China Threatens "Countermeasures" as Trump Pressures Allies | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G

0:09 Hello namaskar. This is first post and you're watching Vantage with me Palishu. The US vice president is in India with his family. It's a packed trip at a very important time as Donald Trump wages his trade war with China. This visit shows a larger shift in America's strategic priorities. It underscores New Delhi's geopolitical significance for Washington. But will it be enough for New Delhi to evade the tariffs? We'll discuss that. Earlier today, we got news

0:55 of Pope Francis's death. We look at his legacy, his potential successor, and why this is a turning point for the Catholic Church. Also in focus, Trump's latest warning to countries that he calls cheaters. Why China is threatening partners days after wooing them as the Asian family. Is the US State Department set for an overhaul? Will it be cost cutting or the cutting of influence? How days before it votes, Canada is normalizing Kalistthani extremism with attacks on Hindu temples. How Europe is on war footing with the UK making explosives and Poland eyeing French nukes. Why Elon Musk is looking to India to save Tesla. How paneer has become India's most adulterated food and what

1:41 can you do about it. When it comes to artificial intelligence, please and thank you are not golden words. They're costing Chad GPT a lot. We'll explain. And a story to celebrate. A record 41% women make up the latest batch of Indian bureaucrats. All this and more coming up. The headlines first. Israel security chief takes on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses him of demanding personal loyalty and giving orders to spy on anti-government protesters. The accusations were made in a statement to the Supreme Court. The Netanyahu government is trying to sack the Shinbet chief in an unprecedented move. Russia resumes attacks on Ukraine after a fragile 30-hour Easter truce. The surprise ceasefire was declared by

2:26 Russian President Putin on Saturday. The renewed strikes have cast doubt on Donald Trump's hopes for a broader ceasefire. The US president says he hopes Moscow and Kiev agree to a deal this week. India sends the second batch of Brahmos missiles to the Philippines. It's a major milestone for New Delhi's defense exports as Manila bolsters its defense amid tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea. India and the Philippines signed this deal in 2022. New Delhi wants to strengthen its defense capabilities and exports in the Indo-Pacific region. Iran's foreign minister set to visit China tomorrow. This comes ahead of a third round of nuclear talks between Thran and Washington. Beijing was a signary to the 2015 nuclear

3:12 agreement which reigned in Thran's nuclear program. China is Iran's largest commercial partner and the main buyer of its oil. And the Democratic Republic of Congo government suspends former President Joseph Kabila's party. Just days ago, his properties were raided. He was president for 18 years up to 2019. The current president has accused him of planning an insurrection and supporting the Randonbacked M23 rebels.

4:24 It's a mini lockdown in Delhi because America's number two is visiting. I'm talking about JD Vance, the vice president of the United States of America. He landed in New Delhi this morning. He's got three packed days ahead. Temple runs, fort tours, shopping sprees, bilateral talks, and finally the customary Taj Mahel visit. It's a trip very high on symbolism. A because it's happening so early in Donald Trump's presidency, and B because there's a trade war looming. India is hoping to avoid the US tariffs. Talks are underway to strike some sort of a bilateral deal. Vance technically does not work on trade deals, but his visit is a statement of support. Let's look at his day first. JD Vance is traveling with his family. His wife Usha and their three children are

5:10 accompanying them. They landed in New Delhi at around 10:00 a.m. today. The vice president was given a ceremonial welcome. Take a look. After that the family headed to Axar

5:56 Dhham. This is a Hindu temple located near the Delhi border. JD Vance and his family soaked in the architecture and heritage. Now there is a local connect here. Vance's wife Usha is of Indian origin. She is a practicing Hindu with family ties to Andhra Pradesh. In fact their their children wore Indian clothes through the day. Vance's predecessor Kamala Harris was also of Indian origin but she never traveled to India. She visited 21 countries as vice president

6:42 but not India. Anyway, back to this trip. After a dam, JD Vance visited an emporium. He got up close with India's cottage industry products. Then finally came the big event. Vance had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PM also interacted with the second family before a private dinner. Take a look.

7:31 Vance will fly to Jaipur tonight. Tomorrow he is expected to tour the city and give a policy speech. The day after he will visit Agra to see the Taj Mahel. All in all, a pretty packed trip. The question is what should India take away from it? Number one, it's clearly a show of priority. This is JD Vance's first trip to Asia as vice president. He could have picked a US ally like Japan or South Korea, but he picked India. It shows that Trump prioritizes New Delhi. Trade war or not, he sees potential in this partnership. India too is expecting the trip to boost ties with the United States of America. we have a comprehensive strategic global partnership. So when you have that level of partnership with with any country

8:17 obviously you will discuss all relevant issues and with America with the United States of course you know our relationship is such that we have we we have we are doing anything that is part of human endeavor forms part of our bilateral engagement. So all these issues, bilateral issues will be discussed and we are very positive that these u the visit will give a further boost to our uh bilateral ties. Number two, JD Vance has not been a lame duck vice president. He has been Trump's hitman. When he visited Europe, he accused them of killing free speech. When the UK prime minister visited Washington, he repeated the accusation and this time in front of the prime minister. Let's see what he says tomorrow. The policy speech will give us some

9:03 indications. And finally, number three, this visit is part of a process. It should not be seen as a standalone trip. Last month, Trump's intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbad visited India. This month, JD Vance is visiting. Next up could be Pentagon Chief Pete Hegith, the American Defense Minister. Reports say that he will be visiting in the coming months. And all of this will lead to the biggest trip of them all, a visit by President Donald Trump. India is slated to host the Quad Summit later this year. Chances are Trump will attend that in person in India. Both sides will be looking to sign a trade deal by then. India is confident of making progress. They're expecting the first part of the deal to be signed by October and that's the number one priority to remove this

9:49 looming threat of tariffs. Once that is sorted, you can tackle other issues like H1B and student visas, concerns around Kalistthan, cooperation in Bangladesh and joint strategies for the Indo-Pacific. Like I said, JD Vance is not involved in these decisions. His role is largely ceremonial, but his actions and remarks offer us clues because Vance's job is to articulate Trump's policy priorities. No frrills, no half measures, no sugar coating. He's done that in Europe and Greenland. Let's see what his message for India will be. Franchesco papa franchesco alanito miserordioso.

11:06 He was a pope of many firsts. The first from Latin America, the first Jesuit, the first to take the name Francis. Pope Francis made one thing very clear from the very beginning that his papacy would be different. Today Pope Francis died. He was 88 years old. The news of his death came as a shock to many. The Pope was in hospital recently. He was battling double pneumonia. After weeks of treatment, he finally recovered. He was discharged a few days ago. Last week, he made some high-profile appearances. On Thursday, he visited a prison in Rome. On Saturday, he visited St. Peter's Basilica. On Sunday, he attended he appeared on his balcony to

11:52 the surprise of the crowds. He did not lead the Easter services, but he did a tour of the Piaza in his Pope mobile. He met and blessed hundreds of people. Happy birthday. He also met with US Vice President JD Vance and even exchanged Easter greetings. not been feeling great, but it's good to see you in better health.

12:41 Earlier today, the news of his passing was made public. Thousands have already gathered in Vatican City. People are mourning. Some were seen crying. Tributes are pouring in from across the globe, including from world leaders. Pope Francis will be laid to rest outside the Vatican. This marks a significant departure from tradition. Typically, popes are buried beneath beneath uh St. Peter's Basilica, but Pope Francis chose a different resting

13:28 place. It will be the basilica of Santa Maria Majori. In doing so, he becomes the first pope in a century to be buried outside the Vatican. Like we said, this pope was different. What is his legacy? How did he influence the Catholic Church? Was he able to reform it? Who will be the next pope? And how is the pope selected? Lots of questions. Let's look at the story of Pope Francis first. His name was Jorge Mario Burggolio. He was born in 1936 in Argentina's Buunas Iris. He came from a family of Italian immigrants. Pope Francis described himself as an Argentine raised on

14:14 pasta. He once swept floors, worked as a nightclub bouncer, and studied chemistry. Later, he gave it all up to become a Jesuit priest. He was ordained in 1969. In 2001, he became a cardinal. In 2005, he initially sought to become pope, but ended up there only in 2013. His vision for the papacy was simple. Strip away the pomp and return to the gospel. He ditched the papal palace for a guest house. He usually flew economy. He cooked his own meals. He auctioned off his Harley-Davidson. He

15:00 snuck out at night to feed the homeless. In some ways, Pope Francis was a traditionalist, like on issues of abortion and celibacy for priests. In other matters, he broke the traditional papal mold. He allowed blessings for same-sex couples. If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge? He tried to clean up financial corruption in the Vatican. He appointed more women to leadership roles, urged for immediate climate action, built bridges with the Muslim world, sought to play peacemaker in conflicts, called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Ukraine, and asked for compassion for refugees. This morning, I received two

15:45 delegations, one of Israelis who have relatives held hostage in the Gaza Strip and another of Palestinians who have relatives imprisoned in Israel. They suffer so much and I heard how both sides are suffering. This is what wars do. But here we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism. The pope faced two big challenges. One was tackling clerical sexual abuse. Sexual abuse in the church. He tried to address it. Even issued an edict to report it. But he was accused of not doing enough. This is my anguish and pain. The fact that some priests and bishops violated the innocence of minors and their own priestly vocation by sexually abusing

16:32 them. They are something more than despicable acts. It is like a sacriiggious cult because these boys and girls had been entrusted to the charisma of priests in order to be brought to God. The other challenge was Catholicism losing ground. Country after country is seeing massive drops in church attendance. There are fewer baptisms. People may still identify as Catholic culturally, but they do not practice it. The church's moral rigidity often alienates people. Younger generations are seeking meaning elsewhere. So, Pope Francis had to tackle that, which is why he traveled extensively, especially in Africa and Asia. In fact, his last trip was a

