CATEGORIES

This Is Just Intermission In Our Fight Against Covid-19

Dr B. Ekbal wears many hats. He is a neurosurgeon, an academic, a public health activist and an established tabla player. He is also the chairperson of the expert committee that advises the chief minister of Kerala on all matters related to Covid-19. “I have learnt a lot more in the last three months than I did in my entire life,’’ says Ekbal in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, referring to his experience of leading a team of experts drawn from all fields to fight the pandemic. But he warns that the battle is not over yet. Excerpts from the interview:

Virtual turns real

Being cost-effective and climate-friendly, digital diplomacy is here to stay, but challenging relationships still require traditional platforms

THE MOB MINIATURIST

Painter Soma Das details the delectable in the drab

The city of perils

HIT BY COVID-19 AND AN EARLY MONSOON, MUMBAI HAS NEVER SEEMED SO CLOSE TO THE BRINK

Plague ground

Amid the Covid-induced crisis, the multiple waves of attacks by desert locusts may put India’s food security at risk

Locked and loaded

The induction of tanks and other heavy equipment by the Indian Army has brought about parity on the disputed border. China now wants to reassert its supremacy

Hear, hear!

A crackling bunch of audio artists is revitalising books for stilled lives in quarantine

Beleaguered!

With uncertainty all around, sports leagues in India are bracing for major budget cuts and loss in revenue

Self-Reliance Does Not Mean Exclusionist Policies

Prakash Javadekar, Union minister

What Xi Wants

The latest wave of Chinese aggression on the border seems to be in response to India’s recent territorial reassertion in the Himalayan belt. China wants to take over the tiny sliver of territory between Aksai Chin and the Shaksgam valley controlled by India, which will result in enhanced military and territorial links with Pakistan and provide a big boost to its Belt and Road Initiative

Vanity fair

The power tussle between the governor and the Thackeray government could lead to a fresh political crisis

TRIPLE TROUBLE

Cyclone Amphan has left West Bengal devastated. With Covid-19 cases on the rise and the BJP biding its time, Mamata Banerjee has her hands full

Road rage

With India planning more roads along the border, there could be fresh flashpoints in future

INFORMATION GAP

Experts are worried that citizens’ right to information has not been upheld during the lockdown

Bolts from the blue

With assembly polls less than a year away, the DMK is beset with a series of unexpected challenges

Himalayan folly

India’s habit of taking Nepal for granted has allowed K.P. Sharma Oli to play the ultranationalist card and vitiate bilateral ties

DISPARATE MEASURES

The Centre is batting for HCQ, even as the WHO’s review of the drug’s safety is causing concerns

Battle for Mumbai

With hospitals and their staff stretched to the limit, Mumbai struggles to cope with the rise in Covid-19 cases

Reliving The Glory

In his new book, all-rounder Ben Stokes remembers his World Cup journey, match by match, and takes the reader into the champions’ dressing room

The female brigade

Kerala’s Covid-19 story is one of women power unleashed and the price they pay for it

STARVING STEEDS

With the nationwide lockdown and no customers, saddle horses survive on the kindness of a few

TECH NO BAR

Gul Panag has embraced technology and the digital medium to great effect

Selective treatment

THE MODI GOVERNMENT IS PUSHING ITS ECONOMIC AGENDA IN THE COVID-19-INDUCED FINANCIAL CRISIS. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN HOW THE GOVERNMENT WILL HANDLE THE POLITICAL COST OF THE PANDEMIC

Positive push

The ‘negative list’ in defence procurement and the opening up of key strategic sectors could work wonders

Mutant menace

New variants of Covid-19 virus may hamper efforts to create a vaccine

Covert affair

By quietly helping Bangladesh nab the killers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, India takes a big step in repairing strained bilateral ties

CANINE EVANGELIST

Dog behaviourist Shirin Merchant says that pet parents need to be trained first

A viper named Salazar

A new snake brings joy to Harry Potter fans, and puts the spotlight on the biodiversity of the northeast

Covid-19: The Curious Case Of West Bengal

With low testing and the highest Covid-19 mortality rate in the country, West Bengal could be staring at a public health disaster. THE WEEK takes a look at how things came to a head in the state

Race of Death

The pandemic has brought to the fore Brazil’s own brand of apartheid