3 thoughts on this:

Economy - Israel's economy took a hit in October that was comparable to the economic tremors caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. It is effectively in a major recession today. The longer they drag out this war, the worse their economic condition will be. Foreign capital will continue leaving the country as it seems incapable of stabilising. While the continued use of reserves means 300,000 Israelis will be unable to work, not to mention the millions of dollars Israel has to spend to mobilise its reserve every day. The longer the war goes on, the more people will end up leaving the country. 470,000 have left in October and November with no intention of returning while over 300,000 settlers are internally displaced. Both of those numbers are bound to go up as the war continues. This means that Israel is missing hundreds of thousands of Israeli workers. A few weeks ago, Israel struck a deal with the Indian government to get 100,000 workers after tens of thousands of worker migrants fled the country. That plan fell through thanks to Indian trade unions. Now Israel is turning to African States in a desperate attempt to replace the Gazan workers it's currently genociding. We will see if that plan works as Africans are by and large pro Palestine. Plus the Yemeni naval blockade is growing more and more intense every week as a direct response to the genocide in Gaza. In short, Israel's economy can't withstand a long war. America cannot help prop up the economy as it will soon be facing its major economy issues in the coming years including a housing crisis and likely a recession.

Military defeats - Israel cannot defeat Hamas. It cannot win a war inside Gaza. It failed to do so in 2014, it's failing right now. It has lost hundreds of military vehicles including the (formerly) vaunted Merkava-4. The estimated number of injured soldiers stands at 10,000+ while the Resistance is still intact and capable of carrying out dozens of military operations against IDF and the surrounding cities and settlements every day. The IDF has never looked more weak than it is right now. Hezbollah has been employing a military strategy dubbed the escalation ladder, in which one end of the ladder is no war and the other end is total war. It has continuously escalated against Israel, attacking deeper and deeper into its territory, and it will continue until there's open war between Israel and Lebanon. The point of the escalation is to give Israel time to leave Gaza but as that's not something the Israeli government is planning on doing, we're looking at a region war in 2024 (so far we have a regional conflict and whilebits serious, it's not yet war). Just like it can't win in Gaza, Israel can't defeat Hezbollah and occupy Southern Lebanon like its leaders have been threatening to. It certainly can't take on the Ansar Allah group in Yemen.

West Bank - every week, there are clashes between Israeli forces and the Resistance in the West Bank and it's growing more and more intense. The best way to describe the region is 'powder keg.' Israel has responded to Oct 7th by detaining thousands of Palestinians and killing hundreds. There's a growing popularity of Al Qassam Brigades and other militant groups in Gaza. There also seems to be coordination between the Gazan and West Bank resistance groups, as in they would carry out operations at the same time. The longer the war on Gaza goes on, the more likely that war will also break out in the West Bank.

Many, many more Palestinians will die. This plan, more than anything, is a call for the continued slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.

But the longer this goes on, the closer Israel gets to collapsing.

The economic crisis of Sri Lanka

The economic crisis of Sri Lanka

The crisis of Sri-Lanka is major impact on the Asia’s economy. The economy instability is now been felt across the world. The World is now facing the recession. This is due to the pandemic being a major reason for the cause. This is felt with the reducing the world currency against Dollar. We are here for discussing the Sri- Lanka economic instability. The Sri-Lankan economy was majorly depends…

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Conspiracists and far-right extremists are blaming just about everything and everyone for Tuesday morning’s Baltimore bridge collapse.

A non-exhaustive list of things that are getting blamed for the bridge collapse on Telegram and X include President Biden, Hamas, ISIS, P. Diddy, Nickelodeon, India, former president Barack Obama, Islam, aliens, Sri Lanka, the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, Wokeness, Ukraine, foreign aid, the CIA, Jewish people, Israel, Russia, China, Iran, Covid vaccines, DEI, immigrants, Black people, and lockdowns.

The Francis Scott Key truss bridge collapsed when the MV Dali cargo ship collided with one of the bridge supports. Six construction workers, who were filling potholes on the bridge’s roadway at the time, are presumed dead. The ship is owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and the 22-person crew were all Indian. The ship was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, at the time of the accident.

This did not stop people from “asking questions” about the incident, a frequent conspiracist response to major events. And though conspiracy theorists are having a hard time pinpointing exactly what conspiracy caused the collapse, the one thing they do agree on is that this incident is a “black swan event.”

The term black swan event has been around for decades and is used to describe a major global event (typically in the financial markets) that can cause significant damage to a country’s economy. But in recent years, the term has been co-opted by the conspiracy-minded to explain an event triggered by the so-called deep state that would signal an imminent revolution, a third world war, or some other apocalyptic catastrophe.

One of the first people to call the bridge collapse a black swan event was disgraced former US national security adviser Michael Flynn. “This is a BLACK SWAN event,” he wrote on X. “Black swans normally come out of the world of finance (not military) … There are harbor masters for every single one of these transit points in America that are in charge of assuring the safety of navigation … start there.” Flynn’s post has been viewed 7.2 million times.

Misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, who has been charged in Romania with rape and human trafficking, also posted on X early on Tuesday morning, writing: “Nothing is safe. Black Swan Event imminent.” The post has been viewed almost 19 million times.

The term black swan quickly began trending on X, and soon conspiracists, extremists, and right-wing lawmakers began coming up with explanations for what or who triggered this “black swan event.”

One post claiming a link between the bridge collapse and the film Leave the World Behind has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. The post claimed that because the ship was headed to Sri Lanka, which has a lion on its flag, then the situation was linked to the ship that runs aground at the beginning of the film which was called White Lion. The post also points out that the film was produced by Obama.

A post from Anthony Sabatini, a former Florida state congressman, declared, without evidence, that “DEI did this”—and its been viewed over 2.2 million times.

Some politicians have boosted the conspiracy as well. “Is this an intentional attack or an accident?” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, an influential and conspiracy-minded member of the GOP, posted on X above a video shared by a prominent QAnon conspiracist.

Under previous iterations of X, formerly Twitter, such speculation would typically have gained little traction, as the algorithm would have prioritized trusted news sources and primary evidence. But under Elon Musk’s reign, anyone willing to pay for a blue check can have their posts artificially boosted by the algorithm. This means that conspiracies like this are ending up in the news feeds of millions of people.

On Telegram, one prominent election denier claimed the incident was linked to the fact that the bridge was named after Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words for the Star Spangled Banner, and was thus an attempt to undermine America.

“Don't let them erase our history,” the conspiracist wrote.

Investigators are looking into the cause of the tragic incident, but William DelBagno, the FBI special agent in charge, said on Tuesday that there are no indications of terrorism.

US millennial women saw their well-being decline, a first in modern times, per non-profit PRB.

Homicide, maternal mortality, and suicide rates have all increased for women aged 25 to 34.

The sudden reversal in progress for young women's safety comes despite an improved economic status.

For decades, young women in the US saw sharp progress in their health and safety with each passing generation, but that momentum has now reversed for millennials.

That's according to a November 30 report published by the Washington DC-based non-profit Population Reference Bureau, which studied the well-being of women aged 25 to 34 from each generation of Americans.

It found that women born between 1981 and 1999 — widely classified as millennials — have seen the first drop in well-being since the Silent Generation as they live through young adulthood.

"Women today are more likely to die during their late 20s and early 30s than at any other point in the previous three generations," said the report.

Maternal mortality, suicide, and homicide rates soar

The death rate has risen in parallel with a startling increase in maternal mortality rates among women aged 25 to 34, with 30.4 deaths due to pregnancy complications out of 100,000 births for millennials, the report said.

That's compared to 21 deaths per 100,000 births for the Silent Generation — or women who were born during and before World War II — and 7.5 for baby boomers and 9.2 for Generation X when they were aged 25 to 34.

The report acknowledged that part of the surge might be due to better data collection in recent years. But it also noted that after all US states implemented a new data system in 2019, pregnancy deaths continued to rise sharply.

Millennial women are also the first in the last century to experience rising suicide rates, with 7 suicides among 100,000 women aged 25 to 34, the report said.

Baby boomer and Gen X women, meanwhile, saw a respective 6 and 4.4 suicides per 100,000 women when they were aged 25 to 34.

While White millennial women saw suicide rates decline, young Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, mixed-race, and Hispanic women experienced increases. Statistics for women of other ethnicities were not specifically presented.

And homicide rates for millennial women rose to 4.5 deaths per 100,000 women aged 25 to 34, compared to 4.3 deaths for Gen X women when they were the same age, according to PRB.

Violent deaths among young women actually fell to 3.3 per 100,000 people in 2017, when PRB issued its last index. But statistics now show the rate swelled so quickly in the last six years that it surpassed that of Gen X, per the report.

Like with suicides, homicide rates are higher among young women of color, the report said. LGBTQ+ individuals are also often targeted at far higher rates, it added.

Contributing factors to the overall rise included the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased domestic violence rates, and a recent leap in gun violence incidents, the report also said.

Homicide is now also the leading cause of death for pregnant and postnatal women, more so than typical maternal mortality causes, the report noted.

"Sadly, the tale of generational progress that we have taken for granted in recent generations is no longer a guarantee for Millennial and Gen Z women," the report's authors, led by research analyst Sara Srygley, wrote.

But millennial women also are faring better in the economy

The decline in safety among millennial women comes despite their improved financial and education status compared to generations before.

At least 43.6% of young millennial women in the US have graduated college — a record level in modern history. That's compared to 28% of Gen X women and 22% of baby boomer women who graduated by the time they turned 34, the report said.

Young millennial women are also seeing a reduction in the wage gap, earning 89.7 cents for every dollar that men earn, compared to 82.4 cents on the dollar for Gen X women who were the same age.

The PRB said its well-being indices were built on statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Census Bureau, the Labor Department, the Justice Department's statistics bureau, and the Center for American Women and Politics in Rutgers University.

