A few weeks ago after President Donald Trump took charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the new President in the White House. The euphoric outcome of the meeting prompted some analysts to suggest that the duo had rekindled their bromance. However, six months later it is apparent that not everything has gone to script. Worse, there are clear fault lines, something that has been amplified by intemperate remarks from some members of the Trump cabinet. https://youtu.be/6i5_itl7mx4 This prompts the obvious question: What is the future for India-US relations? Can the two sides overcome the bumps? Or will Trump petulance and…
Author: Anil Padmanabhan
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Recently, IIT-Madras hosted the launch of the first version of KompactAI, a platform it co-produced with Ziroh Labs. This platform seeks to bridge the AI divide by enabling the creation of affordable applications. This is possible because the products created by using the KompactAI platform can run AI without using advanced chips and consuming huge quantities of power. https://youtu.be/oiyBTRL2Bvw Significantly, this innovation which democratises AI and showcased at IIT-Madras is not a one-off. Instead, it is part of a growing trend: One in which IITs are emerging as innovation hubs. This begs the question: Is India building its own version…
A few weeks ago, the International Monetary Fund approved a bailout, the 24th, for Pakistan. This was bang in the middle of a military face-off with India, begging questions whether the loan would be used by Pakistan to fund its military ambitions—including the export of cross-border terror. Consequently, the world is asking: Has the IMF crossed a line? https://youtu.be/mYRWAwqbP_c Did the IMF reward reckless behaviour—throwing good money after bad? Or is this the only path left to stabilizing a country which is a rogue state with a fragile economy? To answer these tough questions, and to understand the deeper geopolitical…
For decades, India’s North Eastern region was seen as a remote frontier — culturally distinct, geographically isolated, and politically sensitive. Not any longer. Today, it is at the centre of India’s strategic, economic, and connectivity vision. Policy focus, infrastructure investment, and diplomatic strategy are converging to elevate the region’s status. https://youtu.be/TUurksm8Sfo StratNewsGlobal.Tech spoke to Soumya Bhowmick, an economic policy researcher who has a domain expertise on the North East to explore how and why the region has become a top policy priority, and how India is reimagining access to the region—both from within the country and across its eastern borders…
If there is one part of the human body that has evaded biological scrutiny it has to be the brain. It is almost impossible even for modern scan technology to penetrate the skull. This is unlike, say the heart, which is another vital organ. This limits the abilities of doctors to understand brain-related ailments like strokes and neurodegeneration, and their cure. In a breakthrough that bridges this research gap, the Brain Centre in IIT-Madras, has successfully mapped the human foetal brain and publishing the most detailed 3D high-resolution images. They are now poised to release a similar mapping of an…
If there is one standout from the comprehensive takedown of the Pakistan military in the recent face-off, then it is India’s ability to mount a near impregnable air defence, while simultaneously undertaking devastating precision strikes on enemy targets. The best part is that this ability is inspired by a home grown DefTech or defence technology backbone. https://youtu.be/Iqb_7ibX2Z4 Laudable, while this achievement is, it begs the question: Why is it that India is unable to replicate this to sectors beyond DefTech and SpaceTech. To address this dilemma, StratNewsGlobal.Tech spoke to Jaijit Bhattacharya, President, Centre for Domestic Economy Policy Research on Capital…
Recently, the International Monetary Fund released the latest numbers on the national income of countries, including India. It transpired that India’s gross domestic product (GDP) doubled in the last 10 years ended 2024. However, this aggregate masks more than it reveals. It buries the fact that India is growing at multiple speeds. A case of countries within a country. https://youtu.be/gH3jKxzQJ1g The top 20 percent of the population have a per capita income comparable to developed countries. On the other hand, the balance 80 percent hold the keys to electoral power. This contradiction is giving rise to an era of aspirational…
Latest trade data released by the government reveal that India’s trade deficit with China has claimed a lifetime high of $99.2 billion. Not only have imports grown, but exports from India to China have slowed. More worryingly, this surge in imports is dominated by intermediate products. China is the largest suppliers in all industrial product categories. The obvious question then is whether India’s economic sovereignty at stake? https://youtu.be/PmSSpVKUEVU How does India balance its economic interests with the ongoing military frictions with China? Similarily, how does India address this strategic challenge as it charts the course for an economic revival in…
Since 2 April, the world economy is on a rollercoaster. President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day for US trade has injected an unprecedented level of uncertainty. The subsequent flip-flops have only made a bad situation worse. India too has been singed. Even while the country scrambles together a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the United States to evade the tariff onslaught, it is being made aware of its long ignored Achilles Heel—lack of global competitiveness of Indian industry. https://youtu.be/fnHwjUQflaw Can India resolve this handicap in a hurry? Because once the BTA is in place, Indian industry would be exposed to global…
Last weekend, leaders of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral and Technical Cooperation) countries, converged in Bangkok to give a fresh start to this regional body consisting of countries flanking the Bay of Bengal. Coincidentally, the meeting happened just around the time when the world was soaking in the impact of Act-II of President Donald Trump’s tariff war. https://youtu.be/MmsM8T5jsiA Most analysts fear that the US action could hurt the world economy, particularly global trade. Global sentiment has taken a beating with stock markets in a nosedive. In this backdrop, will the fresh efforts to revive BIMSTEC, which has…