17:18 12-day visit to Asia. Now, these are places where Catholicism is booming. And the Pope wanted to support it, even when his knees gave out. He traveled in a wheelchair. Now that he's gone, his successor will have to take this effort forward. But who will that be? Who will be the successor? For now, the Vatican has appointed an acting head. He is called the Cameroeno. After the pope is buried, the search for a new pope begins. It starts with a private gathering at the Vatican called the conclave. Now technically any Roman Catholic male can be elected pope. He is chosen by a group called the college of cardinals. For the selection of the pope, every cardinal under the age of 80

18:05 travels to Rome. Once they arrive at the Vatican, the process begins. The voting takes place in the cysteine chapel. Each cardinal receives a ballot and writes the name of the candidate they want to elect, but they cannot vote for themselves. If a cardinal gets more than 2/3 of the vote, he becomes the pope. If no one reaches that threshold, two/irds of the vote, voting continues. They repeat that process. Sometimes it takes days, days until a decision is made. The entire process is secretive. Voting is done behind closed doors. No talking to anyone outside the room. No phones or cameras. The cysteine chapel is off limits to all. Once the vote is cast, the ballots are are burned with a special chemical.

18:50 If the smoke is white, the world knows that a new pope has been chosen. If it is black, it means the voting is still on. And the world waits. The smoke is a signal, a way for the outside world to stay updated on the progress. So, who could be the next pope? A lot of names are doing the rounds, but here are the top three ones. Peter Turken from Ghana, Louis Taglay from the Philippines, and Peter Erdo from Hungary. If any of the first two are chosen, he would be the first pope ever from Asia or Africa. Of course, the choice is up to the cardinals, but Pope Francis realized something early on in his papacy that the church is not a museum. It is a living thing and all living things must

19:39 change with time. The church must change too. Now it is up to the Vatican. They can either shut the door on Pope Francis's reforms or push it open further. Let's turn to the US where Donald Trump's trade war continues. He hinted at making deals last week, but over the weekend he was back to escalation. Trump has released what he calls a cheating list. It warns countries against non-tariff barriers. He's listed eight such barriers, non non-tariff barriers, currency manipulation, value added taxes, dumping cheap goods, subsidies, protective agriculture standards,

20:25 protective technical standards, and intellectual property theft. And finally, trans shipping. These are all barriers to free trade. He's listed eight of them. They may not be a direct levy like tariffs, but they have the same effect. They protect domestic industry from foreign imports, which is why Donald Trump is going after them. Remember his tariff chart. The first column hinted at something like this. It said tariffs charged to the USA including currency manipulation and trade barriers. So Trump is not just looking for lower tariffs. He wants countries to abandon other barriers as well like subsidies and protective standards. Now there are two problems with this. Number one, it could be a political no-go zone for most countries.

21:11 Consider India and agriculture subsidies. No government in India will ever think about touching them and rightly so. Almost half of all Indians work in agriculture but in the US that number is less than 2%. So it is vital for India to protect this industry. That's one issue. Number two, Trump is overplaying the problem. His allegations of dumping and IP theft may hold true for China, but not every country is guilty of it. Consider his claim of protective technical standards. He's basically talking about quality tests. Donald Trump says the tests are so hard that American goods always fail. And he gives the example of Japan, of Japan's bowling ball test. Listen to

21:56 how he describes it. It's non-monetary tariffs. It's tariffs where they put things on that make it impossible for you to sell a car. It's not a money thing. It's they make it so difficult. The standards and the tests they drop a bowling ball on the top of your car from 20 ft up in the air and if there's a little dent, they say, "No, I'm sorry. Your car doesn't qualify." When the same car from Germany or would dent likewise, unless you're going to have an army tank, it's going to dent. How about that? Trump says Japan is dropping bowling balls on cars, apparently to test their quality. In case you're wondering, this is not true. Such a test does not exist in Japan. If Trump is serious about these claims, it is a matter of worry. It could

22:42 potentially derail or delay the talks. But chances are this is just another pressure tactic, a move to force countries to do Trump's bidding. And what's that? First is obviously to slash tariffs. The second is to reduce their trade with China. Let me show you a report. It says that Trump is mulling a sort of quidd proquo. You reduce your trade with China. In exchange, we offer you tariff relief or exemptions. Of course, China does not like that. Beijing has issued a warning to other countries. Do not cut deals at our expense. If you do, we will take counter measures. And the tone has certainly changed. Last week, Xi Jinping was talking about an Asian family, about jointly standing up to Donald Trump. And now he's issuing

