Mint Bangalore

KENNEDY

Anurag Kashyap’s 2023 film premiered at Cannes but seemed in danger of not finding any kind of release after that. It’s now streaming on Zee5. Rahul Bhat, working for the third time with the director, plays a cop-turned-hitman. Also starring Sunny...

War clouds slam stocks, Nifty dips most since budget

The military build-up in the Persian Gulf and a muddied US interest rate outlook dealt the biggest blow to Indian markets since the Union budget, with investors losing nearly ₹6.8 trillion on Thursday. The benchmark Nifty plunged 1.4% to close at...

How India’s EV adoption is a tale of multiple hues

More than a decade after India’s National Electric Mobility Mission, segment-wise adoption data reveals uneven progress in electric mobility, as per a recent CII-Kearney report on green mobility. Mint explains what this divergence means for green...

Investment pledges light up India AI Summit on Day 2

Aflurry of investment announcements reframed the India AI Impact Summit 2026 as a high-stakes capital story on Tuesday, a day after a glitchy start to the landmark event. Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Indian private startups are projecting...

Banks’ insurance boost faces RBI reality check

The regulator’s proposed rules to curb mis-selling of third-party products by banks will likely dent their earnings from insurance policy sales, a ₹22,000-25,000 crorea-year business for lenders. On 11 February, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)...

What’s fuelling the hype around India AI summit?

India’s push for global prominence in artificial intelligence begins today. The AI Impact Summit has driven hotel prices higher in New Delhi, and attendance rates for global heads of state match those seen during the 2023 G20 summit. Why such hype?...

THE MUSEUM OF INNOCENCE

A wealthy man (Selahattin Paşalı) falls in love with a shopgirl (Eylül Lize Kandemir) in this Turkish drama series set in 1970s Istanbul. It is adapted from Orhan Pamuk’s Nobel Prize-winning 2008 novel of the same name. (Netflix)

India’s AI rules and the elusive quest for online safety

India notified its artificial intelligence (AI) rules this week, cutting the deadline for taking down sexual content to within two hours of reporting. For other content, the time given is three hours. Can these moves make social media safer for us?...

US softens factsheet tone on digital, agri, imports

The White House has revised its factsheet on the newly announced India–US trade framework within 24 hours of its release, removing or softening several key references related to agricultural access, digital taxation and large-scale US exports. The...

In vroom mode

Vehicle sales in January should put smiles on many faces. Overall retail sales, according to data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations on Tuesday, grew about 18% from a year earlier to 2.72 million. Not only is the number...

Vinci nears $2 bn Macquarie deal in India return

Vinci SA of France is nearing a $2 billion deal to acquire the Indian road assets of Australia’s Macquarie Group, two people aware of the matter said, as the Paris-based concessions and construction company prepares to return to the country after 11...

US tariff cuts set to double exports in 4–5 years

With US tariffs sharply reduced and policy uncertainty easing, Indian exporters are gearing up to resume exports at the revised duty rates. Industry executives say the move could double India’s exports to the US over the next four to five...

DRESS UP FOR THE GALLERY

When the art fair comes to the Capital, so does fashion. Lounge puts together a guide for those who want to wear their art on their sleeve with prints, colour, scarves, jewellery stacks, statement pieces, and more.

Why did Claude Cowork’s tools hit the IT sector?

On 30 January, Anthropic launched 11 plugins to its Gen AI platform, Claude Cowork. While Claude isn’t the first software to have done all this, it still sent the entire world of software into meltdown. Why did Claude make such a massive splash? Mint...

Cognizant’s stellar show is IT Inc.’s best of the year

Bolstered by large deal wins, improving execution and margin expansion, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. ended 2025 with its fastest revenue growth in four years, beating analyst estimates and projecting steady growth for the ongoing year despite...

What Bharat wants from the budget on 1 Feb

Indian agriculture has shown remarkable resilience amid growing climate risks. The sector, which employs about 46% of the workforce, has seen overall production rise but also a sharp fall in crop prices. Mint explores five areas for the budget to...

136.5

When can the India-EU FTA become effective? Though the negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA) were successfully completed on 21 January 2026, the pact is not legally binding yet. At the EU’s end, the deal will first undergo a legal vetting....

Will India join Donald Trump’s board of peace?

