In Focus by The Hindu

The recent news cycle may be dominated by Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s statements on Ayodhya, but the mobilisation of anti-Indian sentiment within Nepal has much to do with the complicated political situation that Oli finds himself in. In this episode, we take a longer perspective on the India-Nepal relationship to understand the impasses that exist between the two countries on a number of issues today.Guest: Srinivasan Ramani, Deputy National EditorFind the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for In Focus by The Hindu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four years after India and Iran signed an agreement to construct a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan, the Iranian government has decided to proceed with the construction on its own, citing delays from the Indian side in funding and starting the project.In this episode we'll talk about the Chabahar port project, go back in time a bit to analyse India’s relationship with Iran and place this recent development, like all strategic affairs, in the broader context of India’s recent troubles with China, U.S-China relations and the upcoming U.S. elections, among other factors.Guest: Suhasini Haidar, National and Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu.Find the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for In Focus by The Hindu.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It became clear soon after the news of Sachin Pilot’s rebellion in Rajasthan broke that his path to an advantageous exit from the Congress was going to be less straightforward than Jyotiraditya Scindia’s just a few months ago. As Pilot has now been sacked from the posts he held in Rajasthan and looks set to formalise his exit from the party, we look at his track record, analyse the narrative that he was denied opportunities that were due to him and look at where he may go next. Can he negotiate a comfortable position like Scindia or is he ready for a long battle to redemption?Guest: Varghese K. George, Associate Editor, The Hindu.Find the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for In Focus by The Hindu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview with The Hindu’s National and Diplomatic Affairs Editor Suhasini Haidar, former National Security Advisor and former ambassador to China, Shivshankar Menon, perhaps the country’s foremost authority on India-China ties, assesses the recent disengagement along the LAC. What we’re seeing now, he warns, “is more of the same strategy that China has followed in the South China sea, where she changes facts on the ground, presents you with a fait accompli, takes two steps forward and then negotiates one step back”.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in India, one of the major problems faced by the general public is how to consult their doctors, what with an increasing number of healthcare professionals also contracting the virus.Telemedicine is beginning to step in here, with consultations taking place over the phone and video calls. This seems a way to keep both doctors and patients safe in the current situation. On March 25, the Government of India notified the telemedicine practice guidelines, giving an impetus to the sector that up until now had perhaps remained under-utilised. But how much can telemedicine diagnose and treat. And do patients trust telemedicine?Guest: Dr. K Ganapathy, former president of the Telemedicine Society of India, and director, Apollo Telemedicine Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 5, India overtook Russia in the number of cumulative cases. Among nations with a high case load, infections continue to double in less than 20 days only in India. We discuss this trend and some other points in this episode.Guest: Srinivasan Ramani, Deputy National Editor, The Hindu.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While nations across the world struggle to contain the fallout of the human toll and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health experts such as Dr. Ashish Jha have been at the forefront of research and public policy guidance to public and private institutions dealing with the crisis. He shared insights into epidemiological basis of the pandemic and what policy solutions hold out hope for the future in India. Guest: Ashish Jha, K.T. Li Professor of Global Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. Host: Narayan Lakshman, Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the night of June 30, Hong Kong began implementing a new sweeping national security law that threatens to end many of the freedoms and rights that distinguished Hong Kong from the mainland under the “one country, two systems” model followed since the 1997 handover to China. What is the mood on the ground in Hong Kong since the passage of the new law, and what lies in store for Hong Kong in the future? Guest: Austin Ramzy, Hong Kong–based journalist Find the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for ‘In Focus by The Hindu’. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Much of the coverage of the Galwan valley confrontation between Chinese and Indian troops, and the months-long border standoff preceding it, has been reported in Indian media as a belligerent action by China. It’s interesting to note, however, that top Chinese strategic affairs commentators see it as quite the opposite — a steady build-up of hostile action by India since the 2017 Doklam standoff. How did that event change Chinese thought on India and how is it reflected now? In conversation with The Hindu’s National and Diplomatic Affairs Editor, Suhasini Haidar, Professor Hemant Adlakha, a professor at JNU’s Centre for Chinese and South Asian studies who closely follows commentaries in the Mandarin language, decodes the messaging coming out of China. Find the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for In Focus by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the development of a COVID-19 vaccine has been widely reported to take 12-18 months, the ICMR is looking to launch an innoculation for public health use by August 15. Deputy Science Editor Jacob Koshy discusses the feasibility and implications.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices