.S. stood at $186 billion, with exports at $115.2 billion and imports at $70.8 billion. enjoyed a trade surplus of $44.4 billion. That kind of imbalance could make India a target for fresh tariffs.However, India has refused to negotiate under a deadline, and the national interest comes first. The Indian government has also been negotiating with the U.S. on a broader trade deal for years, but a breakthrough remains elusive. So what happens next?  Guest: Ajay Srivastava, Founder, Global Trade Research Initiative [GTRI] Host: Nivedita V Edited by Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bridge collapsed in Gujarat on July 9, killing at least thirteen people. The Gambhira Bridge, which connected the Anand and Vadodara districts, gave way, sending cars, bikes and auto rickshaws plunging into the Mahisagar River. Built over four decades ago, the bridge had shown signs of being worn out but was still heavily used. Its collapse is part of a troubling pattern of deadly bridge cave-ins across India. What caused the Gambhira Bridge to collapse? Could it have been prevented? And what does this say about how India builds and maintains its roads and bridges? Guest: Abhinay Deshpande from The Hindu's Ahmedabad Bureau Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India's ten central trade unions – barring the Sangh-affiliated Bharatiy Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) came together to call for a general strike in July 9. Workers from banking, insurance, postal, mining, construction, and transportation sectors have pledged their support to the strike and are expected to participate in big numbers.  According to the Union spokespersons, the strike is in protest against the government's anti-worker policies and specifically also against the amendments to the 29 labour laws and the newly introduced labour codes.  But these amendments and labour codes happened quite some time ago. Why is the strike being called now? What exactly are the demands of the unions? And what is likely to be its impact?  Guest: A.M. Jigeesh from The Hindu's Delhi Bureau. Host: G Sampath Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From July 1st onwards, Delhi started enforcing a fuel ban on End-of-Life Vehicles or ELVs. In Delhi, this means diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. This enforcement drive followed an order from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) stipulating no fuel for ELVs from July 1. But now, following a public outcry, the Delhi government has written to CAQM asking for this fuel ban to be put on hold “with immediate effect”. The reasons it has cited include “critical operational and infrastructural challenges” and ‘public discontent and outcry”. While the enforcement drive raising a public outcry is understandable, it cannot be denied that Delhi's air quality has become a year-round emergency which needs counter-measures. How was this decision to ban 10-year-old diesel cars and 15-year-old petrol cars arrived at? Is this a practical policy in a poor country like India where for many, their vehicle is linked to their livelihood? Are there better ways to weed out polluting vehicles? What about retro-fitting older vehicles to make them less polluting? Guest: Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Produced and Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the monsoon session of Parliament scheduled for the 21st of this month, road safety activists in the country have begun a push towards demanding more stringent legislation for automobiles, roads and highways, to ensure better safety for all road users. This is not a small concern – India has one of the highest road traffic accident rates in the world, its roads are some of the world's most deadly, and every three minutes in our country, there is a death due to a road accident. According to Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari, every year India sees 4,80,000 accidents, which lead to 1,88,000 deaths of people aged between 18 and 45 years. Additionally, there are 10,000 deaths of children. The country loses 3% of its GDP annually, due to road accidents. Why are our roads so unsafe? Do the problems lie with road design, behaviour on the roads, a lack of implementation of laws or a combination of all these factors and more? Is the government reluctant to ensure better road safety for its citizens? Guest: Ranjit Gadgil, programme director, Parisar, which is part of the Road Safety Network, an Indian coalition of organisations working to improve road safety in the country Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Election Commission of India is going to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Bihar is due to hold Assembly elections before November22, which is when the term of the current assembly ends. This revision exercise requires all voters who were enrolled after 2003, to provide proof of their and their parents' citizenship, in order to get their names on the electoral rolls. This elaborate exercise is supposed to be completed in two to three months. It has raised many questions, and fears of mass disenfranchisement, and backdoor implementation of the controversial National Register of Citizens or NRC. When does the EC normally conduct an SIR? What was the reason for initiating it now, just before State elections? Are the fears of disenfranchisement justified? Guest: M.G. Devasahayam, a former IAS officer, who is also Co-ordinator, Citizen's Commission on Elections. Host: G Sampath. Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wimbledon 2025 kicks off on June 30. Can Carlos Alcaraz make it three championship titles in a row? Or will Novak Djokovic manage to get his 25th Slam and equal Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles? Can world no. 1 Jannik Sinner stamp his authority on grass for the first time this year? How do the various contenders stack up in what seems to be a very open field in the women's draw? Is there a real frontrunner between the likes of world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, French Open champ Coco Gauff, and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova? Can Ons Jabeur or Jasmine Paolini make a deep run this time around? Guest: Ziya Us Salam from The Hindu's Delhi Bureau. Host: G. Sampath Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian and Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we think of climate and global warming, what comes to mind is carbon emissions, and how to decarbonise the economy. Lately, another front in the fight against climate change getting more and more attention: the battle against Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs), also classified as non-carbon climate pollutants. These gases and chemicals — which include methane, black carbon, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons -- have a much higher warming potential and shorter atmospheric lifetimes than CO2. So, what makes SLCPs deadly? What activities produce them? What can be done to mitigate their impact? And what is the nature of the challenge India faces with regard to SLCPs? Guest: Zerin Osho, Director of the India program at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Recorded by Jude Francis Weston and Tayyab Hussain Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After 12 days of exchanging intense strikes and counter-strikes, Israel and Iran have reportedly agreed to a ceasefire. The ceasefire was first announced by President Donald Trump on social media. The war was initiated by Israel with the tacit approval of the US, to achieve certain objectives. Were those objectives achieved? What prompted them to initiate the ceasefire? Why did Iran agree to the ceasefire? With Israel's attacks on Gaza continuing, will this ceasefire last? Guest: Mehmet Ozturk, senior Turkish journalist and political commentator Host: G Sampath, Social Affiars Editor, The Hindu Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the blistering temperatures that most of India is suffering under, it should come as no surprise that May 2025 was the second-warmest month of May since records began. But what is of greater concern now, is how this heat is going to affect our future generations --  a new study has found that India recorded an average of six additional days of dangerously high temperatures for pregnant women every year over the last five years. What is this extreme heat doing the bodies of mothers to be? How does heat affect pregnancy outcomes? What will it mean for the near future, as India continues to experience heat waves? Guest: Prof Jane Hirst Chair in Global Women's Health, The George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London and Visiting Professor in Global Women's Health, University of Oxford Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to the latest projections by the IMF, India is now the world's fourth-largest economy. Government officials, including the CEO of NITI Aayog B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, have expressed confidence that India could soon overtake Germany to claim the third spot. Adding to the optimism, the World Bank recently reported that extreme poverty in the country fell to 5.3% in 2022–2023. A recent report by SBI noted that the poverty rate in India could now be in the range of 4%.  But what do these numbers mean for the broader population? Guest: Partha Chatterjee, Dean of Academics at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, and Professor, Department of Economics, Shiv Nadar University. Host: Nivedita V Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 13, Israel launched an all-out war against Iran. It carried out what has been described as a ‘decapitation strike” – taking out much of the country's military leadership, as well as top nuclear scientists. It also attacked the country's nuclear facilities and air defences, and subsequently it's economic infrastructure and oil installations as well. Iran responded with missile strikes of its own, targeting Tel Avi and Haifa among other sites and military targets. While more than 200 people have been killed in Iran, more than 20 casualties have been reported in Israel. The two sides have been trading steadily escalating strikes since, and now Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing hard for the US to join his war. How credible is Israel's justification for starting the war – namely, that it wants to shut down Iran's nuclear program – given that it is now speaking of regime change? How do the two sides stack up militarily if the conflict were to drag on? What are Iran's options if the US joins the war?   