Sunday, July 30, 2017

Trump Upset with China After North Korean ICBM Test

Trump has said he's "very disappointed" with China, following North Korea's latest ICBM test:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40767033


India could never be bothered to say such things of China whenever Pak acted up with Chinese support. China should also think twice about starting a war with India over Doklam, when it already has some big powers angry at it over its other antics.

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Fwd: D China, India must prevent border tensions from blocking progress toward RCEP+China Pak Water Axis on the Indus + Non Traditional Threats: South Asia's “Meth” Traffic


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sanjeev Nayyar


1. Dragon Bristles At India's Defiance, But Makes Silent Inroads Into Bhutan 20.7.17 by jaideep mazumdar Good Read https://swarajyamag.com/politics/dragon-bristles-at-indias-defiance-but-makes-silent-inroads-into-bhutan 
China, however, has not been sitting idle. It has stepped up its charm offensive in Bhutan. China is offering attractive scholarships to Bhutan's best and brightest to study in Chinese Universities. It is strengthening ties with Bhutan in the fields of culture, education and sports. It has been hosting a number of eminent personas from Bhutan and has promised to not only undertake massive infrastructure projects in that country, but also extend soft loans to Bhutan.
One of the latest symbols of China's increasing footprint in Bhutan is the massive, 51.5 metre-high Buddha Dordenma statue that looms over Thimpu. Though it is said that the massive gilded statue of Bhagwan Buddha costing over $4.7 lakh (Rs 305 crore) is sponsored by a Chinese-origin Singaporean billionaire, it is widely believed that the businessman was simply fronting for the Chinese government. China is also footing a major part of the $100 millions (Rs 650 crore) Buddha park and other facilities amidst which the gigantic statue is set.'
 
2. Dams Pakistan will build by Lt Gen Grover 21.7.17 http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/dams-pakistan-will-build/439651.html
The 400-km cascade of dams on the Indus will stretch all the way from Gilgit-Baltistan to the existing Tarbela Dam near Islamabad. China will provide about $50 billion through its agency National Energy Administration (NEA).  It has been reported that the first allocation of funds will take place next year.
The proposed dams may also lead to the submergence of a major part of the Karakoram Highway, initiating displacement and relocation of millions of people who will perhaps lose their livelihood as the agricultural fields will no longer be replenished by deposition of fresh, fertile sediments.
The Indus river is the largest river as also the national river of Pakistan. The snows and glaciers of the Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges of Tibet, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and Gilgit-Baltistan (PoK), largely feed the Indus system.
 
2a. China Pak Water Axis on the Indus 21.7.17 by priyanka singh http://www.idsa.in/issuebrief/china-pakistan-water-axis-on-the-indus_psingh_190717
'It is natural that once the North Indus Cascade fructifies India may have to further contend with popular misgivings that stem from looking at the other side of the LoC and the development prospects that Chinese-aided projects are expected to augur in due course.
India is yet to fully harness its permissible share for storing water up to 3.6 MAF (million acre-feet) under IWT in the western rivers (Jhelum, Chenab and Indus) allotted for its use.24 Besides, in comparison to Pakistan's tally of dams on the eastern rivers including those on the Indus, India has so far built only a small number of run-of-the-river dams on the western rivers.
However, before looking at what China is doing in cahoots with Pakistan, certain domestic realities within China must be accounted for, foremost being the saturation levels in the manufacturing sector, idle machinery, labour, etc. The same could be partially, if not wholly true, with regard to China's dam construction industry. A report prepared by Urgewald, an environmental lobbyist group based in Germany, shows how China's state-owned enterprises – China Datang Corporation, China Huaneng Group, and State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) – are involved in the majority of overseas coal-fired power projects in contravention of China's stated commitment on climate change.25 '

3. Non Traditional Threats: South Asia's "Meth" Traffic 21.7.17 by anant mishra and richa chadha http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/non-traditional-threats-south-asias-meth-traffic/
The intensity of the issue within South Asia is clearly visible from the fact that, those nations which are principle "consumers" of methamphetamines, be it Laos, China and Myanmar, are not only the largest consumers, they also make a major "profit" from the largest drug trade in the history of South East Asia. There "illicit" revenue has further infuriated member nations of South Asia, particularly those which have designated law enforcement agencies to apprehend drug traffickers in their region.

