LIVE | Nvidia Hit $4 Trillion: From Bankruptcy to owning AI future | Vantage with Palki Sharma |N18G

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1:21 Hello, namaskar. This is first post and you're watching Vantage with me Palky Sharma. [Music] Tonight we tell you the story of a chip maker that is eating the world. Nvidia has the f has become the first $4 trillion company, the world's first ever. What does that mean? Is this the peak of the AI gold rush or just the beginning? We will decode the new world order of tech. We'll also tell you about Donald Trump. He's back with tariffs and tantrums. They are political and

2:08 ridiculous, helping neither America nor the world. Also, he asked African leaders, where did you learn to speak English? And then he tried to charm the continent. Did it work? We will discuss. On the other side of the the globe, Taiwan has launched its biggest ever war games. Will this deter China or provoke it further? Meanwhile, the Red Sea is on fire. Houthis have now sunk two more ships. Global shipping is under siege and no one seems to have a solution. In Kenya, the protests have turned deadly. What does it mean for President R? In Europe, a nuclear shift. Britain and France strike a deal. Is this the start of a European nuclear umbrella independent of America? Also tonight, Russia's vodka problem. Production is falling. What's

2:55 behind this decline in the national spirit? And on this Guru Purima, who are the guiding lights in our lives? What makes a teacher timeless? All this and more coming up. The headlines first. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal indictes former Prime Minister Shik Hassina over alleged crimes against humanity. This comes as the country's former police chief pleads guilty to that charge and agrees to act as a witness. The case relates to the crackdown on protesters during last year's student uprising which led to Hassina's ouster. Pakistan police raid a scam call center and arrest 149 people. This includes 71 foreigners who are mostly Chinese citizens. The raid took place in Fzalabad which is a manufacturing hub.

3:42 The victims would receive a small return on their initial investments and then be persuaded to hand over larger sums of money. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Rubio says Lavrov shared a quote unquote new idea on the Ukraine war during their meeting which was held on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign minister summit in Malaysia. Moscow says the two diplomats also discussed restoring economic ties between the US and Russia. Sweden's migration minister under fire over his son's far-right links, but he has ruled out resigning. His teenage son has been linked to white supremacist groups. Currently, Sweden has a center-right minority government, which has been accused of overlooking far-right extremism.

4:29 And European Commission President Ursula Wonderan survives a confidence vote. The censure motion was stabled by a far-right faction. Manderlayan had dismissed it as an attempt to divide Europe, calling its supporters apologists for Russian President Putin. But the rare challenge has exposed fraction frictions over her leadership style. [Music] [Applause] [Music]

5:32 There's an old saying in Silicon Valley in a gold rush. Do not dig for gold, sell the shovels. In today's AI gold rush, everyone is chasing the gold. Companies are pivoting to artificial intelligence, but Nvidia is selling the shovels. It is this company that is powering the AI pivot and their strategy is paying off. This week, Nvidia briefly touched the $4 trillion market cap. $4 trillion in market value for a single company. If it were a country, it would sit between India and Japan among the top five economies in the world. And that tells you something. Nvidia is the first ever company to reach this milestone. Its market value is more than several nations combined.

6:18 And this is a very big deal for the tech world. Probably the biggest news since Apple touch launched the iPhone. Apple became the first company to reach $3 trillion. Nvidia has now taken a step further and the market believes it's only an upward trajectory for now. Why is this our lead story tonight? Because this is not just a market story. This is a moment that captures the shape of the future, the age of artificial intelligence, the new world order of tech power. It shows how a graphics card company became the engine of the global economy. In 2015, Nvidia was worth less than $20 billion. In 2020, it was at a little over 300 billion. Today, it is $4 trillion. That's a 40x jump in 5 years.

7:07 In the year 2000, one Nvidia share was going for less than $1. Today, it's worth around $3,000. Had you bought a few hundred shares 25 years ago, you'd be rolling in money today, probably ready to retire. But back then, not many people saw this coming. Even Nvidia did not set out to lead the AI revolution. Their story began in 1993 with a man named Jensen Huang. He was sitting in a California diner with his two co-founders. They wanted to make a graphics chip, something that powers video games. That's what they wanted to make. So Huang and his team came up with a name, Nvision. But this name was already taken. So they settled on another one, Nvidia.

