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The FinePrint

Rahul Gandhi should step back. He has 4 big reasons to pass the baton to Priyanka

Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections have proved yet again that Rahul Gandhi can’t ignite the imagination of aspirational India.

Small-town India gets a new movie experience. Inflatable cinema halls with Dolby, recliners

Picture Time Digiplex is the king of inflatable cinema. It isn't competing with multiplexes but is offering a quick assemble-dismantle option in small towns & semi-rural areas.

Tirupati board should have only Hindu employees. ‘Majority’ religion deserves rights too

Religious freedom should include the right of institutions to not employ those who may be inimical to it, but in “secular” India it is apparently a pointer to Hindu bigotry.

Maharashtra, Jharkhand show Indian elections are like a tennis match: Karti Chidambaram

The future of Indian politics lies in the ability of political parties to adapt to state-specific dynamics and engage with the electorate in a deeper, more continuous way.

BJP is winning elections without Modi. Congress needs to change its strategy

If Modi is no longer the most important campaign issue then how does it matter how much Rahul Gandhi attacks him?

Pakistan’s Shia killings mark the collapse of its nationhood. Islamic State knows only war

There was little Shia-Sunni conflict in the pre-colonial era. In early 20th century, the struggle for political power sharpened the boundaries, increasingly leading to violence.

Noida cricket academies have a business model—Enroll young cricketers, play with their future

A flourishing corporate cricket culture, affordability, and swathes of farm lands in the region have encouraged the mushrooming of such unregistered academies.

In Telangana, a ‘romantic’ govt bid to end caste segregation of schools & a nuanced reality

CM Revanth Reddy says integrated schools with students of all caste groups will ‘foster inclusivity’. Some say govt is fixing a problem that doesn’t exist. For others, the idea is good on paper.

India doesn’t need to sweat over Oli’s China drift—Nepal knows the limits

Nepal-China bonhomie is up against Himalayan-sized barriers—trust, costs, and India.

Cost of higher education in India is leaving parents drained, in debt. ‘We put our own dreams on hold’

With limited seats in govt universities, parents are spending lakhs on private institutions. Some are choosing the latter for its better facilities & infra despite the financial strain.

On Camera

Trump’s sanctions have failed to deter Russia. Now the West faces a dilemma

The Russia-Ukraine war exposes a complex paradox of power where the world’s most powerful country, with all its resources, is falling short in coercing a much more weakened Russia to kowtow to its demands.

India-US set to ink mini trade deal soon, reach understanding on agricultural & dairy products

Mini deal will likely see no cut in 10% baseline tariff on Indian exports announced by Trump on 2 April, it is learnt, but additional 26% tariffs are set to be reduced.

Not just AK-203, India & Russia to jointly manufacture AK-19 and PPK-20 for domestic use and export 

India-Russia JV is also racing to deliver 7,000 more AK-203 assault rifles by 15 Aug. These are currently being made with 50% indigenisation and this will surge to 100% by 31 December.

Strategic partner one day, tactical nightmare the next: India’s learning Trumplomacy the hard way

Public, loud, upfront, filled with impropriety and high praise sometimes laced with insults. This is what we call Trumplomacy. But the larger objective is the same: American supremacy.