4. There is a method in China's Doklam Stand 19.7.17 by bhaskar roy http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/node/2185
It is important to note that China has unleashed its "three warfares" strategy in full.  The strategy perfected around 2005'.
 
5. China, India must prevent border tensions from blocking progress toward RCEP 21.7.17 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1057308.shtml
Hundreds of officials from 16 nations are set to address a gathering in Hyderabad, India next week where they will meet to negotiate an Asia-centered trade deal called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). China and India are two prominent members of the group, but they face the task of preventing an escalation of their border tensions from becoming an obstacle to reach ing trade agreements at the negotiating table.
 
6. Military conflicts to escalate if India refuses to withdraw troops OPED 21.7.17 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1057440.shtml
'She was lying to the parliament. First, India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhi's impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support India's aggression. Second, India's military strength is far behind that of China. If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose.  She was lying to the parliament. First, India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhi's impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support India's aggression. Second, India's military strength is far behind that of China. If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose.  '
The way some Indians compare China's military strength with that of India at the border is extremely comical. They bragged that India has more troops in the area but they fail to realize that the PLA's strong capability to deploy troops can reverse the balance of power at the border within a day. The PLA's long-range combat capability can also allow its troops in remote area to provide fire support to troops at the border.
India should by no means count on support from the US and Japan because their support is illusory. If India fancies the idea that it has a strategic card to play in the Indian Ocean, it could not be even more naïve
 
7. Afghanistan and Turkmenistan: A model for regional economic cooperation 19.7.17 by m ashraf http://www.orfonline.org/expert-speaks/afghanistan-turkmenistan-model-regional-economic-cooperation/
Warm Regards
sanjeev nayyar



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How should India deal with China? by Sanjeev Nayyar in Indian Defence Review


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sanjeev Nayyar

How should India deal with China?
By Sanjeev Nayyar
 

India's refusal to be part of OBOR and Doklam stand-off has made China occupy more mind space than at any time in the recent past. Conversely Global Times, mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, regularly publishes articles threatening and advising India.

 

Till now, Indians thought their primary enemy was Pakistan, a neighbour whose people are of the same stock and seen on prime time. With China it is different.  

 

How does one deal with a neighbour who is determined to be Asia's leading power and "steer you towards participation in its grand geopolitical design represented by the Belt and Road Initiative", grabs your territory stealthily, is less visible, makes  equipment at a lower cost, whose phones you use, has deep pockets, uses Pakistan to keep you tied down, woos your neighbours and impedes your emergence as a rival power.

 

How should India deal with China? First some broad contours.

 

Our mantra should be cooperate and compete. Be firm, keep channels of communication open and never let your guard down. There is no need for India to be submissive because China's GDP is five times ours and ape its  achievements in infrastructure and manufacturing. India's actions should be driven by its civilizational values and not in response to Chinese moves. In Africa India must play to its strengths. We need partners to make China understand the need for mutual respect. Every Indian move has to be timed and not give China an opportunity to play the victim card. Simultaneously, we can work together for greater benefit e.g. climate change.

 

India needs an integrated and comprehensive policy towards China. Here is what she must do.

 

One: China is doing what it does because of economic strength. India must be focussed on becoming an economic and military power.

 

Two: The next time China offers to play a constructive role in improving relations between India and Pakistan, India must offer to help China in resolving its disputes with Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan and Philippines amongst others.  

 

Three: The more the Chinese needle us, the firmer must be our resolve. Sometimes India could, with a smile, show China the mirror for e.g. by asking why it supports terrorism.  

 

Four: One of the reasons for China flexing its muscles is improved relations with Russia. The latter needs Chinese support to counter the U.S. led economic sanctions and in Afghanistan. India must not get unnerved because China might, true to its nature, turn the tables on Russia once it becomes a dominant partner. 