7:53 It is derived from the Latin Nvidia which means envy. 30 years on, their competitors are truly green with envy. But it hasn't always been this good. If you chart Nvidia's market cap over time, the early years look like a flat line. In 1995, the company almost went bust. A key chip release failed. Nvidia was nearly bankrupt. But after that it steadied although it was still making only graphic processing units or GPUs for video games. Then in 2013 came the big pivot. Jensen Huang noticed something. GPUs were good for machine learning. So he bet on it. Wall

8:38 Street thought that this was a foolish idea. Investors were not so sure. But Huang was convinced that this was the future. And he was right. Machine learning took off. And how? And Nvidia had the first mover as advantage. It now powers the Mars rovers, autonomous surgery, and Chad GPT. But here's what most people miss about Nvidia. It's not just a chipmaker. It is also a software company. And their secret weapon is something called CUDA, compute unified device architecture, CUDA. It is kind of an operating system for GPUs. If you want to build an AI model today, you need CUDA. And CUDA only runs on Nvidia, which allows Nvidia to dominate the market. It builds the chip and it

9:26 builds the system it runs on. Let's also tell you about the man behind all of this, Jensen Huang. His company may be number one, but Huang has an employee ID of number three. He gave the first two to his co-founders, and he's become a cult figure in Silicon Valley. Journalists compare him to both Steve Jobs and Taylor Swift in the same breath. At AI conferences, he is a headliner. His presentations are more like concerts. Nvidia earnings reports now have watch parties. People tune in just for the hype. But of course, it's not a bed of roses. Earlier this year, Nvidia lost $600 billion in market value. That too in just one session. $600 billion lost. The reason was a Chinese AI startup called

10:11 Deep Seek. It developed a rival AI model. This model also uses Nvidia chips, by the way. And yet the company bled money. And then there's China. Of course, the US has heavily restricted chip sales to Beijing. And this has hit Nvidia. The company lost out on $2.5 billion dollar in additional revenue from what they would have sold to to China and Chinese companies. Now, Nvidia cannot sell in China. And finally, there are other competitors, the likes of AMD, Advanced Micro Devices. It is challenging Nvidia's dominance. Interestingly, the person running this company, AMD, is Jensen Huang's cousin, Lisa, who guess family dinners get

10:58 competitive. But here's the existential question. What happens when a company reaches $4 trillion? What happens when they are the market? Where do they go from there? Because history shows tech empires rise fast and fall faster. Just ask IBM or Intel. Intel was once a dominant force in the semiconductor industry. Now it's not even in the footnotes. Does Nvidia face a similar future? Well, the fact is no company, no one is truly invincible. But here's where Nvidia might be different from Intel. It's not just building a product. It is also building infrastructure. In the 20th century, power belonged to oil companies. In the early 2000s, it

11:46 shifted to internet platforms. They said data was the new oil. Today, power lies with whoever controls intelligence. And right now, that is Nvidia. This company is not just making chips. It is shaping wars. It is retooling medicine and redrawing global power equations. That is too much power and too much money in the hands of a private company. We say it's both thrilling and terrifying. As we've been treated very unfairly by both friend and foe. [Music]

12:46 There's absurd, there's nonsensical, and then there is Donald Trump's tariffs. Now, we have seen leaders try ridiculous things before, but with such conviction, probably not. Trump is back to writing his tariff letters. He wrote 14 of them. 14 such letters earlier this week. And yesterday he wrote eight more to Brazil, Sri Lanka, to Algeria, Brune, Iraq, Malddova, Libya, and the Philippines. All eight countries got a letter from Donald Trump saying what? That they faced new tariffs on August 1st. Now, most of these rates are different from the old ones. For example, look at Brazil. They faced 10% tariffs in April this year. Now they face 50% tariffs.

13:33 50% tariffs on Brazil. Sri Lanka is down from 44% to 30%. Libya is almost the same at 30%. And the Philippines has gone up from 17 to 20%. Iraq is down from 39% to 30%. Why have these rates changed? Nobody knows. But these new letters make two things clear. One, nobody is safe from Donald Trump. Not tiny islands, not water on countries, no one. And secondly, forget logic and economic sense. These tariffs are not about correcting trade imbalances. The these are political and absurd decisions. Really, just consider the case of Brazil. Trump bumped up their tariff from 10% to 50%. Why?

14:21 Because he does not like their president, Lula Dilva. You see, Trump is a big fan of his predecessor, Lula's predecessor, a man named Ja Bolsinaro. He's currently being investigated for a coup attempt. But Trump feels that this is a witch hunt. Let me quote from his letter. The way Brazil has treated former President J Bolsinaru, a highly respected leader, is an international disgrace. The trial should not be taking place. It is a witch hunt that should end immediately. Nothing to see here. Just Donald Trump ordering a sovereign nation. But Lula is

15:07 having none of it. Listen to his response. Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of toutelage. Sovereignty, respect, and the unwavering defense of the interests of the Brazilian people are the values that guide our relationship with the world. The meddling is not even the worst part because guess what? Brazil does not have a trade surplus with America. Let me pull up the US government's website. US exports to Brazil are worth $49 billion and Brazil's exports to the US $42 billion. So the US has a trade surplus with Brazil. Then what imbalance is President Trump

