Quick notes: Pedestrian hell | CATL batteries...

• What is Asif William Rahman doing in CIA? CIA insider leaked classified documents that described Israel's preparations for attack against Iran.



• India should not be pushed into joining trade blocs: It must assess existing FTAs, and should build a larger team of expert negotiators



• Why it is so difficult to walk in Indian cities: The main problem is that too much focus is given to solving the problem of car congestion on roads. "To improve the flow of traffic, authorities often narrow down footpaths or eliminate them entirely. It might seem counter-intuitive, but allowing the congestion to persist and focussing on improving infrastructure for pedestrians will help solve the traffic problem in the long run". Cities can also implement their own Non-Motorised Transport Policy (NMTP) to create better infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.



• Trump unpredictable, Modi dependable? On trade, it’s just the opposite.




• China's CATL open to building US battery plant if Trump allows: In an August interview Trump was open to Chinese firms building cars in the US



• CATL electric bus batteries set for 1M miles, megawatt charging: New-gen LFP bus batteries last 15 years, CATL claims—20% longer. CATL claims a 22% boost in energy density by volume, and 175 Wh/kg by weight



• Apple worked with China's BYD to develop EV batteries: Apple was seeking LFP batteries from both BYD and fellow Chinese firm CATL, with possible U.S. manufacturing.



• Huawei trying to poach TSMC employees with 3X salary: Desperate times call for desperate measures



• Anywhere but India: Chip makers expand in Vietnam — companies move to Southeast Asia as US-China tensions simmer



• Stranglehold on market, breach of Antitrust Laws: Zomato and Swiggy coerced restaurants into entering exclusive agreements that would deny them space to shift elsewhere if they wanted to join competing platforms to strengthen their stranglehold on market. Such “exclusivity” could become a barrier for smaller players to enter and expand.



• ED raids e-commerce sellers linked to Amazon, Flipkart: The livelihoods of small shopkeepers are at stake due to anti-competitive practices, particularly from quick-commerce companies.



• 2+ bacche ideal: AP govt tables bills to amend panchayat, municipal acts amid population decline. Individuals with more than two children will be eligible to contest local body elections hereafter as per the bills proposed.



• Mattias Eklundh: Stacking Multiple Rhythms With Konnakol:




• Booze alternatives take off: "Want to be able to socialize and look cool, feel part of the group, but not necessarily have to consume alcohol." Alcoholic beverage penetration among Gen Z consumers over 21 was the lowest among all generations.

Quick notes: Dhanteras | Demographic dividend...

• Putin-Modi parity? India brings back gold from London. Some day, the west may find an excuse to freeze Indian reserves like they did to Russia.



• Here you go: US sanctions 15 Indian entities for backing Russia



• Violating US export laws: Indian drugmaker exported Nvidia AI chips to Russia.



• Maintaining the demographic dividend: Chandrababu Naidu mulling new election law to boost population in Andhra
  
  Demographic crisis: South Korea sets world record with fertility rate dropping to new low
  
  'Uday' is Sanskrit, 'Nidhi' is Sanskrit: Stalin advises to give Tamil names to children



• Stand up to China: This Chinese advantage is only because New Delhi is not willing to play the game by the rules of strict reciprocity.
  
  China has had to pay no price in terms of, say, losing its access to the Indian market that the Indian govt generously affords it. Nor has Delhi insisted that Chinese tech companies, in particular, wishing to do business here, establish joint ventures and be required by law to transfer all the technology of the products they sell to the Indian people, to their Indian partners, and to manufacture every small sub-component and widget that goes into their products in India itself. Or, to get the hell out, and stay out! These are conditions, by the way, China insists on for any foreign company, including Indian firms operating in China.
  
  But no, the Indian govt has no such set of pre-conditions. The result: a humungous trade imbalance — just in the first six months of 2024, the trade deficit grew to $42 billion — the highest it has ever been! Meaning $42 billion of India’s wealth has been shifted to the Chinese khazana!



• Basically poison: Canola Oil is repurposed motor oil. How Canada convinced the world to eat engine lubricant... Not edible




• Displacing software engineers? Google now uses AI to write 25% of its new code



• Woke Mecca: Donations to Harvard’s Endowment Drop by More Than $150 Million



• AI BS: Linus Torvalds reckons AI is ‘90% marketing and 10% reality’
  
  - Baidu CEO warns AI is just an inevitable bubble.
  
  - Marc Benioff blames Microsoft for overhyping AI.
  
  - Son-in-law Zuck's gift: Chinese researchers develop AI model for military use on back of Meta's Llama
  
  - Social media platforms using your data to generate AI models. How to opt out



• Amazon goes nuclear, to invest more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors
  
  - Google will help build seven nuclear reactors to power its AI systems