Mint Kolkata

SCHIAPARELLI’S LASTING FLAIR

Lounge speaks to Sonnet Stanfill, the curator of a sweeping exhibition at London’s V&A that explores Elsa Schiaparelli’s legacy, tracing her bold designs and enduring influence on fashion through innovation.

Can AI find bugs we can’t? Inside Anthropic’s latest

On Tuesday, Anthropic unveiled Project Glasswing, a group of top global tech firms. It will use AI to spot cybersecurity risks that human engineers find tough. Amid lack of cybersecurity skills and rising cyberattacks, this could be pivotal. Mint...

Why does India’s nuclear reactor milestone matter?

India moved closer to nuclear fuel self-reliance as its prototype fast breeder reactor in Tamil Nadu achieved criticality on 6 April, the stage of sustained nuclear reaction. This could help India achieve its target of 100GW nuclear capacity by 2047....

Now, a new covid strain. Should that worry us?

The covid-19 virus continues to mutate. A new strain, BA.3.2, has now surfaced in many countries. Early reports show high spike-protein mutations that could help it enter human cells. Global experts urge for caution but no panic. Should you be...

No escape from war

Effects of the global disruptions resulting from America and Israel’s war on Iran have started to show on India’s economy. On Monday, the final HSBC India services purchasing managers’ index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, showed a fall to 57.5 in March...

India eyes space surveillance. What could play spoiler?

Amid the raging West Asia war, Indian space firms are seeing keen interest for surveillance services in the region. This signals big potential, but the journey seems complicated, as local and global regulations may pose challenges. spells out the...

JAMES BOND GOES BROWN

The search for the next Bond is good fodder for comedy and in Bait, Riz Ahmed plays an actor auditioning for the role. Highlighting biases, the show asks if 007 is even relevant in a post-Cold War world.

Food delivery in 10 mins: Can Swish crack the code?

Swish, a snack and fresh food delivery platform, raised $38 million recently. Food delivery majors Swiggy and Zomato both scaled back their bets on 10-minute food delivery after struggling to make the economics work. So what is Swish doing differently?...

Why weight loss has set off a drug price war in India

Novo Nordisk slashed prices of Ozempic and Wegovy by up to 48% on Tuesday, after losing patent exclusivity in India. Local copycats are sparking a price war, making semaglutide accessible, yet raising concerns about misuse. Mint decodes the impact on...

Can RBI’s new rules stop digital payment fraud?

From 1 April, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will require all digital payments to be authenticated using at least two independent factors. The move aims to plug gaps in systems that rely on a single layer of verification. Will this help curb digital...

Can the West Asia war destabilize India’s internet?

The war in West Asia has raised concerns about the safety of subsea cables. A large part of India’s data travels through these cables. If hit, the networks can still function, but companies may need to reroute data to alternative routes. Mint finds...

Iran war boosts ethanol pitch. But at what cost?

India’s ethanol makers are pushing for a hike in the fuel blending ratio and a mandate for flex-fuel vehicles following the spike in crude oil prices due to the West Asia war. For petrol, India already has a norm of 20% blending with ethanol made from...

DATING THE LIVING PAST

Riding Mumbai Metro’s Aqua line is a trip through the city’s history, proving that heritage is made meaningful only by its links to today. Yet, policymakers routinely define heritage only by age and not by how people use spaces.

Will US ruling on social media hit Big Tech in India?

A US court has delivered a significant ruling on Big Tech’s design playbook, finding that Meta Platforms and Google built features that foster addiction among young users. With India weighing age-based curbs, the ruling could hasten a broader reset....

AI constitutions: where is India’s seat at the table?

AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic’s ‘do no harm’ pledges are faltering as the West Asia war pulls tools into army use. This gap in corporate ethics and war reality sparks a query: do voluntary rules hold weight, and why is India Inc. avoiding the...

What’s changed in Sebi’s new rules on conflict?

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Monday tightened conflict-of-interest rules, bringing its top leadership under a stricter disclosure and investment regime amid heightened scrutiny of governance standards. Mint explains the new...