 

Five: On ties with Russia and U.S. former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal recently wrote, "We must have both the US and Russia as close partners and work with both countries on issues where our respective interests coincide without undermining the legitimate interests of either country."

 

Six: India must woo Taiwanese companies to invest in India esp. in telecom hardware.

 

Seven: Sooner than later China shall use water as a weapon against India. Study the impact of the proposed "the 400-km cascade of dams on the Indus will stretch all the way from Gilgit-Baltistan to the existing Tarbela Dam near Islamabad." Ditto for Brahmaputra.

 

Eight: India must be steadfast in its stand that Gilgit and Baltisthan are part of India and provide "political, diplomatic and moral support to the Baloch people who may be engaged in disrupting the corridor".

               

It is counter-moves that could put pressure on China or else India is always left responding.

 

Nine: India invariably associates defending the border by the army. Since it is impossible to guard every inch of land India is always under pressure. We need to change tack as noted columnist Nitin Pai recently wrote. "India should respond to Chinese moves in the Himalayas and the subcontinent with counter-moves in the South China Sea and beyond. By using sea power in a geography that China is sensitive about, India could raise the costs of Beijing's Himalayan enterprises". 1

 

Ten: Agni IV, V and Brahmos missiles are yet to be inducted into the armed forces. Government must raise the bar and induct by September quarter 2018 if not earlier.

 

Eleven: On the border issue, every time China raises it we must remind them of the 1996 agreement, unilaterally repudiated by them in 2002, where it was agreed to 'clarifying the alignment of the LAC in those segments where they (the two sides) have different perceptions'. The ball is in China's court.

 

Twelve: China is not only at our border but has an ever increasing presence in trade, business and financial markets.

 

Writing in MINT, Rajrishi Singhal gave three examples of such presence. The author analyses intent and suggests response. 2

  

One, recently Chinese handset manufacturer Vivo won rights to cricket tournament Indian Premier League. "Vivo will pay Rs 2,199 crore for the next five years i.e. a 267% premium over the base price of Rs 120 crore a year". Subsequently Vivo signed a record five-year deal worth Rs 300 crore with Star Sports, broadcaster for Pro Kabaddi League.

 

Is it not odd for a company to bid at record levels and invest so much money in  sponsorships? The deeper intent is to associate Chinese brands with two popular Indians sports.

 

Vivo could be a front for the Chinese government just like it widely believed that a "Chinese-origin Singaporean billionaire is for Rs 305 crore massive gilded statue of Buddha" being built in Thimpu. 

 

It is unfair to expect honourable judges and sports administrators to understand geo-political strategies.

 

Since cricket is India's biggest religion the government could ask BCCI to revisit the Vivo sponsorship offer.

 

Two, Singhal wrote, "So also in the 12th Plan alone, close to 30% of generating capacity was sourced from China (goo.gl/5yB67A), with the trend continuing in the 13th Plan as well."

 

In such and similar sectors the government could introduce the concept of Minimum Import Price (MIP) as was done in the steel sector. MIP is the minimum price per tonne that Indian firms have to pay while importing products into India and was introduced to counter unfair trade practices. Remember only when Indian companies make profits will they invest in fresh capacity.

 

Three, "among the list of banks managing the recent Central Depository Services Ltd initial public offering was a curious name: Haitong Securities India Pvt Ltd. Haitong, as per its website, is China's second largest securities firm."

 

An open invite to FDI is fine but access has to be mutual.

 

The government must use tariff and non-tariff barriers to keep the Chinese at bay.

 

Thirteen: Be it investing in infrastructure projects in Iran, India's neighbourhood or building a Buddha statue in Bhutan, India must look to pool its resources with Japan.

 

Fourteen: China must be told that an escalation of border tensions would severely impact trade ties and reaching trade agreements at the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to be held in Hyderabad this week.

 

National achievements and soft power are important tools of psychological warfare. So -

 

Fifteen: The government must keep Team ISRO motivated so India's achievements in space technology continue.

 

Sixteen: Identify sports where China dominates but India has competence, for example, badminton and then build world champions. Work towards sustained dominance and do not get swayed by a few victories.

