CATEGORIES

Pains and gains: The year in south Indian cinema

Big-budget films from the south often disappointed in 2024. But there was progress on other fronts, with filmmakers looking for new settings and embracing mid-budget titles

Adding new chapters to the India fashion story

This was the year of too many fashion trends but none shining brightest. If \"brat summer\" and \"very mindful, very demure\" crowded our social media feeds spring-summer; in fall-autumn, leopard-core and animal prints were everywhere from high-end to fast fashion stores. In between, many lapped up the \"minimal bride\" look inspired by celebrities who wore pastel-coloured ensembles on their wedding day. One thing was clear though: it was the year Indian fashion spoke loud.

Drama and stories to fire up food in 2025

Chefs have emerged as the face of dining out with a focus on local ingredients, a trend that is likely to continue next year

A pocket-sized trend report

In 2025, bartenders will seek to create unique cocktails to fit India's food habits and heritage

Invest in enriching tools for children to manage money

Simplifying money matters can be daunting, but there are workshops and books to help kids save for a rainy day

Perfect gifts come from the most unlikely pincodes

This is not a gift guide. Though I love them and would find life very hard without them. If anything, this is a gift post-mortem—an examination of the corpse of our gifting good intentions.

The best sports books give a peek into the unknown

Menthol pain spray.\" If you want to know the smell of wrestling, this is it. If you'd like to know this sport's sly cruelties, then it includes a thumb from a rival stuck into her cheek \"like a fish hook\". If you wish to understand how effort empties athletes, then Sakshi Malik, the Rio bronze medallist, will paint that scene, too. She's just qualified for the Olympics and is retching violently into a dustbin. Nothing emerges. \"My throat felt like it was peeling from the inside out.\" This is the poetry of pain.

2024's Most Unconventional & Brilliant Albums

From moody indie-rock to industrial noise, these albums are a snapshot of the expansive geography of pop music

KKR to lead Leap India's 535 crore funding

Leap India Pvt. Ltd, a storage and supply chain services provider that is majority-owned by private equity firm KKR, is raising ₹535 crore (around $62.7 million) in its latest funding round led by KKR, along with participation from Sixth Sense, First Bridge India, Madhurima International and Niveshaay Sambhav Fund, as well as a few angel investors.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE NEW GREEN ECONOMY: BIG QUESTIONS FOR $25

India must navigate China's monopoly in the global supply chain of green goods

Microsoft is forcing its AI assistant on people-and making them pay

Microsoft is trying a new approach to excitement for its artificial intelligence assistant Copilot: Give it to customers whether they want it or not.

Do fashion collabs give both brands an edge?

As international luxury brands look to connect with Indian buyers, collaborations with Indian designers have increased

Purists Don't Want Bakers to 'Mess' With the Mince Pie

Some Brits believe jazzing up the festive treat, made of dried fruit and pastry, takes away its nostalgic value

How will US federal workers react to the wrath of DOGE?

They face hard choices. The US should heed past advice on reforms

Medium-to-long term priorities that the budget should address

Let's promote job generation in labour-intensive sectors, augment fresh-water supply and invest in cutting-edge technologies

Spare a thought for over-stressed Indian bureaucrats

The life of an Indian bureaucrat is a paradox of power and vulnerability.

A Manufacturing Sector Revival Is a Must to Uplift Our Economy

India requires structural changes that go beyond cosmetic policy tweaks to address the real issues

Watch 'Industry': Delve into imaginary trading

This serial does what the film 'Wall Street' did. It reveals how grubby investment banking can be. But it also shows the power of money to bury hatchets and forge unlikely alliances

Let rupee-backed stablecoins complement RBI's CBDC

The past decade has witnessed the astronomical rise of crypto assets around the world.

CFA or CFP: What's right for your financial career goal?

CFA focuses on financial analysis and management of investments; CFP specializes in personal finance, wealth planning

Bridging the Insurance Gap for India's Self-Employed with Tech Solutions

Self-employed people struggle to access term insurance and other financial protections

SIMHAVALOKANA 2024: WHAT MR. MARKET TAUGHT

Step into the shoes of an investor to understand the thrills (and surprises) a roaring bull market churns out

Hospital room rent caps: How dual policies can affect claims?

My corporate insurance policy includes a room rent cap for hospital stays, while my individual insurance policy does not. Will staying in a higher-category room affect my claim? —Name withheld on request

Haier to cross $1 bn in revenue in 2024

Haier Appliances India is set to cross the milestone of having a billion dollar revenue in 2024, helped by strong summers, festive season and ongoing trend of premiumization, and expects ₹11,500 crore revenue in 2025, its president NS Satish said on Thursday.

Russia Rejects US' Truce Call in Ukraine

Russia rebuffed incoming US President Donald Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, while saying it's ready to hold negotiations on a long-lasting peace agreement to end the war.

Top 7 cities' housing sales fall 4% in 2024

Housing sales are estimated to fall 4% this year in seven major cities to nearly 460,000 units on lower launches, while sales in value terms are up 16% to ₹5.68 lakh crore, according to Anarock.

Women voters outnumber men again in Lok Sabha polls: EC

As many as 646.4 million voters exercised their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year with women voters outnumbering men, according to statistical data released by the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday.

China Plans World's Largest Dam in Tibet

China has approved the construction of what will be the world's largest hydropower dam, kicking off an ambitious project on the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau that could affect millions downstream in India and Bangladesh.

CCPA Fines 3 UPSC Coaching Centres

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed penalties totalling ₹15 lakh on three coaching institutes for making misleading advertisements about their success rates in civil services examinations, the government said on Thursday.

Trade, service sector leaders meet FM, plead for tax cuts

The discussions come at a time when the economy is grappling with slowing growth