The Times of India | Happiness from subsidy: It’s complicated by factors such as neighbour’s envy

I am a relatively poor man. Govt does a lot for me. Or at least in my name. In Bengaluru, for example, govt has kept the price of water low, so that I can afford it. Though it costs them roughly Rs 100 a kilolitre to provide, they charge everybody only about Rs 10 and give a subsidy to cover the rest. Honourable intentions, no doubt, for which I am sincerely grateful. What hurts me a little bit is that my supremely rich neighbours also use this subsidy in large amounts. To wash their grand cars and water their sprawling lawns. Read the full article here.

The Diplomat | China’s Military-Civil Fusion Space Program

On April 17, NASA chief Bill Nelson cautioned that China’s “so-called civilian space program is a military program,” emphasizing that the United States is engaged in a space “race” with China. While NASA may have its reasons for securitizing this issue, one cannot overlook China’s rapid advancements in the space sector. China’s objective is to develop and acquire advanced dual-use technology for military purposes and deepen the reform of its national defense science and technology industries, which also serves a broader purpose of strengthening the country’s comprehensive national power. Read the full article here.

The Diplomat | How China Became the World’s Clean Tech Giant

China’s clean energy sector was the biggest driver of its GDP growth in 2023, contributing 40 percent (around $1.6 trillion) of its economic expansion. The country’s commitment to renewable energy is underscored by its substantial investments in the industry. Take the solar sector as an example. Chinese investments in new photovoltaic (PV) supply capacity over the last 10 years exceeded $50 billion – ten times more than all of Europe. This investment surge has strengthened China’s energy independence and promoted substantial job creation, with over 300,000 manufacturing jobs across the solar PV value chain added since 2011. China now commands over 80 percent share in all manufacturing stages of solar panels, from polysilicon to modules, solidifying its global leadership in solar energy. Read the full article here.

Firstpost | How recent Maldives parliamentary election results are a silver lining for India

In a clear endorsement of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s policies so far, the country voted his party’s People’s National Congress (PNC) to a two-third majority in the 93-member house in the latest parliamentary elections. With this win, Muizzu’s party now wields power both in the executive and the legislature, thereby allowing him to steer domestic and foreign policy with little opposition. Read the full article here.

The Free Press Journal | Trump Trial Busts The Myth That in America, All Are Equal

A few years ago, a popular Hindi film actor was asked about the books she reads, to which she replied, among other things, that George Orwell’s Animal Farm can teach children to love and care for animals. Whatever one may think of Orwell and his writing, he was not a writer of children’s books, and Animal Farm is as dystopian as it can get. One of the great aphorisms the book included was a proclamation by the pigs on the farm: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Read the full article here.

ThePrint | Iran and Israel don’t have free will to start a war. It’s contingent on geopolitics

Exchange of blows from a distance was the prime characteristic of the latest bout between Iran and Israel. Firepower expressed itself through drones and missiles launched from aerial or land-based platforms. The main difference this time was that both nations attempted to apply military force at targets directly inside the opponents’ territory. The immediate trigger was Israel’s attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus on 1 April. Iran considered it a violation of its sovereignty according to international legal norms and agreements. Read the full article here.

The Quint | How Ma-Xi's Meeting Serves the Chinese Supremo More Than the Cross-Straits Ties

In January 2024, Taiwan witnessed one of its most important presidential and parliamentary elections, with many calling it a choice between war and peace. The election results also spoke to the divided nature of political opinion. Lai Ching-Te, the candidate of the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won the presidential election, while the majority in the legislative yuan was won by the primary opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT). Read the full article here.

NDTV | A Shaky World Order: Can India Navigate A Russia-China-Iran Axis?

The world today appears to be on the verge of a cascade of conflicts. Over two years since it started, the Russia-Ukraine war does not seem to be heading towards an imminent settlement. Likewise, despite calls for a ceasefire, the Israel-Hamas conflict appears unlikely to abate anytime soon. And now, events over the past month involving Israel and Iran have demonstrated the potential for a wider regional conflict. Read the full article here.

The Indian Express | Warmer Moscow-Beijing ties are a chilling signal for New Delhi

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent visit to China was brief but significant. On the face of it, Lavrov was in Beijing to set the stage for an anticipated trip by President Vladimir Putin in May. To that end, he met China’s President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Amidst the usual diplomatic pleasantries, three outcomes that emerged are particularly important from India’s perspective. Read the full article here.

Mint | Iran-Israel lesson: Effective missile defence is costly and could be risky too

The conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and between Israel and Iran over Palestine have demonstrated that missile defence has come of age. Even before Israel, with the help of the US and its allies, successfully intercepted nearly all of the 320 drones, cruise and ballistic missiles that Iran launched last week, the Ukrainians had reported that they had shot down all 80 of the drones that the Russians had dispatched against them on one New Year’s weekend. Read the full article here.

