Opinion

April 28, 2026 3:25 PM

EXPLAINER-Who takes charge if the US president is incapacitated?

Saturday's attack at a black-tie Washington gala that featured President Donald Trump did not result in any deaths, but it did raise the question about who would take charge if he or other top members of his administration were harmed. U.S. law lays out a clear line of succession, which includes to...

April 21, 2026 1:07 PM

Explainer: Who are the candidates running for UN secretary-general?

The 10th United Nations secretary-general will be elected this year for a five-year term starting on January 1, 2027. Here are the candidates so far running to take over from outgoing U.N. chief Antonio Guterres. RAFAEL GROSSI Rafael Grossi, a 65-year-old career diplomat from Argentina, has been ...

April 16, 2026 1:09 PM

Can Iran legally impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz?

Tehran has sought to tighten its grip over the Strait of Hormuz by charging tolls on vessels to ensure safe passage, in conjunction with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The following explains law governing toll collections and actions that countries opposed to tolls might take. WHAT IS T...

April 9, 2026 9:58 AM

Together, let us empower our Nari Shakti!

In the coming days, India will be immersed in a festive season, with celebrations taking place across the length and breadth of the nation. The people of Assam will mark Rongali Bihu while Odisha will celebrate Maha Bishuba Pana Sankranti. In West Bengal, Poila Boishakh will usher in the Bengali New...

April 4, 2026 9:39 AM

Trump’s anger over Iran thrusts NATO into fresh crisis

The NATO alliance has in recent years survived existential challenges - ranging from the war in Ukraine to multiple bouts of pressure and insults from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has questioned its core mission and threatened to seize Greenland. But it is the U.S.-Israeli war withIran, thousan...

March 27, 2026 10:09 AM

Drones and mines: Taking Kharg Island would pose risks for US troops

President Donald Trump has been weighing whether to use ground forces to seize Iran's strategic oil hub of Kharg Island, an operation analysts say could be achieved quickly, but leave U.S. troops in great peril and prolong rather than shorten the war. WHERE IS KHARG ISLAND AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? ...

March 25, 2026 10:25 AM

Italy’s Meloni faces risky choices after referendum defeat shakes government

Giorgia Meloni's defeat in a justice reform referendum has thrust the Italian leader into the toughest phase of her premiership, with her authority weakened, her reform programme in tatters and no easy way to regain the initiative. The prime minister's right-wing coalition suffered a resounding los...