 

Seventeen: India has gifted China, Buddhism then and Yoga now. This needs wide publicity.  

 

Inspite of the fact that yoga helps Chinese women, mostly in the age group of 25 to 40, to remain young, healthy and fit China keeps threatening India by saying it will teach it a lesson. Notwithstanding Chinese hostility, the government must encourage more Indians esp. those from the northeast, to learn yoga and offer to help the Chinese.

 

Simultaneously the world, Chinese and Indians included must know that -

 

Eighteen: Annexing areas comes naturally to China. It annexed Tibet, Manchuria, Xinjiang and parts of Mongolia. To this add 38,000 sq kms of Akshai Chin (part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir), that has since provided China with the only passageway between Tibet and Xinjiang.

 

Nineteen: China supports countries that indulge in terrorism and are a threat to world peace. For example the Pakistan North Korea nuclear and missile nexus. Last year Samuel Ramani wrote in thediplomat.com, "During the early 1990s, Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto purchased Rodong long-range missiles from North Korea. In exchange, Pakistan supplied Pyongyang with "civilian nuclear technology". In 2002, U.S. officials announced that Pakistan had exported gas centrifuges to help North Korea enrich uranium and construct a nuclear bomb." 3

 

By using Pakistan as a route for nuclear materials entering North Korea China could strengthen the DPRK's military capabilities without spoiling relations with the U.S. 

 

A second example is Chinese support to Pakistan, a country that gave refuge to Osama Bin Laden and uses terror as an instrument of State policy.  

 

Next India must invest in and nurture relations -   

 

Twenty: With a countries of Southeast Asia, the subcontinent and Japan.   

 

Twenty-one: Former ambassador and senior diplomat G Parthasarathy recently wrote that India has won gratitude in vocational training and education facilities for Myanmar personnel. He added our focus should be on  assisting populations living close to our borders through imaginative schemes for education, health, communications and small/village industries.

 

Twenty-two: Start direct flights between Imphal and Yangon and road connectivity. Both would increase trade and tourism.  

 

Twenty-three: Nepal and Bangladesh are welcome to do business with China. Give them a booklet of "how Chinese investments in Africa, Sri Lanka and Myanmar have faced strong local backlash and national election campaigns in Zambia and Sri Lanka were held on an anti-China plank."

 

Read China's debt trap diplomacy by Brahma Chellaney https://chellaney.net/2017/01/25/chinas-debt-trap-diplomacy

 

Twenty-four: In case China makes a railway line to Nepal make it known to our brothers there that India would not allow import of Chinese goods through the Indo-Nepal border. 

 

Twenty-five: India needs to promote tourism to the Northeast in a big way. The regions development and integration is critical to the success of India's Look East Policy.

 

Lastly, the Centre needs to counter possible Chinese moves to influence elections in India. The Chinese might do so because it believes that with every election victory BJP's stand on international issues gets tougher.

 

Read BJP's election win has implications for Sino-India ties http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1038018.shtml

 

How India must respond to Chinese investments in Africa requires a separate piece.

 

Soft and psychological power become potent when accompanied by comprehensive national strength. If and when Indian builds it, the intelligent will get the message.

 

The author is an independent columnist. He tweets @sanjeev1927  

 

 

References

1. Why India should rely on sea power to manage China's provocations http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/why-india-should-rely-on-sea-power-to-manage-china-s-provocations-117071301457_1.html

2.The Chinese encirclement: within and without - http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/e04zLoS4TcPPfZ8F0wxRiO/The-Chinese-encirclement-within-and-without.html

3.The long history of Pakistan China nexis http://thediplomat.com/2016/08/the-long-history-of-the-pakistan-north-korea-nexus/

 

Also read -

1.China's conduct and logic of power - http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/cvQxKI5NXXgmRLtEUZ6XFL/Chinas-conduct-and-the-logic-of-power.html

2.China Pak Water Axis on the Indus http://www.idsa.in/issuebrief/china-pakistan-water-axis-on-the-indus_psingh_190717