Last week, Trump launched the board of peace (BoP) to oversee interim governance and rebuilding of Gaza. European nations like the UK and France declined to join. India says it’s still examining the offer. Mint looks at why countries are hesitating and...

Fed under pressure

US President Donald Trump’s open attempts at glaring the Federal Reserve down into rate cuts notwithstanding, it looks unlikely that America’s central bank will oblige as its two-day monetary policy review begins on Tuesday. Inflation is still above...

Reflective republic

This Republic Day, we should reflect on India’s embrace of the world. Amid all the convulsions of globalization, we have cause for optimism over India’s trade prospects. A deal with the EU looks imminent, while the US has signalled it may not just...

Musicians match their style to beat the

From stage to street, Indian musicians are turning up the volume on style. As concert culture booms, fashion is no longer an afterthought—it is a crucial part of an artist’s identity, persona and performance.

What is Trump’s gripe with Nato?

4 Why does Greenland matter for Nato? At Davos, Trump clarified he would not annex Greenland by force and avoided referring to the 10% punitive levies he had threatened on countries defending the island. Yet his warning was unmistakable: “You can say...

Tiger verdict cloud over M&A tax cover

Insurers may not readily offer tax liability insurance for merger and acquisition (M&A) deals and will subject them to stricter scrutiny given the risks of retrospective taxes, consulting and law firms cautioned, days after the Supreme Court ruled that...

Glide path for new job scheme likely

Even as a two-decade-old welfare employment scheme is set to be replaced by a new one, the upcoming Union budget may carve out separate allocations for both schemes to ensure there are no gaps in jobs during the transition period, according to the...

Discoms swing to profit. Why there is more to worry

1 What is the current condition of discoms? After over 10 years of losses, discoms reported a cumulative net profit of ₹2,701 crore for FY25 compared with losses of ₹25,553 crore in FY24, shows power ministry data. The sector, however, continues to be...

Solar sector woes rise as module prices warm up

Aspike in prices of solar modules is expected to raise costs and tariffs for projects under construction, even as multiple solar ventures languish for want of power purchase contracts. Solar module prices have surged by roughly a third since late...

YOUR FAVOURITE WEEKEND READ NOW THROUGH THE WEEK

TRAVEL Chasing northern lights in Yukon The winter light falls differently in Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon, soft and gentle, exuding a warmth that has nothing to do with temperature. Despite a thick blanket of snow all around, the low angle of the...

Why has this issue come up now?

The issue sits within India’s expanding telecom and device security framework. The Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements, or ITSAR, which apply to network equipment, are being extended to smartphones, which the government increasingly sees as...

Google blasts past $4 tn: How is it beating rivals?

On Monday, Alphabet became the fourth company to reach a $4 tn market cap after a deal with Apple to power Siri. Last week, Google’s parent also overtook Apple as the world’s second-largest firm. Its surge comes despite warnings of an AI crash. Mint...

Why Mumbai’s new airport is signal-starved

Step into the new Navi Mumbai airport or ride the Aqua Line and it’s all world-class until your phone drops to zero bars. This is no glitch but a commercial standoff between infrastructure owners and telecom operators. Mint explains what’s going on and...

HOW WE’LL TRAVEL IN 2026

Mid-sized startups ditch unicorn chase to go public

Agrowing cohort of mid-sized companies is considering a much earlier entry into public markets, unlike the post-pandemic boom of 2021 when Indian startups stayed private as long as possible in pursuit of unicorn valuations. This shift reflects a...

M&M, Tata emulate Chinese pace to win

To win market share from rivals in the domestic market, homegrown carmakers Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have borrowed from the Chinese playbook: churn out new models at an accelerated pace. Indian carmakers have reached parity with European,...

Why Elon Musk’s Grok made the IT ministry fret Views | Gig work: This model is fine but must pay more

Ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity) ordered Elon Musk’s X to remove sexually explicit Grok-generated AI images in 72 hours, mentioning regulatory tension on AI safety, public safety, and platform accountability. Here’s what...

STORIED OBJECTS

TWO SHORT STORIES BY SUJIT SARAF AND KAVERY NAMBISAN THAT CELEBRATE MODERN INDIA IN EVERYDAY OBJECTS

Will India sustain its world-beating growth in 2026?

In 2025, India’s economic growth stayed strong and inflation low amid geopolitical tensions and trade headwinds. The government also unveiled reforms and targeted stimulus, including tax cuts. Mint examines how the economy fared, and what lies ahead in...

