The Signal Brief

Yesterday, a Supreme Court 5-judge panel made a decision to not acknowledge the right of same-sex couples to marry, form civil unions, or adopt children. And to make sense of this decision, in today's episode, we are joined by Rohin Bhatt, a lawyer and activist for queer rights, who will shed light on the Supreme Court's ruling. In other news, horror films are all the rage in India currently.  Tun...

Move over, K-dramas! Thailand’s Boy-Love Dramas are the next big thing in pop culture. And reportedly, English-speaking, urban, heterosexual Indian women are big fans. But hold on, there's an obvious question here. Why are straight Indian women so enamoured with Thai gay romance?  In other news, Netflix is upping its merchandise game to take on Disney. Traditional toy-makers, such as Mattel and Le...

That’s the hope. On Sunday, Vizhinjam port was inaugurated, and while it is still under-construction, India’s first “deepwater” sea port has us hopeful about India gaining a bigger slice of global maritime trade. In other news, parents in the United States are now choosing smartwatches over smartphones for their little ones. Tune in to today’s episode to find out why. The Signal Daily is produced...

In today’s episode, we are discussing all the absurd mental calculations folks do in a bid to rationalise splurging on things they probably don't need all that badly.— and how businesses exploit this quirky consumer behaviour.  We’ll also deep dive into the business of luxury brands and their declining fortunes. And since the weekend is finally here, we've got a little bonus story for you: AI is o...

Tensions between Israel and Hamas are heating up, and now there's a new twist in the conflict – cyberattacks. Hacktivist groups worldwide have jumped into the fray, siding with both parties. Stay tuned for further insights. Meanwhile, Singapore's squeaky-clean image has taken a hit. Word is, the police there have seized a whopping $2 billion in assets. Dive into the details with The Signal Daily....

In today's deep dive, we're uncovering the scam involving Mahadev Online Book betting app and how its owners got caught scheming several people. In other news, at this year's Geneva International Motor Show in Qatar, ENTOP, an Afghan car design studio, proudly introduced the Simurgh—the country's first-ever self-developed supercar. Tune in to The Signal for more! The Signal Daily is produced in as...

We have at least three prominent candidates who could potentially become the new owners of Star. Who are they? Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani and Kalanithi Maran. In today's episode, we also have Soumya Gupta, our senior editor and author of The Impression newsletter, with us to help make sense of the Star India situation. Listen to our previous episode on Star India here. In other news, despite ever...

Quite a lot. For example, the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor Plan announced at this year's G20 Summit might be in trouble. We're not just talking about how this war is affecting India; we're also delving into how it all started. Tune in to learn more as Dinesh Narayanan, the editor and co-founder of The Signal, joins us on this episode to provide a better understanding of the implicati...

Apparently it is. The decreasing TRP ratings of India's top reality TV shows suggest a continuous decline in viewership each year, particularly since the beginning of the pandemic.  In other news, the weight loss medications Ozempic and Mounjaro are gaining popularity. Morgan Stanley, a financial services company, predicts that by 2035, these drugs could be used by up to 7% of the United States po...

Yes, that's correct. This is the first time in history that esports is an official, medal-earning event at the Asian Games. It seems that the dreams of all gaming enthusiasts have come true. In other news, the Italian luxury brand Loro Piana is reconsidering its identity. Should it maintain its long-held image of quiet luxury or go all out? The Signal Daily is produced in association with IVM.The...

Well, if not everywhere, ad-free social media might become a reality in Europe, at least. But here’s the catch: to scroll through Instagram without its annoying ads, users would have to pay Meta a minimum of 10 euros a month, according to the Wall Street Journal.  In other news, Chinese social media users are adopting the online alter-ego of Momo, the pink dinosaur. Tune in to today’s episode to d...

In this episode of The Signal Daily, we are bringing back two of our timeless stories. First up, we are talking about the big fat Indian wedding industrying becoming more inclusive. In other news, Investors of a sexual health and wellness startup — Mojocare are not exactly getting a happy ending (yes, pun intended). What's the story here? Tune in to The Signal Daily to know more! See omnystudio.co...