15:54 trying to correct? Let's look at Iraq next. US exports to Iraq stand at $1.7 billion. US imports from Iraq at 7.4 billion. So, the US does have a trade deficit here. I wonder why that is. Why aren't Iraqis buying Boeing planes or AI chips? Could it be because the US invaded them? Because 20,000 bombs were dropped on them because half a million people were killed because the US destabilized the country. Or maybe we are wrong. Maybe Iraq just wants to spite Donald Trump. Then we come to Libya, another country visited by American freedom fighters. They toppled the Libyan regime in the

16:40 year 2011. Today this country is in a state of civil war. US trade with Libya is just $2 billion, which is 0.02% of America's total trade. Yet they face 30% tariffs. If you think that is absurd, look at Muldova. tiny country, just under three million people. Muldova's trade with America, around $180 million. Again, we did the math. That's 0.00.2% of total US trade. Yet, Malddova faces 25% tariffs. What do all these examples tell you? This is not about correcting trade

17:26 imbalances. It's not about fair trade. It's about bullying countries to please your voters and it is based on flawed economics. Trump claims that a trade deficit is bad. He says other countries are ripping America off. But the fact is most countries have a trade deficit. Should all of them start imposing tariffs? They won't because they have better leaders. All Trump is doing is unleashing unnecessary pain. We know what happened in April when he announced the tariffs. The markets plunged. US stocks lost $3 trillion in value. And this is not Donald Trump's money. This money belonged to ordinary Americans. He destabilized the stock markets. He destabilized the oil markets. He destabilized the currency

18:12 markets. And for what? To announce extension after extension. It's time the world ganged up and called out Donald Trump. If he wants to ruin America, fine. Be our guest. But leave the rest of the world alone. We have bigger priorities than renaming water bodies, plastic straws, and shower pressure. Here's a tiny tale featuring an ex. The one who laughed at you, who made fun of your behavior, who ghosted you for months. Now that ex is back, this time with flashy clothes and better words, and he says, "We should meet again." That's the story. And it also sums up

18:57 Trump's Africa summit. I'll tell you why. The US president has invited five African leaders to the White House. Five out of a continent of 54 countries. And which are these five countries? Gabon, Guinea, Bisau, Liberia, Moritania, and Sagal. This is the handpicked group. These are countries with minerals and migration issues. These are also the smaller economies of Africa. So these are the kind of partners who are more likely to say yes to your demands. The ones who are less likely to walk out at the sign of a conflict because that's the thing about a gaslighter. They love an uneven power dynamic. So Trump invited them for a summit. The summit will go on for three

19:43 days. But the US president seems to have lost his patience on day one itself. And we have a lot of resources in our sea water. So, lots of fishing and whatnot. I don't want to spend too much time on this. Can't we have to go? But I appreciate it very much. I appreciate it. Maybe we're going to have to go a little bit quicker than this because we have a whole schedule. Be a little quicker. That's what Trump is telling an African leader. Yes, he's just being himself. Here's what happened at the lunch table. The African leaders took turns. They were singing praises of Donald Trump. They were pitching projects. One of them even invited Trump to build a golf

20:29 course. And yes, they also brought up the Nobel Peace Prize. I believe that he does deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. That is my opinion on this. Very nice. Thank you. I didn't know I'd be treated this nicely. This is great. We could do this all day long. Thank you very much. Please go ahead. So, the US president soaked it all up, but moments later, he cut off one of the leaders mid speech, asking him to be a bit quicker because Trump had a whole schedule. This is classic Trump. Bask in all the compliments, but check your watch when the other side makes demands. Why is he meeting them at all? Trump's motto for Africa is quite clear. Trade,

21:15 not aid. And that per se is not the problem. It's the approach. The US president does not care about how Africa is doing. He's just scanning the room to see who has something he needs. And we're working tirelessly to forge new economic opportunities involving both the United States and many African nations. There's great economic potential in Africa. Like few other places in many ways. And the long run, this will be far more effective and sustainable and beneficial than anything else that we can be doing together. This is not a partnership. It's a transaction wrapped in flattery. And Trump took it too far with a backhanded compliment. Listen to what he said to the president of Liberia.

22:02 We want to work with the United States in peace and security within the region because we are committed to that and we just want to thank you so much for this opportunity. Well, thank you and such good English. Such beautiful Where do you Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where where were you educated? Where? Yes, sir. In Liberia. Yes, sir. Well, that's very interesting. It's beautiful English. True. I have people at this table can't speak nearly as well. They come from they come from here. So, thank you very much. That was Liberian President Joseph Boa Kai. He talked about partnering with the US. But guess what? Trump heard English. An African leader speaking in English.