Guest: Stanly Johny, The Hindu's International Affairs Editor. Host: G. Sampath Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India began its Crocodile Conservation programme in 1975, and this year marks 50 years of this initiative, one that has been more successful than most. India is home to three main kinds of crocodile species – the gharial, the salt water crocodile or salties, and the muggers. These species face increasing threats from habitat loss, poachers, pollution, riparian agriculture, artificial embankments, construction of barrages and dams, and illegal sand-mining. On the eve of World Crocodile Day, which falls on June 17, we look back at 50 years of crocodile conservation, the status of these endangered species as of today, and what is in store with the recent launch of the New Gharial Project by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Guest: Professor B.C. Choudhury, eminent wildlife scientist who has worked on crocodile conservation since 1975. Host: G Sampath Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Central government recently proposed starting an integrated course – MBBS and Ayurveda medicine, at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry. This proposed move has evoked a strong response from the Indian Medical Association who has said this unscientific mixing of various systems of medicine will benefit neither doctors, nor patients. This is not the first move to mix traditional and modern systems of medicine in India – other such measures for instance, have included proposals to allow traditional medical practitioners to prescribe modern medicine after a short course. What are the risks of mixing alternative systems of medicine with the MBBS course? Is there a benefit to integrated systems and if so, how should these be brought in? Has any other country managed to successfully combine alternative systems with modern, evidence based medicine? Guest: Rajeev Jayadevan is the Chairman, Research Cell, Kerala State IMA, Past President, IMA Cochin Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Article 143 of the Constitution allows the President to seek the Supreme Court's opinion on matters of law. This provision has been invoked by President Droupadi Murmu to raise 14 questions on a recent Supreme Court judgement. It concerns a case filed by the Tamil Nadu government against its Governor, who had withheld assent to 10 bills indefinitely. The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the Tamil Nadu government, laying down a three-month timeline for Governors and the President to act on Bills passed by the State legislatures. The larger context of this development is the ongoing tussle between the Union government and Opposition-ruled States, with many wondering if this Presidential reference represents a political pushback from the Union government. Historically, what has been the logic for such references? How is this particular Presidential reference different in its substance from a review petition? Is the Supreme Court bound to take it up or can it decline the reference? Guest: Supreme Court advocate Deepak Joshi Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Recorded by Jude Francis Weston and Tayyab Hussain Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yet again, we are talking about a virus we would much rather forget – Covid-19 is in the news with over 4,300 cases and over deaths as of June 4. New sub-variants, descendent from the Omicron lineage first reported at the end of 2021, are believed to be driving the spike in cases. So far however, a majority of the cases have been mild, with very few requiring hospitalisation, according to the government. Is Covid-19 here to stay? Do we have any reason to be concerned about the new variants? Do we need vaccines or booster shots again? And, what as individuals, can we do to stay safe? Guest: V. Ramasubramanian, consultant infectious diseases specialist, Apollo Hospital, Chennai and medical director, Capstone Multispecialty Clinic, Chennai Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a time when Russia and Ukraine have been exchanging peace proposals, seemingly in a bid to start direct peace talks, Ukraine has carried out an unprecedented drone attack deep inside Russian territory. Ukrainian officials have claimed to have destroyed at least 40 Russian warplanes, including strategic bombers, and say they have imposed losses on Russia worth $7 billion dollars. This attack comes when Ukraine and Russia have just agreed on a prisoner swap deal. But there has been little progress on peace talks. On the military front, too, there have been no dramatic changes in the frontlines, and that trend seems likely to continue. What are the implications of Ukraine's unprecedented drone strikes? How serious are the damages for Russia? Will Russia President Vladimir Putin be under pressure to retaliate harder or will he be more amenable to come to the negotiating table?   Guest: Stanly Johny, The Hindu's International Affairs Editor. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India is a union of states — a structure enshrined in the Constitution that gives States a central role in legislating critical areas like health, agriculture, and public order. But how well are India's State Assemblies functioning? A new report by PRS Legislative Research that examines how 31 State Assemblies performed in 2024 has found that States passed over 500 Bills, yet most Assemblies met for just 20 days and spent around 100 hours in session. Many laws were cleared on the very day they were introduced, and States issued 100 ordinances in total. What does this say about legislative scrutiny, accountability, and the democratic process at the state level?  Guest: Niranjana S Menon, a Senior Analyst at PRS Legislative Research.  Host: Nivedita V. Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a month since Canada's federal elections. Canadians have voted in a Liberal government, although a minority one, for the fourth straight time. They have reposed their faith in Mark Carney, a former central banker who had no prior political experience and hadn't held political office until the start of this year. Everyone seems to agree that the Trump factor played a big role in the electoral outcome. What are the challenges facing the new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney? With the liberals and Conservatives together polling 85% of the votes, and the new Democrats decimated, is Canada moving toward a two-party system? And with the exit of Justin Trudeau, who was not exactly popular with the Indian political establishment, what are the chances of a reset in Indo-Canada ties? Guest: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair & Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Host: G Sampath Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Manipur has been under President's rule since February 13, 2025. But this week, a group of 10 MLAs met the Governor and informed him that they would like to form a “popular government” with the support of a total of 44 MLAs. The Manipur Assembly has a strength of 60. At the same time, the state is again in turmoil over an incident in Gwaltabi village where security forces allegedly asked for the state's name on a bus to be covered up. Angry protesters locked up central government offices, including the office of the Election Commission, and defaced government signboards as part of a state-wide agitation. What is behind the latest episode of civil unrest? What has been the impact of the President's Rule so far? And what are the chances of a “popular” government being formed in the current scenario? Host: G Sampath Guest: Abhinay Lakshman from The Hindu's Delhi Bureau. Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Central Board of Secondary Education, or CBSE, recently mandated the establishment of sugar boards at all its schools. These boards will tell children how much sugar there is in common snacks that they eat versus what the recommended sugar intake is. The move also aims to make school canteens healthier so that the food children have access to on a daily basis is healthy and low in sugar. Why was this move necessary? Reports estimate that by 2030, one of every ten obese children the world over will be from India. India is staring at an obesity crisis among all segments of its population, but public health experts are increasingly worried about the youngest of them – children and adolescents. While diets high in ultra-processed food and lack of physical activity are said to be the main culprits, there is not enough talk about why our diet patterns are changing – relentless advertising and the cheap and easy availability of unhealthy food. Do our advertising laws need to change to ensure such foods are not marketed to children? Do our food labelling laws need to be modified? Will less access help improve diet patterns? Guest: Paediatrician and convenor of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, reports surfaced alleging that Indian authorities had transported dozens of Rohingya refugees to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and subsequently abandoned them in international waters, in an attempt to deport them to Myanmar. However, on May 16, a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh declined to pass any interim order to halt the purported deportation. The Court also cast doubt on the credibility of the evidence submitted before it. Meanwhile, the United Nations has launched an inquiry into the incident and has called on the Indian government to cease the inhumane and life-threatening treatment of Rohingya refugees, including their repatriation to perilous conditions in Myanmar. Does India's alleged forced repatriation of Rohingya refugees constitute a violation of international law? Does the deportation of refugees without adherence to due process infringe upon constitutional protections? In the absence of treaty ratification, is India nonetheless bound by the customary international law principle of non-refoulement? What policy reforms are needed to ensure a humane and rights-compliant refugee framework in India? Guest: Colin Gonsalves, senior advocate and founder of Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) Host: Aaratrika Bhaumik Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The French Open, the only Grand Slam played on clay, kicks off this Sunday in Paris. This is a historic French Open also because it's the first one to be held after the retirement of Rafael Nadal, the undisputed GOAT on Clay. On the men's side, there is tremendous anticipation over the growing rivalry between world No 1 Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Another exciting narrative revolves around Novak Djokovic, who would be looking for one last hurrah in the form of a 25th Grand Slam before hanging up his boots. On the women's side, the draw is wide open, with four-time champion Iga Swiatek not in the best of form, while Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini (fresh from her Rome Open triumph) would all be fancying their chances. What does the draw say? What are the match-ups to look out for? Who are the dark horses that could spring a surprise? Guest: N Sudarshan from The Hindu's sports bureau. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There has been a lot of excitement around the India-U.K. trade deal — PM Narendra Modi termed the deal a "historic milestone" while announcing that both countries "successfully concluded an ambitious and mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement", and U.K. PM Keir Starmer recently called it a fantastic deal. India enjoys a trade surplus with the U.K., the deal could help India maintain its competitive edge. Under the deal, India will cut tariffs on 90% of British goods, with 85% becoming duty-free over ten years. In return, the U.K. will abolish duties on selected products, leaving 99% of Indian exports tariff-free. The deal talks about streamlining regulations, which could make India's exports cheaper to the British. Trade between India and the U.K. has grown over the past few decades, and trade relations between the two countries are set to become stronger due to this agreement. The U.K.'s government believes that the FTA will give bilateral trade an annual boost of £25.5 billion by 2040, while India has set a target to double trade to $100 billion by 2030. Given that India is negotiating trade agreements with other countries, can this FTA serve as a template for other deals? Guest: Amrita Saha, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trade-related tensions between India and Bangladesh have been rising. In a seemingly retaliatory move, India has restricted the import of certain goods from Bangladesh to just two sea ports – Kolkata and Nhava Sheva. It has blocked 11 traditional land ports in the North East. This move has caused concern among both Bangladeshi and Indian traders as goods-laden trucks have been stuck at the various land ports. Bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh last fiscal was $10.56 billion. India imported goods worth $1.56 billion, while exporting goods worth $9 billion to Bangladesh. Evidently, India enjoys a huge trade surplus with Bangladesh. So why has India imposed these curbs? What will be their impact on traders and consumers? And what are the chances of this crisis being resolved quickly? Guest: Kallol Bhattacherjee, who covers India-Bangladesh relations for The Hindu. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Recorded by Jude Francis Weston and Vishnoo Jotshi Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a nearly four-year delay, the Central government finally released a whole lot of reports about India's births, deaths and health indicators for the year 2021. Two of these key reports, released by the Registrar General of India, were the number of deaths registered, and the medical certification of the causes of deaths. What did these reports find? In 2021, the year of the brutal and devastating Delta strain of Covid-19, India recorded 21 lakh more deaths than it did in 2020. As of May 19 this year however, the COVID-19 dashboard maintained by the Union Ministry of Health says that the total number of Covid19 deaths in India so far stands at 5,33,666. So what caused these 21 lakh excess deaths? If the pandemic had not occurred would such a high number of deaths have been recorded? Why is there such a wide difference among States on the number of Covid fatalities vs the number of registered deaths that year? What does medical certification of causes tell us? And do we need a better system to track, register and attribute causes of death in India? Guest: Bhramar Mukherjee Senior Associate Dean of Public Health Data Science and Data Equity; Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Biostatistics; Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) and of Statistics and Data Science Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do monsoons really work? What makes them plentiful some years, but vanish completely in others, causing drought-like conditions? Climate scientists have been seeking answers to these questions for a long time. Now a research paper has come up with an intriguing explanatory concept: atmospheric memory. The study was conducted by two scientists -- Anja Katzenberger & Anders Levermann -- from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Titled ‘Monsoon Hysteresis reveals Atmospheric Memory', it was published recently in the scientific journal PNAS. The study showed, for the first time, that the atmosphere can store moisture over extended periods, creating a physical memory effect.  