‘Mirzapur’ holds up a mirror to society—but is violence getting normalized in India?
There is something uncomfortable about watching Mirzapur: The Movie, which arrived in theatres on 4 September to do brisk business. The franchise has travelled a…
AI doomsaying: Why much of what’s being said about AI power is best taken with a pinch of salt
As Beatrice Finn, winner of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, said: “It is not the first time we’ve been confronted with abilities that could end…
Agentic AI can be given access to digital public infrastructure only after they pass a security check
Agentic AI makes things worse. When we spawn agents to perform sub-tasks of an overall goal, as OpenAI did with some 700 of them, we…
Demographic U-turn: Indian states are reversing their population policies—will they succeed?
From the time of Thomas Malthus in the early 19th Century, the world has tried to manage its population demographics to reduce demand on resources.…
Urban heroism: city authorities should take note of public support for officials who do their jobs right
Even more curious is BMC hiring contractual labour in some key departments, such as public health and hospitals. Or, when it cedes space to the…
Trump’s America is making the world look elsewhere
From India’s Russia oil ties to China’s looming tariff threat and Canada’s turn towards Europe, this week offered fresh evidence of countries hedging against an…
The US has lost significant global leverage—here’s how it could begin to regain it
Leverage works best when you don’t use it, but US President Donald Trump seems to have missed that memo. While America’s loss of sway can…
Goa needn't aspire to become the next Bali—but it should do more to live up to its potential
Goa isn’t far behind Bali in its natural appeal as a holiday destination but attracted less than one foreign visitor for every 13 Bali did…
UPI’s ₹16,000 crore MDR windfall could change the economics of digital payments
UPI processed ₹29.8 trillion worth of transaction in August, with merchant (person to merchant or P2M) payments accounting for roughly ₹9 trillion. Annualised, that is…
Voice to capital: What India’s Brics summit leaves behind
India's presidency has helped bring these issues together. The Growth and Development Task Force, work on climate finance and adaptation, the focus on central banks…