Why India stares at an LNG squeeze, and what it can do

India imports 50% of its liquefied natural gas needs from West Asia, mostly from Qatar. With the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Ras Laffan industrial city, much of India’s imports are halted. Mint takes a look at the impact on the...

Can IBM reboot its AI play with Confluent buy?

IBM’s second-largest acquisition ever, the $11 billion buyout of data streaming company Confluent, is seen boosting its AI and hybrid cloud capabilities. It now bets on faster, more reliable data pipelines. But can this help reassert the Big Blue’s AI...

WAR THROUGH WOMEN’S EYES Of Women Born

Nalini Malani’s transforms a warehouse in Venice into an immersive animation chamber, layering myth, memory, and feminist critique through drawings, soundscapes and shifting projections on violence and history.

How long can India hold off a fuel price hike?

Crude oil prices have surged well past $100 a barrel, increasing by about $45 per barrel after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. While several countries have increased prices, India has not. How long can the government avoid an increase?...

What is making Nvidia rework its success strategy?

Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, launched two new chips on Monday. Chief Jensen Huang said it was changing strategy: after three years of training artificial intelligence, its new chips will now be optimized to run AI. Does this make any...

Why Instagram’s end to encryption raises concerns

Meta will discontinue end-to-end encrypted direct messages on Instagram from 8 May, less than three years after its launch. The rollback comes at a time when encrypted messaging is facing growing scrutiny from governments concerned about crime and...

Street storm wreaks havoc on top investor portfolios

The conflict in West Asia is rippling through Dalal Street, triggering a correction in Indian equities and denting the portfolios of several marquee investors from Hemendra Kothari and Madhusudan Kela to Vijay Kedia. A Mint analysis of shareholding...

Investors scramble for cover as Nifty’s 52-week low looms

Investors have ramped up purchases of a hedge to protect their portfolios, fearing that the escalating war in West Asia could sink Nifty 50 to its 52-week low this month, even as analysts expect an odd bounce during the correction. The demand for the...

MEMORY BANK

Why the change of heart in Delhi?

4 A section of policy makers have been advocating against India’s exclusion from the Chinese supply chain, which is not only huge but also cost-effective. India, they said, was the real loser. Chinese FDI will help set up manufacturing units in the...

Young savers drift away as retirees prop up deposits

Indian banks are losing ground among working-age savers, even as retirees return in growing numbers to park money in fixed deposits and savings accounts. Recent data from the Reserve Bank of India shows the share of deposits held by working Indians...

The undesirable climate cost of your AI queries

India has positioned itself as a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) and digital infrastructure. As the country accelerates the expansion of AI-focussed data centres, policymakers and utilities face a key question: Will this strain electricity...

Khamenei dead in US-Israel assault; Iran vows revengeu

Iran launched strikes across the Gulf on Sunday after vowing to avenge slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, defying a threat from President Donald Trump to strike with unprecedented force. As crowds gathered in Tehran, with some grieving and...

GOING SLOW IN MYSURU

NFRA to widen yearly reviews to strengthen audits

India’s National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) will review financial statements of more companies as part of its annual inspection of audit practices this fiscal, according to two persons aware of the matter. The authority will cover financials...

The AI onslaught is on. Are India’s IT giants ready?

On Tuesday, Nasscom projected flat growth for India’s IT sector, a day after Jefferies cut target prices for the country’s Big Four IT firms, reflecting concerns over how the sector is preparing to navigate the onslaught of artificial intelligence. Is...

Govt spending cuts hit GDP in Q3: Poll

India's economy likely grew at 7.4% during October-December, moderating from a six-quarter high of 8.2% in the previous three-month period, due to government spending cuts and weak exports, accordingtoa Mint poll of 18 economists. Festive demand and...

RBI deal protects Clearing Corp from EU interference

India draws up Plan B for oil as Gulf tensions spike

India is exploring contingency plans for crude oil imports as rising tensions in West Asia push global oil prices higher and raise fears of supply disruptions. Oil prices have surged about 7% in the past three sessions following a large US military...

DESI RAP RISING

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?...