The Red Sea crisis comes only a few years after the COVID-19 pandemic when freight rates soared as supply chains snarled and demand for goods jumped. India's small exporters have also since been hit by weakening demand for their goods as Western economies grapple with high inflation levels. "This is one of the worst times for many garment exporters," said Nitin Seth, chief operating officer at Pratibha Syntex, an Indore-based garment manufacturer. "If this situation persists, at least one-fifth of small exporters could resort to job cuts," he said. Other exporters in India's textile industry - which directly employs 45 million people and indirectly another 15 million - said they were worried that they could soon lose business to Turkey's clothing industry. "Turkey, a major competitor for India's textiles exports in Europe, poses a big risk to small exporters due to its locational advantage," said Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations.

‘India's small exporters reel as Red Sea crisis helps rivals nab business’, Economic Times

Resilience and growth of Indian economy

Welcome to my blog! As an observer and participant in the Indian economy, I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable resilience and growth it has demonstrated over the years. In this blog, I would like to share my personal insights and experiences, shedding light on the factors that have contributed to India's economic development and its potential for future growth.

1. Steadfast Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The COVID-19 pandemic sent shockwaves throughout the global economy, and India was no exception. However, the Indian economy has exhibited resilience and shown signs of a robust recovery. After a significant contraction in the first quarter of 2020, the economy rebounded strongly, recording positive growth rates in subsequent quarters.

2. Impressive GDP Growth:

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate has witnessed a notable rebound. In the fiscal year 2021-2022, India’s GDP expanded by 9.5 percent, showcasing a strong recovery and outperforming most other major economies. This rebound can be attributed to a combination of factors, including government stimulus measures, a revival in consumer demand, and increased industrial production.

3. Focus on Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India):

The government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, aimed at making India self-reliant and reducing dependency on imports, has played a significant role in shaping the recent performance of the Indian economy. Through policies such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, the government has incentivized domestic manufacturing, attracting investments and promoting job creation across various sectors.

 4.Challenges and the Way Forward:

While the Indian economy has demonstrated resilience and rebounded from the impact of the pandemic, certain challenges persist. These include addressing unemployment, strengthening the banking sector, addressing inequalities, and investing in infrastructure development. Continued focus on reforms, investments in education and skill development, and fostering innovation will be crucial in sustaining and accelerating India’s economic growth in the long run.

by- Vaibhav Rallan class- XI-D

On the Lotus Eaters, Dan talks about the economics of Christmas.

If we compare the total sales to countries with similar economies that do not have the Christmas rush, then the total sales don't change. This is because the Christmas boon takes away from the discretional spending from the surrounding months.

People value the Christmas gifts far below market value. The US apparently throws away Billions of dollars in Christmas gifts.

Christmas giving does provide social benefits. But the social benefits are more salient through gifts that are high in sentimentality, but low in cost.

Apparently Dilwali, the Indian celebration of light, includes gift giving, and has a similar Deadweight Loss to Christmas.

COVID-19 is a Conspiracy.

The short version is that you can bake goods, invite people over for dinner, making something hand made with a couple dollars worth of yarn, and gain the same social benefits as giving expensive gifts.

Remarkable growth of the Indian economy

The resilience and growth of the Indian economy have been remarkable in recent years, as it has weathered various challenges and emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Despite facing obstacles such as the global economic slowdown, policy reforms, and the COVID-19 pandemic, India has demonstrated its ability to bounce back and sustain economic progress. One of the key factors contributing to India's resilience is its diversified economy. The country boasts a wide range of industries, including information technology, manufacturing, agriculture, services, and pharmaceuticals, among others. This diversification has helped India reduce its dependence on any single sector, making it more resilient to external shocks. Another crucial aspect is the Indian government's commitment to economic reforms. Over the years, several policy initiatives have been implemented to improve the ease of doing business, attract foreign direct investment, and stimulate entrepreneurship. These reforms have created a more favorable business environment, fostering innovation, job creation, and economic growth. Additionally, India's young and dynamic workforce has played a significant role in its economic resilience. With a large pool of skilled professionals and a growing middle class, the country has been able to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding consumer market. This has fueled domestic consumption, investment, and entrepreneurship, driving economic growth even during challenging times. Moreover, India's focus on digitalization and technology adoption has been instrumental in its resilience and growth. The country has witnessed a digital revolution, with advancements in areas such as mobile technology, e-commerce, and financial technology. This digital transformation has improved access to services, enhanced productivity, and opened up new avenues for economic development. Furthermore, India's emphasis on infrastructure development has contributed to its economic resilience. The government has undertaken large-scale initiatives such as the construction of roads, railways, ports, and smart cities. These infrastructure projects have not only boosted economic activity but also facilitated better connectivity and logistics, making India an attractive investment destination. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian economy has shown remarkable resilience. The government implemented various measures to mitigate the impact, including fiscal stimulus packages, reforms, and vaccination drives. These efforts have helped the economy recover swiftly, with sectors such as information technology, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare leading the way. In conclusion, the resilience and growth of the Indian economy can be attributed to factors such as its diversified industries, economic reforms, skilled workforce, digitalization, infrastructure development, and proactive measures during challenging times. As India continues on its path of economic development, it remains poised to leverage its strengths and overcome any future obstacles to sustain its