22:48 So Trump being Trump asked him where he learned the language. And the answer surprised him even more. Trump could not believe it was Liberia. Beautiful language. It was obviously very tonedeaf. It betrayed his lack of sensitivity and basic homework. Thank you. So, here's some historical trivia for US President Trump. Liberia was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society. This was to resettle freed American slaves. The country declared independence in 1847. English is the official language of Liberia, so their leader speaking English should not be a surprise. But this episode is telling. It shows what the US thinks of the African continent. And Trump has a history of doing this. By the way, in 2018, he made

23:35 headlines for his vulgar dismissal of African nations. He mocked African accents. He cut aid programs. He's asked where certain countries are located. And now he wants a fresh start. The reason for this is China and Russia, they're making inroads in Africa. They're gaining turf and Trump does not want to be left out. In fact, the leader of Gabon even mentioned it during the summit. Our country is free, open to one and all. You are welcome to come and invest. Otherwise, other countries might come instead of you. Thank you. Also, the countries he invited sit on top of some of the world's richest

24:21 deposits. Gabon alone holds nearly a quarter of the world's manganesees. Sagal wants to build a tech city. Liberia wants to host a US military facility. All of them have something to offer to Donald Trump. So this was less a diplomatic outreach and more of a sales pitch. Not to understand Africa but to leverage it. Because when Trump looks looks at Africa, he does not see people or partners or potential. He sees a map of resources and market access. Of course, Africa has been here before. Smooth words, shiny contracts, strategic partnerships, and friendships. The promises from Trump may sound new, but the power play is the same old story.

25:17 [Music] It is [Music] Taiwan. has turned into a fortress. It is hosting its biggest ever military drill. 10 days cutting edge weapons and roundthe-clock action. Their mission to defend against a possible Chinese invasion. These drills involve all three services of Taiwan's military, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. It will

26:04 also rope in the reserveists, some 22,000 people who are in the backup. The first phase of this drill is all about surviving the initial attack. Let's say China cripples Taiwan's communication. Then how will Taiwanese commanders speak to each other? How will they coordinate their actions? This first phase focuses on answering that. The reserve troops were seen in civilian areas including schools. They received inputs on handling guns.

27:02 Later on, the drills will expand. They will feature 24-hour operations on land, on sea, and in the air. They will focus on anti-landing operations. Why anti-landing? You see, Taiwan and China are separated by water. The distance between them is 160 km. So, if China wants to annex Taiwan, they will have to land there, which is what Taiwan is preparing for. They have identified possible landing points. These drills will focus on fortifying and defending them and this time with new weapons. Taiwan has introduced some new toys for its drill like the highars made by Loheed Martin. These are American rocket systems. Ukraine is using them well against Russia. Another new weapon is the Abrams tank. Taiwan bought 38 of

27:49 them from the US last year. 38 tanks. They will be key to repelling a ground invasion. Today, a couple of Abrams were seen in action. They fired at moving targets in an army training ground. Take a look. Taiwan's president saw the Abrams in action. His name is Li Ching. He arrived in a combat helmet and vest. He also spoke to the soldiers to boost their morale. The more training there is in peace time, the more combat strength the Taiwan military will have. With every increase in the military's combat power,

28:36 the nation and its people gain an extra layer of security. When the country is more secure, the region will also have more peace and stability. And how is China reacting? They have called these drills a selfdeceiving trick. They say no weapons will prevail over the Chinese army. We solemnly warn the DPP authorities that seeking independence by force is a dead end. Whatever subjects they drill and whatever weapons they use, the PLA's resolute countermeasures against Taiwan independence would not be deterred. Nor would the overwhelming and irresistible trend of China's national reunification be stopped. So that's where we stand. Taiwan is

29:21 preparing to deter an invasion. China says it won't help you. But how serious is the invasion threat right now? When will Xi Jinping pull the trigger? There are multiple assessments. The US has long talked about the year 2027. They feel that's when Beijing will launch an invasion on Taiwan in 2027. And why is that? Well, it's more symbolic than strategic. You see, 2027 marks the 100th anniversary of the Chinese army. It would also mark the 21st Communist Party Congress. That's when Xi Jinping is expected to get a fourth term as president. Though frankly, it's a bit of a stretch. She will likely strike when when he's ready. Whenever he's ready. When he feels that there is a 100% chance of success. And how will he make that decision? We can think of three

30:09 factors. Number one, when his military has enough equipment, specifically amphibious assault ships. These are warships that can land soldiers and weapons on foreign shores. China has four of them, four such ships. In comparison, the US has nine. Now, Beijing could turn to civilian ships as well, but those would be sitting ducks for Taiwan's missiles. So, that's his first checklist. Enough landing vessels. That's what he needs. Number two, when Xi Jinping has enough details about Taiwan's defense, and that's why the Chinese are always probing them. They stage massive drills near Taiwan's waters. They send jets across the airspace. All of this is designed to probe Taiwan's defenses to gather details about their possible response.