In other words, the atmosphere can ‘remember' its previous state by storing physical information in the form of water vapour.” The paper also talks about how there is a tipping point in the system that determines monsoon rainfall. So, how does this discovery change our understanding of how monsoons work? What are its practical applications? What are the risks posed to this system by things like pollution and global warming?   Guest: Anders Levermann, Professor of the Dynamics of the Climate System at the Institute for Physics and Astrophysics of the Potsdam University, Germany. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 7, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor' in response to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 in which 26 civilians were killed. Over three days, India and Pakistan launched missiles and drones at each other. There was also an extended aerial warfare involving fighter jets of both the countries. And on May 10, around midday, a ceasefire was announced – not by India or Pakistan, but by President Donald Trump. On May 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation, announced that India has established a ‘new normal' in the fight against cross-border terrorism. He outlined a new three-point doctrine: India reserves the right to respond to terrorism with military action; no tolerance for nuclear blackmail from Pakistan; and no distinction shall be made between terrorists and their sponsors. These developments are significant and raise a lot of questions in the military, geopolitical and diplomatic domains. Guest: Sushant Singh, lecturer in South Asian Studies at Yale University and expert on strategic affairs and national security. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Produced by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, are set for hearing on May 15. They will be heard by a Bench led by the Chief Justice designate B.R. Gavai.  Earlier, a three-judge Bench led by outgoing Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna had refused to put an interim stay on the amendments. But it did receive two assurances from the Union government: one, that no Waqf, including Waqf-by-user, shall be de-notified or suffer any character change until the next date of hearing; and secondly, no appointments would be made to the Central Waqf Council or the State Waqf Boards under the amended Sections 9 and 14 of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which allowed the inclusion of non-Muslims, till the Court takes up the matter again.  What are the apprehensions and general perceptions about how Waqf boards operate? What is the status of Waqf properties while the challenges to the law are being heard? What are the key issues raised by the petitions for adjudication?  Guest: Shahrukh Alam, Supreme Court Advocate  Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu  Recorded by Sabika Syed and Jude Weston  Edited by Shivraj S  Produced by Jude Weston  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to food, most Indians cannot imagine a day without rice. Lunch is rice, and rice is lunch – and rice is also sometimes breakfast or dinner or just part of a number of other food items we consume. But how healthy is the rice we are eating? Scientists have known for a while now that a lot of rice contains some amount of arsenic. A new study that was published in The Lancet Planetary Health last month, however, had some newer, more worrying findings: it found that with rising carbon emissions and rising temperatures, the arsenic levels in rice will rise. The study was conducted over a 10-year period on 28 different strains of paddy rice at four different locations in China. Arsenic is a known carcinogen – it is linked to cancers including lung and bladder cancer as well as to other serious health conditions. So what does this study mean for India, which is a large rice-growing and rice-eating country and one that is also experiencing climate change effects? What does arsenic do to your body in the long term? Are there methods to grow rice that decrease the amount of arsenic in it? What can you do to make the rice you are eating at home safer? Guests: Lewis Ziska, associate rofessor, environmental health sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and Keeve Nachman, professor of environmental health and engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Union cabinet has announced that the next population Census will also include questions on caste. This is a sharp departure from the ruling BJP's long-standing opposition to a caste census. How do we understand this U-turn? How would this caste census differ from the last one, conducted in 1931? Given the massive scale and logistics involved, what are the challenges involved, and how do we ensure the integrity of the exercise and the data collection process? Guest: Satish Deshpande, well-known sociologist Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world of science was rocked early last month when U.S. company Colossal Biosciences announced that it had resurrected the dire wolf—a species that went extinct more than 10,000 years ago. Three pups, named Remus, Romulus, and Khaleesi are now living on a 2,000-acre enclosure in a secret location. Videos of the wolf pups howling went viral across the internet, as did photographs of their snowy white fur. How did Colossal achieve this? Through