23:30 threats. Now, I don't know about China, but here in India, we do not threaten our family. We respect and support them. Clearly, China has different ideas. Their foreign minister met his Indonesian counterpart today, the Indonesian foreign minister, and he urged him to oppose Trump's unilateral moves. We must consistently uphold the principles of openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit, oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, and maintain that indiscriminate tariff impositions severely harm normal international trade and economic exchanges. So Trump is asking countries to ditch China. He's asking countries to not appease America. And stuck in the middle, their trade partners. All of

24:16 them face an impossible choice between the largest producer in the world and the largest consumer. Question is who will they choose? Let's consider the case of ASEAN. These are countries in Southeast Asia. In 2010, China made up just 10% of their total trade. 10% of ASEAN's trade. By 2023, that was up to 20%. And ASEAN knows this. Their leaders admit that there is a reliance on China and they've also been trying to correct it. Now look at what happened last year. From January to March 2024, the US became ASEAN's top export destination. They basically beat China after years. And that's not all. Companies that left China have set up a base in ASEAN. So

25:04 the the diversification was already happening. It was very slow. Yes, but this kind of pivots tend to take a lot of time. And then came Donald Trump. He's not satisfied with shifting production out of China. He wants to bring it home. And that approach could antagonize his partners. It could also threaten the diversification because he's not just targeting China. Trump is targeting his partners, too. This is truly a tough choice for all those countries. Whatever they pick, they stand to lose.

25:54 Heat. Heat. Donald Trump's cost cutting drive has found its new target, the US State Department, which is basically their foreign ministry. A new draft policy has been leaked. It talks about overhauling the US State Department. And we are talking about some big changes here. If enacted, they could reshape American diplomacy for good or bad. That's what

26:40 we will try to discuss. First, let's look at the top proposals. Number one, eliminating most Africa operations. The plan is to shut down embassies and consulates in the continent, though it's not clear which ones. Number two, eliminating offices in Washington, specifically those that deal with human rights, democracy, and climate change. Number three, mass firing of career diplomats. The plan is to put people on paid leave first, then eventually terminate them. Number four, put an end to the foreign service exam. Every aspiring diplomat has to pass this test, but the plan is to create a new hiring system, one that aligns with Trump's vision. And finally, number five, shut regional bureaus. Instead, set up four diplomatic cores in Eurasia, in Middle East, Latin America, and the

27:27 Indoacific. These are the four cores. In case you missed it, there is no Africa core. Clearly, the biggest cut is directed at Africa. Now, if this plan is approved, it would shut many embassies by October 1st. The question is why? The draft says that it's all about cutting waste and fraud. But the plan is yet to be adopted. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has downplayed it. He's called the report fake news. Plus, there is more than one report circulating at the moment. Another one says the department's budget will be cut by 50%. A third one claims that 10 embassies will be shut down, 10 American embassies. Whatever they they go with, whatever plan, it will have to be approved by Donald Trump. And even after

28:13 that, there could be legal challenges. But the larger question is, will this weaken American diplomacy or will it avoid fund wastage? Some of the provisions do sound good, like ending so-called democracy promotion campaigns. Nobody asked for these reports or suggestions in the first place. The State Department simply handed them out. I'm sure a lot of countries would love to see them end. But a few other proposals could backfire, like ending climate and refugee operations. Remember, the US is one of the biggest polluters in human history. Their wars have displaced millions of people the world over. So Trump cannot walk away from those responsibilities. It is not charity. It is accountability. Same with diplomatic

28:58 presence. Africa is supposed to be the next big thing. It is home to resources worth trillions of dollars. It it also has the youngest population in the world, especially subsahara and Africa. Nearly 70% of the people there are under 30 years of age. Every major power in the world is courting Africa. China, Russia, Europe, India, all of them are racing to strike deals in Africa. And what does Donald Trump do? He plans to wind down America's presence in the continent. This is indeed a very risky strategy, but it's not a surprise. Africa was a blind spot in Trump's first term as well. He did not visit the continent even once. He also used derogatory words to describe some African nations. Historically, America

29:44 has used aid to make inroads in Africa, but Trump is not a fan of that either. He has already stopped most US aid campaigns. This could either spur Africa to invest in its invest its own money in crucial sectors to be self-reliant or it could push Africa closer to China. And this is the problem with Trump's proposals. He may or may not save money, but he will trigger turmoil. It's a good chance for other countries to capitalize, though. Consider China's diplomacy budget this year. $8.8 billion. That's more than 8% up from last year. India too has increased its diplomacy spending. It has set aside $2 billion this year which is around 15% up from last year. So both India and China have increased their

30:31 spending on diplomacy. Meanwhile, Trump is slashing it. It was very big to start with. The State Department had a 56 billion budget in the last fiscal year. 56 billion. This time they may only ask for 28 billion which is almost a 50% cut. Can you conduct diplomacy with $28 billion? Of course, you can. Other powers spend only a fraction of this money. But it's a question of where and how you slash funding. Aid cuts will reduce America's goodwill. Embassy closures will hurt America's presence. Both those things could hurt US diplomatic efforts. Of course, it is America's money at the end of the day. If the people voted for it, why not, I guess.

