ThePrint

The Economic Survey was tabled in Parliament today, January 29. It is the government’s most comprehensive report card on the Indian economy and it also sets the intellectual framework for the Union Budget. Bidisha Bhattacharya explains ten key takeaways from the survey.

The Supreme Court on Thursday put on hold the controversial 2026 UGC anti-discrimination rules, observing that their vague language could have sweeping consequences and may divide society. As student protests erupt across campuses, the top court questioned the constitutionality of the new regulations, flagged the exclusion of ragging, and warned of possible misuse. The bench clarified that the 2012 Regulations will remain in force so that students are not left remediless. Ruchi Bhattar explains in this #InstantAnalysis----more----Read full article here: https://theprint.in/judiciary/new-ugc-rules-on-hold-why-supreme-court-believes-they-are-regressive-can-deepen-caste-divisions/2839882/

ThePrintAm: Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash: What next for NCP?

Keir Starmer has landed in Beijing for a 3-day China visit. It is the first visit to China by a UK PM since 2018. This comes days after Canadian PM Mark Carney & French President Macron’s visit to China. #CutTheClutter Episode 1788 looks at the reset in trade & ties between China & the West. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also looks at how Trump is making China acceptable to US’ Western allies.

A news story about two Indian PhD students in the US receiving a $200,000 settlement over a racist remark about the “smell” of palak paneer quickly took over social media. This is a case of conflict within a multicultural society. The question is, how can minority practices that offend majority sensibility coexist in the same place and be reconciled? Watch this week's column for ThePrint by Amana Begam Ansari.----more----Read full article here: https://theprint.in/opinion/palak-paneer-prejudice-food-racism-indians-abroad/2834718/

India unveiled its first Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LR-AShM) during the 77th Republic Day parade this week. #CutTheClutter Episode 1787 looks at the long-range hypersonic missile & what makes it a formidable challenge for India's adversaries. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains why this is a big step in modern warfare, and how it sends a message to Pakistan.----more----Read Snehesh Alex Philip's article here: https://theprint.in/defence/india-test-fires-its-maiden-long-range-hypersonic-missile-that-can-carry-various-payloads/2360229/

ThePrint’s Khadija Khan dissects the Madras HC division bench's ruling which set aside the judge's decision clearing the release of the Vijay-starrer that took 500-crore rupees to make and was also widely publicised as his last film before he enters politics. In this video, we examine what the entire controversy surrounding the film is about, how the case unfolded before the Madras HC and what this means for the status of the film’s release

https://theprint.in/politics/armed-with-an-advani-throwback-congress-slams-modi-govt-over-rahul-kharge-seating-at-r-day-parade/2837058/

#cuttheclutter China’s top military general Zhang Youxia, who was the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission has been put under probe. He has been accused of ‘grave violations of discipline & law’. As per Wall Street Journal report, General Zhang is accused of sharing nuclear secrets with US. In #CutTheClutter Ep 1786, ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta explains what Xi’s military purge actually means, what next for China’s Central Military Commission & for the country’s ambitions.

Actor alleges elderly guests made obscene gestures, threw roses despite protests during stage performance at a wedding; Karnal SP says no complaint received yet----more----https://theprint.in/india/i-can-only-imagine-what-new-girls-face-actor-mouni-roy-alleges-misconduct-at-karnal-wedding/2836651/

13 Padma awards went to Tamil Nadu followed by Bengal, 11, Kerala, 8, & Assam, 5. All these states are headed to polls & so is Puducherry which had one personality in the list.----more----https://theprint.in/politics/political-messaging-in-padma-awards-poll-bound-kerala-bengal-figure-high-in-cross-party-outreach/2836514/

Ops Sindoor was a conflict that saw use of long range vectors, both air to air and air to ground along with massive use of drones, loitering munitions and air defence in play. ThePrint’s Editor - Defence and Diplomacy Snehesh Alex Philip tells us more about a report on Ops Sindoor by Swiss military think tank Centre for Military History and Perspective Studies in #DefenceScope

Trump sees any rules-based multilateralism as undermining American power and will no longer negotiate with or in a group. The middle power phenomenon is here to stay with truth in America lost. With Germany, France, Japan, Canada, and much of Europe exploring this new world, is this time for a new NAM? Watch this week’s #NationalInterest with Shekhar Gupta.