30:56 Which brings us to the final factor, the third factor, America's response. Xi Jinping would love it if Washington was engaged in a war elsewhere, perhaps in West Asia. If not, he would like clarity on how the US would respond. Would the Americans defend Taiwan? Or would they simply arm Taiwan? Now, with Donald Trump, you never know. He talks about ending endless wars, but he very nearly started one against Iran. Also, there's a new report out. It talks about Trump's previous conversations with Xi Jinping. Apparently, Trump had warned Xi Jinping against invading Taiwan. He threatened to bomb Beijing if Taiwan was attacked. Reports say Trump made a similar threat

31:41 to Vladimir Putin as well against invading Ukraine. Now, we cannot confirm these reports. Maybe it's classic Trump bluster or maybe he's serious about attacking. Either way, that confusion does not help Xi Jinping because chances are he will have to fight alone. On the other side, the US has built a partnership in Asia. Many countries in the region are America's treaty allies. You have Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. If needed, they will fight with America. But who will fight with Xi Jinping? All these factors will influence his decision. He will probably get one shot at doing this. If he succeeds, political immortality awaits him. If he fails, utter humiliation.

32:31 We've been telling you about the war in West Asia, Israel versus its enemies. It began as a war on land, but now it is dominating the high seas, particularly the Red Sea. It is one of the world's most vital shipping routes. 15% of the global trade passes through the Red Sea. And now it is coming under attack. Ships here are being hit by missiles. They're being sunk to the bottom. And behind all this chaos are Yemen's Houthis. In the last one week alone, they have sunk two ships in the Red Sea. Four people were killed in the attack. Search is underway for the other crew members, and trade and security are being held hostage. Our next report tells you what this means for the world. In the summer of 2025, the waters of Yemen are no longer just a shipping

33:18 route. They are a war zone, one without front lines, but full of fire. Ships don't just pass through anymore. They hope to make it in one piece. The vessel was hit by in just one week. The Houthi rebels have claimed two more commercial ships in Red Sea. The Magic Seas and Eternity Sea. The first ship, Eternity Sea, was hit, boarded, and blown up in textbook pirate fashion. The Houthies released dramatic footage of the attack, complete with megaphone announcements, telling the crew to evacuate. Back to rescue all of you. Don't worry. I confirm.

34:03 They even claimed to have provided medical care to the rescued crew. But US officials tell a darker story. The crew weren't saved. They were kidnapped. The second ship was struck by drones and rocket propelled grenades. It was then chased down by boats and then according to the Houthis liberated of its Israeli trajectory. Four people have been killed. 10 members were rescued. The search for survivors is underway. The Yemen Houthi armed forces affirm they will continue to prevent Israeli navigation in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. They renew their warning to

34:49 all companies dealing with the ports of occupied Palestine that their ships and crews will be targeted in any area within the reach of the armed forces, regardless of the ship's destination. The attacks began in late 2023 after Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza. The Houthis, perched on Yemen's western coast, declared themselves the maritime wing of resistance. Their goal to choke Israel's sea lifelines and punish nations who aided it. Since November 2023, the Houthis have attacked over 70 vessels. It started in solidarity with Gaza, but by mid 2024,

35:35 the attacks had grown more precise, more frequent, and far more lethal. The Houthis claim they're only targeting Israel linked vessels, but that link is often murky. Shipping giants now face a bitter choice. Risk their ships and their crews through the increasingly lawless waters of Yemen or reroute around Africa at an enormous cost. And this is very important. The Red Sea isn't just any body of water. It's a choke point. Nearly 15% of global seaborn trade moves through the Suez Canal at the northern tip. That means what happens in these waters ripples out across the world. Prices could spike. Insurance premiums already have. Supply chains grown. For

36:21 Israel, the attacks are part of a broader multiffront pressure campaign. For the Houthis, it's a stage on which to project regional power. And for everyone else, it's a terrifying new normal. The Houthis have turned this narrow sea into a geopolitical minefield. Their message is simple. If you side with Israel, nowhere on the water is safe. And despite a US-led naval coalition, a surge in air strikes, and global condemnation, they're still striking, still filming, still daring the world to stop them. Because the war in Gaza may be thousands of miles away, but in the Red Sea, it's being fought one ship at a time.