31:18 Our next story is from Canada. Another Hindu temple has been attacked. The perpetrators, Kalistthani extremists. Members of a separatist movement that is dead in India. Their only hope is the land of maple syrup. Canada. Proalistan violence is out of control in Canada. Hindu temples are being targeted with alarming regularity. This time even a gurudara was attacked which is proof that all seikhs do not subscribe to khalistani separatism. It is only a few radicals who claim to represent the entire community. And while all of this is happening, Canada's government is missing. These are the same people who lecture others on human rights. They somehow lose their voice when Hindus are targeted. Canada is one week away from elections and this is the state of

32:04 affairs in the country. Hindu phobia is on the rise, but vote bank politics is priority. Canada is normalizing hate. Our next report has more. Another temple has been vandalized in Canada, this time in Surrey, British Columbia. Pro Kalistthan graffiti was seen on the walls of the temple. And this has sparked outrage in the Hindu community. They're calling it a case of Hindu phobia and are demanding the Canadian government take action. The Lakshmi Narayan Mandr is a sacred space for Hindus in Surrey and now its walls are covered with vulgar slogans and this is not an isolated incident. In fact, this is part of a

32:50 larger pattern. The attacks always follow the same script. First, a Hindu temple in Canada is defaced. Second, the Hindu community calls for action. Third, the Canadian police promise an investigation. Fourth, nothing happens. And fifth, there's complete silence from the Canadian government. No condemnations, no action, just silence. Canada is always quick to lecture others on human rights. But they somehow stay silent when Hindus in Canada are targeted. The fact is that Hindu phobia is on the rise in Canada and temples are being vandalized

33:36 repeatedly. Here's a short timeline. In September 2023, a Hindu temple was vandalized with anti-India slogans in Surrey. In October of the same year, a convoy of proalistan extremists threatened Hindu devotees at the Lakshmi Narayan temple in Sari. In December of 2023, a Hindu devotey was attacked in a town called Kiter. In that same month, Kalistthani extremists fired gunshots at a Hindu temple in Vancouver. In 2024, at least three major incidents against Hindus were reported. In February, a break-in was reported at a temple in Oakville. In July, a Swami Narayan temple was vandalized in Edmonton. In November, Hindu devotees were attacked

34:22 at a Hindu Sabha temple in Bmpton. And now a temple has been attacked in Sari. A gurudara in Vancouver was also vandalized. So a place of worship for Sikhs was also attacked by Kalistthani extremists. Clearly no one is safe. This is not a local problem but a systemic failure. Canadian politicians have been blinded by vote bank politics. They would much rather appease Kalistani extremists if it means staying in power. Canada's general election is now just a week away. And this is what's happening in the country. Hindus are being openly targeted and threatened. The police is

35:08 silent and some of its politicians are busy quoting extremists. Canada is normalizing hate by giving radicals a green light. Now we turn to Europe, a continent on edge where nations are on an arming spree. The latest is from the UK and Poland. Britain wants more missiles and explosives and Poland wants nuclear weapons from France. Clearly, Ukraine is no longer the priority. Europe is busy arming itself. Let's start with the United Kingdom. London made an announcement yesterday. They will ramp up weapons production. They're calling it a war footing production model. And they want to achieve two goals. More manufacturing and bigger stockpiles. The UK wants to produce two things. RDS RDX explosives

35:56 and propellants. These are used in artillery shells and missiles. Britain currently imports the RDX and the propellants. They get them from France and the US, but now they want to make it at home. So, the UK wants to build its war reserves. What will it cost them? Friendship with France and the US. Here's why. For the UK, this is about self-reliance. They are preparing for worst case scenarios like Donald Trump. The US president has sent shock waves through NATO. His threats to exit the group have left Europe worried. So, if the US pulls back, the UK does not want to be caught off guard. And what about France? How will they feel about the UK's decision? France

36:43 sees the UK as a dependable NATO ally. They often stand together in global matters, even on the war in Ukraine. France and the UK have jointly made weapons for decades. Now the UK wants to part ways. Naturally, France will not be happy. And that's the UK's defense plan. It is aiming for self-reliance. Now, let me tell you about Poland. a country that borders Russia. It's a frontline NATO state. Poland wants French nuclear weapons on its soil. The request came from Poland's president. He said French nukes will protect them from Russia. So Poland is open openly courting France for nuclear warheads. To understand why, let's look at a map. Poland is dealing with a

37:30 hostile neighborhood. As you can see, they border Ukraine, Bellarus, and the Russian territory of Kinenrad. And Russia has placed its nukes in Bellarus and Kinenrad. So two of the three regions bordering Poland have nuclear warheads. Now Warso wants some too. Last month they requested the US. This time it is France. What does that show? Cracks in NATO. Just think about it. After asking the US for nukes, Poland has turned to France. The message is that Washington cannot be trusted and Europe should have a finger on the trigger. Hence the request for French nukes. But will Paris deliver? Only three NATO members have nukes. The US, the UK, and France. Fun fact, their combined nuclear stockpile is less than

