ThePrint

What lies ahead for Venezuela—and could Cuba be next? In this episode of Worldview with Swasti, Consulting Editor Swasti Rao speaks with Latin America expert professor Vasabjit Banerjee from Univeristy of Tenesse to unpack the strategic, political and economic implications of the Trump administration’s Venezuela policy. The discussion explores the revival of the Monroe Doctrine, shifting power dynamics in Latin America, and how these developments could impact global geopolitics. Crucially, the conversation also highlights a potential economic and strategic opening for India in the region. What should New Delhi be watching—and preparing for—in the weeks ahead?

ThePrintAM: Why did demolition drive in Delhi turn violent?

Rape and murder convict Ram Rahim's time spent out of jail is set to cross the 400-day mark. ThePrint's Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta breaks down the cases against the self-proclaimed spiritual leader, what the courts said while convicting him & details of the hearing scheduled this week. #CutTheClutter 1780 also looks at the long rope given to Gurmeet Ram Rahim, his political clout & the amendment in parole law by Haryana govt.

https://theprint.in/politics/slogans-against-modi-shah-full-blown-bjp-versus-opposition-slugfest-over-jnu-campus-protest/2819879/

Despite multiple agencies being involved, the US could maintain a clear chain of command. This is something India should consider too, as it defines the theatre command structures.----more----https://theprint.in/opinion/two-hour-op-precise-extradition-maduro-capture-modern-us-military/2819945/

ThePrintAM: Why did SC deny bail to Umar Khalid & Sharjeel Imam?

Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro during his first appearance at a New York court plead not guilty to drug trafficking and others and said that he is still the President. Maduro was captured by US forces two days back. #CutTheClutter Episode 1779 looks at Trump’s Donroe doctrine and US strategy behind these significant moves in the Western Hemisphere. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains the many interventions in Latin America by US over the years.

The joint communique came after the seventh round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, held in Beijing between Ishaq Dar and Wang Yi.----more----https://theprint.in/diplomacy/hegemonism-bullying-small-circles-china-pakistan-take-veiled-swipe-at-india-quad/2818897/

Employers and customers need to understand that gig workers are as much workers as factory workers or farm labourers, and that they are not miscreants.----more----https://theprint.in/opinion/labour-codes-harsh-reality-gig-work/2818744/

The news magazine India Today just turned 50. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta wrote on the decade of 1985-95 across which he worked there. Watch #FirstPersonSecondDraft, where Shekhar Gupta chronicles India’s most consequential decade & explains how 1985-1995 have the most stories that dominate our democracy & debates today.

After months of strikes on Venezuelan docks, Trump Saturday morning declared that he had “captured” the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Debdutta Chakraborty brings details on who he is.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the upcoming elections in the state will be a fight to protect the nation (Swadesh) & own community (Swajati). He has also repeatedly vowed to 'push back illegal immigrants from Bangladesh'. These comments have been made by the Chief Minister ahead of Assembly Elections in the state. Watch 2016 #NationalInterest, where ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta argued how RSS changed Assam's political fault line from anti-outsider to anti-migrant to anti-Muslim infiltrator, and simply borrowed leadership from other parties. Read the text version here: https://theprint.in/sg-national-interest/assams-35-year-saffronisation-2/544431/

West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry will go to polls in 2026. What's at stake for Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam, will BJP be able to counter Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, and why Tamil Nadu will be a test for DMK & Congress - #CutTheClutter with Shekhar Gupta looks at the significance of the 5 elections in the coming year. Political Editor DK Singh joins in to analyse the likely implications for BJP, Congress, DMK & the Left. Episode 1778.

https://theprint.in/world/begum-khaleda-zia-was-once-hasinas-friend-her-death-ends-bangladeshs-most-enduring-power-duel/2814930/

India's Op Sindoor in response to Pahalgam attack was the biggest headline in 2025. As the year ends, watch #NationalInterest from 16 August 2025 on the war of IAF, PAF doctrines. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta argued that while Pakistan obsesses over numbers of aircraft downings, India embraces risk and wins.

Existential crisis for the Left, BJP’s Southern ambitions, test of Hindutva politics— ThePrint Political Editor DK Singh analyses the challenges and opportunities for parties in 2026 in this episode of #PoliticallyCorrect https://theprint.in/opinion/2026-elections-redefinebjp-and-opposition/2814193/

In a special year-end episode of #WorldviewWithSwasti , Consulting Editor Dr. Swasti Rao is joined by renowned strategic thinker Prof. C. Raja Mohan to reflect on the defining geopolitical upheavals of 2025. The conversation examines how shifts in global power, regional conflicts, and evolving alliances have reshaped the international landscape. Drawing on decades of strategic insight, Prof. Raja Mohan places these developments in perspective and outlines what they mean for India’s role in a rapidly changing world. He also proposes a forward-looking and constructive framework for advancing India’s national interest amid uncertainty and transition.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said the nation’s military performance during Op Sindoor was a 'strong message' to the world, given that India claimed to be South Asia’s primary security provider, a narrative that had been accepted by 'big powers'. In #CutTheClutter Episode 1713, Shekhar Gupta explained the complete chronology, claims and facts of the frenetic 87-hour Op Sindoor with a blow-by-blow account of what transpired between May 7 & May 10. Originally Published on 15 August 2025.

The Supreme Court Monday stayed the Delhi High Court order passed last week suspending the life sentence awarded to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar for raping a minor in Unnao in 2017. Concurring with the arguments of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the CJI observed that it was concerned with the HC’s interpretation of the law on who qualifies to be a public servant under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

SC has halted the operation of its November 20 ruling which accepted a ‘uniform definition’ of the Aravalli hills based on an 100 metre-elevation criterion – a threshold that environmentalists said spelled a death knell for the ancient ranges.

https://theprint.in/national-interest/a-year-end-mea-culpa-in-national-interest-the-army-islam-combo-doesnt-kill-democracy/2813160/

ThePrintAM: Why is Government considering insurance scheme for lawyers? https://theprint.in/judiciary/government-considering-insurance-scheme-for-lawyers-says-law-minister-arjun-ram-meghwal/2813139/

https://theprint.in/diplomacy/bnps-tarique-rahman-returns-to-bangladesh-amid-upheaval-after-17-yrs-stage-set-for-high-stakes-polls/2812453/

In exile for 17 years, BNP acting chairman & Bangladesh former PM Khaleda Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman returned to the country today. He attacked Sheikh Hasina & unveiled his party’s electoral campaign in a speech in Dhaka. #CutTheClutter Ep 1776 looks at why these developments are a positive step in the lead up to February elections. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains the challenges that remain for Tarique Rahman, his party, & the complex politics of Bangladesh.

The NMIA, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 October, is expected to serve passengers from Navi Mumbai along with neighbouring areas— Thane, Raigad, Pune and parts of the Konkan region. It will be operated by the NMIAL which is also an Adani Subsidiary. Watch Kasturi Walimbe explain the details of operations in #ThePrintVideo

Jimmy Lai, a media tycoon from Hong Kong, has been convicted on national security charges, bringing a five-year legal saga to a close. Once celebrated at home and abroad as a beacon of Hong Kong’s democracy, he is now portrayed by Chinese media and online commentary as a threat to national security.Watch ThePrint EyeOnChina with Sana Hashmi----more----Read full article here: https://theprint.in/opinion/eye-on-china/chinese-celebrating-conviction-jimmy-lai/2811805/

The Parliament cleared the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025, which deletes Section 213 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 eliminating the requirement of mandatory probate for certain wills. The amendment removes a dual distinction of geography and religion that has long been in conflict with succession laws in the country, turning probate from a mandatory exercise to an optional one.----more----

Markets and institutions often force adjustments only when political entities are unwilling to do so voluntarily. Dismantling this misconception is the true mandate of economic leadership. Without addressing it, even the strongest economies risk gradual decline, while the weakest are left waiting for the next crisis to accomplish what politics has failed to achieve.