This day in history

#15yrsago God’s Mechanics: Vatican Astronomer reconciles religion and science https://memex.craphound.com/2007/10/19/gods-mechanics-vatican-astronomer-reconciles-religion-and-science/

#10yrsago Math journal accepts computer-generated nonsense paper https://thatsmathematics.com/blog/archives/102

#10yrsago New Zealand record industry flubs its first three-strikes prosecution https://torrentfreak.com/music-biz-dumps-first-contested-copyright-case-after-botched-3-strikes-procedure-121019/

#5yrsago The video game industry’s best-of-class DRM is routinely cracked in less than 24 hours https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/denuvos-drm-ins-now-being-cracked-within-hours-of-release/

#5yrsago A curiously incomplete history of the early years of DRM https://www.vice.com/en/article/evbgkn/the-incredibly-technical-history-of-digital-rights-management

#5yrsago A working modem using HTML5 sound https://martinmelhus.com/web-audio-modem

#5yrsago Trump’s “free market” FCC loves monopolies, especially when they rip off prisoners’ families https://www.wired.com/story/fcc-shouldnt-give-up-on-reforming-inmate-phone-services/

#1yrago At last, a new Econ 101 textbook: CORE’s “The Economy” vs homo economicus https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/18/labor-shortage-discourse-time/#core

#1yrago Copyfraudster censors investigation of implausible covid gadget: When a US law is used to censor Indian scientific reporting https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/18/labor-shortage-discourse-time/#copyfraud

#1yrago Corporatism made John Deere ripe for a strike https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/18/labor-shortage-discourse-time/#deere-dash

Nirmala Sitharaman's prediction for India's economy as IMF cuts global growth

Nirmala Sitharaman said growth will be among the top priorities of the Narendra Modi government and attention will be paid to sustaining the momentum that the Indian economy has got coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is in the US to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, on Tuesday forecasted India’s growth rate to be around 7 per cent this financial year.

Sitharaman said growth will be among the top priorities of the Narendra Modi government and attention will be paid to sustaining the momentum that the Indian economy has got coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Her statement comes even as the IMF, in its latest projection, predicted India’s GDP growth to be 6.8 per cent — down from a January projection of 8.2 per cent and in July estimate of 7.4 per cent. However, despite the slowdown, India would remain the fastest-growing major economy.

The IMF said on Tuesday global growth is expected to slow further next year, downgrading its forecasts as countries grapple with the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, spiraling cost-of-living and economic downturns.

The world economy has been dealt multiple blows, with the war in Ukraine driving up food and energy prices following the coronavirus outbreak, while soaring costs and rising interest rates threaten to reverberate around the globe.

“I am aware that growth forecasts around the world are being revised lower. We expect India’s growth rate to be around 7 per cent this financial year. More importantly, I am confident of India’s relative and absolute growth performance in the rest of the decade,” she said addressing a gathering in Washington.

Sitharaman, however, observed that the Indian economy is not exempt from the impact of the world economy. “No economy is,” she said.

“After the unprecedented shock of the pandemic, came the conflict in Europe with its implications for energy, fertiliser and food prices. Now, synchronised global monetary policy is tightening in its wake. So, naturally, growth projections have been revised lower for many countries, including India. This triple shock has made growth and inflation a double-edged sword,” Sitharaman said.

After the Russia-Ukraine conflict started in February 2022, there was a sharp increase in food and energy prices. India had to ensure that the rising cost of living did not lead to lower consumption through erosion of purchasing power.

“We addressed these multiple and complex challenges through a variety of interventions. One, India ramped up its vaccine production and vaccination. India has administered over 2 billion doses of vaccine produced domestically. Two, India’s digital infrastructure ensured the delivery of targeted relief Third, in 2022, after the conflict erupted in Europe, we ensured adequate availability of food and fuel domestically, lowered import duties on edible oil and cut excise duties on petrol and diesel. The central bank has acted swiftly to ensure that inflation did not get out of hand and that currency depreciation was neither rapid nor significant enough to lead to a loss of confidence,” the minister said.

Sitharaman said India is discussing with different countries to make Rupay acceptable in their nations.

“Not just that, the UPI (Unified Payments Interface), the BHIM app, and NCPI (the National Payments Corporation of India) are all now being worked in such a way that their systems in their respective country, however, robust or otherwise can talk to our system and the inter-operability itself will give strength for Indians expertise in those countries,” she said.