With several corporations throwing up fractured mandates & an intense tug-of-war for power, especially among Mahayuti allies, hectic parleys are on to stake claim to urban local bodies.----more----https://theprint.in/politics/unreachable-corporators-unusual-alliances-how-parties-are-scrambling-to-control-urban-maharashtra/2834261/

State IT Minister Nara Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh was studying Australia’s recent under-16 social media ban and examining the need for strong legal safeguards.----more----https://theprint.in/india/as-andhra-considers-australia-like-social-media-ban-for-kids-parents-experts-warn-against-rushed-law/2834423/

Nitin Nabin’s appointment shows that BJP is like other political parties, where party elites decide the head of the party organisation by strictly controlling the election process.----more----https://theprint.in/opinion/nitin-nabin-appointment-bjp-president-selection-not-election/2833524/

Mahayuti govt wants to build memorial at Burari where Maratha general Dattaji Shinde died fighting ahead of 3rd battle of Panipat.----more----https://theprint.in/politics/maharashtra-plans-a-maratha-memorial-in-delhi-to-highlight-states-sacrifice-for-national-security/2832657/

In spite of being reduced from 104 to 66 assembly seats in 2023, it has a good track record in Bengaluru as seen in its vote share. Plus, all four parliamentary seats are with BJP.----more----https://theprint.in/politics/bmc-in-its-grip-why-bjp-is-now-betting-big-on-bengaluru-civic-polls/2833035/

The recent failure of ISRO's PSLV-C62 mission has highlighted the need for space insurance among Indian startups. However, the market remains marred by high premiums and limited options. For a country like India, with a weaker currency and a relatively smaller space footprint, insuring space assets often feels financially unrealistic. Link to the story: https://theprint.in/science/space-insurance-indian-startups-pslv-failure/2833203/

ThePrintAM: WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF TRUMP's DAVOS SPEECH?

Majority of Bengal Congress's office-bearers are opposed to tie-up with TMC & in favour of discontinuing decade-old electoral alliance with Left Front, it is learnt.

The Union Budget can signal this transition by allocating fewer resources to surplus management and more toward enabling diversification, while acknowledging that short-term price controls can undermine long-term capacity. The economic principle is evident: unstable incentives foster dependence. Import dependence is not an inevitability; it is a matter of policy and policy can be rewritten. Watch the latest column by Bidisha Bhattacharya, Associate Fellow, Chintan Research Foundation. #theprinteconomix --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read latest column here: https://theprint.in/opinion/economix/india-import-dependency-budget-2026/2831412/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apply here for ThePrint School of Journalism : https://tinyurl.com/48hdbx9d

ThePrinAM: What are ED's fresh allegations against Tamil Nadu Minister K.N.Nehru?

Viral videos purportedly show 1993-batch DGP-rank IPS officer K. Ramachandra Rao misbehaving with multiple women in office, while in uniform.

Viral videos purportedly show 1993-batch DGP-rank IPS officer K. Ramachandra Rao misbehaving with multiple women in office, while in uniform.

The Bureau of Indian Standards has introduced a new rulebook that changes how diamonds can legally be described and it directly affects what consumers see, read, and buy. From now on, if a product says 'diamond', it means a natural diamond. If it’s lab-grown, it must say so clearly, fully, and without marketing spin. For India’s jewellery market, it marks a major step toward transparency. Samah Qundeel explains.