genetic editing. After first extracting DNA from an ancient dire wolf skull and tooth and studying its genome, the company claims it then took the genome of a grey wolf, the closest living ancestor of the dire wolf, and made precise edits at 20 locations across 14 genes. Most of these edits were cosmetic changes—to do with fur colour and size. The modified genome was then implanted in embryos, and surrogate dog mothers gave birth to the wolf pups. While the science sounds immensely exciting, several experts have contested the claim that these pups are dire wolves. Can a few edits in a genome truly recreate a lost species? Can these wolves behave just as the real dire wolves did, given that the ecology and environment that the dire wolves existed in no longer exist? The company claims that it wants to secure the health and biodiversity of our planet's future—its next project is to ‘de-extinct' the woolly mammoth. Is this the right way to go about conservation, and can it even work? Guest: Kartik Shanker, Professor & Chairperson, Centre for Ecological Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru Host: Zubeda Hamid Produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to Section 53 (2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, if there is only candidate contesting an election, then she can be declared elected unopposed. Now a legal think tank, the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of this provision.  It cites the 2013 order of the Supreme Court which held that the right to cast a negative vote by choosing ‘NOTA' was protected under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution. It argues that this right is independent of how many candidates are contesting – therefore, not holding the election on the grounds that there is only one candidate deprives voters of this right. Last week, the Supreme Court, while hearing this petition, suggested that in cases where there is only one candidate, there could be a requirement that the candidate should win a prescribed minimum of vote share – be it 20% or 25% or whatever – in order to be declared as elected. But the Election Commission seems keen to retain the status quo, arguing that cases of candidates winning unopposed are rare and therefore the court should not entertain such a petition. Is the Election Commission right? What if the phenomenon of candidates standing unopposed becomes more widespread in the future? What happens to the NOTA option then? Guest: Arghya Sengupta, Founder and Research Director at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, Delhi.  Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Edited by Shivaraj S and Sharada Venkatasubramnian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a controversy that seems to have divided the art world in India, Mumbai-based poet-activist Aamir Aziz has accused well known artist Anita Dube of using his poem without his consent, and profiting from it without giving him credit or compensation. The poem in question is ‘Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega', which became an anthem of the anti-CAA protests and later a global phenomenon after English rock musician Roger Waters read it out at an event in London. While Dube has admitted to an “ethical lapse” and reportedly offered some remuneration to Aziz, the dispute has acquired a legal dimension, with Aziz sending her a legal notice. What does the copyright law say in a case like this – where an artist may feel she has the right to ‘fair use' of a text, but another artist feels that his copyright has been violated? Guest: Shantanu Sood, a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property-related issues. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Recorded by Aniket Singh Chauhan Edited by Shivaraj S Produced by Jude Francis Weston

Recently, a debate about appointing judges has gained momentum in light of cash allegedly being found in the house of a Delhi High Court judge. What began as a discussion about transparency in judicial appointments has widened into a broader conversation about the functioning of India's justice system, which is already strained by millions of pending cases.  But concerns run deeper than just courtrooms. A recent report, called the India Justice Report 2025, flags critical issues across four pillars of the justice system: police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid. The report shows that no State or Union Territory has fulfilled its own commitments for improving representation, particularly for women and SC/STs, within the police force. Vacancy rates remain alarmingly high, regular training is neglected, and appointments to the judiciary continue at a sluggish pace, weakening public trust in institutions meant to uphold the rule of law.  Against this backdrop, two critical questions emerge: How can India strengthen the foundations of its justice delivery system? What institutional reforms are urgently needed to ensure fairness, inclusivity, and efficiency for all?  Guests: Maja Daruwala, chief editor, IJR and Valay Singh, Lead, IJR Host: Nivedita V Edited by Jude Francis Weston