37:11 What happens when you put a frog into boiling water? It jumps out. But what if you put it in tepid water, then slowly bring it to boil? The frog is cooked to death. I know it's dark, but this is a famous metaphor for ignoring your problems until it is too late to escape the consequences. Lately, this increasingly applies to one leader, William R, the president of Kenya, the East African country. Ron won power about three years ago and he was elected on a promise. He vowed to protect the poor to improve the well-being of young Kenyans. But has he lived up to it? If you ask the people of Kenya, in all likelihood, the answer will be a resounding no. People are frustrated. The cost of

37:57 living is high. There is unemployment, corruption, police brutality. It is a long list of problems. So over time, anger has piled up. Things have spiraled. Tensions have boiled. While RT has only grown more and more tonedeaf. Don't kill them, but should shoot them in the legs so they break and they can go to hospital on their way to court. Shoot them in the legs. That's what R has said. And who is he talking to? The police of Kenya. And who is he talking about? Not terrorists, not criminals, but protesters. R's eye is directed towards demonstrators. To understand why, let's go back. The Kenan economy has struggled for years now. Previous governments borrowed money

38:43 left, right, and center from China, from the World Bank, from the International Monetary Fund. Amid this, funds were mismanaged by corrupt governments. And all of this brought Kenya's economy to its knees. William R came to power promising to change this but he had a herculan task ahead of him. He inherited a crumbling debt laden economy and he wanted to fix it with taxes. R asked citizens to quote unquote bear the pain of taxes to grow the economy and last year he proposed a finance bill but this bill would have increased the cost of essentials. So in the month of June last year protest broke out A youthled movement swept Kenya. People took to the streets. The government

39:29 cracked down. Police clashed with the protesters. At least 60 people were killed. Reports say many were abducted and tortured. Eventually on the 25th of June, this culminated in people storming the Kenyan Parliament and R scrambled to make things right. He was forced to withdraw the tax bill and he dismissed nearly all of his cabinet. It was seen as a major win for the people but it did little to assuage public anger because problems have persisted particularly police brutality. So what started as an anti-ax protest transformed into something bigger in June this year 2025 a teacher died in police custody. His crime criticizing a senior police official on social media.

40:15 Soon after this, people took to the streets again. They were protesting police violence. During this protest, the police shot at a bystander, a hawker who was at close range. And this further angered the public. Then came June 25th. Kenyans took to the streets again on the anniversary of last year's protests. This too turned violent. At least 19 people were killed. This week on Monday, Kenyans took to the streets yet again to commemorate the country's struggle for democracy, which is an annual affair. But this year, the protest turned deadly. The police clashed with the protesters. They opened fire. They used tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets. At least 31 people died. More than 100 were injured. More than 500 arrested. At least two hospitals were damaged.

41:02 Thousands of businesses were destroyed. Looting was widespread. And this only worsened the situation who killed our young people in the last uh year and manus they have not been brought to account for their actions. They continuing to per to perpetrate murder against their citizens. A government that has turned itself into a terrorist unit against its own people must not be called a government. Now rights groups are demanding an investigation. Opposition leaders are accusing R. They say the government deployed armed gangs during the protests and they were the ones behind the looting. The government was behind the looting to hurt businesses and to discredit the protesters. That is the charge.

41:49 But R has defended police action repeatedly and now he has made his toughest remarks yet. He has given the police a free pass to shoot and incapacitate protesters. He has called the protest an attack on security forces, a declaration of war against the country and this has fueled massive outcry. Kenya heads to polls in 2027. That's when the country will elect their new government. And ahead of the polls, protesters are braving police battens nearly every other week. The death toll is mounting. The people have taken up a rallying cry. Rantum meaning R1 term. Most Kenins want him out. The president has less than two years

42:34 to endear himself to the disillusioned public. R has tried to fix the economy to create more jobs. He has called out corruption. But for Kenyans, it's like their president has tried to increase taxes while people don't have jobs. And when they speak up, the president hardens his anti-protest rhetoric. So Kenya is fast approaching a boiling point. And R has chosen to fight fire with fire. Will this be his reckoning? As they say, only time will tell. Have you wondered how diplomacy looked in the 1800s? We did not have a lot of cameras then. So, all we can do is imagine. Of course, there is another option. Just look at

43:21 any state visit to the UK because their traditions are still stuck there in the 1800s. This week, the UK is hosting French President Emanuel Macarron. The trip is coming after a long time. The last state visit by a French president to the UK was in the year 2008. After that, we had the Brexit fiasco. So, this trip is all about a reset, which is why London dusted out its old relics. I'm talking about the royals. Macron was welcomed at Windsor Castle by King Charles. It had everything you would expect from horserawn carriages to royal bands. Take a look at this. [Music]