38:17 Russia's. Nuke fornuke, Russia wins. So the question really is, is France willing to take the risk? Apparently, yes. French President Emanuel Macron has floated the idea he wants to create a European nuclear umbrella. He wants to deploy French nukes across Europe, exactly how American nuclear warheads are kept in Germany and Italy. But this is easier said than done. Building logistics to deal with such weapons takes time, at least half a decade as per experts. Not to mention, Russia would be furious. Moscow would see this as a direct threat. French nukes at at Russia's doorstep will be seen as provocation. So, let's be clear. This is

39:03 an escalation. Europe is militarizing like never before. More weapons, bigger defense budgets, and now calls for a shared nuclear arsenal. Europe is preparing for a future where where it does not have to rely on the US. The UK's push for weapons and Poland's quest for French nukes scream one thing, anxiety. But do more weapons, particularly nuclear ones, guarantee peace? They do not. So the question to ask is this. Is Europe preparing for peace or pushing for war? Our next story is about the world's richest man, Elon Musk. He will visit India this year, he says, and he has big plans. Musk wants

39:50 to bring Tesla and Starling to India. He's been teasing this for years now and it may finally be happening. Musk recently spoke to Indian Prime Minister Modi and now he's eyeing business deals like a Tesla plant in India and chips and semiconductors made by Indian firms. The math makes sense. India is the largest market in the world, the fastest growing economy, a stable democracy and hungry for tech and investments. Meanwhile, Tesla is facing competition from Chinese firms. Not to mention, Beijing is not the most open market. So for Elon Musk, India is the ticket for playing at the global level. And for India, Musk is more than a businessman. He is a power player. This is not about chasing a billionaire. This is about building a future that too on India's terms. Our

40:36 next report has more. The world's richest man is coming to the world's largest market. Elon Musk is eyeing business with India. The tech billionaire recently spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Then he announced his plans to visit India this year and the Tesla CEO is particularly excited. Elon Musk is eyeing some major deals. He wants to bring Tesla and Starlink to India. Musk has been talking about this for almost a year, but now it's closer to reality. Here's what Musk is eyeing. a Tesla manufacturing plant in India, Starlink internet services and working with Indian firms on chips and

41:22 semiconductors. Musk sees major potential in India. It's the world's largest market, a stable democracy, friendly with the United States and a major player in tech and innovation. And Musk's groundwork has begun. He's eyeing a chips deal with Indian firms like CG Semi and Tata Electronics. Musk feels India is the trump card that he needs because Tesla is facing stiff competition from Chinese car makers, particularly BYD. Meanwhile, anti-Musk sentiment in the United States is also impacting Tesla sales. India is an untapped market and India's EV sector has grown by nearly 49% since 2023.

42:10 So Musk is looking at India and thinking growth. India could provide a lifeline that Tesla desperately needs currently. But what about India? How does Musk play out in its future goals for New Delhi? Musk brings innovation and investments. The tech billionaire has hinted at investing $3 billion in India. He also wants to establish a Tesla mega factory which means jobs for thousands of Indians. Musk Starlink has already partnered with two big Indian firms for bringing satellite-based internet. So India is going to get cutting edge technology. With the US China trade war heating up, India offers Musk a new space to grow. Meanwhile, Musk's

42:55 ventures mean a boost for jobs and innovation in India. But here's the larger picture. India doesn't need to roll out the red carpet. This is not about making deals with the billionaire. It's about cementing India's role in the world. For now, Musk needs an alternative to China. So, he's turning to India. Musk is a power player and he's known to be a disruptor. So India must put forth its demands boldly and the ball is currently in New Delhi's court because it's Elon Musk who is desperate to make deals with India. Despite his sassy social media posts and taunts against other world leaders, things will be different this time and Elon Musk will have to play by India's

43:42 rules. For our next story, let's talk about a food product India absolutely loves. Paneer or as some call it, Indian cottage cheese. It's creamy, it's proteinpacked, and it's a hero in vegetarian diets. You'll find it in everyday meals, in festive feasts, and across multiple grocery aisles. But here's the twist. India has a paneer problem. Turns out it is the most adulterated food product in the country. Look at this report. 122 paneer samples were tested in Noida and greater Nida. 83% did not meet quality standards. 40% were unsafe for

44:28 consumption. And it's the same story everywhere. In Karnataka, 163 samples were collected. Only four of them were safe for consumption. Four out of 163 samples. The others are still undergoing tests. Here's another one from Lucknau where 103 paneer samples were tested. 50% failed the test. They were unsafe for consumption. 50%. The situation is so bad that some on the internet are taking things in their own hands. They're doing the iodine test. Basically, they put some iodine tincture on paneer. If the color remains the same, it is pure. If it turns blue, it is adulterated. Now, this is not a fail proof test. There are some inaccuracies but it shows you the panic

