Editorial Comment

Ground realities: Ceasefire extended, but path ahead remains unclear

If, as reported, the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is actively sidelining the political authorities, it is difficult to see scope for common ground

AI can compress drug discovery timelines, unlock real-world health gains

Health data remains in silos across hospitals, insurers, and geographies, often locked behind incompatible systems

Chips to ships: South Korea, India must collaborate in additional sectors

Lee Jae-Myung's India visit highlights untapped potential in India-South Korea ties, from semiconductors to shipbuilding, amid a shared push for a stable Indo-Pacific

Crisis response: Things could get tough if the conflict continues

Fragile West Asia ceasefire and oil risks test India's economy, as the RBI balances rupee stability, inflation control, and growth amid rising global uncertainty

The world of Mythos: Need for structures to ensure governance, regulation

When Anthropic realised the capability of the new model, it acknowledged CMP was too dangerous for general release

Reservations about quotas: Universities must eliminate faculty ward quotas

It may be argued that the quota acts as a perk of sorts for faculty in the absence of other key benefits

Fixing fertiliser subsidy: Pricing reform, targeted farmer support needed

Rising fertiliser subsidy exposes distortions in urea pricing, fuelling overuse and fiscal strain, highlighting need for direct farmer support and subsidy reform

Bill of contention: Failure highlights lack of consensus-building

Women's quota Bill defeat exposes political mistrust and flaws in linking reservation to delimitation, raising questions over consensus and timing

Labour market friction: India needs more jobs with better work conditions

Workers allege irregular wage payments and exploitative practices

Fiscal demands: Rising global public debt poses risk to growth outlook

As the IMF data shows, governments refinancing debt at higher interest rates have seen interest payments rise sharply over the past few years, from 2 per cent to about 3 per cent of global GDP

West Bengal's SIR exercise casts a long shadow on electoral integrity

Overall, some nine million voters - about 12 per cent of the electorate - were struck off the roll. Of those, about six million were deemed "absentee" or "deceased"

Kalpakkam breakthrough must survive the tough test of time and safety

Few countries have built fast breeder reactors, and many later shut them due to the immense challenges of operating them safely

Policy challenge: Oil shocks and monsoon risks cloud India's outlook

The brunt of the war and persistent geopolitical tensions could vary across countries, with economies dependent on imported energy likely to face a greater impact

More women, same barriers show India's factory shift is incomplete

Women's participation will increase as employment opportunities grow

Safety mechanism: Digital payments need speed with security as fraud rises

The RBI's paper correctly identifies that the nature of fraud has changed. Most frauds today are authorised push payments, or APP frauds

Development dilemma: Cheap replication of AI models is raising questions

The concern has intensified with the rise of DeepSeek and other high-performance Chinese models at significantly lower prices

Call for a basic plan: Telcos must also offer non-data plans for users

Trai pushes telcos to offer cheaper voice-SMS plans, aiming to improve affordability and digital inclusion amid rising concerns over pricing and limited competition

Risks persist: Fog of uncertainty descends as Iran-US negotiations fail

Failed US-Iran talks and continued Hormuz blockade deepen global uncertainty, with fragile diplomacy offering only limited hope amid escalating geopolitical tensions

Bangladesh foreign minister's India visit enables a reset in relations

There is a practical agenda for cooperation on which both sides must act. Connectivity infrastructure, trade facilitation, and energy policy are all areas that can be effectively depoliticised

Uneasy ceasefire: Mutual mistrust portends trouble for US-Iran talks

Details of the 10-point US-Iran negotiating text remain unclear, but hardline demands from both sides on reopening the Strait of Hormuz suggest common ground may be difficult