The economic stability of any country is depends on factor of loan on the country. The increase of loan makes the country fully unstable. The instability define when a country or person couldn’t be able repay the loan, even if they sell all its asset. Don’t make liability so much that couldn’t be handled with. The status of Sri-Lanka defines it all. Now it’s turns for the Pakistan. The economic…

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In 2001, Goldman Sachs banker Jim O’Neill created the acronym “BRIC” to refer to Brazil, Russia, India, and China—countries he predicted would soon have a significant impact on the global economy. In 2006, Goldman Sachs opened a BRIC investment fund pegged to growth in these four nations. The moniker captured the global excitement about emerging powers at the time and transformed into a political grouping in 2009, when leaders of the four countries held their first summit. South Africa joined a year later.

BRICS as a political body has faced countless critics and doubters from the start. Analysts in the Western press largely described the outfit as nonsensical and predicted its imminent demise. In 2011, the Financial Times’ Philip Stevens announced it was “time to bid farewell” to the “BRICS without mortar.” A year later, another columnist at the paper, Martin Wolf, asserted that BRICS was “not a group” and that its members had “nothing in common whatsoever.” BRICS has also been described as a “motley crew,” “odd grouping,” “random bunch,” and “disparate quartet.” In 2015, Goldman Sachs decided to close the BRIC fund (which never grew to include South Africa) due to its low returns.

BRICS member countries have numerous differences and disagreements. While Brazil and Russia are commodity exporters, China is a commodity importer. Brazil, India, and South Africa are democratic countries with vibrant civil societies, but China and Russia are autocratic regimes. Brazil and South Africa are nonnuclear powers, in contrast to China, India, and Russia, which boast nuclear arsenals. Perhaps most seriously, China and India face an ongoing border conflict.

And yet, despite their differences, not one BRICS leader has ever missed the group’s annual summits. (Meetings took place virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.) Instead of unraveling, diplomatic and economic ties have strengthened, and BRICS membership has become a central element to each member’s foreign-policy identity. Even significant ideological shifts—including the election of right-wing populist leaders such as India’s Narendra Modi in 2014 and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro in 2018—have not significantly altered countries’ commitment to the club.

Yet as BRICS approaches its 15th summit in Johannesburg this August, the grouping is experiencing an unprecedented disagreement over enlargement. The outcome will be a test of BRICS identity in the face of rising Chinese influence.

Despite the many disagreements and tensions among them, BRICS members have more in common than Western analysts often appreciate. The strategic benefits the outfit produces for its participants still far exceed its costs. Four aspects stand out.

First, all BRICS members see the emergence of multipolarity as both inevitable and generally desirable—and identify the bloc as a means to play a more active role in shaping the post-Western global order. Member states share a deep-seated skepticism of U.S.-led unipolarity and believe that the BRICS nations increase their strategic autonomy and bargaining power when negotiating with Washington. As Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in opening remarks at the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 1, the concentration of economic power—presumably in the West—“leaves too many nations at the mercy of too few.”

Second, the BRICS grouping also provides privileged access to China, a country that has become enormously relevant for all other members. Brazil and South Africa in particular, which had only limited ties to Beijing prior to the group’s founding, have benefited from BRICS as they adapt to a more China-centric world. It’s not just the summits attended by heads of state: Ministers and other officials frequently gather to discuss issues such as climate, defense, education, energy, and health. And, largely under the radar, the grouping has organized countless annual meetings—in some years more than 100—involving government officials, think tanks, universities, cultural entities, and legislators. BRICS membership also granted countries a founding stake in the Shanghai-based New Development Bank (NDB), created during the fifth BRICS summit in 2013.

Third, BRICS members have generally treated each other as all-weather friends. The group has created a powerful diplomatic life raft for member countries that temporarily face difficulties on the global stage: Fellow BRICS states protected Russian President Vladimir Putin from diplomatic isolation after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and stood by Bolsonaro when he found himself globally isolated after his close ally Donald Trump’s failed reelection bid for the U.S. presidency. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin could again rely on the other BRICS countries to provide him explicit diplomatic and economic support (China), help circumvent sanctions (India), participate in military exercises (South Africa), or embrace his narratives about the war (Brazil). Without BRICS support, Russia would find itself in a far more difficult situation today.

Finally, being a member of the BRICS creates considerable prestige, status, and legitimacy for Brazil, Russia, and South Africa, which for years have stagnated economically and are now anything but emerging powers. Even as Brazil has fallen behind in its share of global GDP, analysts continue to describe it as an emerging power—which facilitates investment and allows the government in Brasília, the capital, to punch above its weight diplomatically. That some 20 countries are now seeking membership in the group only confirms the notion that the BRICS seal remains powerful.

It is precisely on this last issue that the grouping is facing its biggest disagreement since its inception 14 years ago. Beijing, which does not need to preserve the grouping’s exclusivity to retain its global status, has for years aimed to integrate new members and slowly transform the bloc into a China-led alliance. Since 2017, when it presented the “BRICS Plus” concept—a mechanism to bring countries closer to the outfit before eventually granting them full membership—Beijing has sought to put expansion on the agenda. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, expansion has also been of interest to Moscow, as it could help create a Russia-sympathetic bloc to counter Western attempts to isolate the country.