45:15 around paneer. So how is fake paneer made? Traditionally it is made out of fresh milk but it's often manipulated with synthetic substances. The most common is starch. It increases the bulk of paneer detergents synthetic milk costic soda formulin. All of these are also used. And why is this happening? The answer lies in a combination of factors. One is the high demand. India has a booming population. There is a demand for protein richch foods and paneer is often the top choice especially in a vegetarian diet. Reason number two, greed and the attempt to maximize profits. Making good paneer is not cheap which is why manufacturers try to cut costs and corners. They mix adulterance

46:02 to increase the bulk. Three, lack of stringent regulation. You will find paneer everywhere from your local grocery store to fancy supermarkets and that makes it difficult to monitor. You cannot regulate every batch that enters the market. But the food safety body has been cracking down. Look at these reports. 1,500 kilos of adulterated paneer seized in Gujarat. 239 kilos seized in Nashik. 600 kilos seized from Hyderabad. So this is not a region or city specific problem. It's a countrywide issue and it's not just about paneer. From 2022 to 2023, 25% of all food samples tested were adulterated. 1/4 of all the samples

46:48 tested. Adulterants are common in milk, in spices, and in everyday sweets. Best case scenario, you're not getting what you paid for. Worst case scenario, you're consuming toxic substances. So, what should you as a consumer do? First of all, be aware. Know that this is happening. Consumer awareness is key to issues like these. Second, stick to trusted brands or trusted vendors. Look for certifications to ensure quality. And the third solution is fines. We need tougher penalties for violators. Right now, the fines about for selling adulterated food in India are very low. The fine is so low that many see it as just another business expense. But if the consequences were truly

47:33 severe, it might actually make them think twice, at least some of them. That said, the real fix lies in something bigger. A complete overhaul of how we approach food safety in India. Yes, the food safety department is conducting more raids. Yes, more samples are being tested than before. But what's missing is scale, widespread and consistent enforcement. Food safety must be treated with the same urgency as a public health emergency. Because at the heart of this story is trust. Trust in what we eat. Trust in the system that is meant to protect us. Trust that what we bring home won't harm us. What we feed our children won't hurt them. This trust is rotting away every single day.

48:24 They say it is a wise thing to be polite. But in the age of artificial intelligence, that may not be the case. Let me tell you why. And let me ask you this first. When you put a prompt on chat GPT, when you ask the AI chatbot a question, do you say please? And when it scripts a reply, do you say thank you? But apparently this politeness is costing its parent company OpenAI tens of millions of dollars and we aren't the one saying this. OpenAI top boss Sam Alman is. Our next report tells you why. Someone pays you a compliment, say thank you. Someone helps you with homework, say thank you again. Someone answers your query, say thank you once more.

49:10 Being courteous is drilled into us from the moment we start interacting with others. Now with artificial intelligence bleeding into most aspects of our lives, we are being courteous to it as well and surveys prove this. In the US, 67% users of chat bots like chat are polite to it. In the UK, the number stands at 71%. And this trend is not limited to just two countries. People everywhere can be seen saying please and thank you to chat GPT. But apparently it is expensive waste and we aren't the ones saying this. Open AAI CEO and tech billionaire Sam Alman is. He says that people being polite to ChatGpt is costing him tens of millions of dollars. This may sound

49:55 absurd. After all, thanking ChatGpt for helping you write a basic thank you note seems trivial, almost like a force of habit. But every little word requires the chatbot system to interpret and process the message before crafting its response, which can be long and complex. This consumes electricity. It costs money and time. To give you context, each chat GPT question uses about 2.9 W hours of energy. This may not sound like much, but it is about 10 times more electricity than a traditional Google search, which stands at 0.3 W hours. And the longer the prompt or the answer required, the more the energy use. For instance, generating a 100word email

50:41 needs 14 kwatt hours of electricity. That is enough to power 14 LED lights for an hour. There are about 9 billion searches on checked every day globally. That is a demand of nearly 10 terowatt hours of electricity per year or about 10 trillion W hours of energy enough to power electricity of a small country. So the one word courtesy we pay chat GPT is costing not only the bot but also us because somewhere possibly far away there is an AI data center paying the price for it. The AI industry relies on its data centers to train and operate its models. So when we ask in tools a question, it is the data centers that use energy and this is fueling a silent crisis. It is

51:28 contributing to climate change and this is not limited to chat GPT. Since 2020, Microsoft has focused on expanding its data centers to boost its AI prowess. And since then, its carbon emissions have risen by nearly 30%. In 2023, Google's carbon emissions were almost 50% higher than in 2019, largely thanks to the energy demands of its data centers. In fact, data centers powering chatbots suck up about 2% of the world's energy consumption. And the situation is only expected to get worse as the use of AI skyrockets. So, we may want to keep thanking it, perhaps out of habit, perhaps out of fear in case of an AI uprising. But in

