When conservation success spills over the space available to accommodate growing animal populations, human-animal conflict inevitably follows. (Shutterstock)
Climate summits have struggled with consensus, accountability, and, therefore, results. Despite ambitious declarations and new targets, the gap between commitments and actions remains wide. (AFP)
The UGC rules pose a unique challenge — it is difficult to find common ground on such a polarising issue where marginalised castes rue the lack of protections for their young people and upper castes believe they’re being unfairly targeted for a phenomenon (caste bias) most of them have never faced. (HT Archive)
The thankless task of safety-first retrofitting is vital before any big-ticket plans are announced and executed. Fixing mixed-use inelegant old neighbourhoods promises neither votes nor prestige. But it saves human lives and heritage. (ANI)
Indian armed forces offer more than employment safety to thousands of young people and their families, many of whom belong to the rural and semi-urban parts of the country. The social cache a military uniform endows them with has few parallels. (PTI)
Trump, along with other leaders in his administration, declared “no more foreign wars” before occupying the White House only to launch one of the murkiest operations on Iranian soil in February this year. (AFP)
Befittingly, his triumphant season was capped with Lewis Hamilton (a seven-time champion) and Max Verstappen (a four-time champion) lifting him onto their shoulders at the end of the Mexico Grand Prix. (Reuters)
The scheme depends on buyers who check and inspectors who can tell the difference, and the markets suggest there are too few of either. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)
The IAF is to receive 180 LCA Mk-1A fighter jets from HAL in two tranches, with subsequent plans to procure the more advanced LCA Mk-2 versions to replace foreign-made jets. (@IAF_MCC X/ANI)
For the Opposition, the protest brought forth hitherto unprecedented scenes of leaders from diverse and often conflicting political trajectories sharing a common stage and issuing a unified appeal. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)
Delhi is dotted with large infrastructure projects, many of them exempted from construction curbs even under the strictest stage of the Graded Response Action Plan. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)
While Netanyahu’s government is considered the most Right-wing in the history of Israel, his chief opponent, Eisenkot, is just as much of a hardliner on Palestine and vowed to end Hamas rule in Gaza within 18 months. (AFP)
The legislative council polls gave crucial context to the ballots vs EVMs debate and underlined the need for a new one — whether legislative councils serve any long-term national purpose at all. (ANI)
In recent weeks, ECI has done well in simplifying processes and relaxing onerous conditions for verification, but it cannot elide the questions raised by the harassment of millions of ordinary Indians, who deserve a fuller and more transparent explanation. (Reuters)
For India, Lula’s re-election bodes well. New Delhi has close relations with its BRICS partner, and both nations have been on the receiving end of unilateral US tariffs. (HT Archive)
The publication of collegium resolutions along with reasons has varied across CJIs, from detailed reasoning to bare announcements. Nor does unanimity in formal resolutions necessarily reveal the deliberations in their entirety. (HT Archive)
A second flashpoint in a northeastern state — after three years of strife in Manipur — is undesirable. But embedded in the agitation are legitimate grievances of local residents — who fear ecological destruction — that deserve a patient and fair hearing. (ANI)
In its May judgement, the Supreme Court underscored that sex work, in itself, is not an offence under the law. Through its recent directives, the Court also upholds an adult woman’s right to exit, as much as her right to remain. (HT Archive)
The Supreme Court recognised privacy as a fundamental right in 2017. Nine years on, Indians cannot even count on being told when, or how badly, that right is breached. (Arvind yadav/HT Photo)
The biofuel blending debate has been overwhelmingly dominated over its alleged adverse effects on cars so far. The higher order supply shock on the larger food-feed-fuel dynamics in the food economy are only being realised now. (Reuters)
Rubio hinted at Donald Trump’s intent to get Quad roaring, with a potential meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in November, in an effort clearly aimed at mitigating some of the impacts of the US’s foreign policy. (HT Archive)
The Allahabad High Court relied on the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Afjal Ansari Vs State of Uttar Pradesh , observing that politicians have a special duty towards their constituents and could lose the opportunity to contest elections if their convictions were not stayed. (Shutterstock)
For a liberal democracy, a state in perpetual turmoil is a jarring enough eventuality. But Manipur assumes greater significance due to its strategic and geographical location, and the painstaking work done over the decades to assimilate the region into the Union. (ANI)
India should utilise the window to build up its oil reserves as much as possible. If Trump decides to escalate in West Asia after the mid-term elections, the energy market will become even more turbulent. (Reuters)
With the puja acquiring a sharpened focus due to the change in government in West Bengal, why were adequate policing arrangements for oversight and crowd management, as well as emergency support, synonymous with such events, not prioritised? (PTI)
