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Sunday, April 12, 2026
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Opinion

Starbucks was once progressive. It’s now approaching a dangerous spot in culture wars

Former CEO Howard Schultz once told shareholders those who opposed his support of same-sex marriage were free to invest elsewhere. But now, CEO Brian Niccol seems to be selling Starbucks as a place that just, well, sells coffee.

China’s AI Push has scale. But substance?

Beijing still fails to answer the more important question: Is AI spurring an economic revolution or simply a chatbot craze? On this front, data is more opaque.

Here’s how Khilji, Akbar, and Hindu rulers dealt with Halal

In Medieval India, the late Prof Satish Chandra demonstrates how Muslim rulers in India quickly grasped that pristine notions of Halal and haram did not hold up to the realities of statecraft.

Forget gold. Aluminium is the real metal of the moment

Planes, iPhones, soda cans, electric cars and appliances, aluminium is key to modern life and the global economy. It is trading at a three-year high, near $2,900 per metric ton.

How ancient manuscripts are writing the next chapter of India-UK cultural cooperation

When the Programme of Cultural Cooperation (PoCC) was signed between India and the UK in May 2025, it acknowledged that cultural heritage knows no borders.

Pakistan helped Afghans defeat superpowers — only to lose them to their nationalism

Pakistan failed to understand the fiercely independent psyche of the Afghans and Pashtun nationalism, which has dominated politics in Afghanistan since its emergence in 1747.

News channels dialled up the science on artificial rain all day — then asked us to pray

TV news channels assured viewers that once the cloud-seeding was completed, rain could be expected anytime. 'Jab chaho, baarish kar lo,' claimed Times Now Navbharat.

Russia’s super-missile test shows a new, expensive technological race—with dire outcomes

The test raises a question. Why have Russian nuclear strategists now invested in the Burevestnik, when the US abandoned nuclear ramjet propulsion in 1964?

Women are missing from Chinese politics. CCP is a boys’ club

Under Xi, the CCP’s political structure has become even more centralised and male-dominated. Power increasingly revolves around a tight inner circle of male loyalists.

TTP is byproduct of Pakistan’s own policies. Attacking Afghanistan won’t solve crises at home

Pakistan aimed to convey a message to the West about its counterterrorism efforts and show China that it has control over the CPEC routes. However, both messages fell flat.

On Camera

Fuel shock hits Asia’s rice bowl as farmers cut planting

War-driven surge in fuel and fertilizer costs forces farmers across Southeast Asia to delay harvests, scale back sowing and risk lower output.

Iran’s Shahed vs US’s LUCAS—The drone arithmetic reshaping the West Asia war

From Kyiv to the Gulf, Iran’s Shahed rewrote the rules of aerial warfare. Now, the US has its own copy of the cheap drones, LUCAS.

The world’s in a flux. India must reform, consolidate & build a strong economy

We now live in a world order that will keep shifting. India must use this window. This also means we remain disciplined enough not to be knee-jerked into reacting to what Pakistan sees as its moment in the sun.