In Focus by The Hindu

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who served as Chief Adviser to an interim government in Bangladesh, provides insights into the country's political upheaval following Sheikh Hasina's departure. He discusses the resurgence of opposition parties and public expectations from the interim leadership. The dialogue includes the concerns around constitutional changes, safety of minorities, and the challenges of a two-party system. Additionally, they explore how Indian foreign policy might need to adapt to the changing landscape in Bangladesh.

In this insightful discussion, tennis legends Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Jannik Sinner dive into the thrilling dynamics of the upcoming US Open. Djokovic seeks his 25th Grand Slam title, while Sinner faces a cloud of doping controversy. The conversation touches on potential matchups, the competitive landscape for both men and women, and the mental state of top athletes. The panel also addresses the disparities between top-ranked players and their lower-ranked counterparts, setting the stage for an exciting tournament.

Another public health emergency has hit the world, and this time it’s mpox, previously known as monkeypox. The outbreak is sweeping through west, central and east African countries, and in the past few days cases have also been reported closer home, in Pakistan and Thailand. While mpox has been around for decades, this time around, a deadlier and far more transmissible strain—known as Clade 1b—has driven the recent surge in cases. This strain is believed to cause death in about 3.6 per cent of the cases, with children being the most vulnerable, according to the World Health Organisation. The Indian government has said there is no call for alarm as of now but has also said that hospitals have been alerted and large-scale testing is being looked into if the need arises. So what is mpox—how is it caused and how does it spread? How do you know if you have mpox and what are the signs and symptoms? What are the treatment options and is there a vaccine available? And importantly, how concerned should India be about this latest zoonotic viral disease?  Guest: Dr V Ramasubramanian, consultant infectious diseases specialist, Apollo Hospital, Chennai and medical director, Capstone Multispecialty Clinic, Chennai Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few weeks ago, Donald Trump told Black journalists in Chicago, USA, that Kamala Harris had identified herself as Indian, not Black. He was trying to suggest to Black journalists and voters that Kamala Harris was not "Black enough." While that criticism has been made against Kamala as well as Obama, for that matter, it also threw into focus Indian-Americans who form a small part of the overall population in America but who are now quite visible in American politics, government, business and academia today. We have Vijay Prashad, academic, author and activist who is executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and author of the book Karma of Brown Folk about Indian-Americans to talk to us about this.Host: M KalyanaramanEdited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring India's 2020 FDI policy changes, experts discuss the significant drop in Chinese investments and national security concerns. The impact of recent geopolitical tensions is highlighted, especially post-Galwan Valley. Suggestions emerge for reevaluating the restrictions to boost manufacturing and technology transfer. The discussion points to the debate over balancing economic benefits against protecting local industries, ultimately advocating for a nuanced approach to managing India-China economic relations.

The fifth of August changed the course of history in Bangladesh. The images of a once-powerful Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country in a helicopter will remain etched in memory for the momentous change it marked.A government led by the high-profile Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, once the target of Sheikh Hasina’s high-handed actions, has taken charge of the country. It has, significantly, two young leaders from the student movement that took the county by storm and led to the far-reaching changes.Mr. Yunus and his government are taking steps to assure the minority Hindu community that they are safe in the country in the wake of attacks in many places. As the euphoria of change dims, the spotlight will be on how the interim government performs. What the students do in the days and weeks ahead will also be watched. They have already demonstrated their influence.So, what do all these life-changing events spell for Bangladesh? We discuss this in the episode. Guest: Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star newspaper. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu. Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The staggering decline of vultures in India has led to roughly 500,000 extra human deaths from 2000 to 2005, tied directly to the use of the veterinary drug Diclofenac. As vultures disappeared, alternative scavengers like dogs and rats surged, increasing disease transmission. The discussion highlights the essential role of vultures in public health and ecological balance. The urgent need for conservation and effective waste management solutions is emphasized to mitigate this crisis.

The devastating landslides in Wayanad that left over 400 dead and over 100 still missing shocked not just Kerala but the entire country. Almost immediately, a blame game began – Union Home Minister Amit Shah said adequate warning had been given to Kerala, but the government of Kerala disputes this – it said the warning came after the landslide had occurred. Experts in the meantime have pointed to a number of factors that could have acted as the trigger, including the 570 mm of rainfall received in the region on July 30 and 31st. The tragedy has also brought back into the news the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, led by Madhav Gadgil, whose report in 2011 recommended that the entire region of the Western Ghats – 1,29,000 sq km across six States be declared an ecologically sensitive zone. The report recommended three zones for ecologically sensitive areas, with strict restrictions on development activities in the first two. This report generated backlash from the States as it would significantly impact livelihoods and economic growth.Following the landslide, the Central government brought out, for the sixth time in 10 years — a draft notification classifying parts of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive areas. Concerns of the States are now to be addressed by a separate committee.What were the actual triggers of the landslide? How are the Western Ghats and other hilly regions in India particularly vulnerable? How much of a role has climate change played and will this continue in the near future? What can be done to make modelling and prediction systems better?Guest: Raghu Murtugudde is a professor of climate studies, IIT Bombay, and an emeritus professor, University of Maryland.Host: Zubeda HamidEdited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee announced on Thursday (August 8) to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5% in its August 2024 meeting for the ninth consecutive time. It maintained its inflation projection for FY25 at 4.5 per cent.While announcing the MPC policy, Governor Shaktikanta Das noted that headline inflation reached 5.1 per cent in June 2024, driven by unexpected factors. Fuel prices remained in deflation for the tenth consecutive month, but food inflation surged. Food inflation contributed over 75 per cent to headline inflation in May and June. Vegetable prices alone accounted for roughly 35 per cent of June's inflation.Governor Das said that that the MPC cannot afford to ignore this, espicially in an environment of persisting high food inflation.Vegetables and pulses have kept headline retail inflation has been over 5 per cent for eight months in the last one year. However, retail core inflation — the non-food and non-fuel segment — moderated to a four-year low of 4.3 per cent in FY24. In fact, core inflation saw a historic low during May and June.Some experts believe that high food inflation is stopping the RBI from cutting rates. In fact, the Economic Survey has suggested that "India’s inflation targeting framework should consider targeting inflation, excluding food."The argument for the change is that core inflation is muted, meaning the domestic demand is weak. Core inflation measure the change in the cost of goods and services, but it does not include the food and energy sectors. A rate cut would help boost demand. Others say that food inflation is a very important component and it can't be excluded.In this podcast, V Nivedita spoke to Dipti Deshpande, Director and Principal Economist at CRISIL Limited, to decode the debate - should the RBI focus on core inflation while forming its monetary policy?Guest: Dipti Deshpande, Director and Principal Economist at CRISIL LimitedHost: V. NiveditaEdited by Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kamala Harris’s late entry in the Presidential race leaves her with just three months to roll out her campaign. What kind of campaign strategy will work best for Harris given her vulnerabilities, especially on the immigration issue, and her record as attorney general in California?As for the Republicans, their entire Presidential campaign had been designed keeping in mind a race against Biden. According to the Washington Post, Trump’s running mate JD Vance reportedly told donors in a private meeting that the Biden to Harris switch is a “political sucker punch”. What adjustments will the Trump campaign need to make, given that Harris doesn’t carry the ‘baggage’ that Biden does? We take a close look at how Team Trump and Team Harris are approaching the coming months of the Presidential race – what issues they would seek to highlight, what strategies they will adopt, and how they define their political vision. Guest: Varghese K George, The Hindu’s Resident Editor in New Delhi.Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The HinduEdited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices