What Marco Rubio’s sidestepping of New Delhi says about the US’s stance on India

27 October 2026 at 12:21

Rubio’s decision not to meet Narendra Modi last week was seen by some as a snub – but by focusing on business leaders and oil, the secretary of state made American priorities clear. Plus: the artist bringing a female perspective to men’s clothing

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When the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited India for the second time this year, headlines concentrated on who he met and where he went.

The fact that Rubio bypassed New Delhi and did not meet the prime minister, Narendra Modi, during his trip last week, and instead traveled to the financial capital, Mumbai, where he met India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (pictured top with Rubio), and business leaders, did not go unnoticed. Nor did his decision to travel to Jamnagar, the small Gujarati town that is home to Reliance Industries’ colossal oil refinery complex.

I Went to India and Found It Has Lessons for Us All

NYT > Top Stories

By: Lydia Polgreen and Abhishek Khedekar

26 October 2026 at 08:00

Young people have revived the country’s glorious tradition of nonviolent dissent.

How Defiant Youth Are Testing India’s Idea of Democracy

NYT > Top Stories

By: Somini Sengupta

24 October 2026 at 07:01

Four takeaways from India’s protest movement, at a moment when democracies around the world are under pressure.

Security personnel detaining protesters demanding the resignation of the head of India’s election commission this month in New Delhi.

India slashes cost of cancer drugs after court rules mark-ups are ‘extortion’

World news | The Guardian

By: Amrit Dhillon in Delhi

23 October 2026 at 10:00

Case filed in 2022 by patient unable to afford medicine leads to cap on drug prices for millions who face ruin if diagnosed

The Indian government has moved to reduce the price of cancer drugs after a retired bank clerk took her case to the supreme court.

From next month, 137 cancer drugs in India will be cheaper as the government tries to tackle the tragedy of poorer patients either forgoing treatment, selling land or falling into debt to meet the high cost of some medicines, which are making large profits for hospitals and pharmacists.

Indian court orders release of two leaders of Cockroach movement

World news | The Guardian

By: Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi

21 October 2026 at 18:26

Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka spent a week in jail after defying restrictions on protests in Delhi amid government crackdown

An Indian court has ordered the release of two leaders of India’s Cockroach movement who were jailed last week amid a mounting state crackdown on youth-led protests.

The two leaders of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) movement, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had spent a week in Delhi’s Tihar jail after being arrested by Delhi police last week.