Tattoos have long been a form of self-expression, cultural identity, and art. Beyond aesthetics however, the process of tattooing involves a complex interaction between ink, skin, and the body’s immune system. As the popularity of tattoos continues to rise, so do concerns about their long-term effects on skin health and overall well-being. The process of … Read more
Microsoft’s Majorana 1 quantum computing chip is pictured on February 19, 2025. Photo: Microsoft via Reuters On February 19, 2025, Microsoft unveiled a new quantum computing chip that it said had topological qubits. The announcement spurred news organisations worldwide, which used words such as “superconductor” and “fermion” in their ledes. My colleagues had many questions … Read more
On February 18, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Riyadh. This was a dramatic reversal of the previous U.S. administration’s policy of not having peace talks with Russia since the beginning of Russia’s war with Ukraine in February 2022. The reversal took place because of Donald Trump’s election … Read more
Hard grind: When the Madras Assembly resolved to disband the NCC, it was compulsory for students to enrol in the voluntary programme. The photograph shows the cadets at the Kodaikanal summer camp in 1967. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES On January 23, 1968, along with the historic two-language policy, the Madras Assembly adopted another … Read more
The protagonist: Sethu Lakshmi Bai Government Higher Secondary School at Nagercoil. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement S.R. Rajan Sethu Lakshmi Bai Government Higher Secondary School at Nagercoil is three years away from joining the 2,211 government schools that are celebrating their centenary. But SLB, as it is known, has secured a place in literature. Though … Read more
Tamil Nadu InFocus U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent allegations of $21 million in USAID having been handed over to India for influencing the 2024 general election had led to a war of words between the Congress and the BJP. Against this backdrop, All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that the BJP and … Read more
Gursharan Singh, 22, a resident of Mehoka village in Amritsar district, was deported in 2023. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA Balwinder Singh, 55, a resident of Manawala village in Amritsar district, who received a call from an unknown number informing him that his younger brother, Sukhdev Singh, 35, was in a detention camp in … Read more
At the start of any men’s ICC tournament, when the exercise of favourite-picking is undertaken, the names of the usual suspects crop up. Australia. India. South Africa. Even England. With New Zealand, there is always an asterisk. They are labelled as perennial dark horses who punch above their weight in global events. Punch above their … Read more
In July 2023, mango farmers in the undivided Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh had just wrapped up their harvest. The yield was dismally low, but the growers had faith in the demand-supply equation, certain that a crunch would push up the prices. When the time came for them to sell their produce, the dozen or … Read more
An F-35 fighter jet, at the Aero India 2025 air show | Photo Credit: Reuters Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief and official working visit on February 13, 2025 to the United States has, rightfully, got a lot of attention. Among other things, it managed to give a push to the U.S.-India bilateral defence engagement. Defence … Read more