52:15 the case of artificial intelligence, it is impolite to be polite. Before we begin our last story tonight, let me tell you about Anna Rajam Malotra. She was born in 1924 as Anna Rajam George in India's Kerala state. She cleared the civil services examination in 1951. This is one of the toughest exams in the country. Even today every year aspirants take it to join the highly coveted executive br branch of the country of the government the backbone of the Indian administration and Anna Rajam cracked the test in 1951. She wanted to join the Indian administrative service or the IAS. This

53:01 is an elite carter in the services. When she sat for her interview the board was not keen to post her in the field. They suggested that she join the foreign services instead because that is and I'm quoting more suitable for women. That's what they told her. But Anna Rajam refused. She went on to become India's first woman I is officer. That was in 1951. The country has come a long way since. And what better day to acknowledge it than today because today is the National Civil Services Day. Look at the outgoing batch of officer trainees, the IS-2023 batch. It consists of 180 officers. 74 of them are women. In other words, women make up 41% of the IS

53:48 batch. This is the largest represent representation of women in the history of the service. 41%. And it's a major win. It reflects new India's aspirations and it is part of a growing trend. More Indian women want to join the civil services. In a span of 15 years, the number of female applicants has nearly quadrupled. It's gone up four times. It outpaces the growth in total applicants and women now make up a third of them. And not just that, women's success rate is also increasing. In 2018, it stood at 24%. In 2023, it shot up. Women secured 34% of the ranks. In 2023, five of the top 10 candidates were

54:37 women. And remember, the civil service does not have reservation for women. So the numbers you see are all based on merit. And this is commendable progress. What is behind the shift? According to experts, two things. One, more awareness. And two, a generational societal change. Cracking the exam requires knowledge on a range of topics. Earlier this meant spending hours on end scouring through newspapers and books. Public libraries were all but a second home for aspirants and that's something that female aspirants were not always comfortable with. They did not have this kind of access. But with the internet they have a digital advantage and study material is a click away that has contributed to the growing

55:23 numbers. The second reason preparing for this exam is a lengthy process. Every year more than a million aspirants take the test. On average a candidate requires three attempts to crack it and this means four and a half years of intense preparation. Historically this was not an option for most women. But times have changed. Female enrollment in higher education institutions has increased to 49% in India. So women are better educated. They're more ambitious and Indian families are more supportive of their career choices. A majority of women retire after completing their full tenurs in the service. Sure, there is still room for improvement. According to studies, women

56:09 civil servants are more likely to oversee areas like cultural affairs, education, food or health. They are less likely to be in charge of urban development, law and order, finance or energy. Also, even with more women joining the service, their rise to the top is slow. Take the chief secretaries for instance. They are the administrative heads of state governments. Across the 36 Indian states and union territories, only five women hold this position. So yes, there are still some challenges. But the big picture looks good. It shows consistent improvement. There was a time when Anna Rajam's appointment letter came with a condition that her service would be terminated if she got married. That is no longer the case.

56:56 Today, thousands of women take the civil services exam every year. Dozens of them crack it, score high ranks, and make history. And we are here for it. What were you doing at 14 years of age? Maybe rebelling against your parents or sneaking a smartphone to school or faking interest in rock music. But let me introduce Vehavs Surya. He too is a 14 year old and he's already playing in the IPL at 14. He played his first match over the weekend. Guess what he did with the first ball he faced. He smashed it for six. That's Gen Alpha for you. No fear,

57:44 no second thoughts. His skills have impressed cricket fans around the world. It has also triggered an outpouring of hilarious praise. Take a look. Oh babe.

58:55 Keep speech. Now it's time for Vantage Shots. Images that tell the story. China pits robots against humans in a half marathon for the first time ever. Easter begins with a traditional rocket war in a Greek island and artists sculpt biblical scenes onto sand dunes in Bolivia. Finally, we're taking you back in history. On this day in 1989, a million students gathered at China's Tianan Square. Protesters called for an end to the dictatorship. It was the largest political protest in communist China's history, and it ended with bloodshed. On June 3rd, Beijing rolled tanks to crush the protest of unarmed civilians. We're leaving you on that note. Thank you for watching. We'll see you

59:52 tomorrow. Here we La.

1:01:12 Heat. Heat.

1:02:11 greeting you with aloha and namaste. I I love India. Presence uh occupation of a territory by another country pertains to India. what we saw in Kashmir and the prime minister. How do you see Trump's America? Yes, the current administration behaves differently from the previous administration. powers who are trying to bring down the current government in Syria. Exactly. Iran maybe Russia alternative to Prime Minister Modi committed to South you know cooperations for

1:03:00 not over 50%. Is Ukraine prepared to pay the price for that peace? No compromises at the cost of territorial integrity and sovereign. very much having