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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Benne dosa for ₹99”, reads a board outside Maa Annapurna, a small eatery tucked between coffee shops and snack joints in a residential neighbourhood in Mumbai’s western suburb of Andheri. The menu has the usual idli-vada, chaat and pav bhaji. But the real draw is the benne dosa. With the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan campus a few blocks away, it has, in just a couple of weeks, become a favourite among students and those in nearby PG accommodations.Even as his small eatery clocks over 100 benne dosas daily, owner Animesh Shah says he is perplexed by the long queues at a popular dosa spot in the city.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In hotels across India, not much looks different at the first look. The check-ins are the same, the wedding crowds have not gone away and the weekend rush in Goa or Jaipur continues.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A public feud that played out on social media for years is now having its day in court. Tech billionaire Elon Musk took the stand this week and described OpenAI as a “stolen charity”, escalating a legal battle that is at the heart of the global artificial intelligence (AI) race.The lawsuit, filed by Musk against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, also a billionaire, seeks damages of around $150 billion and challenges the company’s shift from a non-profit research lab to a commercial AI powerhouse.The case comes at a time when OpenAI is updating its guiding principles, reworking key partnerships, and expanding its footprint across cloud platforms.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Xi Jinping had just finished a lunch of herbed-ricotta ravioli at a secluded estate outside San Francisco in 2023 when his security agents sprang into action.Their mission: ensuring no trace of the Chinese leader’s DNA fell into foreign hands. The agents—measuring about 6-foot-3, dressed in identical dark suits—were observed grabbing Xi’s utensils and plate and spraying them with an unidentified liquid.Welcome to the unseen theater of great-power diplomacy, where a meeting of the two most powerful leaders on earth can hinge on the slightest missed protocol, an unexpected miscue or even a bit of saliva left on a fork.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.At the same hotel where then-President Ronald Reagan was shot 45 years ago, it was remarkably easy for a shooter to charge toward a ballroom where President Trump—along with his cabinet members and the reporters who cover his administration—were dining Saturday night.The sprawling Washington Hilton, located about 1½ miles north of the White House, for decades has been home to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner because of its capacity to host a large crowd and the Secret Service’s familiarity with securing it. More than 2,500 people attended the event, including five of the top six officials in the presidential line of succession.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Chasing autumn in South Korea, Bengaluru-based Jiwangi Singh and Milan Tanna turned their K-drama dreams into a thoughtfully planned 12-day holiday.When narrowing down their next international trip, the couple wanted a destination that blended culture, coastal charm and immersive local experiences—without stretching their budget. South Korea checked all the boxes.They spent a total of ₹2.75 lakh, striking a balance between smart savings and meaningful splurges.“We built our itinerary to save where it mattered and spend on must-do experiences.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Big American companies are piling up profits despite war and consumer anxiety, bolstered by healthy sales growth.With just over one-fourth of S&P 500 companies reporting results for the first quarter, Wall Street’s expectations for earnings suggest big U.S. companies are far healthier than wider economic concerns might indicate.“Earnings growth has been exceptional,” said Parag Thatte, an equity strategist for Deutsche Bank. “We’re seeing the broadening of earnings growth beyond just tech and financial” firms.War in the Middle East had led economists to rein in growth projections for the year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—President Trump scrapped a trip by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran, leaving himself tough choices over how to force Iran to make concessions the White House wants to strike a deal.Trump said on Saturday that he had decided to cancel the trip after receiving an offer from Iran that fell short of the White House’s expectations.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s international air travel fell to a four-year low in March as the West Asia conflict disrupted key routes, with Air India Express emerging as the worst-hit among local carriers.The low-cost carrier of Air India, which has a heavy exposure to the region, recorded the steepest decline. Its departures plunged 68% to 1,263 in March from 3,928 a year ago.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A jet fuel shortage is leading airlines to cut flights, and could cause a severe slowdown in travel this summer—particularly in Europe.German carrier Lufthansa said this week it is canceling 20,000 flights from now through October, immediately reducing its flight schedule by 120 trips a day. Reductions are happening all over, including at the company’s hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, and Rome.More than a dozen other airlines have also reduced capacity, including discount Norwegian airline Norse Atlantic, which cut flights from Los Angeles. American carriers are not in danger of running out of fuel, but U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bengaluru/Mumbai: War-driven cost pressures are deepening an already weak travel cycle, dampening luggage makers’ peak summer season and pushing them to pivot to smaller, lower-priced products from bigger suitcases. Higher airfares and geopolitical uncertainty have hit suitcase sales, forcing brands to lean on backpacks and accessories to protect volumes without eroding margins.The April-June quarter accounts for about 40% of annual sales for luggage brands as families typically spend more on holidays and leisure travel.