Moneycontrol | COP29 hyped nuclear energy but it won’t last

The hype surrounding nuclear energy in the aftermath of the COP29 would only translate into growth of the nuclear industry if the theoretical solution to highly-radioactive nuclear waste — deep geological repositories — translates into reality. A safe answer which has been adequately tested is not yet available.

By Lokendra Sharma

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The Federal | China’s super dam on Brahmaputra: Why it's a geopolitical challenge and concern for India

With the region already prone to landslides and floods, the massive project undertaken by China could prove catastrophic, says Geospatial expert, Dr. Y. Nithiyanandam, Head of Geospatial Program at the Takshashila Institution.

By Y Nithiyanandam

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The Hindu | India’s reliance on China for critical minerals

Does China have unparalleled dominance in the critical minerals sector? How was it able to do so? What are the minerals for which India is heavily dependent on China? Why has India not been able to excavate the lithium reserves found in Jammu and Kashmir?

By Rakshith Shetty

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Deccan Herald | AI and data centres: Misplaced focus in the energy demand

The narrative linking electricity demand growth to artificial intelligence (AI) and data centres has been exaggerated, diverting attention from more significant drivers of energy consumption. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) analysis presents a sobering reality check: data centres are projected to account for only about 5 per cent of global electricity demand growth by 2030. This modest contribution is dwarfed by other sectors, yet media coverage and public discourse often inflate its significance.

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Life of Soldiers | Anti-Submarine Warfare: Doctrine and Capabilities of the PLA Navy

At the recently concluded Zhuhai Airshow in Guangdong, China, a new unmanned combat vessel of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the ORCA, made its debut as part of the Asian giant’s naval arsenal. As official sources highlighted, this 500-tonne displacement high-speed stealth unmanned surface combat vessel, equipped with a diesel-electric dual-mode propulsion system, is capable of performing a host of tasks including Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) fire strike, and air and missile defense. But perhaps what is most interesting, is its reported ability to perform anti-submarine search and strike autonomously. If true, the PLAN may just be ushering in a transformed era for China’s undersea warfare capabilities.

By Anushka Saxena

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Hindustan Times | Power shifts in China’s defence establishment

Xi’s anti-corruption campaign aims to consolidate power and ensure loyalty within the PLA but has inadvertently exposed factional divides.

By Anushka Saxena

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The Print | Short-term work visas, long-term gains—How India-US can tackle immigration woes, boost ties

With a large pool of engineering graduates entering the workforce annually, India has the potential to meet the growing demand in the US semiconductor sector.

By Aparna Pande and Sarthak Pradhan

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StratNews Global | China’s R&D Engine: Technology Diffusion Seamlessly Across Sectors

China's giant strides in developing cutting-edge technologies and ensuring these are disseminated where they are needed, is a tribute to the scientific eco-system they have evolved.

Massive investment, a deliberate alignment of, and removal of barriers between military and civilian research, and a clear commitment to becoming the global leader in critical technologies are vital characteristics of China’s S&T ecosystem.

It is a whole-system approach, which also focuses on building the requisite skill infrastructure, and recognises the capacity of General Purpose Technologies (GPTs) to increase economic productivity, and thereby, military prowess, by the process of diffusion into pervasive use in a wide range of activities and sectors.

By Arindam Goswami

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Deccan Herald | Strengthening the IndiaAI mission

As details about the budget allocation for the IndiaAI mission emerge, this is an opportune moment to reassess its objectives for fostering India’s AI ecosystem and to evaluate how the government can achieve these goals. The authors argue that the government should promote open-source initiatives, adopt funding mechanisms that enable the market to evaluate value creation and innovation, and fund research to understand AI risks in an Indian context.

By Bharath Reddy & Rijesh Panicker

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The Print | India, US need each other to combat China. Don’t let domestic politics come in the way

India, US need each other to combat China. Don’t let domestic politics come in the way

By Aparna Pande and Sarthak Pradhan

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The Hindu | Implications of the AI Diffusion Framework

The Biden-Harris administration unveiled a flurry of policies in their last week in office. The most extraordinary among them is the Framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Diffusion. It has many goals: preserving U.S. hegemony in AI technology, balancing innovation and national security, and deterring U.S. adversaries from harvesting the strategic rewards of AI. These goals signal the U.S.’s strategic vision for AI, heralding its transformative potential to advance economic prowess and military dominance in the coming years.

By Ashwin Prasad

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The Times of India | Boycott Button

We love pressing it, whether the injury be grave or slight.

By Anupam Manur

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Deccan Herald | Policy tweaks can push private sector R&D

Non-restrictive, investment-friendly policies will attract private investment to help India realise its innovation potential.

By Sarthak Pradhan and Pranay Kotasthane

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Money Control | Revamping Urban Local Bodies: Addressing financial and governance challenges

India’s municipal corporations face severe financial and governance issues, relying heavily on state and central grants. With limited revenue, inadequate staffing, and delayed elections, they struggle to provide essential services. A comprehensive overhaul is needed to empower local governments, ensure fiscal autonomy, and improve service delivery

By Miheer Karandikar

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Deccan Herald | Private sector push for India’s open-source challenge

Zerodha’s recent announcement to commit $1 million for open-source software is a shot in the arm for researchers. But India’s private sector needs to do more.

By Arindam Goswami and Lokendra Sharma

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ThinkChina | Is India warming up to Chinese investment?

China’s investments in India, historically underwhelming, have dropped further with India’s fears of China’s “opportunistic takeovers”, says Indian researcher Amit Kumar. But a more favourable Indian public discourse towards Chinese investments and the potential for win-win benefits could turn things around.

By Amit Kumar

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News18 | ‘Catching’ Innovation: What India Can Learn From SpaceX’s Latest Triumph

Embrace risk, support long-term thinking, and create ecosystems that turn ambitious dreams into reality.

What would an Indian SpaceX look like? Perhaps it’s not in space at all, but in renewable energy, biotechnology, or quantum computing. The key is that ambitious innovators need an environment where they can take big risks, fail fast, and keep pushing boundaries. This means rethinking everything, from our bankruptcy laws to our education system. We need to transform India’s innovation ecosystem from a permission-based system to a performance-based one, and move away from subjective approvals to objective criteria, much like how SpaceX operates under clear FAA guidelines rather than case-by-case permissions.

By Arindam Goswami and Ashwin Prasad

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Moneycontrol | Canada's inclusion of India as cyberadversary is a deliberate political move; here’s why

A perusal of Canada’s ‘National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026’ report against the backdrop of the current India-Canada relations indicates that India’s inclusion as a cyberadversary is a deliberate last-minute political decision

By Lokendra Sharma

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Deccan Herald | A Strategic Thrust To Space Beyond Borders

As space activities grow beyond the traditional state-led programs, policy is beginning to catch up. On October 17, the US government eased space-related export controls to expand its commercial sector's reach. However, trade liberalisation in the space sector should evolve beyond allowing hardware sales. International cooperation between the US and its allies can distribute the space technology supply chains beyond national borders across trusted geographies. When spread across globally, technology development will reduce costs, enable specialisation, facilitate innovation, increase production rates and promote geopolitical stability on Earth and beyond.

By Ashwin Prasad

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Resonant News | China’s Advanced firing range and probable SIGINT facilities near in Shigatse (Tibet Autonomous Region)

This report finds that a sophisticated PLA firing range near Shigatse is being used for high-altitude target practice and weapon calibration. Secondly, it finds evidence of probable SIGINT systems that can listen to a range of signals, including military and submarine communications, from vast distances.

By Y Nithiyanandam

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