3. Are import restrictions to blame for India's trade deficit with China?  http://www.livemint.com/Politics/YmlQ6q1hLvmQMu0CQqd2FK/Are-import-restrictions-to-blame-for-Indias-trade-deficit-w.html

 

Warm Regards
sanjeev nayyar
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Fwd: India needs to be prepared for all eventualities+China’s challenging neighborhood diplomacy+How lack of synergy is hurting Indian Army’s hunt for weapons


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sanjeev Nayyar


1. Doklam: Keeping the Powder Dry! 24.7.17 lt gen js bajwa http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/doklam-keeping-the-powder-dry/
Had these politicians refrained from meeting the Ambassador in view of the Doklam standoff, China would have got a very different message about India's resolve and support to the government by all political parties.
The Navy has an onerous task to protect the vast coast line. The vulnerability of Andaman and Nicobar Island to clandestine occupation by even a small Chinese force will be high on their agenda.
Without hard power handy a country has to make unacceptable compromises in its national interests to accommodate those of a belligerent. War may not be India's choice but not to prepare for it when there are war clouds looming would amount to a gross act of treason. Let my Countrymen not be fooled by our own people in power'.
 
2. What Chinese warmongering reveals 24.2.17 by Brahma C https://chellaney.net/2017/07/24/what-chinas-himalayan-warmongering-reveals/
Disinformation and deceit are among the tools China is employing in its psywar to tame India without military combat, in Sun Tzu style.'
One issue is China's disregard of international law, including the bilateral accords it has signed with Bhutan and India pledging not to alter the status quo unilaterally. As the South and East China seas also illustrate, Beijing signs agreements and treaties but does not comply with them.'
 
3. Are import restrictions to blame for India's trade deficit with China? 25.7.17 http://www.livemint.com/Politics/YmlQ6q1hLvmQMu0CQqd2FK/Are-import-restrictions-to-blame-for-Indias-trade-deficit-w.html
India's addiction to cheap Chinese phones rather than trade restrictions better explain the yawning trade gap with China.
 
4. Sino-Indian standoff: India needs to be prepared for all eventualities 25.7.17 by Kanwal Sibal http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/sino-indian-standoff-india-needs-to-be-prepared-for-all-eventualities/articleshow/59746083.cms
China's strategy on the border issue is a controlled one, both of not settling it and also negotiating agreements and measures to avoid an actual military clash. This way China keeps India under pressure, exposes the limitations of its political will and military capacity to confront it, keeps large parts of India's military forces tied up in the north and east with a view to releasing pressure on Pakistan, and through all this pursues its hegemonic ambitions in Asia as whole with diminished India'..
 
5. China's challenging neighborhood diplomacy OPED 24.7.17 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1057815.shtml
n the future, China still faces a number of challenges in its neighborhood. The challenges need to be addressed with a holistic approach if China wants to maintain and prolong its current period of strategic opportunity, promote its domestic economic and political situation, and push forward the implementation of its initiatives and proposals.
Yet the biggest challenge for China lies in Donald Trump's China policy, given Washington's important position in the Asia-Pacific region and the unpredictability of the Trump administration.'

 
6. Why India must stand firm against 'China's psychological warfare' on the Doklam plateau stand-off 25.71.7 by Kapil Sibal http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-4726130/Why-India-stand-firm-against-China-Doklam.html
If the Chinese up the ante in Kashmir or the Northeast, they must think of their political vulnerabilities in Tibet and Taiwan.'
 
 
8. How lack of synergy is hurting Indian Army's hunt for weapons 25.7.17 by Sandeep Unnithan http://www.dailyo.in/politics/indian-army-insas-guns-weapons-cag-ofb-make-in-india/story/1/18549.html
Warm Regards
sanjeev nayyar
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Friday, July 28, 2017

Pak Supreme Court Disqualifies PM Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan's Supreme Court has disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from holding public office because of corruption charges against him:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40750671

My speculation is that this development might be CPEC-related. Nawaz had positioned himself and his family (daughter) to be prime beneficiaries under China's CPEC investment scheme. Pak Army may have felt uncomfortable with Nawaz getting so aligned/cosy with Big-daddy China, because that would leave Pak Army at a disadvantage in the power equation. At some point, Nawaz might have been able to call the shots regarding Pak Army, just by making phone calls to Beijing. Getting rid of Nawaz now could help preserve Pak Army's future autonomy.

