American cleared
The week's news at a glance.
Delhi
India’s Supreme Court has ordered charges dropped against an American scholar accused of “attempting to disturb the communal peace.” Hard-line Hindus had claimed that James W. Laine’s History Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India defamed the 17th-century leader by questioning his parentage. In 2003, when the book came out, a Hindu mob attacked the institute in Maharashtra where Laine had done his research, destroying thousands of rare books and Sanskrit manuscripts. Maharashtra state quickly banned the book and put Laine on trial. The court ruling this week said Laine had no intent to insult and couldn’t be held responsible for the hurt feelings.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published