Will next year be a turning point for AI in India?

In 2025, a dozen government-backed startups began building foundational artificial intelligence models, with one raising more than $100 million in funding. Data centres saw a massive boom as Big Tech swooped in. Mint examines what lies ahead for AI in...

Budget may pitch ₹25,000 cr infra risk guarantee fund

The Centre is working on a ₹25,000-crore safety net for infrastructure projects to ease financing bottlenecks and revive stalled projects, two people familiar with the plans said. The fund, proposed on the lines of credit guarantee schemes for small...

Why are countries offering visas to digital nomads?

Last week, Bulgaria joined a growing list of nations offering digital nomad residence permits, underscoring how remote work is being integrated into immigration policy. The pandemic-era experiment has gone mainstream. Mint breaks down how it...

The year gone by

A year-end issue is all about looking back, and while most of us want to move ahead, it is often reflection that helps us make better choices. To look back is to notice the high notes, the signposts and the milestones that marked turning points even as...

What airline NOCs signal for Indian aviation

Civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu tweeted that three proposed airlines—Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress— have received no-objection certificates (NOCs). Mint explains what the government’s NOC actually signifies. Is this the end...

Centre mulls plan to energize India’s wind power engine

The Union government is working on a blueprint to revive the once-buoyant wind power sector by addressing key concerns, including land acquisition hurdles and lack of grid connectivity, said three people with knowledge of the development. The Centre...

Decoding asset tokenization and why it matters

Asset tokenization has come under policy spotlight after lawmaker Raghav Chadha last week called for a dedicated law to govern it. As global markets experiment with putting assets such as stocks, gold and real estate on blockchains, Mint explains how...

Why India’s trade deal with Oman is significant

The bilateral trade between the two nations is just $10 billion. Yet, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that India signed with Oman last week during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Gulf nation is important. Why is it...

THE SPORTING HIGHS OF 2025

At the end of it all they stood huddled together. Laughing and crying and hugging and reassuring each other, holding the trophy, kissing it, passing it along. Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra. Three...

Rupee at record lows: What could arrest the slide?

The Indian rupee continued to languish near record lows against the US dollar on Wednesday, touching an intraday low of 91.06, before recovering after a likely Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervention that helped it to close at 90.37. It has lost over...

How India aims to rewrite rules for higher education

The Centre is preparing a sweeping reset of India’s higher education regulatory structure through the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, which aims to replace the current regulator-centric model. As a parliamentary panel vets the bill, Mint...

Will water, power trip data centre growth in India?

In 2025, up to $70 billion has been pledged to develop 6 gigawatts (GW) of data centre capacity in India. While this could power India’s AI ambitions, experts warn that limited freshwater supplies and the need for uninterrupted energy may hurt the...

GST cuts spark SUV sales boom, small cars struggle

Is it karma? Coincidence? Either way, the ghost of the dot-com bubble is back 25 years later. Shares in Cisco Systems , the dot-com-era champion that became the world’s most valuable company at its peak in March 2000, this week reached that level...

ON A LUCKNOW FOOD TRAIL

Doodh ki barfi, rabri, malai ki gilori, kulfi, malai makkhan —each sweet is

Mexican tariff wave set to hit $2 bn India auto exports

India Inc. faces another external shock to its automotive export engine, with Mexico imposing steep tariffs of up to 50% on passenger vehicles, two-wheelers and auto components from several Asian nations, including India. The move directly threatens...

Dirty air trick: How farmers outsmart vigil

Farmers in Punjab and Haryana are burning paddy stubble late in the day after monitoring satellites pass over, says a study by the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iForest), released on 8 December. Mint brings the...

Govt asks IndiGo to slash flights by 10%

In a rare intervention, India’s civil aviation regulator and the aviation ministry have moved to rein in IndiGo after a week-long operational meltdown that disrupted travel for thousands of passengers. On Tuesday, the directorate general of civil...

IndiGo crisis: Government vows tough action

The Union government on Monday vowed stringent action against India's largest airline IndiGo, after mass flight cancellations over the past week stranded travellers across the country. However, while the Centre claimed IndiGo had never raised any...