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.More young professionals these days are trading longer vacations for bite-sized weekend hikes and domestic trekking. This trend has picked up immensely across India's busy metros and cities.The government has recognized India's potential to offer world-class trekking and hiking experiences.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Akasa Air, India’s third largest airline, is tapping into the month-long demand for Hajj travel to deploy its aircraft capacity left underutilized after services to parts of West Asia were scaled back due to the ongoing war in the region, according to a person aware of the development.Approximately five to six airplanes were used on the West Asia route, which are now being used majorly for Hajj travel," said the person quoted above, requesting anonymity as this plan is part of business strategy.Flights to and from Doha, Riyadh and Kuwait have been suspended until 30 April, according to the airline’s 21 April post on X. While it continues to operate flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia—the main gateway for pilgrims going to Mecca—from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kochi and Kozhikode, Akasa is evaluating resumption of flights to Abu Dhabi, the post said.Akasa Air did not respond to Mint’s queries on aircraft utilization, Hajj travel and the impact of the West Asia crisis.The airline has inducted eight new aircraft in 2026, taking the fleet size to 38.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Among several distressing data points in the recently published The State of Working India 2026, a detailed vivisection of India’s demographic bulge by scholars at Azim Premji University (APU), a few vividly stand out. While India now produces 5 million graduates every year, salaried employment is only a fraction of that at 1.7 million annually. “This has also contributed to a slowdown in graduate earnings,” the report notes.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Velmurugan J., a hospitality sector executive from Kulithalai town near Karur, considers himself lucky. He decided to attend actor Joseph Vijay’s political rally in Karur on 27 September last year, urged on by his colleague who was a die-hard fan of the star.By noon, they reached Velusamypuram, the venue of the meeting on the Karur-Erode highway, and took a vantage position near a generator shed. The crowd was swelling and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader’s arrival was delayed.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.BENGALURU: Wealthy Indians are spending more overall, but a smaller share of that spending is going to retail stores selling goods like clothing and gadgets.As incomes rise for affluent households, they are increasingly spending on travel, fine dining and curated experiences such as concerts and wellness retreats, even as they continue to purchase high-value premium goods.In response, retailers are accelerating efforts to add experiential formats, from curated in-store services to immersive store environments, as they strive to stay relevant in a consumption landscape increasingly driven by engagement rather than transactions.New data from Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), shared with Mint, shows retail’s share of wallet drops from nearly 50% among emerging affluent consumers to about 28% for the ultra-wealthy, as spending on travel and experiences rises sharply.“Affluence is not an absolute state defined by income. It’s defined by how and where people spend.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A soft-spoken civil engineer with a fondness for early mornings and scriptures, Elattuvalapil Sreedharan appears to be an unlikely revolutionary.Yet few individuals have altered urban India as profoundly as he has. The label “Metro Man” barely captures the scale of his impact — especially in Delhi, where he didn’t just build a railway system, but helped change how a city thinks about movement, time and public space.When Sreedharan took charge of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in the late 1990s, the daily commute of a typical Delhite was a case study in hardship.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Domestic travel stocks are in the limelight amid uncertainty around international travel routes and fuel supply disruptions. Strong summer travel demand, rising disposable incomes, and robust tourism activity are enhancing growth prospects for Indian hotels and online travel companies.Here are three travel stocks to watch: Thomas Cook (India) is a leading omnichannel travel company offering foreign exchange, leisure and corporate travel, and visa services.Founded in 1881, it operates across 28 countries and manages brands like SOTC and Sterling Holidays, providing end-to-end travel solutions with a strong global presence.The company reported revenues of ₹2145 crore vs ₹2061 crore YoY.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For salaried employees in the new tax regime, the list of meaningful tax-saving components has shrunk. Popular elements such as house rent allowance (HRA) and leave travel allowance (LTA) have lost relevance for those who have shifted to the simplified structure.

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts will go ahead with a selective expansion spree in India’s mid-market segment. While the chain crossed ₹2,000 crore in revenue last year and is keen on further growth, its leadership wants to be choosy about locations to hedge against rising land costs and project delays.The company, majority-owned by Europe’s Louvre Hotels Group, is increasingly prioritizing tier II and tier III cities where infrastructure-led growth is outpacing the entry of branded players.

Dream11, Games24x7, Gameskraft, Mobile Premier League, Zupee, WinZO and PokerBaazi, who offered real-money formats such as fantasy sports, rummy and poker. Dream11 had over 250 million users, while WinZO had over 200 million, Zupee over 150 million, and Games24x7 about 120 million.The sector had also attracted significant investor interest, with Tiger Global, Peak XV Partners, DST Global, Falcon Edge, Matrix Partners and WestCap Group among the backers.