The mining conglomerate Vedanta, led by Anil Agarwal, is splitting into six companies. Join today’s episode to discover why Vedanta is undergoing a demerger and whether this move will help mitigate the massive debt crunch. Also, in today’s episode, we explore the art and adventure of translating Bollywood’s quirky lyrics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Signal Daily, we are bringing back two of our timeless stories. For the first story we're diving into India's CEOs and the rich crowd's latest obsession: Pickleball. It's basically a mix of tennis, table tennis, and badminton. But here's the interesting part, the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) has been around since 2008. So, what's the deal with pickleball suddenly...

By that, we mean Indians are overdosing on salt. According to the latest estimates, Indians consume 8 grams of salt a day against the WHO recommendation of up to 5 grams daily. In other news, the world's largest crypto exchange Binance is suffering declining revenue and a host of legal issues. Will Binance come crashing down? Tune it to find out. The Signal Daily is produced in association with IV...

In today's deep dive, we've got a bunch of fresh AI updates. One interesting update is that users can now have more engaging interactions with ChatGPT. It's no longer limited to just reading typed prompts; it can now speak and listen, making it a more dynamic tool. In other news, China might be developing a newfound interest in cricket. The Signal Daily is produced in association with IVM.The epis...

So yup, that's the first story to get your morning started. Humans of Bombay is taking legal action against People of India for allegedly copying its posts. In other news, Akasa airline is going through a tough time as a lot of its pilots are leaving unexpectedly. We'll delve deeper into these stories in today's episode, so be sure to tune in! The Signal Daily is produced in association with IVM.T...

With a new update, Windows 11 will introduce a brand new AI assistant called Copilot. You'll be now able to instruct your laptop to, say, activate night mode using simple everyday English commands. Is this a new era for Windows? In other news, a Malayalee fashion designer is making waves in the world of high fashion with his unique approach to trousers. Tune in to learn more about his unconvention...

India was still riding high from its G20 success when it unexpectedly got caught up in a major diplomatic standoff with Canada. Listen in as we dig deeper into the strained relations between India and Canada. Meanwhile, in the art world, Marina Abramovic's latest exhibition requires visitors to walk between two naked models to get in. And now we are wondering what has become of art in the new worl...

Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, people obsessed with maximising their sleep potential are developing orthosomnia — anxiety about optimising sleep. In other news, Nature reported that a bio-technology company in the USA is testing more complex genome editing than previously performed in humans. So are we any closer to producing the designer babies with edited genes? The Signal Daily is...

Today we are bringing to of our timeless stories for you.  First up, we have Slowjamastan, a micronation that's making headlines for saying "no" to Crocs and taxes! Listen in to find out what makes this micronation so unique.  And for the second story we are talking about how many global beauty brands and conglomerates have been eyeing India’s exploding beauty market.  Tune in! See omnystudio.com/...

To take on Apple's mobile payment system, big banks like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo are teaming up to create a joint mobile wallet app called Paze. But the big question is whether these banks can make it big in the world of mobile wallets. In other news, climate change is now posing a serious challenge in the fight against three of the deadliest infectious diseases on the pla...

So far, there have been six confirmed cases of Nipah infection in the state. Unfortunately, two people have lost their lives. However, the question arises: why is Kerala the sole location experiencing Nipah outbreaks? In other news, the growing popularity of electric cars is causing concerns about job security for autoworkers. The United Auto Workers are taking a stand by calling for strikes, and...

India's mountains are crumbling due to the expansion of four-lane highways. News portal Scroll reports that India's highway authority has sliced through the mountain slopes to create broader roads for vehicles, leading to disastrous landslides. On a different note, it seems that Punjabi women who excel in IELTS are highly sought after in the marriage scene. Tune in for more details. Lastly, today'...

At its Wanderlust event, Apple unveiled four new iPhone 15 models, along with a switch to USB Type-C chargers. This shift was primarily driven by the European Union's regulations. But what does this mean for Apple? Well, to break it down in simpler terms, let's hear from Rajneil Kamath, co-founder of The Signal and a tech enthusiast.  In other news, feedforward is the new feedback. What do we mean...