For the first time since 2018, the United States and Iran are holding high level negotiations. What Iran wants is clear: an end to US sanctions, and resumption of economic engagement. But the US has been speaking in different voices, ranging from a maximalist position of complete dismantlement of the Iranian nuclear program, to a more moderate goal of capping the weaponistion of it. President Donald Trump has also given a two-month deadline to Iran to make a deal. If it doesn't, he has threatened military strikes. So, what can we realistically expect from these talks? How real are American threats to bomb Iran if it doesn't agree to a deal in two months? And is Iran negotiating from a weaker position than it was in, say, 2015 when the previous deal was signed? Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Sharmada Venkatsubramanian

Even as India grapples with its estimated 101 million cases of Type 2 diabetes, a new type of diabetes has recently hit the headlines – Type 5. At the International Diabetes Federation's meeting held recently, an announcement was made: a working group is to be formed to develop criteria and guidelines for Type 5 diabetes. Estimates indicate that this form of diabetes affects 25 million people across the world, primarily in Asia and Africa. Though this form of diabetes was first recorded over 75 years ago, there has been very little attention paid to it so far. What is type 5 diabetes? Whom does it affect? What is its burden in India? And Do more resources need to be allocated to fighting it? Guest: Prof Nihal Thomas, senior professor, department of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, Christian Medical College, Vellore and chair of the IDF Working Group Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

The Income Tax Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha recently. It seeks to modernise and simplify the Income Tax Act, 1961.  While the Bill is indeed shorter in length than the original Act it seeks to replace, there is one major concern: privacy experts believe it institutes a regime of tax surveillance, in complete violation of the Supreme Court judgement in the landmark Justice Puttasamy case where it ruled that privacy is a fundamental right.  Tax experts hold that under the provisions of this Bill, the state can claim complete access to the entirety of a person's “virtual digital space” merely on suspicion that she may be hiding income and evading tax.  Critics have also said that the Bill does not rationalise monetary thresholds for various compliances and deductions, nor does it provide meaningful revisions in the penalty and prosecution changes.  Guest: Deepak Joshi, Advocate-on-Record in the Supreme Court and a qualified Chartered Accountant.  Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

Every day, millions of posts are made online — tweets, videos, memes, reels. Some content is violent, misleading, or even dangerous.  This is where content moderation comes in. However, deciding what stays up and what comes down isn't as simple as it sounds.   In fact, X has sued the Union government in the Karnataka High Court for the SAHYOG portal, which it says is a “censorship portal” that allows local police and different parts of the government to demand takedowns. The Karnataka High Court did not grant interim relief to X after the Centre informed the court that there was no reason for the social media platform to be apprehensive of any coercive action against it. The matter will be taken up on April 24.  Taking down content is actually quite normal in India. In 2024, the govt blocked a 28,000 URLs across various social media platforms. These URLs had content linked to pro-Khalistan separatist movements, hate speech, and material that are considered to be la threat to national security and public order.  A recent report in The Hindu says that nearly a third of the 66 takedown notices sent to X by the Ministry of Home Affairs' Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) over the past year warn the platform to remove content about Union Ministers and Central government agencies.  This included content about PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and his son Jay Shah, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.   Globally, too, platforms have come under criticism for content moderation, or the lack of it. Facebook's role in amplifying hate speech during the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar is one such example. In the U.S., Twitter's internal communications — revealed in the so-called “Twitter Files” — sparked a debate about political bias and backchannel moderation. Instagram users have repeatedly flagged the increase of graphic content.   Countries are responding to this challenge in very different ways. The European Union is pushing for algorithmic transparency and accountability with its Digital Services Act. The U.S. had taken a hands off approach despite several controversies. In India, the government and law enforcement agencies flag content to be taken down.  So, who gets to decide what free speech looks like in the digital age? Is it the government, the platform themselves, or the public? And how do we draw the line between harmful content and healthy debate? Guest:  Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra, Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies Host: Nivedita V Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.