Brazil and India, on the other hand, have long been wary of adding new members to BRICS, as they have less to gain from a diluted club that includes smaller powers. Both Brasília and New Delhi fear that expansion would entail a loss of Brazilian and Indian influence within the group. In their eyes, new members would join largely to gain easier access to Beijing, making BRICS positions more China-centric and potentially less moderate. This explains why Jaishankar recently cautioned that deliberations on expansion were still a “work in progress,” and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said that “BRICS is a brand and an asset, so we have to take care of it, because it means and represents a lot.” South Africa, which traditionally has the least influence within BRICS, has sought to hedge its bets.

There is no formal application process—or specific criteria—to become a BRICS member. Some countries have simply been added to the list of potential future members after an informal expression of interest. But in last year’s BRICS summit declaration, member countries vowed to promote “discussions among BRICS members on BRICS expansion process” and stressed “the need to clarify the guiding principles, the standards, criteria and procedures.” The debate about BRICS expansion is not directly related to the NDB, which in 2021 added Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay as new members and announced that at least 30 percent of loans would be provided in the currencies of member states rather than the U.S. dollar.

In theory, each BRICS member has a veto over the group’s decisions, which explains why yearly summit declarations have often been vague. In practice, the grouping’s profound asymmetries—China’s GDP is larger than that of all other members combined—creates informal hierarchies. South Africa’s 2010 accession was led by China to bolster Beijing’s engagement on the African continent. It also made the IBSA grouping (of India, Brazil, and South Africa) superfluous. If killing IBSA was a desired side effect of South Africa’s BRICS membership—to show that three large democracies in the developing world discussing can’t discuss the future of the global south without China—Beijing succeeded: The 10th IBSA leaders’ summit, scheduled to take place in 2013, has been postponed indefinitely.

China and Russia may therefore succeed, despite Brazilian opposition and Indian skepticism, in adding new members to the club, particularly since Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—to his advisors’ chagrin—recently expressed support for inviting Venezuela to BRICS during improvised remarks.

Disagreements over whether to expand BRICS are about more than exclusivity and status. Several potential accession candidates—such as Iran, Syria, and Venezuela—have largely pursued an anti-Western foreign policy. Their integration could complicate Brazil’s and India’s efforts to preserve a nonaligned strategy amid growing tensions between the West and the Beijing-Moscow axis.

The key to BRICS’ success since 2009 has been its capacity to circumvent internal disagreements and focus on unifying themes, such as the desire to build a more multipolar world and strengthen south-south relations. India-China ties are notoriously fraught and, despite New Delhi’s decision to help Moscow export its oil, India has systematically sought to reduce its dependence on Russian weapons and increased its arms purchases from Europe. The status quo may be the best BRICS can achieve without exposing its rifts. While Russia has long attempted to position the BRICS grouping as an anti-Western bloc, Brazil and India have steadily sought to prevent Moscow from doing so.

The uncertainty about how the South African government in Pretoria should handle hosting the upcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg reflects the dilemmas it and Brasília currently face in the context of growing tensions between Moscow and the West. Since South Africa is a party to the Rome Statute, the founding charter of the International Criminal Court (ICC), it would be obligated to arrest Putin—whom the ICC has indicted—if he attends. For months, South Africans have debated how to handle the delicate situation. As former South African President Thabo Mbeki recently pointed out: “We can’t say to President Putin, please come to South Africa, and then arrest him. At the same time, we can’t say come to South Africa, and not arrest him—because we’re defying our own law—we can’t behave as a lawless government.”

While hosting Putin without arresting him would strain South Africa’s ties to the West, not hosting him—or organizing the summit elsewhere—would dilute BRICS’ commitment to being all-weather friends. The most likely scenario is that South Africa finds a legal loophole to host Putin without detaining him—representing a diplomatic triumph for the Russian president.

Still, it is largely a lose-lose dilemma for South Africa, and means that being part of BRICS has started to have a tangible cost for the country by negatively affecting its ties to the United States and Europe. Pretoria has already had a taste of this: After South Africa drew closer to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine—including by allegedly supplying Moscow with weapons—the G-7 decided not to invite it as a guest to a recent summit, for the first time since South African President Cyril Ramaphosa took office in 2018. Unless the Russia-Ukraine war ends soon, Brazil—which has also signed the Rome Statute and is slated to host the G-20 summit in 2024 and the BRICS summit in 2025 —will soon face the same problem.

For all its ongoing challenges, BRICS generates many benefits for its members and is here to stay. Yet if the group announces the inclusion of new members during the upcoming summit in Johannesburg, it would be simplistic to interpret it as a sign of strength. Rather, expansion should be read as a sign of China’s growing capacity to determine the bloc’s overall strategy—and may reflect the emergence not of a multipolar order, but of a bipolar one.

Agriculture Market Trends in India

In 2021, the Indian farming market was worth INR 22,516 billion. According to IMARC Group, the market will reach INR 41,148.7 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 10.5% from 2022 to 2027. We're constantly watching and evaluating the pandemic's direct and indirect effects, keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19.

Over the years, a few of the best agriculture companies in India has seen significant advancements in terms of farm machinery, irrigation techniques, and financing availability. It is now the backbone of the Indian economy, providing not just food and raw resources but also employment possibilities to a large portion of the population. Despite the industrialization advent as well as rapid growth in other industries, agriculture continues to contribute significantly to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It mostly entails creating food goods by growing crops and raising animals.

Agriculture Market Trends in India:

Rapid urbanisation, combined with expanding infrastructure and a growing population across the globe, has resulted in India's arable land diminishing. This, combined with rising food demand, is one of the primary drivers of industry expansion. Furthermore, the market is being driven by an increase in the number of agreements between corporations and farmers for the supply and production of agricultural products. Aside from that, organic products are regarded as safer than conventional items because they are grown without the use of chemical pesticides and are better for the environment.

 Organic food items are becoming more popular as people become more health-conscious. As a result, organic farming, as well as the online agri market, is becoming more popular among farmers across the country, resulting in a favourable market outlook. In addition, the Indian government is working on a number of projects to strengthen the country's agricultural infrastructure. To encourage exports, it is also providing financial help to farmers for marketing and shipping of farm produce. These initiatives are expected to propel the market forward.

 The criticality of the collected data in farming has been on a dramatic rise in recent years. Advances in technologies like IoT, machine learning, blockchain, cloud computing, as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI) have given farmers new ways to redistribute labour, cut costs, and boost profits.

https://www.bookmycrop.com/

Despite the numerous challenges, the online agritech companies in India remain optimistic about the emergence of new trends and technology.

●      Next-Gen Internet Connection:

For farmers, the new-age internet connection tends to open up a window to new possibilities. Farmers, with the help of new-age internet connection, will be able to connect their machines as well as devices in areas where wireless Internet is currently inaccessible due to poor coverage. Moreover, data collection will be done continuously, allowing them to gain real-time insights from farms from anywhere in the world.

●      Autonomous Agricultural Machinery:

Autonomous as well as semi-autonomous machinery used for farming will enhance harvesting accuracy and cut crop losses. Agronomists will be able to focus on more analytical activities as a result of autonomous technologies, which will greatly lessen the pressure on the human workforce.

●      Sustainable Development:

Machine Learning (ML) based solutions can assist farmers in achieving their objectives. Precision farming instruments that are data-driven, for example, can detect nutrient deficits in a field and alert agronomists. Farmers can treat only the afflicted regions, saving money on fertiliser and reducing the number of unnecessary chemicals in the soil.

 In the case of biodiversity, all the data-driven solutions are capable of advising the agronomists on which crops to grow in which seasons to avoid soil depletion and assure long-term use.

●      IoT Devices:

The amount of data collected from agricultural machinery as well as the field is just too enormous to be processed manually. Sensor makers are focusing on developing software ecosystems as well as the required hardware to provide clients with a complete IoT experience, including data analysis using AI and machine learning.

●      Satellite Imagery:

Pleiades, Planet, Sentinel-2, and DigitalGlobe are satellites that offer near-real-time high-resolution photographs of the Earth's surface in several spectral bands. Better frequency and accuracy open up hitherto untapped potential, such as anomaly detection, automated crop classification, and efficient resource allocation.

A senior health official in Beijing has urged China's local leaders to find ways to boost the country's birth rate.

Yang Wenzhuang said officials must take active steps to tackle the detrimental effects of China's long-standing anti-population growth policy.

He also urged officials to "make bold innovations" in tackling the cost of childcare and education.

China reported in January that that its population had fallen for the first time in 60 years.

In 2022, there was just 6.77 births per 1,000 people in China, the lowest birth rate on record and down from 7.52 births in the previous year.

The country's strict one-child policy - which was implemented from 1980 to 2015 to respond to runaway population growth - has been blamed for the decline. Families that broke the rules were fined and, in some cases, even lost jobs.

The limit was increased nationally for married couples to two in 2016, and boosted further to three in 2021. But one province - Sichuan - has adopted even looser rules.

Mr Yang - who heads the country's Population Monitoring and Family Development department - said officials had to "firmly grasp the important window period of population development".

Speaking to a state-backed health magazine, Mr Yang said concerns about the cost of childcare were having a detrimental impact on population growth. He also identified challenges around money and career goals as causes for for the decline.

"Local governments should be encouraged to actively explore and make bold innovations in reducing the cost of childbirth, childcare and education" to promote the long-term balanced development of the population, Mr Yang said.

Mothers, your country needs you!

Some provinces have already begun implementing new measures to try to boost the birth rate, including giving money to sperm donors and giving unmarried couples who have children the same benefits as married couples.

In Sichuan, health authorities said they would allow unmarried couples to raise and family and enjoy benefits reserved for married couples. Previously there was a ban on single women registering a birth.

