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Friday, November 7, 2025
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The FinePrint

Did the Mauryas really unite India? Archaeology says ‘no’

Mauryas weren’t important because they were Nehru and Patel in the 3rd century, but because they are among the few that we know of from a most remarkable period.

Ashneer Grover, Ankur Warikoo books sell like hotcakes. Startup guys new India’s storytellers

Publishers have zeroed in on this trend—hungry readers and a boom in quintessentially Indian success stories. Karan Bajaj and Shaili Chopra are hot-selling names.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari wants to be the reliable anti-India patriot Pakistan Army needs

Like his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal is betting on nationalism and the Generals to go up the political ladder. But the strategy will only tighten the army's grip.

Scroll, like, exhale: Instagram is now like Aastha TV for influencer gurus

These gurus on social media have flipped the stereotype of elderly sages spouting enigmatic words of wisdom or chanting bhajans in monotone.

District Collector, Magistrate, Development Commissioner: what to call an IAS officer?

A new debate has just begun about the best title to describe the work of an IAS officer posted in a district. What’s in a name? Heaps of colonial baggage, apparently.

Bilawal’s remark shows Pakistan’s old view hasn’t upgraded with Modi’s new India

Bilawal Zardari ought to be mindful of retaining some political space for himself as a politician and not entirely follow the establishment’s perspective.

Nitish Kumar is riding a tiger with prohibition in Bihar. Everyone knows it’s failed

Last week's hooch tragedy, which killed over 70, has again raised questions on implementation of prohibtiion law, with many blaming corruption in police & system for easy availability of liquor.

Yangtse showed Army capability but it’s Navy that can shift balance of power in India’s favour

For Beijing, the Indian Ocean region can become its strategic vulnerability. A defensive posture must be counterbalanced by offensive capability in the maritime domain.

Udhayanidhi to Aaditya Thackeray — here’s a look at the ‘son rise’ in India’s new politics

Last week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inducted his son Udhayanidhi into his cabinet. Political experts believe this is a relatively new trend that will lead to 'decay' in politics.  

How police, probe agencies are tackling growing menace of illegal call centres

The hurdles police & probe agencies face include victims not registering complaints or unwilling to record a statement, and the accused, who often deal in Bitcoins & change offices.

On Camera

Nur Jahan to Chand Bibi—Indian women in sports have been erased from history

Dice have been found dating to the Bronze Age in various Harappan sites in present-day northwest India and throughout Pakistan. And it’s very possible that some had female owners.

Vodafone Idea AGR case, explained: SC breather to cash-strapped telco & what it means for industry

Telecom industry keeping close tabs on the case. Government is single largest shareholder in Vodafone Idea, at 49 percent.

‘Let them see’: Putin says new nuclear-powered missiles in the making, in message to Washington

At a ceremony felicitating Russian military engineers, Putin highlights Moscow’s 'parity' in defence technologies for the next century.

Trump’s trade wars have rewritten powerplay, but India didn’t get the memo

This world is being restructured and redrawn by one man, and what’s his power? It’s not his formidable military. It’s trade. With China, it turned on him.