Mint Primer

Mint - HT Smartcast

In this podcast adaptation of the renowned Mint Primer, host Rohan delivers concise, digestible Q&A sessions on headline stories. Every morning, gain valuable insights into major, intricate narratives for a comprehensive understanding. Dive deeper into Primer's breaking news, opinions, special reports, and more. This is a Mint production, brought to you by HT Smartcast. read less

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How safe is the food on your child’s plate?

How safe is the food on your child’s plate?

Prominent brands are under the scanner for selling sugary infant food, chicken fed with antibiotics, and spices peppered with cancer-causing chemicals. Naturally, experts are concerned about lax regulations.

Episodes

How safe is the food on your child’s plate?

How safe is the food on your child’s plate?

Prominent brands are under the scanner for selling sugary infant food, chicken fed with antibiotics, and spices peppered with cancer-causing chemicals. Naturally, experts are concerned about lax regulations.

Honey I shrunk AI: the latest in tech takeover

Honey I shrunk AI: the latest in tech takeover

This month, Meta unveiled its new AI model, Llama-3, and Microsoft introduced Phi-3. The base version of each is tiny in comparison to large language models (LLMs). Turns out, shrinking AI models is what Big Tech is doing to reach every user in the world.

Decoding India’s soaring demand for air travel

Decoding India’s soaring demand for air travel

On 21 April, 470,751 passengers flew, setting a record for Indian air traffic by beating the previous record registered a year ago. Record demand this summer has implications for both aviation companies and passengers.

What the US Fed’s hawkish turn means for India

What the US Fed’s hawkish turn means for India

The US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) chairman Jerome Powell last week said that he will wait longer before cutting interest rates as inflation in the US remains sticky. This has rattled the markets.

Are the good times returning for IT services?

Are the good times returning for IT services?

If recent deal wins by top-tier players are anything to go by, IT services companies are in for better times ahead. Gartner’s forecast of growth in global tech demand with ‘gold rush’ spending on AI, only adds to the optimism.

Met’s ‘good rains’ forecast: There’s a hidden warning

Met’s ‘good rains’ forecast: There’s a hidden warning

The met department’s forecast of above-normal rains is a breather for India’s sluggish farm economy and tepid rural consumption. But high chances of excess rains and the havoc they can wreak are an early warning for governments to stay alert and prepared.

How the rupee plunge impacts the economy

How the rupee plunge impacts the economy

The rupee has fallen to a new low of 83.5 against the dollar. This has wide ramifications, making exports lucrative but imports expensive. We look at why the domestic currency is falling, how it impacts everybody and what the RBI can do about it.

Decoding RBI’s alert on illegal forex platforms

Decoding RBI’s alert on illegal forex platforms

Shaktikanta Das, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has raised concerns over unauthorized forex trading platforms and asked banks to remain alert. What explains this warning? And what’s been the experience with regulatory actions so far?

Why PE funds are investing less in real estate

Why PE funds are investing less in real estate

Private equity (PE) investments in India’s real estate have been falling over the past five years, despite a residential boom and recovery in the commercial office segment. While the number of deals has remained constant, the average deal size has shrunk.

West Asia flares up again: what it means for India

West Asia flares up again: what it means for India

Iran has attacked Israel directly after Israel bombed its consulate in Damascus, Syria, sending tensions in West Asia zooming once again. As the world waits nervously for Tel Aviv’s response, let us look at the implications for the rest of the world, including India.

US AI bill: boon or bane for our innovation?

US AI bill: boon or bane for our innovation?

US Congressman Adam Schiff has tabled a bill proposing tech firms training AI models disclose use of any copyrighted data. It follows criticism by creators on unfair use of their work by tech firms raking in billions. What does this mean for global innovation?

Are India and the Maldives burying the hatchet?

Are India and the Maldives burying the hatchet?

India and the Maldives may be moving to stabilise their bilateral ties after tensions. Since President Mohamed Muizzu took office last year, the removal of Indian troops from the Maldives has complicated diplomatic relations. But bilateral ties may be settling down.

Will domestic petrol prices go up pre-polls?

Will domestic petrol prices go up pre-polls?

Fresh geopolitical uncertainty has pushed global crude prices above $90 per barrel. How does it impact India’s oil marketing companies? Will they be forced to increase prices in the election season?

Can breaking up Big Tech really help businesses?

Can breaking up Big Tech really help businesses?

Microsoft is unbundling its video conferencing platform Teams from the Office suite after a European probe into anti-competitive practices. Bundling of apps is under regulatory scrutiny everywhere. But breaking up Big Tech might not be the magic bullet.

Why expat CEOs don’t click at Indian IT firms

Why expat CEOs don’t click at Indian IT firms

Thierry Delaporte’s exit as Wipro’s top boss comes a year after Brian Humphries, another expat CEO, was removed by the Cognizant board. There are issues, beyond managing profit and loss, that expats have found challenging in India. Culture, for instance.

Why Smids’ rise could attract regulatory glare

Why Smids’ rise could attract regulatory glare

Smid (small- and mid-cap) indices have recovered from their mid-March lows, after warnings of froth. The Nifty Midcap 150 hit a record 18,400 on Wednesday and the Nifty Smallcap 250 was just 2.8% shy of its 7 February record. Can this uptrend continue?

E-2 wheelers get more pricey: Can sales sustain?

E-2 wheelers get more pricey: Can sales sustain?

A steep reduction in subsidies on electric two-wheelers is set to increase prices for the second time in a year, by up to ₹12,000 in FY25. Will it undermine growth in an industry that is already facing multiple headwinds?

What’s really driving our rapid GDP growth?

What’s really driving our rapid GDP growth?

The general take on India’s rapid economic growth is that it’s powered by the government’s capex push. But a recent report questions this narrative, saying it underestimates the role of consumption.

Will OpenAI pull out GPT-5 from its hat next?

Will OpenAI pull out GPT-5 from its hat next?

Maintaining that GPT-4 “kind of sucks”, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said recently his company will release an “amazing new model” this year. This has sparked speculation that OpenAI may release GPT-5 sometime between June and August this year. Why is this a big deal?

Why RBI is wary of co-branded credit cards

Why RBI is wary of co-branded credit cards

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is tightening its scrutiny of the credit card industry. Recently, it asked Federal Bank and South Indian Bank to stop issuing new co-branded credit cards.