I wonder how Musharraf must be feeling over the latest news.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Modi Delegates Powers to Military

The Modi government has delegated to the Indian military the powers for discretionary spending on security upgrades:

http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/in-big-move-narendra-modi-government-empowers-army-navy-iaf-hands-over-financial-power-to-boost-security-at-installations/782900/

more on l'affaire dhume

there have been allegations and counter-allegations flying all over the place.

here's my latest word on the topic.

https://rajeev2007.wordpress.com/2017/07/26/are-we-being-unfair-to-dhume/

for san: nano satellite



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Quick notes: U.R Rao, Dhanush gun...

  • U.R. Rao: Genial genius of ISRO. Dr. Rao’s space journey blossomed under the tutelage of Vikram Sarabhai, his doctoral guide and later boss at ISRO: in 1972, Sarabhai tasked the young Rao — fresh from MIT and the only Indian then who had worked on NASA’s Pioneer and Explorer satellite projects — with building an Indian satellite... Scientist who turned sheds into space labs.


  • Criminal conspiracy: Chinese fake parts for 'desi Bofors'


  • Something weird going on with Western men's sperm: Study finds sharp decline in male fertility in Western Nations from 1973 to 2011. Sperm counts seem to have dropped by more than 50 percent. Research out of China suggests a more recent sperm count decline. Over the past 20 years, China has become more Western in terms of environmental pollutants and dietary habits.


  • Marlboro Country: Tobacco MNC Philip Morris takes aim at young people with tactics that break India’s anti-smoking laws.


  • One more to the list: UK to ban sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040


  • Trees can make or break city weather:Even a single urban tree can help moderate wind speeds and keep pedestrians comfortable as they walk down the street.


  • Purifying Sinners: Congregants of the Word of Faith Fellowship were regularly punched, smacked, choked, slammed to the floor or thrown through walls in a violent form of deliverance meant to “purify” sinners by beating out devils. Prosecutors tried to sabotage investigation.



Monday, July 24, 2017

chellany on how chinese propaganda is working

how the chinese are preparing to dominate the seas

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-chinas-navy-preparing-fight-the-far-seas-21583

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to put it bluntly, we're screwed in the seas

thank you, congress, for starving the navy.

Heritage Foundation: US Should Align with India, Israel

The head of the Heritage Foundation, the influential American policy thinktank, calls for the United States to align itself more closely with India and Israel:

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/americas-future-india-israel-21629


I think he could have added space cooperation to the list of collaborative fronts.
Also, the F-16 is an old aircraft, but the F-18 has newer iterations which the US Navy wants to use as its main combat plane, so it might be good for India to look at.

Friday, July 21, 2017

is dhume plagiarizing what i said about the presidential election?

sure looks like it :-)

to be honest, i don't believe he did plagiarize, but it is definitely a coincidence. i think politicians must be explicitly disbarred from contesting for the post.

here's dhume in the wsj after the election.


here's me in rediff before the election.

http://www.rediff.com/news/column/e-sreedharan-for-president/20170616.htm

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Quick notes: Bad loans, Solar-powered coaches...

  • Bad-loans crisis: Even the best-case scenario for Indian banks is pretty awful. To recover over Rs4 lakh crore from the top 50 companies that haven’t been able to repay their debts, banks may have to take a haircut of as much as 60%, resulting in a loss of about Rs2.4 lakh crore.


  • Solar-powered coaches: A train with six solar-powered coaches could save around 21,000 litres of diesel every year, worth around Rs12 lakh.


  • Coming soon to India: Electric buses that can swap batteries at petrol pump-like facilities. Swappable batteries could be the potential game changer in India.


  • East Coast Greenway: The biggest infrastructure project in the US is a 3,000-mile bike path


  • Goa is phoren: No beef shortage in Goa, assures Manohar Parrikar.


  • Religious contributions: Christian, Muslim households top in donations for charity


  • Francois Gautier: Ten Things a Hindu Can Do While Using English Language
    1. Please stop using the word "God fearing" - Hindus never ever fear God. For us, God is everywhere and we are also integral part of God. God is not a separate entity to fear.

    2. Please do not use the meaningless term "RIP" when someone dies. Use "Om Shanti", "Sadgati" or "I wish this atma attains moksha". Hinduism neither has the concept of "soul" nor its "resting". The terms "Atma" and "Jeeva" are, in a way, antonyms for the word "soul".

    3. Please don't use the word "Mythology" for our historic epics (Itihas) Ramayana and Mahabharata. Rama and Krishna are historical heroes, not just mythical characters.

    3. Please don't be apologetic about idol worship and say “Oh, that's just symbolic". All religions have idolatry in kinds or forms - cross, words, letters (calligraphy) or direction. Also let's stop using the words the words 'idols', 'statues' or 'images' when we refer to the sculptures of our Gods. Use the terms 'Moorthi' or 'Vigraha'. If words like Karma, Yoga, Guru and Mantra can be in the mainstream, why not Moorthi or Vigraha?

    4. Please don't refer to Ganesh and Hanuman as "Elephant god" and "Monkey god" respectively. You can simply write Shree Ganesh and Shree Hanuman.

    5. Please don't refer to our temples as prayer halls. Temples are "devalaya" (abode of god) and not "prathanalaya" (Prayer halls).

    6. Please don't wish your children "black birthday" by letting them to blow off the candles that kept at the top of the birth day cake. Don't throw spit on the divine fire (Agni Deva). Instead, ask them to pray: "Oh divine fire, lead me from darkness to light" (Thamasoma Jyotirgamaya) by lighting a lamp. These are all strong images that go to deep psyche.

    7. Please avoid using the words "spirituality" and "materialistic". For a Hindu, everything is divine. The words spirituality and materialism came to India through evangelists and Europeans who had a concept of Church vs State. Or Science vs Religion. On the contrary, in India, Sages were scientists and the foundation stone of Sanatan Dharma was Science.

    9. Please don't use the word "Sin" instead of "Paapa". We only have Dharma (duty, righteousness, responsibility and privilege) and Adharma (when dharma is not followed). Dharma has nothing to do with social or religious morality. 'Papa' derives from Adharma.

    10. Please don't use loose translation like meditation for "dhyana" and 'breathing exercise' for "Pranayama". It conveys wrong meanings. Use the original words. Remember, the world respects only those who respect themselves! Please circulate so that people can understand about their Hindu Dharma....
  • #8 is missing?

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Seaweed in Cow Diet Can Reduce Methane Emissions

Scientists in Ireland have found that introducing a small amount of seaweed into the normal grass diet of cows can reduce their methane emissions by up to 99%:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/ireland-cows-methane-emissions-climate-change-supercows-james-cook-university-a7849646.html

India's Banking Sector Draws Global Capital

In spite of Arun Shourie's whining about the need for TARP, the fact is that India's banks aren't paralyzed, and are drawing global capital to do their lending:

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-07-19/india-s-banking-vigor-stokes-its-economic-boom

The drop in industrial output means that another rate-cut is likely in the future. With GST, more international investment will keep coming.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

NYTimes: ‘Ants Among Elephants,’ a Memoir About the Persistence of Caste

'Ants Among Elephants,' a Memoir About the Persistence of Caste https://nyti.ms/2vvrr9f

Sounds like whining from a converted SC, from a privileged, educated family. So she went from research associate at iitm to only being a Subway conductor in NYC, a semi skilled job? Perhaps she's facing severe discrimination in the US also based on race and color? 

India Drills into Quake Zone

Indian geologists are drilling into a seismic fault line in Maharashtra to gain insights into Indian earthquakes:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40628028

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

China Steps Up War Rhetoric, Says Its Patience Won't Last

China is communicating loudly to India and to other members of P5 powers that its patience with India won't last forever, and that it will forcibly expel Indian troops from Doklam if India doesn't withdraw unilaterally:

http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/fresh-threat-chinese-media-warns-india-of-all-out-war-along-lac-from-kashmir-to-sikkim/767934/

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/china-briefs-envoys-on-doklam-standoff-with-indian-troops-at-trijunction-our-troops-waiting-patiently-wont-do-so-indefinitely-pla-4755471/


Because Doklam is extremely close to India's vulnerable "Chicken Neck", the Siliguri corridor, this matter is vital to India's security. Likewise, because of its sensitivity, India has tens of thousands of troops near there, as compared to China's thousands. But because of that local asymmetry, China would likely resort to incursions on other parts of the border with India in order to make the whole border an active front.

PS: If they're going to attack, they'd better do it before the onset of winter forces a retreat.

ISRO Prepares for 2nd Test of RLV-TD

ISRO is preparing for the 2nd test of the RLV-TD reusable test demonstrator, which will take place in about a year's time - this time it will be a landing test:

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2017/jul/17/isro-gearing-up-for-second-prototype-test-of-rlv-td-1629732.html

ISRO sources said it may take another year for the model to be ready. They said the present plan is to launch the RLV-TD from Sriharikota and land it on an undisclosed Air Force airfield in the eastern sector. This is yet to be finalised though, they said.

The vehicle will be launched out of Sriharikota, like the last time, but this time it will have landing gear to allow it to glide back for a touchdown on a runway. The landing will most likely be done at an airfield in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The planned future TSTO (Two-Stage-to-Orbit) reusable launch vehicle which will be developed from the RLV-TD test program is intended to fly the same kind of flight path.



Monday, July 17, 2017

Fwd: Turkey arrests Amnesty International’s local director

india should probably arrest the local amnesty guy aakar patel for anti national activities.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Economist News Desk <noreply@email.economist.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at 10:54 PM
Subject: Turkey arrests Amnesty International's local director
To: 


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Daily Dispatch | Friday | July 14th 2017
 
 
 
 
Turkey and the West: Travesty international
In 1998 Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Istanbul's mayor, was jailed for reading out a poem. Amnesty International wrote to the government and demanded his release. Last week the Turkish government, with Mr Erdogan as president, arrested the human-rights group's local director. Tomorrow he will spend the first anniversary of Turkey's failed coup in jail. The West's silence over the repression in Turkey is becoming ever harder to maintain
 
 
 
 
Trumpcare: Version three
Is the Senate's revised health-care proposal a good bill? And will it pass? (Ideally these two questions would be related. But they are not.) It would probably leave more Americans without usable health care and it does not do much to reduce the cost or increase the quality of care. It is not a good proposal. Yet there is a 50:50 chance that the bill, or something like it, will become law, writes our United States editor
 
 
 
 
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EU bureaucrats: Expect the unelected
Eurosceptics are fond of referring to European Union officials as "unelected bureaucrats". But every government has bureaucrats, who are by nature unelected. If anyone proposed a direct EU-wide election for the president of the European Commission, Eurosceptics would surely reject it. Critics do have a valid case against the EU: not that its bureaucrats are unelected, but that they are too insulated from democracy, writes our Europe editor
 
 
 
Brexit and airlines: Prepare for a hard landing
Today EasyJet, Europe's second-biggest budget airline, revealed it will set up a subsidiary in Austria. Other airlines with British ownership are checking their options. They fret that a hard Brexit might strip British carriers of their right to fly routes within the EU. The most pessimistic in the industry say there is a real prospect that flights between Britain and the continent could be halted altogether in 2019, writes our business-travel editor
 
 
 
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India Stands to Benefit from Yoga's Popularity

India stands to benefit from the popularity of yoga:

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/india-looks-to-capitalize-on-growing-popularity-of-yoga-in/article_3b616704-9134-5143-b0be-605b9c285a7b.html


This is why it's silly to worry about "taking back" yoga, "cultural appropriation", etc - let people be free to enjoy something they like, because it's all about freedom of choice.