The Interview With Karan Thapar

Netanyahu has done better than expected but Eisenkot could still form the government: Yossi Beilin, former Israeli Justice Minister, to Karan Thapar for The Wire........................................Yesterday Israel held what is possibly its most consequential election in decades. There was a record turnout of 77.7%. The election was effectively a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu’s prime ministership. Clearly the majority of the votes in Israel’s system of proportional representation were against Netanyahu. But his party and his bloc have emerged the largest though short of a majority. Could he cobble one together? Eisenkot, on the other hand, would have a clear majority if he accepts support from the Arab parties. Will he do so? And where does he stand on issues like Gaza and Iran and Hamas? Those are the important issues I raise today with Israel’s former Justice Minister, Yossi Beilin.

Chief Justice Chandrachud did not live up to my expectations of him: Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul to Karan Thapar for The Wire. My guest today is one of the most highly regarded former judges of the Supreme Court. He’s just published his memoirs. It’s called Without Fear or Favour. It's a very accurate title because the book contains some devastating revelations that at times are not just disturbing but possibly disillusioning. My intention today is to discuss several of them. Joining me now is the author Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul.

I see the protests as "a moment of great hope"; the audacity and impertinence is enheartening: Mukul Kesavan, Historian, Novelist and Essayist, to Karan Thapar for The Wire........................................Today we focus on the protests that have paralyzed the centre of Delhi since Saturday and the government’s response to them. What do the protests reveal of the state of the country and the response of young India? What does this reveal of the Narendra Modi government? Have the police acted illegally and improperly with many of the people they detained? How effective was the Supreme Court’s response? And what impact could all of this have on India’s image as a properly functioning democracy? Finally, how should we take the claim the protests are foreign funded? My guest is the well-known and highly regarded historian, novelist and essayist, Mukul Kesavan.

Charging MDR on UPI payments could increase costs in many ways; it'll benefit Visa & Mastercard: Ajay Srivastava, Founder, Global Trade Research Initiative, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... As things stand the government’s controversial decision to impose a merchant discount rate on specified UPI payments above Rs. 2,000/- will take affect from Thursday the 15th of October. Critics believe this is a serious mistake. First, it could increase costs across the board with an impact on the economy as a whole. They also believe it will benefit Visa and Mastercard, Google Pay and PhonePe at the cost of UPI. Third, they think it’s being done to please the United States Trade Representative. Joining me now to share his views is the Founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, Ajay Srivastava.

The present Indian govt is one of the biggest committers of ecocide in the world today: Author and Blogger Avay Shukla to Karan Thapar for The Wire. The recent environmental disaster in the Himalayas in Nepal was a clear sign we need to pay serious attention to issues of environmental and climate change. If not we are playing with our own future as a planet. There are clear limits to how far man can go to master and bend nature to his will. The truth is we know all of this but do we pay attention? My guest today has published a collection of essays on this subject. It’s called The Last Sky: Countdown for an Endangered Planet. Joining me now to talk about this major issue is the author, Avay Shukla.