Takshashila Blogs | An Invitation to Inquiry: Rekindling Flame of the Mahabharata

Enduring strength of a banyan tree's roots symbolise the advantages of tapping into the wisdom, values, and traditions passed down through generations. Just as the banyan tree draws nourishment and support from its deep and interconnected root system, individuals can find inspiration, beliefs and thoughts in their cultural history. Just as banyan tree expands its foliage, society can also learn to strengthen and reconnect with its foundations while it expands. Beliefs and ideas from the past may not directly solve the challenges of contemporary times yet they can serve as potent instruments for analysing and reflecting on modern political, social, and personal facets, thereby fostering critical thinking. Read the full article here.

Nikkei Asia | India-U.S.-South Korea tech cooperation has strategic logic

In their own way, the U.S., South Korea and India each have come to realize their potential vulnerability to supply chain cutoffs and trade coercion. Now the trio have begun working together on a joint initiative, the Trilateral Technology Dialogue (TTD), that aims to make technology supply chains more resilient, bring technology solutions to the broader Indo-Pacific region and spur innovation and economic growth. Read the full article here.

The Free Press Journal | Analysis: America’s Tragic Tryst With Gun Control Laws

On November 30, 2021, a 15-year-old boy in the otherwise quiet township of Oxford in Michigan, in the upper midwestern region of the United States, entered his high school premises with a semiautomatic handgun he had picked up from home and began shooting indiscriminately at his teachers and fellow students. Ethan Crumbley continued firing for four minutes until he was captured, but those 240 seconds were enough to kill four teenagers and injure seven others. Read the full article here.

ThePrint | MIRV tech entry in nuclear arsenal must not lead India away from ‘No First Use’ policy

India has achieved two major milestones in modernising its nuclear weapons arsenal. First, the entry of MIRV technology in March, followed by the successful user trial of Agni-Prime ballistic missile on 3 April with a range of 1,000-2,000 km. The MIRV, or Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle technology, tests have raised concerns about a potential nuclear arms race between India, China, and Pakistan and whether it would amplify similar concerns at the global level involving other nuclear weapon powers. Read the full article here.

Mint | India cannot solve its water crisis without proper pricing

A few years ago, the mayor of a Karnataka town asked me how she could prevent people from wastefully washing their yards, walls and vehicles with water from the municipal water supply. She told me she had organized awareness campaigns, promoted conservation efforts and even personally remonstrated with citizens, but to little avail. When I asked her how much they paid for the water, she replied that the monthly charge was a few tens of rupees per connection, but this was not strictly enforced. She was taken aback when I told her that was why her conservation efforts had been unsuccessful. Read the full article here.

Times of India | Piketty’s wrong again. We should be happy India is creating billionaires

To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Thomas Piketty, economist and writer of big fat books, believes that economic inequality is a problem and higher taxes on the rich are the solution. To this end, he has enlisted social scientists from around the world to cast inequality as a global problem. It’s a little like European communists who, a century ago, zeroed in on class struggle as the big problem and went around the world looking for it. Read the full article here.

ASPI - The Strategist | A practical agenda for India-Australia semiconductor collaboration

With the global semiconductor supply chain under strain, India and Australia have a timely opportunity to strengthen their partnership in the critical sector. Both recognise the strategic importance of developing domestic semiconductor capabilities. As Quad members, they are also a part of the Quad Semiconductor Supply Chain Initiative, which seeks to ‘map capacity, identify vulnerabilities, and bolster supply-chain security for semiconductors and their vital components.’ Read the full article here.

South Asian Voices | Contemporary Dynamics of an India-Taiwan Partnership

Since India launched its Look East Policy in 1991, India and Taiwan have worked towards building a crucial bilateral partnership. On the technological front, Taiwan is a significant partner for India vis-a-vis sharing of knowledge on development of semiconductors, cybersecurity, and telecom infrastructure. On the economic front, Taiwan is becoming an important destination for Indian migrant workers looking for jobs in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors abroad. To this end, a labor migration and mobility Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on February 16 by heads of the India-Taipei Association and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center, New Delhi. The MoU is intended to make it easier for Indian workers to find jobs in the manufacturing, construction, and agriculture sectors in Taiwan, thereby mitigating Taiwan’s labor shortage and India’s surplus labor problems.  Read the full article here.

ThePrint | Successful Agni-5 test just one step. India needs to prepare an airborne command post

India’s recent successful test of MIRVs, Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicles, delivered by the AGNI-5 missiles marks the success of its efforts to counter the Ballistic Missile Defense Systems of potential adversaries, China and Pakistan. The implications of MIRVs being included in the existing nuclear arsenal were covered earlier in ThePrint. This article attempts to utilise the limelight of the MIRV success, to highlight a critical issue that requires to be addressed post-haste. It relates to the survivability of India’s Nuclear Command and Control System. Read the full article here.

Mint | The West’s disregard for global norms is endangering the world

In the summer of the year 416 BCE, an Athenian naval fleet turned up on the island of Melos and demanded that its population submit to slavery. The Melians argued that since they had refused to side with Sparta—Athens’ main adversary in the ongoing conflict —and instead wished to remain neutral, it would only be right for the big powers to leave them alone. The Athenian response, one of the famous lines in world history, was “You understand as well as we do that in the human sphere judgements about justice are relevant only between those with an equal power to enforce it, and that the possibilities are defined by what the strong do and the weak accept." In Richard Crawley’s classic 1874 translation of Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War, the words are punchier. “The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." Read the full article here.