Capex to get more IPO cash, but firms keep powder dry

Behind the blockbuster exits by early investors and promoters this year, a quiet trend is emerging in initial public offerings: Nearly 20% of the money raised from fresh issuances in 2025 was earmarked for new projects, plant, and machinery, up...

When cities lend themselves to art

With the cohort of writers, thinkers and artists being more or less the same at the many art and literature events across India, location becomes all the more important and the real differentiator. Last weekend, Kochi’s Subhash Park, with its view of...

IndiGo cancellations spark airport chaos

IndiGo has admitted to the aviation regulator that it “misjudged” the operational impact of India’s new flight duty time limitations (FDTL) norms, after close to 200 of its flights were cancelled daily over the past few days due to acute pilot and crew...

Sanchar Saathi: The flip-flop over a tracking app

India’s communications ministry on Wednesday rolled back its move to make Sanchar Saathi, a lost phone tracking app, mandatory for all mobile devices. The move came after pushback over concerns of surveillance even as the government said it will curb...

PSU banks flag deposit rate woes on policy eve

State-owned lenders have alerted the banking regulator that their inability to cut deposit rates as fast as loan rates is taking a toll on interest margins, three people familiar with the development said. Since many floating-interest rate loans are...

Govt’s smartphone app push may trigger pushback

Apush by the Centre to curb phone-based scams by mandating a government app on every smartphone in circulation is likely to be opposed by the world’s largest handset makers—including Apple, Google, Samsung—and even industry bodies, according to...

Is Big Tech’s AGI fixation inflating the AI bubble?

Big Tech is pouring billions into artificial intelligence (AI) in the belief that some form of artificial general intelligence (AGI) or artificial superintelligence (ASI) could emerge by the end of the decade. But critics warn this may be further...

THE DHARAMS WE LOVE

He was the first person to give me an autograph. I was eight. I had handed Dharmendra a notebook with a novelty cover that made it look like a sandwich, and in his massive hand, this looked like a crouton. He smiled as he signed it, and I stared. This...

Why Apple is fighting the fines India’s imposing

Apple has challenged a 2023 amendment to the Competition Act in Delhi High Court. This law allows the competition regulator to impose fines based on a firm’s global turnover, and may lead to a $38 billion fine for Apple. The case is a test for...

Market nears peak on dollar tailwind

Markets rallied towards their lifetime highs on Wednesday, taking cues from global markets that surged on a weaker dollar and hopes of a US rate cut. However, signals from the derivatives market indicate a lack of conviction, as traders eye the US...

Sterling Biotech: Can SC ruling aid other fugitives?

The Supreme Court’s decision to close all cases against the Sandesara brothers of Sterling Biotech Ltd, after they agreed to pay ₹5,100 crore, triggered a debate on whether other fugitives could use this ruling. Mint looks at whether Vijay Mallya and...

Diwali is past but shopping season is roaring ahead

India’s consumption engine appears to be humming well past the Diwali rush, with digital payments showing none of the usual post-festival fatigue. Daily spends through Unified Payments Interface (UPI), cards and wallets in November have edged above...

How new labour codes impact your gratuity, PF

The new labour codes have overhauled how wages, gratuity, provident fund (PF), pension and other social security benefits are calculated. These changes impact employees and employers alike. Mint explains who benefits and what happens to take-home...

Major tariff cut for India, says Trump, as trade deal nears

US president Donald Trump said tariffs on India will be lowered “very substantially”, signalling an easing of tensions over New Delhi's Russian oil purchases as the two countries near a trade deal. Mint first reported on 22 September that US tariffs...

As rivals rise, Hyundai India eyes homegrown play

Korea's Hyundai Motor that made an aggressive India bet late last century is looking to reinvent itself as a homegrown carmaker, at a time when its coveted market position is under challenge from fierce local rivals. Hyundai Motor India Ltd won early...

READY TO RALLY

Close on the heels of the Indian women’s cricket team’s watershed World Cup triumph, the Indian women’s tennis team is chasing a defining moment of its own. On 14 November, India begins its quest for a place in the qualifiers of the Billie Jean King...

Tata Electronics beats Titan’s revenue; Tata Sons bets big

Tata Sons Ltd has ploughed over a billion dollars into its iPhone assembly business since inception, helping it cross watch-and-jewellery brand Titan Ltd in revenue in just four years. The Tata Group holding company last month invested ₹1,499 crore in...