CATEGORIES

The order of spread

THE RULES OF CONTAGION IS LESS ABOUT DISEASES AND MORE ABOUT THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF CONTAGION

SAMPLE THE UNKOWN

Testing is no doubt the cornerstone of the fight against COVID-19. But the world’s growing obsession with tests might weaken our response to the pandemic.

A NEW STORM SURGE

Amphan’s rapid intensification underlines how cyclones are becoming terrifyingly unfamiliar AKSHIT SANGOMLA NEW DELHI and JAYANTA BASU KOLKATA

Burst of orange

THE LITTLE-KNOWN UTILITIES OF THE UBIQUITOUS GULMOHAR TREE

A burden too heavy

Social worker Abul Kalam Azad saves a newborn when an exhausted and hungry migrant worker abandoned him along the road

Roots Of Water Scarcity

Contrary to popular belief, afforestation programmes that blindly plant trees in the hope of conserving water only end up consuming more water

Immune To Corona!

An ancient herb is staging a comeback for its properties to boost immunity

WARNING SIGNAL

Why does India fail to caution its farmers of weather changes despite a rich meteorological infrastructure?

HAVE WE GIVEN IN?

Countries are taking a leap of faith to return to normalcy and get the economy going. India is desperately trying to follow suit. But can it do so without letting its guard down?

DISTRESS DRAFT

Centre is in a rush to amend power law. The draft bill takes away powers from state governments and gives them to private firms

Between A Cure And Access

As researchers scramble to come up with therapies to treat COVID-19, patents could keep the drugs out of reach for many

THE BIG PHARMA MESS

The pandemic has exposed a serious fault line in the global pharmaceutical supply chain, created by an industry that flourished by putting profit before public health. Amid shortage of life-saving drugs, countries now scramble for self-sufficiency. But circumventing market dynamics may not be easy

“No single religious narrative has been able to assert claim over the Brahmaputra”

THE UNQUIET RIVER BY ARUPJYOTI SAIKIA TRACES THE TUMULTUOUS TRANSFORMATION OF THE BRAHMAPUTRA OVER THE CENTURIES. SAIKIA SPOKE TO ISHAN KUKRETI

Turmoil in the floodplains

IN THIS EXCERPT FROM THE UNQUIET RIVER, ARUPJYOTI SAIKIA NARRATES THE TENSIONS THAT ERUPTED BETWEEN ASSAM’S PEASANTS AND MIGRANTS FROM EAST BENGAL IN THE BEGINNING OF THE CENTURY

Reluctant game-changers

Fast-food industry has been playing a critical role in the fight against drug resistance in developed countries. Why is it dragging its feet over ending antibiotic misuse in chicken in India?

Silence grips forest

Communities and traders fail to earn from non-timber forest produce despite exemption from lockdown rules ISHAN KUKRETI NEW DELHI

MIMICKING MARS

A COMBINATION OF EXTREMITIES IN ETHIOPIA PRESENTS CONDITIONS MOST HOSTILE FOR LIFE THAN ANYWHERE ON EARTH. IT HAS TRIGGERED, YET AGAIN, A DEBATE OVER THE POSSIBILITY OF LIFE ON MARS

Damned by old age

Ageing dams and shrinking canal command area are the blind spots in the management of impending water and food crises

BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIA

India can replace China as the world’s preferred source of pharmaceutical ingredients

ANOTHER CURVE

The world witnesses a rare urban-to-rural exodus amid lockdowns and loss of livelihoods. Will our villages be able to support the millions of people again who had migrated due to distress conditions at home?

Covid-19 - When Will It End?

Most countries have adopted the ‘flatten the curve’ model to fight COVID-19 but the end is not yet in sight

“Water A Critical Weapon To Fight Pandemic”

This is the right time to accelerate efforts to ensure universal access to safe water and sanitation

FORTUNE TO MAKE

Vigorous research is underway to fight COVID-19 and pharma companies are ready to make a killing

SANITISE AND CONTROL

Yellow fever became a ruse for US intervention in Cuba

BEGIN AGAIN

Economies will recover once the COVID-19 crisis is over. Chances are that emissions will bounce back, too

Is Covid-19 Disease X?

The pandemic could be the unknown disease World Health Organization warned about in 2018

Covid-19 - A Pandemic

It was foretold, but we never believed that a crumbling infrastructure in the wealthy world would make all of us victims

An old man and his baton

Damodar Kashyap has ensured food, and livelihood in Bastar villages by offering them thriving forests

Coronavirus Panic - Is The World Ready To Face A Pandemic?

More than a month after the first case was reported from China, there is little the world knows about the new coronavirus. The strain remains a mystery, its symptoms deceptively similar to common cold and there are no curative or preventive vaccine or medicine. What's certain is that the virus is highly contagious. In just 45 days, it has killed over 1,000 people in China and infected more than 40,000 in 27 countries. Worryingly, we have not yet seen the peak of the spread. Is the world ready to face a pandemic?

Policing The Net, Privately

India’s proposed rules to curb toxic content on the Net will undermine digital freedom and right to privacy