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Best of BS Opinion: Sizing up the present and prepping for tomorrow
Take Donald Trump's proposed second-term economic plan, for instance. On the surface, it's just another size-too-big tax cut, but Kenneth Rogoff reminds us the fabric is strained, federal debt is at 122 per cent of GDP, interest payments outpacing defence spending, and the bond markets growing increasingly restless. The stitchwork that held Reaganomics together no longer fits. Yet both parties seem reluctant to tailor in tighter fiscal seams, even as the dollar's credibility frays.
In Tamil Nadu, Kamal Haasan's foray into politics reveals the limits of star power when not matched with political grain. Aditi Phadnis traces his trajectory which contains flashes of brilliance but little drape with the electorate. His alliance with the DMK may buy him a Rajya Sabha seat, but it's clear that charisma alone isn't a cut above unless it's lined with deeper grassroots stitching.
Sandeep Goyal draws the contrast between Zeenat Aman's nostalgia-laced but weak Netflix return and Bobby Deol's sharply recut villainous turns. Reinvention requires understanding not just the old silhouette but today's fabric. Campa Cola nailed that, relaunching not with sentiment but with savvy pricing and strategic placement, showing us how legacy can be re-tailored to fit modern demand.
Meanwhile, Shekhar Gupta threads through the geopolitical shift along India's borders. Pakistan's brief military flare-up wasn't a standalone patch, but a piece from China's strategic pattern. The drape of conflict has changed, subtle, layered, and stitched from multiple fronts, with Beijing quietly trimming the edges.
And finally, Jyoti Mukul brings us to a repair shop in Gurugram where old gadgets are being brought back to life. Sunil Kumar's soldering iron is perhaps the truest metaphor, a reminder that good fixes aren't about replacing parts, but respecting the integrity of what's already there. With India's new Repairability Index and global moves toward circular economies, we're slowly learning to value mends over disposals.
Stay tuned, and remember, true mastery lies in seeing how the cloth looks when worn in the real world!

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The Hindu
2 minutes ago
- The Hindu
In Moscow, Jaishankar raises challenge posed by tariff to India-Russia trade, calls for early conclusion of India-Eurasian Economic Union FTA
In the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of penalty tariff on India, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) in Moscow raised the challenge posed by 'tariff and non-tariff trade barriers' before Russia-India trade and called for 'early conclusion' of a Free Trade Agreement among India and the countries of the Eurasian region. Mr. Jaishankar made the remarks during the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Government Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) where the Russian side was being led by First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Denis Manturov. Delivering his opening remarks Mr. Jaishankar said, 'tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, removing bottlenecks in logistics, promoting connectivity through the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Northern Sea Route and the Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor, effecting payment mechanisms smoothly' are the main issues before the IRIGC-TEC. He further said that Wednesday's meeting in Moscow also finalized the terms of reference of the India-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement of which Russia has been a leading proponent as it aims at removing obstacles for overland trade among Russia, China, India and the Central Asian countries. '..we are all acutely aware that we are meeting in the backdrop of a complex geopolitical situation. Our leaders remain closely and regularly engaged,' said Mr Jaishankar indirectly referring to the trade-related anxieties in India-U.S. relation. He also raised the issue of trade imbalance in India-Russia trade that has expanded in the past few years as India's trade with Russia grew from $13 billion in 2021 to $68 billion in 2024-'25. India-Russia trade has risen sharply after Russia was hit with Western sanctions following the crisis in Ukraine. Bulk of this trade is in hydrocarbon that Russia supplies to India. As a result the earlier trade imbalance of $ 6.6 billion has risen to $58.9 billion. 'So, we need to address that urgently,' said Mr Jaishankar in his remarks.

The Hindu
2 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam all set for second State conference in Madurai
The stage is set for the second State conference of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) at Parapathi on the Madurai-Thoothukudi Highway on Thursday. Huge cut-outs of DMK founder C.N. Annadurai and AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran, along with that of TVK leader Vijay, who is due to address the conference, have been placed on the facade of the stage at the venue, decked up with red and yellow party flags. Accompanying the cut-outs of the former Chief Ministers are the words, 'Varalaru Thirumbukirathu' (History Repeats), and 1967 and 1977 — the years when the DMK and the AIADMK, respectively, had come to power in the State. The mention of the year 2026 along with 1967 and 1977 is meant to underline the aspiration of the fledgling political party to capture power in Tamil Nadu at the next Assembly election. Though Mr. Vijay has declared the DMK as a political enemy of the TVK, the cut-outs of Annadurai and MGR were surprisingly much larger than the smaller photographs of the party's ideological mentors, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, K. Kamaraj, B.R. Ambedkar, Rani Velu Nachiyar, and Anjalai Ammal. With only about eight months to go for the Assembly election, the second State conference of the TVK has gained much significance. The meeting is expected to shed light on the line the party would toe while facing its first electoral battle against the ruling DMK-led multi-party front, the AIADMK-BJP alliance, and the Seeman-led Naam Tamilar Katchi. Mr. Vijay has already said the TVK would keep both the DMK and the BJP, its ideological enemy, at an equal distance. The party high-command would also use the opportunity to keep the spirits of the cadre high, as no political party has come forward to ally with the TVK even after the actor had expressed willingness to form an alliance with like-minded parties and share power with them if he forms the next government. The party has also made it clear that it would not compromise on its stand that Mr. Vijay would be the Chief Ministerial candidate. This would be the first major public appearance for Mr. Vijay after the first party conference in Vikravandi in October 2024. Meanwhile, the Madurai district police have planned to deploy around 2,700 personnel drawn from the southern districts to provide security for the conference, which is expected to witness the participation of around two lakh cadre.


Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Reddy a fearless champion of equality': Mallikarjun Kharge introduces V-P candidate to Opp leaders
Calling upon every MP to support former SC judge B Sudershan Reddy for the Vice President's post, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said his nomination stood as the Opposition's firm commitment to restoring steadily declining 'fairness, impartiality, and dignity to the functioning of the Rajya Sabha'. Reddy, who will be the joint Opposition candidate, was formally introduced to senior leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar among others, at a meeting in the Central Hall of Parliament on Wednesday. At a time when the integrity of India's democratic institutions was 'facing unprecedented challenges', Kharge said Justice Reddy's contest against NDA's C P Radhakrishnan was 'an ideological battle for the soul of our nation'. 'This Vice-Presidential election is not merely a contest for an office; it is an ideological battle for the soul of our nation. While the ruling party has chosen the ideology of RSS, we uphold the Constitution and its values as our guiding light,' he said on the eve of the last day of filing nominations for the polls scheduled on September 9. Terming him a 'towering figure in Indian jurisprudence', Justice Reddy, Kharge said, was 'renowned for his unwavering commitment to justice' and had been a fearless champion of social, economic, and political equality, delivering landmark judgments that have 'strengthened the fabric of our democracy'. Referring to the three Bills introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament on Wednesday, he said, 'Constitutional Amendment Bills that undermine the core values of parliamentary democracy and federalism are being introduced in subterfuge at the fag end of the session, leaving no scope for meaningful debate or scrutiny.' 'Over the last 11 years, we have witnessed the blatant misuse of parliamentary majority to arm the autonomous agencies like ED, I-T, and CBI with draconian powers to target Opposition leaders. Now, these new Bills are set to become instruments in the hands of the ruling party to further undermine and destabilise democratically elected governments in the states,' he added.