Newly elected BJP president Nitin Nabin is a Madhuri Dixit fan. He should, however, listen Shah Rukh Khan playing Raj in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, ThePrint Political Editor DK Singh elaborates in this episode of #PoliticallyCorrect

ThePrintAM: What are the takeaways from PM Modi-UAE President meet?

https://theprint.in/politics/resort-politics-reloaded-shinde-likely-to-drive-hard-bargain-to-share-power-with-bjp-post-civic-polls/2830183/

‘We must deny Pakistan an undeserved place in our politics, and in our minds. Pakistan not only has zero chance of catching up with India in most areas, but will inevitably see the gap rising. Its leaders will offer its people the same snake oil in different bottles’— Watch this week’s #NationalInterest with Shekhar Gupta:----more----Read this week's National Interest here: https://theprint.in/national-interest/pakistan-se-azadi-grow-up-stop-giving-it-prime-real-estate-in-our-psyche/2829390/

The Left has lost power in India over the 100 years since the Communist Party of India (CPI) was founded in 1925 in Kanpur. #CutTheClutter Episode 1785 looks at the decline & self-destruction of India's Left - how it ruled West Bengal & Tripura for over 30 years to now being wiped out. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains how the Left's economic ideology still rules India.----more----Watch 2024 Punjab Writings on the Wall here: https://youtu.be/ZL0g2IBXjl0

New Delhi should realise that an unstable Iran, or a pro-American regime in Tehran, is not in India’s interest.

The European Union is India’s single-largest trading partner when exports and imports with all 27 member-states are calculated. The deal has been almost two decades in the making.

Supreme Court bench issues guidelines to tighten higher education institutions' response to student suicides, invoking its power to do absolute justice.

The Supreme Court has ruled that capital gains from Tiger Global’s 2018 exit from Flipkart are taxable in India, even though the investment was routed through Mauritius and backed by a tax treaty. In this video, ThePrint explains why the court held that the offshore structure lacked real commercial substance, how India’s General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) overrides treaty protection, and what this means for foreign investors, private equity funds, and cross-border M&A deals.

Advocate Poulomi Pavini Shukla told the Supreme Court that homeless children would be ‘orphaned twice’ if stray dogs were removed. She says the case should not be framed as ‘dogs vs children’. https://theprint.in/feature/lawyer-who-fights-for-orphans-rights-enters-sc-fray-for-stray-dogs-last-line-of-defence/2827294/

https://theprint.in/politics/why-marker-pens-in-bmc-polls-voters-opposition-complain-indelible-ink-getting-erased-cm-responds/2827604/

After multiple threats of a possible intervention amid protests in Iran, Trump today said Iran ‘has not plan’ for executions. His statement came, as US’ gulf rivals reportedly convinced the US President to avoid any military action in Iran. #CutTheClutter Episode 1784 looks at the change in stand of Iran’s enemies, or the Gulf countries & reasons behind it. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains how Gulf countries have acted in self-interest over the years, and have been against any country securing regional dominance. He also talks about the complexities of Arab world.----more----Read Snehesh Alex Philip's article here: https://theprint.in/defence/the-curious-case-of-pakistans-jf-17-orders/2827270/

US President Donald Trump on Monday announced on Truth Social a 25 per cent tariff on Iran’s trading partners. In Chinese analyses, the move is viewed as exploiting Iran’s widening domestic unrest, marked by protests across more than half the country amid soaring inflation and a collapsing currency, and as a form of economic coercion infused with political signalling. The views of analysts reflect a wider Chinese tendency to emphasise regime resilience and caution against overstating the impact of what they are calling as ‘street mobilisation’. Watch #ThePrint #EyeOnChina with Sana Hashmi:

https://theprint.in/politics/dmks-maran-in-soup-for-saying-north-indian-women-told-dont-work-be-in-kitchen-bear-children/2826755/

The high-stakes Maharashtra civic polls will be held on 15 January. 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai (BMC), Thane, Nashik, Pune, Nagpur will go to polls. #CutTheClutter episode 1783 looks at the significance, key players & politics of these elections where alliance equations have changed- allies are competing and rivals have united. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also highlights India's urban governance problems and the 4 'brand destroyers' of India. Deputy Editor Manasi Phadke joins in, from Mumbai.----more----Raed.Shekhar Gupta's Writings On The Wall here: https://theprint.in/sg-writings-on-the-wall/writings-on-the-wall-navi-calcutta/543997/

In a city without elected corporators since 2022, all competing parties have attempted to solidify their core bases through their manifestos, with infra promises & unmistakable signals.

Aheda Khatun is currently in Bangladesh. She is among those whom the authorities have termed 'foreigner' & deported. She is now challenging the claim before the top court.