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India’s Sacred Cows and Shifting Sensitivities
As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, a festival centred on sacrifice and submission to God, Muslim leaders in several Indian states have issued an unusual plea: forgo the cow. The All India Pasmanda Ulema Board has advised the community to choose other permissible animals, citing legal restrictions and the risk of communal tension. Similar appeals have come from clerics in West Bengal and Eid committees in Assam. This restraint reflects pragmatism amid heightened enforcement. In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered police vigilance against illegal cow slaughter. Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma has been unequivocal that it will not be permitted. In newly BJP-governed West Bengal, the administration has tightened rules under the existing Animal Slaughter Control Act, mandating “fit-for-slaughter” certificates (typically for animals over 14 years old or permanently incapacitated) and…
Rubio’s Passage to India: A Courtship Amid Lingering Frictions
As Marco Rubio, America’s Secretary of State, began his four-day ramble through India on 23 May 2026—starting with a pious stop at Kolkata’s Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity before descending upon the capital—the exercise carried all the hallmarks of a relationship in need of gentle reminding. For two powers that never tire of calling each other “cornerstone” partners, the United States and India have lately shown a talent for testing the term’s elasticity. The timing, like much in the Trump era, is both calculated and revealing. Bilateral ties have weathered an awkward patch since the middle of last year: punitive American tariffs on Indian goods (a pointed reminder of Washington’s displeasure over Russian oil purchases), public tiffs over who deserved credit for last year’s India-Pakistan de-escalation, and the…
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End of an Era in Lutyens’ Delhi: Iconic Gymkhana Club Ordered to Vacate for Defence and Security Needs
In the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, where power, history, and privilege have long intertwined, one of India’s most storied institutions…
While Pakistan Pushes for Peace, Trump Weighs Fresh Strikes on Iran
In the shadow of a war that began with thunderous American and Israeli strikes in late February, the Middle East…
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View AllIndia’s Dramatic Power Shift: New Stars, Old Bastions Fall
In a week that has reshaped India’s political map, assembly elections across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry…
Why Ancient Indian Philosophers Treated Sleep as a Window Into Consciousness
Sleep is usually framed as a biological necessity — a period of rest during which the brain resets, consolidates memory…
Divided on the Hill: How America Views Trump’s Handling of the West Asia Crisis
With a fragile ceasefire in the West Asia conflict hanging by a thread and US negotiators preparing for another round…
Government Decisions & Policy
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India’s Sacred Cows and Shifting Sensitivities
As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, a festival centred on sacrifice and submission to God, Muslim leaders in several Indian states have issued an unusual plea: forgo the…
End of an Era in Lutyens’ Delhi: Iconic Gymkhana Club Ordered to Vacate for Defence and Security Needs
In the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, where power, history, and privilege have long intertwined, one of India’s most storied institutions faces an uncertain future. The…
Modi’s call for sacrifice
With crude oil prices elevated above $105 a barrel amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Narendra Modi has asked his 1.4bn fellow citizens to…
India notifies new rules to regulate online gaming
The Indian government has notified fresh rules that will bring greater oversight to the country’s booming online gaming industry, aiming to protect players — especially…
India & Neighbourhood
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Nepal’s Landless Squatters Push Back Against Balendra Shah’s Vision of a ‘Clean’ Nation
In a significant show of defiance, more than 25,000 landless squatters from 22 districts marched through the streets of Butwal in southern Nepal on Sunday,…
Political Theatre
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Travel & Tourism
View AllIndian authorities warn travellers of harsh new drug penalties in Maldives, including possible death sentence
India's Narcotics Control Bureau has issued a strong advisory cautioning citizens travelling to the Maldives that even small quantities of…
A bumpy ride ahead
As summer 2026 looms, the travel industry is confronting an uncomfortable truth. Jet-fuel prices in America averaged $8.63 a gallon…
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Rubio’s Passage to India: A Courtship Amid Lingering Frictions
As Marco Rubio, America’s Secretary of State, began his four-day ramble through India on 23 May 2026—starting with a pious stop at Kolkata’s Mother House…
States & Cities
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Saints of the flame: Rajasthan ascetics ready to renounce earthly life for a sacred grove
In the blistering heat of Rajasthan’s Dudu district, a group of Hindu seers have chosen fire and fasting over comfort.…
From Workshop to Encrypted Chat: How Four Ordinary Men Allegedly Built a Toy Car Bomb Plot Targeting India’s Heart
In the dim glow of a private automobile workshop on the outskirts of Thane, just north of Mumbai, Mosaib Ahmad…
India’s Digital Underworld: How Jailed Gangsters Run Transnational Crime Empires via WhatsApp and Instagram
In a brick-kiln office on the outskirts of Jind in Haryana, businessman Anup Chaudhary was reviewing accounts on the afternoon…
Ground mishap at Delhi airport leaves two Boeing 737s damaged as safety questions linger
A routine afternoon on the tarmac at one of the world’s busiest airports in New Delhi turned into an embarrassing…
Life & Culture
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Economy & Markets
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The Quiet Battle for the Heart of India’s Greatest Business Empire
In the polished corridors of Mumbai’s legal and philanthropic world, a discreet but intense struggle is unfolding over one of India’s most storied institutions. On…
