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The FinePrint

Indian middle class is fed up with being paunchy and plump. Ozempic and Mounjaro are big hits

The instant success of weight loss drugs in India tells us how quickly the country is changing. And for once, the change is for the better.

Here’s how Khilji, Akbar, and Hindu rulers dealt with Halal

In Medieval India, the late Prof Satish Chandra demonstrates how Muslim rulers in India quickly grasped that pristine notions of Halal and haram did not hold up to the realities of statecraft.

The GI tag man of India lives in Varanasi. He is blending culture and commerce

Varanasi social worker Rajni Kant is a leading light in the Modi government’s mission to secure 10,000 GI tags by 2030. It’s his way of making India a ‘sone ki chidiya’ again.

Karpoori Thakur: The convenient resurrection of Bihar’s Jannayak

New Delhi: About 55 years ago, Gokul Thakur, a barber by caste and profession, was lying unwell in his home in Pitaunjhia village of...

8.82 lakh execution petitions pending: The long wait for justice, even after victory in court

New Delhi: Concerned over the chronic delays in enforcement of court decrees in civil cases, the Supreme Court, in a recent order, mandated all...

Russia’s super-missile test shows a new, expensive technological race—with dire outcomes

The test raises a question. Why have Russian nuclear strategists now invested in the Burevestnik, when the US abandoned nuclear ramjet propulsion in 1964?

Indian workers are heading to Russia, Greece, Japan. Gulf losing its shine

Indian workers are filling blue-collar labour gaps in new corners of the world. Government policies and a growing network of recruiters are greasing the wheels of this migration.

A Varanasi royal family vs British history. And one man’s war to decolonise the past

An incorrect colonial portrayal cast a shadow for 200 years on Banaras royal family. Pradeep Narayan Singh waded through archives for 5 years to clear his ancestor Jagat Singh’s name in Sarnath.

‘We build India, who will build Bihar?’—Chhath train is a migrant story of despair

It’s not only the Chhath Mahaparv of Bihar but also the biggest festival of democracy — elections. It’s a moment of reckoning.

Lokpal, CAG to whistleblowers—why anti-graft warriors need a BMW ride during Modi govt

CAG reports are still coming but the old bites and stings have gone missing. The CAG is still unsparing in some cases but the BJP may not mind it at all.

On Camera

Pam Bondi’s firing is good news. Now, US Senate must stand up for DOJ

Bondi’s missteps hastened her exit, but her departure offers a reset. The Senate must not rubber-stamp Trump’s pick and should demand an attorney general committed to DOJ independence.

SEBI proposes return of open market share buybacks to support stocks

Regulator seeks feedback on allowing firms to repurchase shares via exchanges after tax changes, as markets reel from war-led selloff and foreign outflows.

South Korea’s Cheongung-II missile system makes its mark in West Asia war. Here’s why

UAE has been using this defence system, which is similar to America's Patriots, against Iranian missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Gulf war exposed India’s fragilities. It’s time for navel-gazing, in the national interest

It’s easy to understand why the government can’t speak the hard truth. When this war ends, as all wars do, India’s interests will lie with both the winner and the loser.