In Focus by The Hindu

Can Novak Djokovic win a record 24th Grand Slam title? This question is one of the central themes of the 2023 Wimbledon championship. If the Serb manages to do it, not only will be equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slams – the highest across both genders – he will also equal Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon titles. And with Nadal out of the picture for the rest of the year, he will be on track for a calendar Grand Slam and perhaps put to rest the GOAT debate once and for all.But how much of a favourite is Djokovic this year? What are the chances of the new world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz? And who are the favourites in the women’s draw? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this podcast, we look at the state of play three years after India put in place sweeping curbs on inflows of Chinese investments into India. Official data shows investments from China are slowly returning through new avenues and ventures, with New Delhi welcoming investments in some sectors such as manufacturing but remaining wary about others where data and security concerns are involved.How are Chinese companies working around the curbs on investment? Have the curbs on Chinese investment ended up making investments more opaque with a rise in investments through third countries? What are the implications for regulation and security? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The intellectual class of West Bengal, euphemistically termed the Bhadralok, has long held a pivotal role in shaping culture, politics and policy in the State. From producing timeless cinema to dominating political power to setting policies on welfare, reforms and state interventions, this segment of Bengali society performed an outsized role. But all indications are that its influence is fading quickly in the State and beyond. Surajit Chandra Mukhopadhyay and Sandip Roy ponder the relevance of the Bhadralok in a discussion moderated by Shiv Sahay Singh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India has faced record-breaking temperatures this summer. The punishing heatwave across large parts of our country has killed dozens of people already, and while exact numbers remain controversial, the fact remains that heatwaves are becoming far more frequent, lasting for longer, and, as a consequence affecting more people. A large section of our population works out of doors for most of the year, and is exposed to high temperatures; this is combined with the fact that many people in our country cannot afford cooling mechanisms such as fans and air-conditioners, leaving them vulnerable to the searing heat. While we know that climate change is responsible for the increasing number of heatwaves, and the increased number of hot days per year what exactly does extreme heat do to our body? What are the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke? What can individuals do to protect themselves? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 24, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war took a surprising turn as Russia’s Wagner Private Military Company, a paramilitary organisation, rebelled against the Russian establishment led by Vladimir Putin. The rebellion led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, claimed control over Russia’s Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city near the Ukrainian border and then began a march towards Moscow. Mr. Prigozhin claimed it was a march for justice, alleging mistreatment by Russia's military establishment. The Wagner Group is a mercenary organisation that was involved in Russia’s annexation of Crimea and has operations in Africa and West Asia. The attempted coup, however, melted away after negotiations that involved Belarus.In this episode we try to understand the import of these events, what it means to the Russia-Ukraine war and to Putin himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An India-wide study on the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes, results of which were released recently, threw up some startling results: 10.13 crore people in our country of 140 crore could be diabetic, and another 13.6 crore are estimated to be at the pre-diabetic stage. The study was conducted by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Union Health Ministry.Apart from diabetes, the study also revealed that 35.5% of Indians suffer from hypertension, while nearly 40% of the population has abdominal obesity. Uttar Pradesh had the lowest prevalence of diabetes at 4% while Goa had the highest at 26.4%, closely followed by Puducherry and Kerala.What does the rural-urban divide in the diabetes numbers tell us? How can these high numbers in diabetes be tackled by States? How much of a role does our diet play and what can individuals do? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 31st, the Union Health Ministry issued a notification making it mandatory for over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms to display anti-tobacco warnings as seen in movies screened in theatres and on TV. The notification amended the rules under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2004.The OTT industry is quite upset with this move for various reasons, not the least of them being that it was not consulted. Critics have said that this move could disrupt the audience’s viewing experience, throttle creativity, and is an act of overkill that infringes on the right to freedom of expression.So, what prompted this move? Does the inclusion of anti-tobacco messages in the middle of OTT content really make a difference? Is it practically feasible for OTT platforms and producers to incorporate anti-tobacco messages before a movie, in the middle of one, and every time a shot of tobacco consumption comes up? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past few weeks, there have been news headlines about Ariha Shah, a child of Indian parents, who was taken away by child care authorities in Germany after she had been hospitalised for an accidental injury. Despite no charges being filed against the parents, the baby was not returned to them. A diplomatic spat has now broken out between New Delhi and Berlin, and 59 Parliamentarians from 19 political parties have now written to the German Ambassador in India, asking for the child to be brought back to India. The case has echoes of the 2011 Sagarika Chakraborty case in Norway, recently made into the Rani Mukherjee-starring movie, Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. It also throws up questions about whether child protection services in Europe differ from those in India in their mechanisms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee decided to continue to retain the benchmark interest rate at 6.5%. Its estimate for inflation in FY24 is at 5.1% which is lower than the upper tolerance limit of 6% but still higher than the desired midpoint level of 4%. Given the RBI's, and other central banks', hawkish view on rates, where does India's economy stand? Would the impetus for economic growth have to come from an accommodative fiscal policy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India’s ambitious cheetah relocation project got a shot in the arm when one of the translocated females gave birth to four cubs in March. These were the first cheetah cubs to be born in India since the species went extinct in the country 70 years ago. But in an unfortunate turn of events, three out of the four cubs have died, and the fourth one, also reported to be very weak, is under close medical monitoring.The Environment Ministry in a press release has claimed that the survival rate of cheetah cubs is only 10%. Does that mean that the deaths of the three cheetah cubs were along expected lines? Shouldn’t the survival rate be higher in the absence of predators? What are the various factors that could have a bearing on the survival of cheetah cubs?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices