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With the U.S. President Donald Trump himself downgrading the status of the four nation Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), why is Indian government spending so much of its precious time on QUAD meetings? It is sheer wastage of time for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as also Foreign Minister Dr. S Jaishankar. US state secretary Marco Rubio came to India on a four day visit beginning May 23. He left on May 26 after the QUAD foreign ministers meeting. Before that on Saturday, itself Rubio met PM Modi. He got what he wanted, but What was the gain of India?

Starting from May 15, 2026, India has been increasing prices of petrol and diesel, in quick succession – four times in 11 days on May 15, May 19, May 23, and May 25 – cumulatively between Rs 7.50 – Rs 8 per litre by May 25, that is sharper than fuel consumers, especially transport sector, could absorb. The rise is over 7 per cent for both. Consequently, it is being passed to consumers and the economy, and people have just started feeling the impact.

The march toward a nationwide Uniform Civil Code, once considered politically radioactive in India, is no longer theoretical. It is steadily becoming legislative reality. This week, Assam became the latest battleground in one of the country’s most polarizing constitutional and cultural debates after the government of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tabled the Uniform Civil Code Assam Bill, 2026, in the state assembly. The proposed law bans polygamy, mandates the registration of live-in relationships, standardizes marriage and divorce procedures, and replaces religion-based personal laws with a common civil framework.

India’s economy is navigating severe stress. The impact of Persian Gulf war, high cost of imported crude oil, frequent upward adjustment of retail oil prices, rising commodity rates, soaring transportation costs, weakening Rupee and continuous exit of foreign portfolio investors (FPI) are posing a big challenge to the economy. The government appears to be somewhat clueless about how to tackle the situation effectively. It has deployed both monetary and fiscal interventions. The measures don’t seem to be working as effectively as the situation demands. The falling Rupee is further raising the cost of imports. The US-Iran conflict has disrupted shipping through the Persian Gulf. India relies on the region for over 90 percent of its LPG and 60 percent of its natural gas imports, and the government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have been forced to implement supply-side distributions and emergency measures.

When Marco Rubio declared before arriving in India that the United States wanted to sell New Delhi “as much energy as they’ll buy,” the remark sounded, at first glance, like standard diplomatic salesmanship. In reality, it was something far more consequential.

In the vibrant South Indian political landscape, movies have often been intertwined with politics. Few personalities exemplify this connection better than two film superstars, Vijay and N.T. Rama Rao (NTR). They both share a common link: they became chief ministers shortly after launching their parties. As a leading Tamil superstar, comparisons with M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) are common for Vijay, but a more fitting parallel might be Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) of Andhra Pradesh. Vijay, like NTR, entered politics at the peak of his fame and quickly found success. As he is still new to politics, it is important to be patient and give him time to demonstrate his leadership potential.

The comparison between the overseas engagements of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi often generates sharp political debate, but such comparisons also require an understanding of the vastly different global environments in which the two leaders operated.

India's image abroad was tarred by a sharp exchange between an Indian diplomat and a Norwegian journalist last week at Oslo after a question was asked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Norwegian journalist Lyng Svendsen asked "Prime Minister Modi, why don't you take some questions from the freest Press of the world?"

On the evening of May 21, the Seminar Halls of the Kamaladevi Complex at the India International Centre filled to capacity with lawyers, academics, students and public intellectuals. The occasion was the launch of Senior Advocate Indira Jaising’s memoir, ‘The Constitution Is My Home’. The book which has been published by HarperCollins India is a conversation with the feminist writer and publisher, Ritu Menon, and is written in a distinctive conversational form.

KOLKATA: Indian Tea Board and Industry circles are not happy with the recent relaxation allowed by Union Commerce Ministry, to exempt mandatory testing for Nepalese tea imports into the country. The temporary relief has been heartily welcomed in Nepal by the fledgling industry, which expressed its deep concerns as its exports to India declined sharply by about 20% during the first nine months of fiscal year 2025-26.