Chandrima Banerjee
Why the biggest ‘winners’ in these elections may not be political parties. It's these bettors
Prediction markets aren’t allowed to operate in India. But on Polymarket, anonymous crypto-wallet holders are waiting for election markets, where Rs 247 crore has been traded, to settle when the results are declared
The British grabbed Kharg Island twice — why couldn’t they keep it?
Donald Trump believes taking Kharg Island could be a quick way to pressure Iran. But for the Brits, it was anything but quick, or simple
Sex, abortions, divorces: Why do we love judging other people’s lives?
A Pew survey found that Indians are increasingly seeing contraception, abortion, and divorce as “morally unacceptable”. What happened?
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
One person makes 35x of what another does. Why do both get free electricity?
The question landed in the Supreme recently, during a case on how states price electricity. And it nudges you toward something you may have never thought about — should you get free electricity?
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
The internet is getting remade for AI. What does it mean for you?
The internet is starting to optimise for machines that don’t get bored, distracted, or persuaded. What will survive online? And how much of it will you get to see?
India has 383 govt-run companies that do nothing — zilch. So, why do they even exist?
Across India, these government companies exist only because no one has shut them down — some haven’t produced anything for decades, and some have actually gone ‘missing’. Why are they still costing taxpayers money?
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why Vande Mataram has triggered a storm
On Vande Mataram’s 150th anniversary, it has reignited embers of an old debate across the political spectrum. Here’s a look at what was intended before its adoption, what the majority wanted, and how a fragile coalition settled on two stanzas as the national song
Comet vs Atlas vs Chrome: We tested two AI browsers. Here’s what we found
From Google once proudly announcing it had found “300,000 results for your query” to Atlas and Comet now promising to compose everything you wanted to know in just one answer, the possibilities an AI browser presents are both exciting and terrifying
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Are young people less dependable today than their parents were?
An American survey shows a crash in conscientiousness among younger people. Are they becoming harder to count on? Or are they just tired of playing nice? The big picture might not seem too distant from what you may find in your own country
Central banks have not binged on this much gold in five decades
Warren Buffett called it a ‘sterile asset’. Keynes called it a ‘barbarous relic’. But gold’s run has central banks acting like it’s the only insurance that still works
- Rajesh SharmaChandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
How does a magnitude 6 earthquake kill 1400 in Afghanistan but 95 in China?
More than 1,400 have died in an earthquake of a magnitude which is usually expected to cause “slight” damage to buildings. The fault lies in infrastructure and accountability
- Chandrima BanerjeeRajesh Sharma
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Meet people who can now move cursors with their thoughts
Neuralink’s ninth patient says she signed her name with nothing but her mind. Elon Musk’s company often seems overhyped and is not known for transparency. But what if it is actually onto something?
6 way AI will change your life in coming weeks
AI has long promised to change how we live, but much of it stayed just that — a promise. Recently, Google, OpenAI, Microsoft and Anthropic made a flurry of announcements that showed something different: many of those once-distant ideas are now real, working tools. You can try them — in weeks, not months
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
When Tamil Nadu reached out to 'its own' in Delhi
Nearly 400 migrant Tamil families in Delhi were figuring out how to rebuild their lives after their settlement was demolished — and then, the Tamil Nadu government showed up
Explained: Why Indians would be the hardest hit by UK's new immigration plans
A country that once had some 13mn of its own people scattered outside Europe at the peak of its colonial empire is now worried about the pace at which people from other countries are arriving at its shores
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Would you have more kids if that meant zero taxes?
Hungary won’t tax women who have children. Which sounds great, until you look through the data — and then a little more than the data
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
One Chip, 70 Borders: Why Trump’s tariffs ignore global realities
It’s the fourth most traded product, moving over $900bn across the world. Now, the US wants to make microchips more local, with tariffs. But how can any country yank this incredibly complex product out of the global supply chain?
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
If Trump does to India what he's doing to Canada
“We will tariff them,” US president Donald Trump has said — setting an April 2 date for raising import tariffs for Indian products entering his country. Where would it hurt, and how badly?
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
In charts: Shehbaz Sharif says Pak will beat India. Can he defeat poverty, unemployment and illiteracy first?
Pak PM recently declared that he would change his name if Pakistan didn’t beat India in every development parameter. Was he talking sense? Here’s what the numbers reveal about the gap between India and Pakistan’s progress
- Jayanta KalitaChandrima BanerjeeRajesh Sharma
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Explained: Did the US really spend ‘$350bn’ on Ukraine?
The US now sees all of its aid to Ukraine as a form of debt — and wants Zelensky to be grateful for it. But has it really spent as much as Trump is claiming? Let’s look at some cold numbers
- Chandrima Banerjee
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM