Thursday, November 18, 2021

Quick notes: Illicit takeover | Vatican slams India...

  • China Bought Italian Military-Drone Maker Without Authorities’ Knowledge: Italian and European authorities weren’t aware that a Chinese state-controlled company bought an Italian military-drone manufacturer and transferred its know-how and technology, revealing how Beijing is skirting weak investment-screening in Europe to acquire sensitive technology.


  • China's rival to Tesla Semi: Geely's Homtruck will come with Level 4 autonomy. Meanwhile, the Tesla Semi has been delayed multiple times due to unavailability of its 4680-format battery cells. . . . India needs a national tech mission. Not fantasies like India-growth-story or its latest variant, Next-Economic-Supercycle.


  • China Draws Up List to Replace Foreign Tech: The quasi-govt body will choose from a basket of suppliers to provide technology for sensitive sectors. . . . Unlike India's screw-driver plan to manufacture foreign tech.


  • A battery on wheels: Can we use big batteries to power trains instead of tracks with overhead power lines?


  • Vatican heaps guilt on India: The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano gave frontpage coverage to India’s alleged hypocrisy, underscoring its reticence to commit to CO2 reductions in Glasgow while experiencing dangerous levels of smog in New Delhi and elsewhere.

    "India's track record with renewables is solid". The emphasis on coal while leaving out oil and gas would disproportionately impact developing countries.

    Hypocrisy: Coal power plants are running at full tilt in parts of Europe. Under Europe’s climate policies, this shouldn’t be happening.


  • Icelandverse: Get a 'Real' life.



  • Ghost soldiers: Afghanistan's ex-finance minister has blamed the government's fall on corrupt officials who invented "ghost soldiers" and took payments from the Taliban.


  • Electric scooters find buyers: India is one of the most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events like heat waves and floods. Disruptions to the rainy monsoon season are already having a major impact on agriculture.


  • Bridging the skills gap: Bangladesh is making a serious attempt to improve its schools. It hopes to move away from rote learning and towards actual learning. A choice of two vocational subjects from such options as woodwork, graphic design, car mechanics, child care and plumbing will be mandatory for high-schoolers. The government also plans to open more technical universities.


  • India is multi-lingual: We don't need one language.


  • How Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography works:



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