That big countries arm-twist smaller countries seldom occasions surprise; it is simply the norm in trade deals. The big guys invariably succeed in...

Nothing perhaps sums up India so well as jugaad. A Hindi word that means a makeshift solution or a creative improvisation, jugaad is the science, art...

TRIPS is the acronym for the agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (IPRs) that was bulldozed through by rich nations in...

Simple techniques and manag-ement practices tend to be viewed with suspicion. In the age of input-intensive agriculture which calls for an array of...

With the recent publication of a new edition of B R (Babasaheb) Ambedkar’s searing work, Annihilation of Caste (AoC) there is furious debate over the...

There is an air of forlornness about the two young men as they prepare to take up the mind-numbing job of security guards at a fancy retail showroom...

IN THE hoopla over the food stockpiling controversy at the Bali conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a ‘peace clause’ doled out as a sop...

The then Congress spokesperson V N Gadgil gave a curious reason for the party’s penchant for embracing people with a criminal record. He said the...

It’s always the problem of the ‘other’, invariably the fault of the ‘system’ and ‘we’ are not to blame.Millions of young children work when they...

It is not usual for ambassadors to write a newspaper blog to defend their country’s policies. That Nirupama Rao, India’s ambassador to the US, has...

Recently, I heard Dulitha Nandanie Fernando, emeritus professor of community medicine at the University of Colombo, speak about how Sri Lanka had...

What can one say about a scientist who makes claims to a patent that is a figment of his imagination simply to get a prestigious award? It beats...