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Sunday, April 5, 2026
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The FinePrint

Some OBCs were ‘dominant’ in medieval India. How history can decode the UGC controversy

Temples, military labour markets, and land-grant regimes structured medieval caste hierarchies. Today, access to education, employment, bureaucratic categories, and media platforms do.

Clock ticking: With Ajit Pawar gone, what lies ahead for NCP

Minus Ajit Pawar, NCP has to devise survival strategy. Should it merge with Sharad Pawar faction? Analysts say second rung leaders like Praful and Tatkare don't have what it takes to lead party.

Indian video games finally bring mythology into storyline. Taking it to AAA level

Indian developers are quitting their jobs at established studios like EA and Tencent, and even consulting roles at EY, to be a part of the independent gaming revolution.

Ajit Pawar: Brash, tireless, ambitious, the ‘Dada’ from Baramati

A look at the life, controversies & unfulfilled ambitions of Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar who died Wednesday when his chartered plane crashed in Baramati.

How Skill India lost its way by creating a parallel NGO universe of frauds

Skill India lost its way—Fake fingerprints, posed pics, ghost centres. CAG report a wake-up call.

Shahjahanpur inter-caste couple who jumped — ‘All the talk now is about us being Brahmin-Dalit’

A young couple in UP's Shahjahanpur jumped from a restaurant to escape a caste-based vigilante attack. Now hospitalised, they face injury, stigma and fear.

India is facing a silent elderly care crisis. Budget 2026 must confront it

India has a framework of policies and programmes aimed at supporting older persons, but these are under-utilised and under-resourced relative to the scale of need.

Years after Bishop’s acquittal, nun who faced Church’s wrath speaks up. ‘Maybe, something will change’

Sister Ranit, who accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of sexual assault, reveals her identity to media as the appeal against his acquittal lies pending with the Kerala High Court.

Northeast Hoolock gibbons are facing extinction. The lesser apes are being counted now

The number of the western hoolock gibbons — the only non-human ape species in India — has fallen drastically from around 100,000 to just about 5,000.

Governors walking out, agencies blocked—how to fix fraying Centre-state ties

From Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka to West Bengal, states are clashing with the Centre. Cooperative federalism needs revival.

On Camera

Iraq’s long road to FIFA World Cup qualification is a story of survival, defiance

Historically, football has been used as a lens through which political anger, identity, and resistance come into focus. From Mohun Bagan to Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast, this claim can be easily cemented.

What to expect from China’s new 5-year plan—trade innovation, tensions with partners

ASEAN is struggling against a flood of 'underpriced Chinese goods', while Brazil has imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel.

UAE walks away from financing Rafale F5 due to restricted access to technology, reports French media

French newspaper La Tribune earlier last week indicated that UAE withdrew from deal to fund EUR 3.5 billion. India is looking to order 114 new Rafales, which could include the F5.

China insulated itself against energy shocks. India is ‘all talk, no walk’

China patiently invested capital, skill and technology in coal gasification. Unlike it, we won’t move from words to action. As crude prices decline, we lose interest.