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The FinePrint

Gopikas, ‘healing’ hand pump & Jatav votes — journey through UP villages under Bhole Baba’s ‘spell’

Surajpal Jatav, aka ‘Bhole Baba’, is the self-styled godman whose religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras ended in a stampede claiming 123 lives earlier this month.

Bootleggers, smugglers, and forest rangers—the hidden war in Delhi’s wildlife sanctuaries

Instead of protecting the leopards, hyenas, civets, jackals, nilgai, and other animals, Delhi forest officials are crossing swords with bootleggers. Except, they are doing it with batons and sticks.

UP has the 2nd most women DMs after Tamil Nadu. A surprise ‘pink power’ poster child

UP has 14 women district magistrates, with Bahraich as the jewel in the crown for its all-female administration. Many are driving woman-centric measures, from pink autos to feeding rooms.

How BJP leaders, voters and cadres are all sending SOS messages in their own ways

The BJP leadership would have us believe that the 2024 Lok Sabha election outcome has given them no reason to change their ways and all is well. But results of 13 Assembly bypolls spread over seven states say otherwise.

Goa isn’t just a party capital, it is a start-up hub too. And women are driving it

Goa is among India’s top states for female-led startups, with over a third run by women—well above national average of 18%. Ease of doing business & work-life balance are big draws.

‘Irrational exuberance & fanciful narratives’ — indicators and analysts warn of a stock market bubble

Various indicators point to the Indian stock market being overvalued. Analysts say that a crash following an unforeseen event would be exacerbated because of these excessive valuations.

Gods dressed, snake charmers deployed—Jagannath temple ready for vault opening after 4 decades

The Ratna Bhandar of the Jagannath Puri temple, last opened in 1985, has not been inventoried since 1978. The BJP is fulfilling its poll promise of opening the vault.

Telangana IAS spells Singham-like fear among restaurants—fined Paradise, suspended BigBasket

In 72 days, Karnan inspected 129 restaurants, pubs, and eateries, issuing 90 show cause notices. He’s not afraid of ruffling feathers to restore Hyderabad’s image as a food paradise.

Divine diplomacy—how Jagannath shaped a millennium of Indian politics

The Cholas built massive temples dedicated to Shiva in Tamil Nadu, inspiring other kingdoms. But because they were too expensive to maintain, the Ganga dynasty in Odisha chose to patronise an existing local deity — Jagannath in Puri.

No one treats Rahul as a joke now. When he speaks, BJP is rattled, not laughing

Each day brings some new dismal headlines: a train accident, a collapsing airport, an exam papers scandal. BJP can no longer ask for votes on the basis of governance alone.

On Camera

Can Syria’s tiny Druze minority survive West Asia’s new storms? There’s little hope

Indians see West Asia as one uninterrupted wash of Islam, but the reality is more complex. For the Druze, support from Israel—where they are a recognised minority—is now critical.

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.