The year 2025 closed with a series of consumer rights breaches in the services sector. In early December, IndiGo cancelled and rescheduled flights en masse due to operational mismanagement and pilot scheduling issues.In the securities markets, —Avadhut Sathe Trading Academy was alleged to have misled its students on various counts. And, in a lesser-known incident, a consumer approached the Supreme Court over an incorrect negative credit score that refused to rectify despite previous court orders. In all three cases, an arm of the State intervened, but consumers did not get compensation for the harms they suffered. This underscores a larger faultine: the law has weakened the average Indian consumer by taking away their agency to sue the service provider and obtain relief for themselves. If we're serious about consumer welfare, we must empower them to sue, invidually where possible and collectively, where necessary. Watch this week's column by Bhargavi Zaveri-Shah for #ThePrint

A new definition for the Aravallis, agreed upon by the Supreme Court, has renewed concerns about protection from mining and deforestation for the billion-year-old mountain ranges. But what is the geological and legal history of the Aravallis, and how did the question of defining them arise? Watch Akanksha Mishra explain in #ThePrintVideo.

Pakistan's CDF Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met his Libyan counterpart, Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar last week. Munir, during his visit to Libya sealed a $4 Billion arms deal and agreed to sell weapons to Haftar-led Libyan National Army. #CutTheClutter Ep 1775 looks at what this deal, despite a ban on sale of arms to Libya, means. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains the endless war in the African country between Khalifa Haftar-led LNA (Libyan National Army) & Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh-led govt which is recognised, and the geopolitical complexities.----more----

Bondi attack shows marginalisation isn’t driving ISIS. Extremism must be stopped from within

https://theprint.in/judiciary/bhagavad-gita-is-moral-science-not-a-religious-text-rules-madras-high-court-in-fcra-case/2810780/

Mohammad Motaleb Sikder, NCP central organiser in Khulna, was shot in the head. He is currently out of danger, according to local media reports.----more----https://theprint.in/diplomacy/after-osman-hadi-another-bangladesh-student-leader-shot-in-khulna-amid-surge-in-violence-ahead-of-polls/2810578/

Dhurandhar is among the most significant political movies at scale in the history of Bollywood yet. In its direct, violent and rude way, Dhurandhar marks the rise of the new-generation Indian soft power, and Pakistan is unapologetically the target. Watch #NationalInterest with ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta.

The death of Bangladesh youth leader Osman Hadi has sparked violence and anti-India protests. ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta breaks down the recent developments, reasons behind the fresh round of violence & its consequences on elections scheduled in February 2026.

Parliament has passed the Sustainable Harnessing & Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill. Episode 1773 of #CutTheClutter explains Modi govt's SHANTI Bill, the changes it brings in & how it opens the nuclear power sector for private players. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also details how the SHANTI Bill is a leap ahead of UPA-era law.----more----Watch CutTheClutter on India - U.S. Joint Statement here: https://youtu.be/jebvoMV3D3g

ThePrintAM: Why did India summon Bangladesh High Commissioner?

India’s cotton story was once a global success - yields tripled & exports surged. But over the last few years, India has gone from second largest exporter to net importer of cotton. ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta explains reasons behind India’s tragic cotton collapse, and breaks down the data over the past few decades. #CutTheClutter Ep 1772----more----Read Harish Damodaran's article here: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/why-india-fell-behind-in-the-cotton-race-an-aversion-to-science-and-technology-9912107/

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 in Parliament, proposing a major overhaul of India’s higher education system. The Bill seeks to replace existing regulators with a single commission and three councils to streamline regulation, improve quality, and enforce standards, while also granting the Centre significant oversight powers. ThePrint’s Fareeha Iftikhar explains.