Adding a page to the history of the Israel-Palestine question, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia now formally recognise a Palestinian state. However, data show that the share of people surveyed in the UK who support this decision has decreased since the same time last year. On the other hand, according to a YouGov poll, the share of Americans backing Israelis in this conflict has reached a 25-year low. Both sets of opinions represent a shift away from their respective governments’ stances.

Guest: Stanly Johny, the International Affairs Editor, The Hindu

Host: Nitika Francis

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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On September 24, Ladakh witnessed unprecedented violence and protests which left four persons dead in police action. Two days later, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was sitting on a hunger strike with 15 others, was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and taken to Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan. The government accused the activist of instigating the violence, a charge denied by Wangchuk.

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The Asia Cup has never been straightforward. Scheduled every two years, it often slips away — undone by border tensions and government quarrels. This year, despite tensions between India and Pakistan, the tournament managed to be held.
The young Indian team, missing the usual veterans, went unbeaten. Pakistan made the final a nail-biting contest: a reminder of why this rivalry endures and is eagerly awaited by people of two countries that were once one.
Sadly, the clashes between these famed rivals were overshadowed by fighter-plane gestures and snubbed handshakes. India lifted nothing but an imaginary trophy. They had won every match but refused the silverware from the Pakistani head of the Asian Cricket Council.

Why do the shadows of politics so often creep onto a field made for sport?

To make sense of this, we turn to KC Vijaya Kumar, Sports Editor of The Hindu, who has spent decades tracing this much-cherished rivalry on the pitch and behind the scenes.

Guest: KC Vijaya Kumar, Sports Editor, The Hindu

Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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Over the last decade, "Make in India" has been at the heart of the Centre's economic policy and increasing defence manufacturing is a important part of that goal given India is one of the largest importers of defence equipment in the world.

The sector, plagued by bureaucratic delays, budgetary constraints, and corruption, was opened to the private sector. The government streamlined procedures, earmarked weapons and platforms that will be manufactured domestically and allowed more FDI in the sector. Now, domestic manufacturing is booming. Defence expenditure increased from ₹2.53 lakh crore in 2013–14 to ₹6.81 lakh crore in 2025–26. In 2024–25, defence production touched a record ₹1.50 lakh crore, more than triple the 2014–15 level. Defence exports grew thirty-four times over the last decade, reaching ₹23,622 crore in 2024–25. 

What does this mean for our defence preparedness? 

Guest: Dinakar Peri, a fellow in the Security Studies program at Carnegie India

Host: Nivedita V

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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A recent analysis in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia, found that one in five deliveries in India are now by Caesarean section. From 2005, when the rate of C-section was 8.5%, it has risen to 21.5% as of 2021, the analysis said. International bodies such as the World Health Organization discourage high rates of C-section, as they are associated with longer hospital stays and higher healthcare costs, burdening both patients’ families and the healthcare system.

So what is driving the rates up in India despite the fact that C-sections, in general, cost more? Is patient preference a factor? Is this an area that could do with guidelines or regulations?

Guest: Dr A. Jaishree Gajaraj, senior obstetrician and gynaecologist based in Chennai

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

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Fringed by China and Pakistan, Ladakh is India’s high-altitude borderland.

For years now, locals led peaceful protests demanding statehood and constitutional protections for land, jobs, and identity. But last week, that peace broke. Violence erupted in Leh city in the Union Territory of Ladakh on Wednesday (September 24, 2025), several protesters were killed as security forces launched a heavy crackdown.

At the centre of it all is Sonam Wangchuk — an engineer, climate activist, and one of Ladakh’s most respected voices. He was arrested under the National Security Act, a law that allows detention without trial for up to 12 months.

What triggered this escalation? Why did peaceful protests turn deadly? And what does Wangchuk’s detention mean for the future of Ladakh’s struggle?

Guest: Peerzada Ashiq, Kashmir-based journalist with The Hindu

Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran

Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston

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In recent times, India has seen a sharp spike in the popularity of IB schools. In fact, having your kid in an IB school has become something of a status symbol, although that may or may not be the primary motive for most parents. But many parents, regardless of their reasons for choosing an IB school, face a number of confusing questions and dilemmas.

For instance, how does the pace of learning for an IB student compare with that of a child in a CBSE school? Will an IB curriculum help a child who wants to sit for IIT or Medical entrance exams in India? If the idea is to prep the child for higher education abroad – when do you decide, how do you figure which stream, which country, and which university?

Guests: Nayantara Handa, who leads the careers and university guidance team at The British School, New Delhi, and Sobhana K Nair from The Hindu’s Delhi Bureau.

Host: G. Sampath

Edited and Produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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At the World Wrestling Championships in Croatia, India’s Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat was shockingly disqualified ahead of his opening bout on September 14. At the official weigh-in before his match, Aman was found to be 1.7kg over the 57kg limit. The Wrestling Federation of India on September 22 served a show-cause notice to Aman, asking his staff to explain his disqualification.

This is the third time in just over a year that an Indian wrestler has failed to make weight, beginning with Vinesh Phogat’s infamous miss at the Paris Olympics. Neha Sangwan, who is just 18, was the other wrestler to not make weight at the U20 world championships. She was suspended for two years.

Why does this keep happening despite the money and resources poured into Indian wrestling? What does it say about the system, and how will this episode affect a young star like Aman Sehrawat?

Guest: Y.B. Sarangi from The Hindu sports bureau

Host: Reuben Joe Joseph

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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On September 19, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order, raising the H-1B visa fee to $1,00,000. Many fear that this will disproportionately impact Indian workers, especially those with lower median salaries. Although the White House has clarified that the fee applies only to new applicants and not those up for renewal or already in the country, there are concerns, especially against the backdrop of immigration control and protectionism.

Is the American Dream dead for Indians? Here, we discuss the question.

Guest: Arjun Appadurai and Ajay Srivastava

Host: Saptaparno Ghosh

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

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Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed a new defence deal. It’s called the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA). Under this deal, “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”. There are also vague indications that Saudi Arabia will get the benefit of Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities but in what is not clear.

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