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Wednesday, October 29, 2025
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The FinePrint

Ethanol blending crucial to cut oil imports but doubling it will hurt India’s food security

Via blending, the Modi govt wants to reduce GHG emissions and India’s dependence on imported fuel. But the potent question is about food security.

Rise and fall of Indian Buddhism was a stranger, more exciting process than we know

Andhra was once as foreign to Buddhism as China was. Its conversion to the religion took many innovations, including worship of the dead.

In Chhattisgarh, a ‘portacabin’ school helps tribal kids dream — ‘want to be doctor, help my people’

Portacabin schools were started by state government in 2012 to cater to tribals. To a section affected by left-wing extremism and little to no connectivity, they offer relief. 

‘Whose history?’: In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the archives are fighting

The bone of contention is the brief overlap between when the state of Hyderabad acceded to India and when the state of Andhra Pradesh was created.

Pakistan again cultivating Lashkar, Jaish as loyal proxies. And why China’s got its back

LeT's Makki was designated as global terrorist after months of Chinese objection. There's a message: Islamabad can count on its Iron Brother for protection against jihadists.

There’s a scam in bank passbook of Gr Noida pvt school teachers. But nobody dares complain

On paper, the private school teachers earn decent salaries but they are forced to return a significant sum to the school in cash.

Xi Jinping’s politics is driving China’s wealthy out of the country–with cash

Chinese citizens are looking for ways to relocate abroad rather than just move their assets. But Xi Jinping’s tactic to exert ‘ethnonationalist power’ won't be easy to escape.

4 times Pakistan came close to making peace with India. Civil, military rifts didn’t let it

In a recent interview, PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan has learnt its lesson and wants peace with India. But consensus will remain elusive unless the process is put in place.

Bank harassment, hidden charges undoing gains of Modi’s PMJDY and financial inclusion

The government has merged several public sector banks to improve profitability. But users have not been informed of the complications these mergers have caused.

Vidita Vaidya, the neuroscientist helping us understand how brain functions under stress

Vidita Vaidya, winner of the $100,000 Infosys Prize in Life Sciences for 2022, could well be enabling the discovery of useful drugs for various mental health conditions.

On Camera

Women are missing from Chinese politics. CCP is a boys’ club

Under Xi, the CCP’s political structure has become even more centralised and male-dominated. Power increasingly revolves around a tight inner circle of male loyalists.

Karnataka, Telangana, TN, Maharashtra power 40% of services output, pan-India growth uneven—NITI Aayog

Report on India's services sector examines state-level dynamics, maps disparities and suggests ways to tap into the sector’s potential.

India pulled out of Tajikistan’s strategically important Ayni air base in 2022. Here’s why

Tajikistan did not want to extend the lease because of apparent pressure from Russia & China over non-regional military personnel at the air base, it is learnt.

Deepfake on duty: when I asked AI to read Op Sindoor citations

On 21 Oct, a buzz went up that the govt had released full list of gallantry award recipients along with Op Sindoor citations. I put an AI caddy on the job. It took me into a never-ending rabbit hole.