An inalienable right to question

2015 has begun on a sombre note as France suffered the worst terror attack in the country's history, and India saw protests by right-wing conservative groups against the screening of the film-PK. Both instances show an increasing intolerance against the questioning of established religions


Uruguayan touch to Indian tech

Even though the India-Latin America relationship is yet to realise its potential, there are unique initiatives bridging this gap. The landmark office of Tata Consultancy Services in Chennai, hailed for its energy efficiency, has been designed by two Uruguayan architects—an effort which represents the growing synergy


Those risky FIIs again

Global markets stumbled across all asset categories in the first two weeks of 2015. With the domestic economy showing signs of improvement, structural improvements are now needed to shield the Indian economy from such shocks


Hostage taking by unions

The five-day strike threatened by Coal India’s unions has driven home the risks India faces due to excessive dependence on a single company. The Indian economy needs to be secured against such blackmail by diversifying—using more gas and hydropower, and by getting other public sector firms such as NTPC into coal mining


Digital diplomacy

Social media has disrupted how diplomats communicate with each other and the general public. How are diplomats using these platforms? How will future digital tools change the meaning and capabilities of digital diplomacy? Gateway House presents an educational mini-series on digital diplomacy, profiling Indian digital diplomacy, and the future trajectory of digital diplomacy.


An International Day of Yoga

The adoption of June 21 as the International Yoga Day by the United Nations signifies the support that recent diplomatic efforts of the government have received on the world stage. The scientific community now needs to produce data and research on the potential scientific value of yoga


The Lima agreement

The agreement signed at the Climate Change conference at Lima should be a triumph of diplomacy but the reality is quite the opposite. Although the agreement means there is now global unanimity on the need for climate action, the text in the agreement falls short on nearly every indicator


A new energy mix for India

The India-Russia nuclear agreement envisages 12 nuclear reactors to be built in India. These will help India shift its energy mix towards nuclear power, which is cheaper than coal and less polluting


The PSAARC declaration

The People's SAARC (PSAARC) declaration,which called for the governments to address a number of issues from food security to climate justice, established the network as advocates for a progressive humanitarian agenda


The rise of the Uber Empire

Uber’s success allowed it to raise close to $1.2 billion dollars in its last round of investments which means that even as technology changes lives and businesses break new ground, the balance between forging into the future and having an adaptive regulatory environment is the need of the hour