44:22 Macron then headed to London. He addressed a joint session of the British Parliament and he spoke about a lot of things. He called Brexit a deeply regrettable choice. He called for reducing dependency on the US and he promised to forge a strong UK France alliance. First of all, of course, because the sovereign British people choose to leave the European Union in 2016, a decision that we respect, even if we found it deeply regrettable if we compare our countries with the United States. But we will we will have as well to derisk our two countries for the excessive dependencies on both the US and China. Then it was banquet time. Macro attended

45:08 two state dinners on Tuesday and Wednesday night. The first one was at Windsor. It was a grand event. The table alone took 6 days to set up. Both King Charles and President Macro made speeches. Then they raised a toast and tucked in. [Music] Then yesterday, Macron left Windsor Castle. He met Prime Minister Kasama in London. They held one-on-one talks at 10 Downing Street. Then today, they met again, this time for a formal summit with delegations. Both leaders are expected to sign an agreement by the end

45:53 of it. It will cover defense, borders, and Ukraine. Tonight, we're focusing on one aspect of it, which is nuclear coordination. The European continent only has two nuclear powers, France and Britain. Both countries have big plans for their arsenal. They want to create a coordinated nuclear deterrent. Now, what does that mean? Say there is an extreme threat to Europe, maybe an invasion or a nuclear hit. Then France and the UK will join hands. They will make their nuclear weapons work in tandem. Basically, there will be a joint nuclear response. Of course, this raises many questions like what threat would trigger such a response? Would a conventional attack suffice? Does it have to be a nuclear attack? Now, we don't have clarity on any of that yet. But here's how what we do know. The nuclear arsenals will

46:40 remain independent, meaning the French nukes will remain under the French president's control and the British nukes will remain under the British prime minister's control. They're coordinating, not combining. Still, this is a big move. It could be the first step towards a European nuclear umbrella. Right now, most of Europe is defended by the US. They have placed nukes in multiple European nations like in Belgium, Germany, and Italy. But with Donald Trump, there is uncertainty. Would he use these nukes to defend Europe or would he stand on the sidelines to avoid this question? Some European leaders want a a European umbrella. French President Macron proposed it. German Chancellor Merds is open to it and clearly so is British Prime Minister Kia Star Tama. This announcement could

47:27 be a first step towards that, a European nuclear umbrella. But will it be enough? Let's look at the numbers first. The US has more than 5,000 nuclear warheads. Out of these, around 100 are in Europe. In comparison, France has 290 warheads and Britain has 225. So, in terms of numbers, this is not an issue. In fact, it rarely is with nukes. Even one nuke is enough for deterrence. Having said that, two questions do remain. One, can Europe match America's conventional military power? That's where the US draws its dominance from. Russia has more nukes than the US, but the US is a much stronger conventional military. So, that is one point to

48:13 consider. Number two, will this deterrence work in practice? You see, nuclear umbrellas always sound good in theory. You nuke my ally, I will nuke you back. That's the idea. But will countries walk the talk? Will Macron risk a Paris for Berlin? Will Starmer risk London for Brussels? That's another question for Europeans to ponder. Either way, one thing is quite clear. Europe is looking at a future beyond American protection. It may not come tomorrow, but they're planning for it. Now let's talk about vodka. Arguably Russia's most famous cultural export. In fact, at one point of time, vodka was

49:00 literally used as a national currency in Russia. But now its production has taken a hit. Vodka production has fallen by over 10% compared to last year. In fact, hard liquor in general seems to be in trouble. Its production has declined by more than 16% which is quite the drop. and a dramatic one for Russia in particular. What explains it? Why is Russia producing less sport cara? Our next report tells you the origins of vodka are lost to history. But we know where the word itself comes from. Vodka comes from the Russian word for water. And it makes sense. Russians love their vodka. Vodka to Russia is what wine is to France or sake is to Japan. It is a drink for every accashion. From graduations to

49:45 weddings to funerals, it is considered a legendary Russian beverage. So much so that during a period in the 1990s, vodka was used as a national currency. And the drink continues to be a celebrated part of the country's culture. So it is surprising that the production of hard liquor has fallen in Russia quite dramatically. Russia's Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation has released a report. It says that manufacturing of spirits declined by more than 16% in the first half of 2025. And this includes vodka. Vodka production is down by 10.9% yearonear. It has fall from 33.40 million decal liters in 2024 to 31.38

50:32 million decal in the corresponding period in 2025. One deca liter is equal to 10 liters. So that's a quite a fall. But while production has collapsed in Russia, consumption is up. Data shows that Russians are drinking more strong alcohol than ever before. But they are not just drinking vodka because more and more Russians are going for other hard liquors like rum, whiskey, brandy, and tequila. Their sales grew by 10.2% to 3.2 2 L a year per capita, surpassing vodka consumption in some regions. That said, all is not lost. Vodka is still the top drink of choice in the country. It continues to hold the largest chunk of the market. Vodka accounts for 60% of sales annually.

51:20 So why is production falling if people are still consuming more hard liquor? No, it is not. Thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent remarks where he asked people to drink less and take up sports instead. He joked, "Quit drinking and start skiing." The decline in production is due to rising alcohol prices. Out of the total alcohol produced by Russia, a large chunk is exported to other countries. But since the war in Ukraine, the West has slapped a range of sanctions on Russia. This includes the ban on the export of alcoholic beverages to the EU, the US, and other countries. This has majorly reduced export revenue. For instance, Russian vodka exports generated just $34.6 million in 2024.

52:07 That's a massive decrease from 2021 when vodka exports earned $168.3 million. But vodka is not an isolated case here. Producers of all kinds of hard liquor are struggling. So, are matters expected to improve anytime soon? It's hard to tell, but experts say that as long as the war between Russia and Ukraine goes on, liquor producers may not be in high spirits. We've all heard the word guru, but do you know what it means? Guru is a Sanskrit word. The goo in guru stands for darkness and ru means removal of darkness. So a guru is someone who dispels darkness, someone who enlightens

52:54 us, imparts value, teaches us, helps guide us. And for this gurus have a special place in India's rich cultural legacy. But for too long many of us seem to have misunderstood this. You see the oldest references go back to the earliest Vic texts. They say that a guru is not just a teacher. A guru is a mentor, a guide, an expert or a master. It could be anyone who imparts knowledge, anyone who inspires or molds us. So every year we get the opportunity to honor our gurus. I'm talking about Guru Purima. India is celebrating it today. According to Hindu mythology, this is a sacred opportunity. It is observed on the full moon day of Ashard. That is a month in the Hindu calendar. And as per Hindu mythology on this day Lord Shiv

53:39 imparted knowledge to the Sarishies the seven sages. Gurup punima is unique to India. Historically this day has been an important festival in the country. It marks the beginning of a 4 monthlong holy period when monks and sages stay in one place to teach their disciples. It is considered a crucial time to boost focus. But over time gurup punima has been relegated to the background. Many of us have even forgotten about it. Although the fact is it is just as important to have a guru today as it was centuries ago. Look at our teachers. They shape us in innumerable ways. And you probably know this already. Have you ever fallen in love with a subject because you love the teacher? If yes, then you're not alone. Good teachers can change the course of our lives. And research proves this.

54:25 Having a good primary school teacher makes a student more likely to go to college and more likely to earn a higher income later on. The influence of a teacher never really ends. And this applies to mentors too. Research shows that good mentors help employees climb the management ladder. And it's not just about learning skills or gaining knowledge. It is about being shaped as an individual. That's what gurus do. They shape you. And humans have known this for generations now. In ancient India, we had gurukuls. Think of them as centers of learning where the pupils stayed with the teacher. Life and education was one. Students learned everything from law to math, from archery to meditation. In ancient China, teaching curriculums centered around morality. In ancient

55:12 Egypt, priests taught with rigorous methods and learning came with lessons of on life. And yes, even today we celebrate our teachers the world over. World teachers day is held on the 8th the 5th of October. India marks teachers day on 5th September. In China, it's 10th September. In Korea, it's the 15th of May. In the US, there is National Teacher Appreciation Week. So, we continue to honor our teachers. But this Guru Purima, maybe we can do more, reflect, reach out to our parents who taught us how to walk, our school teachers who held a mirror to us, that one boss who gave us a place in the sun, or that gym trainer who kept pushing us. Anyone could be your guru. So today we

55:58 say thank you for your passion, your contribution and sometimes even your anger and punishment. [Music] Delhi was shaken by tremors today. Most residents did exactly what was expected of them. They rushed not out of the building but towards social media because who cares about structural integrity? What matters is the online chatter. Now thankfully this was a minor earthquake. No damages or casualties have been reported. Plus the city is quite used to such frequent earthquakes. So normal resumed. But on social media the tremors continued.

56:46 Superman. [Music] [Applause] [Music] You fight. [Music]

57:50 Super [Music] And now it's time for Vantage Shots. Images that tell the story. Flash floods in China sweep away cars and force evacuation. Savise volcano sends lava shooting into the sky. And viral hippo Mu Deng celebrates its first birthday in Thailand. On this day in 1991, Boris Yelen was sworn into office

58:37 as Russia's first elected president. Yelen was known for dismantling the Soviet Union and leading Russia in its first chaotic years of independence. In 1997, Yelen gave Vladimir Putin his first job at the Kremlin and later appointed him prime minister. We are leaving you on that note. Thank you for watching. We'll see you tomorrow. [Music] [Applause]

59:27 [Music] boarding. Fore! [Music] Yay! Heat. Heat.

1:00:31 Heat. [Music]