Authorities in the region also announced that couples would be allowed to have be allowed to have as many children as they want - a major reversal of the one -child poliy.

A shrinking population, falling birth rate and the prospect of a fast-aging population poses a long-term challenge to the world's second largest economy, which only recently dropped ultra-strict COVID-19 curbs.

A surging Indian economy also threatens to overtake China and push it down to third place.

In 2022, there was just 6.77 births per 1,000 people in China, the lowest birth rate on record and down from 7.52 births in the previous year.

The population on the other hand dropped by 850,000 people to 1.41175 billion, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. It was the first decline since 1961, the last year of China's Great Famine.

Mondelez's Rs 4,000 Crore Investment: Boosting Cadbury and FMCG Growth in India

Cadbury, India's most popular chocolate brand, is likely to receive a huge boost after its parent company, Mondelez International, announced a Rs 4,000 crore investment in the country by 2026. This investment will primarily be utilized to increase manufacturing capacity, develop the supply chain, and launch new goods to fulfill the changing needs of Indian consumers.

Mondelez International is a multinational food corporation known for its products such as Cadbury, Oreo, and Toblerone. The company has a large presence in India, where it has been in business for over 70 years. The country is an important market for Mondelez, and the investment demonstrates the company's commitment to regional expansion.

The funds will be used to expand Mondelez's manufacturing capacity in India. This involves the installation of new production lines, the expansion of existing facilities, and the construction of new industrial operations. The company will also work to strengthen its supply chain to ensure that its products reach customers across the country as quickly as possible.

Research and development will be one of the primary areas of investment in India. Mondelez will invest extensively in innovation in order to create new goods that meet the special needs and tastes of Indian consumers. This is a critical component of the company's growth plan, as it seeks to establish a strong presence in the Indian market.

The initiative also demonstrates Mondelez's dedication to sustainability. The corporation has declared that it will focus on lowering its environmental footprint in India by supporting sustainable agriculture methods and employing renewable energy sources. This is consistent with the Indian government's aim for long-term growth and strengthens Mondelez's image as a responsible corporate citizen.

Mondelez International's investment in India is noteworthy for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it emphasizes India's expanding importance in the global economy. India is the world's second-most populated country, with a population of over 1.3 billion people, and it is anticipated to become the world's fifth-largest economy by 2025. This opens up substantial chances for corporations like Mondelez to enter India's expanding consumer market.

Second, the investment shows Mondelez's belief in India's business environment. Despite the hurdles provided by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government has been working to improve the country's ease of doing business. As a result, foreign investment in India has surged, with several global corporations making large projects in the country in recent months.

Finally, the investment demonstrates Mondelez's dedication to its Indian customers. The corporation has operated in India for almost seven decades and has developed a solid relationship with Indian consumers. The investment demonstrates Mondelez's belief in the Indian market's potential and its commitment to serving its customers in the area.

Finally, Mondelez International's Rs 4,000 crore investment in India is a big development for the country's FMCG sector. The investment will improve Mondelez's manufacturing capabilities, develop its supply chain, and launch new products to match Indian consumers' changing needs. It also underlines Mondelez's trust in India's business environment and the growing importance of the Indian market in the global economy. As the country continues on its path of economic progress, more corporations are likely to follow Mondelez's lead and invest in India.

Fox&Angel is an open strategy consulting ecosystem, put together by a top-line core team of industry experts, studded with illustrious success stories, learnings, and growth. Committed to curate bespoke business & strategy solutions for each of your challenges, we literally handpick consultants from across the globe and industries who fit the role best and help you on your path to success. 

This post was originally published on: Foxnangel

🔥 India is included in the index: we are waiting for profits

JPMorgan Chase & Co is set to include Indian government debt in its benchmark emerging markets index in June. Global funds are investing approximately $1 trillion ahead of this event, into Indian assets denominated in rupees. ⠀ The move also means JPMorgan can claim greater diversification after excluding Russia and amid ongoing concerns about geopolitical tensions between the US and China. Indian bonds offer some of the highest yields in emerging markets. ⠀ India began liberalizing its economy back in 1991, but it does all its borrowing in rupees, as it wants to avoid dependence on the dollar. But at the end of 2019, the country decided to reduce borrowing costs by creating additional demand. As COVID-19 devastated the economy and the government borrowed record amounts to finance a multibillion-dollar stimulus package, India risked opening up part of its debt market to foreign investors. ⠀ JPMorgan says it includes 23 Indian bonds in its index with a total par value of about $330 billion. Bloomberg Index Services Ltd. from January 2025, will also add Indian bonds to its Fully Accessible Route, then all that remains is to conquer the EM debt index from FTSE Russell. ⠀ By the way, Berkshire Hathaway previously invested in the Indian company One 97 Communications Ltd., which owns the payment company Paytm, but exited it last year through a blockchain deal worth $164 million. However, the legendary Buffett said that in India there are “mass opportunities,” but he leaves them to the discretion of future “more energetic” leadership. ⠀ Are you ready to invest in India? Think about it, it can be very profitable!