A quota undone by caution
On the evening of April 17th, as rain pattered on the Parliament complex, a small knot of women MPs from the ruling BJP-led coalition raised slogans under sodden umbrellas. Their…
Category: Latest News & Analysis
Asia’s energy shock
The Strait of Hormuz, a channel barely three kilometres wide at its narrowest point, has once again demonstrated its power to unsettle the global economy. On April 18th, Iranian gunboats…
China’s surprising spring
On April 16th China’s National Bureau of Statistics released its first-quarter GDP figures for 2026. The economy expanded by 5.0% year on year, beating analysts’ forecasts of 4.8% and accelerating…
Nepal’s Rapper Prime Minister Faces First Tests: Arrests, Reforms and the Hard Reality of Power
Barely three weeks after being sworn in as Nepal’s youngest-ever prime minister on 27 March 2026, Balendra Shah – the 35-year-old former underground rapper known as Balen – is discovering…
India in a Time of Global Energy Uncertainty: Confidence, Caution, and Course Correction
The global economy today stands at a critical inflection point. Geopolitical tensions, particularly in keyenergy-producing regions, have once again exposed the fragility of global supply chains and the deep interlinkages…
A Strategic Conversation Amid Rising Tensions
Two days after the collapse of direct negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, President Donald Trump held a nearly 40-minute telephone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra…
The art of the deal, revisited
History will record that the great dealmaker came to Islamabad, saw, and somehow still managed to tweet about it as a tremendous success. Donald Trump’s much-vaunted diplomatic foray into brokering…
A Fragile Truce Unravels
The collapse of direct talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad marks a sobering setback for efforts to stabilise a region already strained by six weeks of conflict.…
India launches its largest-ever census, reopening a century-old debate over caste and equity
More than three million enumerators fanned out across India this week to begin the monumental task of counting the country’s roughly 1.4 billion people, launching a yearlong exercise that for…
In five Indian state elections, a test of Modi’s reach — and the resilience of regional power
Voters in India turned out in record numbers Thursday in Assam, Kerala and the union territory of Puducherry, kicking off a sprawling set of state assembly elections that will shape…
A Nobel Gesture in Lahore
In the grand chamber of Punjab’s provincial assembly, a resolution tabled on Thursday has a distinctly ambitious ring. Rana Arshad, A lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has…
Why the Iran–America Ceasefire Already Feels So Brittle
As of early April 2026, a two-week truce between Washington and Tehran has brought a momentary halt to direct hostilities. Yet the agreement already looks precarious, tested by continuing violence…
Trump’s Iran Deadline: Pope Leo XIV and World Leaders Call for Peace Amid Hormuz Crisis
As Donald Trump’s 8pm Washington deadline looms on Tuesday, the world is confronting not just another flashpoint in the Middle East but a stark moral and diplomatic reckoning: almost every…
India’s Resilience in an Age of Crisis: Navigating Oil, Energy, and Economic Pressures
In an era defined by overlapping global crises—volatile oil prices, energy insecurity, and economic uncertainty—India stands at a critical juncture. As one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies and the…
India’s Inflation-Export Paradox: Can Domestic Demand Sustain Growth Amid Rising Food Prices and Weak Global Trade
India’s economic story in recent years has stood out as a rare bright spot in an otherwise fragile global landscape. While advanced economies grapple with stagnation and slowing trade, India…
Houthis join Iran war, risking dual chokepoint crisis and prolonged global energy shock
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have entered the month-old Middle East conflict with missile launches towards Israel, raising the prospect of renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb…
The US Sends Additional Troops to Middle East Amid Conflicting Signals on ‘Winding Down’ Iran Conflict
The United States is deploying thousands more Marines and sailors to the Middle East, even as President Donald Trump indicated his administration is considering “winding down” military operations against Iran,…
Iran’s Ancient Roots Endure: Resilience Tested Anew in 2026 Turmoil
Spanning more than 2,500 years of recorded history and roots stretching back millennia further, Iran stands today as one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, its people and institutions having…
Recalibrating the Global South: The Strategic Genesis of the India–Brazil Axis
When Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in New Delhi in February 2024, accompanied by one of the largest Brazilian business delegations in recent history, the visit transcended the standard…
Is India Moving from an Assembly Hub to a Value-Added Manufacturing Economy – Can AI accelerate the shift
For decades, the narrative of Indian manufacturing followed a predictable, albeit limited, script. We were the “back office of the world” for services, but in the realm of physical goods,…