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Friday, April 24, 2026
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Opinion

PM Modi didn’t skip SCO due to US influence. India has its own independent agenda

For Moscow, one way of limiting Beijing’s clout in the SCO is to bring in India and counterbalance Chinese influence in the decision-making process.

Macron’s snap election call could be his gravest undoing. It can’t save him from ‘cohabitation’

The political situation in France, India’s closest ally in Europe, has stirred maximum interest and curiosity in New Delhi.

Rahul Gandhi ignorantly linked ‘abhay mudra’ to Islam in speech. Abrahamic religions are complex

If we want to focus on the symbol of the hand specifically as part of Islamic culture, it does exist among Middle Eastern Muslims and is called Hamsa in Hebrew and Khamsa in Arabic.

Bengal always had a lynch mob mentality. Now there’s political patronage

Mamata Banerjee hasn't said a word in condemnation of the Chopra incident. As for people like you and me, we just film the violence—or jump in the crowd to get a better look.

Big ideas for Budget D-Day—jobs, skills and innovation should be the focal point

In her interim Budget speech in February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had mentioned the need for industry-academia collaboration. This time, the Budget could give the initiative a bigger push.

The dos and don’ts of organising satsangs—and preventing tragedies like Hathras stampede

Large congregations of people require detailed crowd control management, which should not be left to ill-trained organisers.

Could Stryker & Javelin deals hit defence atmanirbharta? Not if we play our cards right

As India and the US negotiate co-producing Stryker infantry combat vehicles and Javelin missiles, it’s raising questions about implications for indigenous weapon systems.

Yoga, Sanskrit inspired Sufi epics—Chakras became ‘mystical stations’, gods turned ‘angels’

Maulana Daud’s ‘Chandayan’ originated in a cultural context we can think of as Hindu, above which Sufism had become a major strand of elite devotion.

‘Who is Bhole Baba’, ‘what caused Hathras stampede’—and why was TV news so late to report

'Your children died right before your eyes?' an ANI reporter asked a woman. Such insensitive reporting of the ‘UP Stampede Horror’ was as shocking as the indifference of the organisers of the satsang.

Six years ago I saw what happened at Bhole Baba’s ‘satsang’ venue. It was chaos

Hearing about the stampede at Bhole Baba’s ‘satsang’ in Hathras felt like déjà vu. It brought back my memories of walking among a sea of people, clutching my mother’s hand out of fear.

On Camera

Iran war has given India a blueprint for the next conflict

Pakistan would be itching to do an Iran on us and China would be planning to execute an air campaign without allowing us asymmetrical escalation. India has no choice but to transform.

Haryana’s new industrial policy in the works, but industry says old problems remain unsolved

Increase in employment subsidy, Rs 500 crore for estate revamp, new townships in pipeline—but land cost, power breakdowns and inspector raj top among key worries for industry leaders.

Military pushes for private participation in space, more Indian satellites. ‘Can’t rely on single entity’ 

CDS Anil Chauhan says future space capability will not be built by government agencies alone. ‘It will be co-developed with industry, start-ups, and technology innovators’.

Trump, Netanyahu’s Iran gamble: The regime change rebound

American objectives are unmet. They neither have muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime didn’t just survive, it’s now led by more radical individuals.