Author: Eva Benerjee

The Illusion of Multitasking Smart phones foster rapid task-switching: checking e-mails, texts, social media, or the news, often in the name of productivity. However, the insights of cognitive science are that multitasking is basically a delusion. Rather, we task-switch rapidly, impairing each task in the process, often without actually accomplishing much in cognitively demanding work. Work Creep & Burnout Always-On connectivity clouds the distinction between work and rest. Smartphones enable work to easily enter evenings, weekends, and vacation time. Being responsive can be helpful, but being constantly available is stressful and undermines rejuvenating time. Productivity diminishes if rest is undermined.…

The volatile confrontation between Washington and Tehran took a sudden, unexpected turn on Wednesday. President Donald Trump claimed a senior official had informed him that the Iranian government had ceased its lethal crackdown on anti-government protesters. This change in rhetoric comes after days of increasing threats, in which the President warned of “very strong action” and great support for Iranian “patriots” as well as promising that “help is on the way.” As of January 15, 2026, the world is still on tenterhooks. Though the President’s remarks hinted at de-escalation, Iran remains in the grip of uncertainty, with internet blackouts and conflicting signals from the Iranian…

The rare winter sun descended over the Capital on the evening of Thursday, 15th January, 2026 and Rangmanch, or Central Hall as it was historically known in Samvidhan Sadan (the old Parliament House), emerged as the nerve-centre of parliamentary diplomacy across borders. The 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC)-2019, a landmark event that witnessed the participation of parliamentary heads from around the world, was officially opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is not just another diplomatic summit. For India, it is a time to flaunt its title as the “Mother of Democracy” before a fraternity of 53 countries.…

The U.S. Supreme Court heard not a peep on one of the most important economic questions in the decade this week. The justices had generated high expectations about a potential landmark decision, but instead issued four opinions on Wednesday and declined to rule on the legality of President Donald Trump’s broad, global tariff regime. It’s the second time in a week that the nation’s high court has passed on considering whether President Donald Trump pushed beyond his constitutional powers. For Mumbaikars, global investors and thousands of businesses on Main Street America, the silence from Washington means that the “Great Trade Limbo” continues — leaving…

Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) was silence on the evening of Wednesday, 14 January 2026 when what has been Intersec’s success-edition to- date came to a close. Over three days, the 27th edition of the leading global trade fair for security, safety, and fire protection served as a beacon to six decades of the future of human safety in Dubai. Covering a record 65,000 sqm (a 13% increase over 2025), Intersec 2026 hosted more than 1,200 exhibitors from around the world and an estimated 50,000 visitors. From robot dogs that patrol emergency sites, to AI-enabled “cognitive control rooms,” the event showed how the line…

With the Indian banking industry responding to new liquidity movements and changes in repo rate by RBI, Kotak Mahindra Bank has also revised its deposit rates. As of now, January 14, 2026, the private sector lender has updated its fixed deposit (FD) interest rates for retail investors Deposits up to ₹3 crore). The definition of financial security Gold standard For many households, the fixed deposit is still the gold standard for financial certainty. This new offer takes into account the changing economic scenario with a slew of other flexible features, and this is especially good news for senior citizens or medium-term savers as…

It was nothing like a routine North Indian winter morning for residents of Gurugram on January 14, 2026; in fact, it seemed as though they were residents of a high-altitude Himalayan outpost. And the India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s automatic weather station (AWS) clocked a precipitous fall as AT plunged to 0.6°C at around dawn when the city was waking up into a frozen morning. This year’s record-breaking low ensured that Gurugram was colder than the iconic hill stations of Shimla and Mussoorie, and it definitely was one of Gurugram’s coldest January mornings in almost five decades.   A Convergence of Icy Factors The sudden…

For India’s quick commerce giants, the “10-minute delivery” guarantee had long been their hallowed badge of glory. It was a marketing masterstroke that transformed grocery shopping into an almost instantaneous moment of digital magic. But, as of Jan 13, 2026, the countdown clock officially has stopped. The country’s largest delivery aggregators, which include Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy and Zomato- have agreed to scrap the 10-minute deadline on their branding and advertising after Union Labour Ministry’s decisive intervention. And it’s a huge pivot from the “speed-at-all-costs” gig economy we’ve been living under for years, toward prioritizing human life and worker dignity over logistical hyper-efficiency. A Win for the…

A software engineer in Bengaluru recently made headlines when he quit a well paying job to voice his worry that artificial intelligence (AI) will one day replace humans as hackers. The engineer, who made about 19 lakh a year, posted his ideas online, prompting tech workers, students and people who follow the tech industry to discuss the future of code and jobs in the field. Why did he quit a good job that paid well? The techie said he quit his job as a software engineer, even though it paid well and was safe, because he thinks that the rapid…

Many Indian homes and temples feature the Shivlinga as one of their most well-known religious images. Every day, it gets water, milk, flowers, and bilva leaves in prayer rooms, at shrines on the side of the road, and in big temples. But along with the word Shivlinga, the word Jyotilinga often shows up and has a deeper spiritual meaning. Even though they have the same shape, they mean and serve very different things. Being aware of this difference helps explain how people all over India worship Shiva, from small shrines in homes to the holiest of travel places. Read more…