Arvind's Newsletter

1.Indian companies move in as US cuts China out of its solar industry

India companies are moving to fill the gap left by the exclusion of Chinese exports from the fast-growing US solar industry, as Washington steps up its crackdown on manufacturers with ties to Beijing.

Sumant Sinha, chief executive of ReNew, among India’s largest renewables companies, told the Financial Times that there “will be demand” for solar components from India as Washington reduces reliance on Chinese supplies for its energy transition.

“​​There is a need for some diversification, and India can actually become that plus one to China as far as the green tech supply chain is concerned,” Sinha said. He added that ReNew was considering exporting to the US from its solar factories in India pending US tariff rules. “[India] will fill the gap.”

Last week, the Department of Commerce released preliminary estimates of duties as high as 293 per cent for solar cell exporters in four countries in south-east Asia, where the US sources the bulk of its solar supplies, often from Chinese companies.

The looming decision has driven developers and manufacturers to look beyond the region to markets not subject to tariffs. Wood Mackenzie expects cell manufacturing in countries outside of the main hubs of China and south-east Asia to more than double over the next couple of years, with India making up 40 per cent of new capacity.

2.India has a PhD crisis that could act as an economic drag

India’s ambition to become a global knowledge hub is under threat as its PhD ecosystem teeters on the edge of a crisis. While the nation aspires to lead in innovation and education, the reality for many doctorate scholars is far from promising. 

After completing their Master’s degrees, students face a stark choice: pursue lucrative corporate careers or commit to the rigours of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme offering limited financial stability. 

The disparity is glaring. Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) students get a monthly stipend of ₹37,000, but those outside this category often receive no financial support. Even JRF benefits are limited to five years, placing an immense financial burden on students in the later stages of their PhD.

Without policy support and reforms in funding and infrastructure, we will continue to lose our brightest minds to better-supported environments abroad.

3.Kashmir’s Villages Now Have Access To E-Commerce But Not Without A Cost
Today, however, many villagers order goods from online marketplaces like Flipkart, Myntra, Amazon, and others. Consumers place orders from apparel to electronics, including phones, laptops, and cosmetics. Each day, over three delivery agents—all local boys familiar with the area's geography—visit the village to bring these parcels on their two-wheelers.

Logistics startup FastBeetle started the last-mile delivery option and partnered with e-commerce giants like Myntra, Flipkart and others. Other national players like Delhivery and Ecom Express followed suit. Although Delhivery and Ecom Express had existing operations in Kashmir even in the early 2010s they were limited to urban areas like Srinagar until 2020.

4.Liberal-arts pioneer Ashoka University puts on B-school boots after 10 years

For 10 years, Ashoka University has been trying to live up to its name. It positioned itself as a bastion of “holistic, liberal, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary” education. Now, the private research university wants to don another mantle—that of entrepreneurship.

5.Oct. 7, One Year Later, the “forever war”

Today marks one year since Gaza-based militant group Hamas launched the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking over 250 people hostage, with 97 still in captivity. Israel's subsequent war in Gaza has killed over 41,900 people, per the Hamas-run Health Ministry. That death toll does not differentiate between militants and civilians but includes more than 17,600 identified women and children.

Hamas-led attacks targeted a music festival, civilian towns, and Israeli border posts. On Oct. 8, Hamas' allied Iranian proxy group, Hezbollah, began launching rockets into Israel from Lebanon. The Israel-Hamas war has wounded over 97,000 people in Gaza, displaced 1.9 million of the territory's prewar 2.3 million population, and damaged or destroyed around 60% of its buildings.

Today, the war between Israel and Iranian-sponsored groups has expanded. Last week, Israel launched a ground offensive in Lebanon following Israeli-attributed assassinations and device attacks killing 1,400 people. Iran has launched two bouts of direct missile attacks into Israel, to which Israel has pledged to respond.

6.The co-founder of Regeneron has warned that blockbuster weight-loss drugs could cause “more harm than good”

The rapid muscle loss associated with the treatments needs to be solved. Regeneron is among a growing list of drugmakers researching experimental medicines to preserve lean muscle mass in combination with weight-loss drugs.

Clinical studies suggest that patients treated with the new class of weight- loss drugs, known as GLP-1s, lose muscle at far faster rates than people losing weight from diet or exercise, exposing them to health problems, said George Yancopoulos, who also serves as Regeneron’s chief scientific officer.

For the two in every five patients who discontinue the treatments within a year, according to a 2024 JAMA study, this means that they are likely to rebound to their original weight with less muscle and a higher body fat percentage, “adding insult to injury”, said Yancopoulos.

7.Vietnam’s economy grew at its fastest rate in two years in the third quarter of 2024. 

The better-than-expected 7.4% risE in GDP, fueled by booming trade with the US, comes despite the country being hit by September’s Typhoon Yagi, which devastated key manufacturing hubs and killed more than 250 people. The rosy times may not last, analysts warned, as a slower US economy could curb demand for Vietnam-made products, including high-end laptops and smartphones.

Often hailed as the “greatest winner” of the US-China trade war so far, Vietnam “needs to keep reforming,” The Economist argued earlier this year, to prevent geopolitical turmoil and an aging domestic population from hampering the country’s future growth — or potentially threatening its regime.

8.How to break free of Spotify’s algorithm

Since the heyday of radio, records, cassette tapes, and MP3 players, the branding of sound has evolved from broad genres like rock and hip-hop to “paranormal dark cabaret afternoon” and “synth space,” and streaming has become the default.

Meanwhile, the  ritual of discovering something new is now neatly packaged in a 30-song playlist, refreshed weekly. The only rule in music streaming, as in any other industry these days, is personalisation.

But what we’ve gained in convenience, we’ve lost in curiosity. Sure, our unlimited access lets us listen to Swedish tropical house or New Jersey hardcore, but this abundance of choice actually makes our listening experience less expansive or eclectic.

As we grow accustomed to the convenience of shuffling a generated playlist, we forget that discovering music is an active exercise. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Read the full story.