NEW THREADS FROM LADAKH

An ongoing exhibition in Delhi spotlights Ladakh’s design evolution, where resident designers are tapping into their roots to re-interpret traditional textiles and embroideries as contemporary wearable art.

2 Is this a novel approach?

This is not the first time that a country has sought to regulate AI content, or deepfakes. In the EU, the EU AI Act as well as the Digital Services Act have mandated how social media intermediaries will need to proactively monitor their platforms, and...

Will the latest round of US-Iran talks succeed?

Iran and the US are sitting down to talk again over Tehran’s nuclear programme. What makes these talks different? Iran is on a much weaker footing than in the past. US President Donald Trump, in contrast, is riding high after the successful Venezuela...

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...

What did the Budget say about artificial intelligence?

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned artificial intelligence in her Budget speech 11 times in total, which was decidedly more than before. Artificial intelligence again was mentioned in connection with the offering of public services,...

End of the inspector raj at our ports

Amid an unravelling of global trade, the Union budget has proposed some welcome steps to ease the pain. As one-off relief for eligible export-oriented manufacturers in special economic zones, for example, it proposes a pathway to let them sell some of...

KUTCH BUILDS ON THE ‘BUNGA’

Twenty-five years after the 2001 earthquake, Kutch has transformed tragedy into a blueprint for resilience, blending the knowledge of ‘bhunga’ mud huts with modern engineering to redefine community led rehabilitation.

How can India fix its soil health?

India is a top global producer of several crops like rice, wheat and fruit and vegetables. But yields widely lag global averages. This is true for crops like cotton, oilseeds as well. One way to raise productivity is by improving soil health. Indian...

Will yields soften?

It’s not typical of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to abruptly change its schedule of open market operations. So when it did so this week, it raised eyebrows. Instead of bond purchases of ₹50,000 crore each on 5 and 12 February, those two bouts of...

What’s India’s position on the BoP?

4 India hasn’t publicly expressed any reservations. But it is wary of the charter that says BoP would look at all conflict regions. Pak presence on the BoP will mean it will try to get global focus on Kashmir. India turned down Trump’s offer of...

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 AMP UP THEIR STYLE

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.

How Trump put Nato on the brink over Greenland

US President Donald Trump’s speech at Davos was meant to be a bellwether for the trans-Atlantic relationship, particularly Nato, with his handling of Greenland closely watched. After the speech, it appears Nato has survived, but barely. Mint examines...

Sebi, Amfi discuss cutting fixed fees

An association of mutual funds has approached the stock market regulator to make a case for lower fixed costs, stating that a structural mismatch in fees erodes profitability, three people aware of the discussions said. The funds are also separately...

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...

What about other key operational metrics?

According to data from the power ministry, the aggregate technical & commercial (AT&C) losses have fallen over the years to 15.04% in FY25 from 17.6% in FY24. AT&C losses are the total gap between electricity supplied by a utility and the revenue...

Budget will unveil blueprint to insulate India from chaos

Atop brokers’ association has urged the capital markets regulator to harmonize market-making rules across equity and commodity derivatives, a proposal that holds the potential to challenge the near-monopoly of the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) in...

Why smartphone firms want to guard their source codes

As India moves to tighten mobile phone security, reports that it may seek forcible access to smartphone makers’ source code for official scrutiny have stirred unease, even as the government has denied proposing any such mandate. Mint decodifies the...

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 are connectivity agreements stuck?

Telcos say they have been quoted “exorbitantly” charges and argue that as licensed spectrum holders they are legally entitled to offer services under right of way rules of the Telecom Act. They have objected to airport and metro authorities appointing...

ARCHIVING FASHION

Filled with chikankari swatches and archival anarkalis, Tarun Tahiliani’s meticulously catalogued archive is a fashion bank powering the past, present and future of his brand, while recording process, change and continuity.

Why Indian firms often challenge drug patents

Natco’s revocation patent suit against Novo Nordisk intensifies the battle between domestic generic giants and global innovators over affordability. As we look ahead at another year of high-stakes battles, Mint unpacks the legal landscape and who wins...