Valuing each vial

The Kerala strategy for zero wastage of Covid-19 vaccine

Tea with the Taliban?

With the US withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan, India has been pushed out of its comfort zone. It may have to consider the once unthinkable policy of sitting down with the Taliban to stay relevant in Kabul and protect its interests in the region

Teens can wait

Though Israel has been vaccinating its older teenagers, India might have to hold off on doing the same

Clash of the mutants

Double mutant variant. Triple mutant. Confused? THE WEEK decodes the mutations and variants of an evolving virus

A midsummer nightmare: Act two

An irrational exuberance cloaked a flagging economy; a devastating second wave has exposed it

We Know Immunotherapy Works, But We Need To Find Out Why It Doesn't, Too

INTERVIEW

FINDING YOURSELF

Hinge: (Re)discovering emotional and mental wellbeing

India's Longest-Wanted Fugitive

Sukumara Kurup would turn 75 this year, if he is alive. His great escape is an urban legend in Kerala

Battle For Bengal - BJP Banks On Dalits And Tribals To Defeat Mamata

The BJP had won big among a section of West Bengal's scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the time since, it seems to have reached out to them even more. Can the party repeat its performance in the assembly elections?

Covid-19 Luckless In Lucknow

The second Covid-19 wave has put Uttar Pradesh’s health care system on the brink of collapse

WARRIOR IN THE MAKING

Immunotherapy offers hope for treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases. But there is a lot of hype, too. And, high cost and inadequate facilities, for now, make it inaccessible to most people

Neighbourhood trap

Caught between defending democracy and protecting its own interests, India struggles to formulate a meaningful response to the coup in Myanmar

Hard left, harder right

Why Naxalbari, the birthplace of Naxalism, has adopted the saffron ideology

Fresh hope

Justice N.V. Ramana, a mild-mannered, civil liberties champion, takes over as CJI at a difficult time

Capital plans

How the BJP is trying to gain a foothold in Kolkata

Battle of optics

As the second wave gets worse, the Centre and the states are resorting to blame games

SAFFRON ON RED

Can left veteran Ashok Bhattacharya overcome the BJP’s surge in Siliguri?

There is a pattern to the attack on Central forces in Bengal

Sunil Arora, who demitted office on April 12, chose THE WEEK for his last interview as chief election commissioner. He said he was anguished over the constant attacks the commission faced, especially from the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. He also said that the attacks on Central forces in West Bengal was worrying and had a pattern.

INDIA ON GUARD

THE SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19 CAUGHT US LACKING AND SLACKING. REINING IN A RESURGENT VIRUS WOULD NEED BETTER ADHERENCE TO SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND A MORE NUANCED APPROACH TO VACCINATION

No value in vaccinating everyone at this stage

The second wave hit India despite the vaccine rollout. And, vaccinated people are now getting infected. The vaccine was never expected to stop any wave, second or otherwise. All the Covid-19 vaccines available in the world right now have this handicap, that they cannot stop transmission of the virus. This is unlike the vaccines for polio or smallpox, which can interrupt transmission and thereby eradicate the disease eventually.

Fit for the future

DRDO labs are being closed or merged to prevent duplication and to focus on futuristic technologies

BRINGING MANHAS HOME

THE WEEK brings you the inside story of how a nonagenarian social worker, a tribal leader and a group of local journalists secured the safe release of Rakeshwar Singh Manhas, a CoBRA commando captured by the Maoists of Bastar

Fighting our people

CoBRA is burdened by law, which demands that it upholds the Constitutional and human rights of civilians. Naxals have no such burden

Fallen star

With K.T. Jaleel forced to step down as minister, the Pinarayi Vijayan government suffers a big blow at the fag end of its term

Due procedure followed in case against activists

THE 2020 DELHI riots, which claimed 53 lives, the farmers’ protest at the Red Fort and the arrest of activist Disha Ravi on sedition charges have all taken place during S.N. Shrivastava’s tenure as commissioner of Delhi Police. He spoke to THE WEEK about the status of investigations in these cases, monitoring social media and terror threats to the capital. Excerpts:

Booster shot

Picking up the pace of vaccinations is not only a health and welfare concern, but also key for India’s economic prospects

India Against Corruption - Who Killed The Crusade?

The legacy of the decade-old India Against Corruption campaign is a mixed bag. While it has had a profound impact on the country’s politics, the anti-corruption sentiment ignited by the movement has died down

Gaps cause grief

The Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh highlights strategic shortcomings

Tightrope walk

As it battles a resurgent virus, India needs to balance its global commitment and home requirement of Covid-19 vaccines

Tough times ahead

New restrictions will hurt the recovery of businesses