Europe's petrochemical industry is heading for death row
In Europe, natural gas is about five times more expensive than in the US. Right now, it’s cheaper to buy ethylene in Texas and ship it across the Atlantic for further processing in EU than producing it at home. With petrochemical companies doing that, the net result is loss of economic activity in Europe, erosion of trade balance in chemical products and, ultimately, the loss of jobs and energy security
While Gaza burns, the West Bank is at boiling point
Everyone from Biden to the European Union and Israel’s own Shin Bet security service have warned Netanyahu that, unless the settlers are reined in, their rampages could spark widespread violence in the West Bank, in Israel itself, and spill into the wider region
Ahead of COP28, climate seems conducive to collaborative efforts
Host UAE is pulling out all stops to make the summit on global warming a success, and is aided by implicit and explicit support from New Delhi to the Vatican
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | Waning of the ESG investing phenomenon
In today's edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: India using global forum to tweak its diplomacy, differing visions of AI, a reprieve for China after Biden meet, India Inc's boardrooms need to look younger, and more
ODI World Cup Final: Indian cricket and the travesty of ‘home’ conditions
Australia steered clear off conventional wisdom as a dry and slow wicket in Ahmedabad backfired on Team India
Chart of the Day: Iron ore prices show surprising strength
The run-up to winter in Europe and China usually marks a dull period for the steelmaking input, but it’s recently hit an 8-month high
China’s rise is reversing
The past two years have seen the largest drop in the nation’s share of global GDP since the Mao era
RBI throws sand in the wheels of consumer credit
The RBI’s recent policies are targeted at controlling growth in specific categories of personal loans
Stockology: Reading the week ahead for markets
TimeMap can aid in decision-making, and utilising ETF as the platform allows for real-time execution, making it an optimal choice
Human brains aren't wired to fight climate change
Most of us don’t even save enough for retirement. If we have a choice between eating a donut right now and being marginally more healthy later, the donut almost always wins. Not just individuals, society as a whole is also prone to toxic short-termism, which among other things also hinders our climate change fight
South Korea's emergence as a major arms exporter
While South Korean companies are best-known for producing artillery, their reputation for more-sophisticated arms is growing. More importantly for Asia, it would rebalance weapons supply and demand. Six of the world’s top-10 recipients of major arms are Asian, yet only two of the leading nations that supply weapons are in the region. Seoul's rise reduces the need to rely on Western countries
A guide to the AI safety debate after Sam Altman’s ouster
AI is more likely to lower than to raise net existential risks. Humankind faces numerous existential risks already. We need better science to limit those risks, and strong AI capabilities are one way to improve science. Our default path, without AI, is hardly comforting
The fight for a 48-hour week shouldn’t be forgotten by those demanding unduly long work hours
It is perfectly acceptable for individuals who have significant financial rewards tied to long hours to voluntarily put in any number of hours they wish to. Individuals driven by a passion to make the world a better place are also known to work long hours. But to advocate such long hours for everyone is nothing short of an exhortation to return to the exploitative practices of the early days of the Industrial Revolution
Assembly Elections 2023: The BJP’s messages in the current state polls
Assembly Elections 2023: The messaging has been tailored to various constituencies--national rejuvenation for some, Hindutva for core supporters, pointers to economic achievements for the elites, freebies to those left behind and also the caste card. But the prime minister being the face of the BJP in the state elections is expected to pay dividends in next year’s general election
Subtle use of a global forum to tweak India’s diplomacy tack
PM’s remark at Global South summit more in sync with India’s long-standing Palestine diplomacy and in line with New Delhi’s global ambitions
Why India Inc's boardrooms need to look younger
Indian companies need younger board members who are more in tune with their markets, in line with demographic changes
The Eastern Window: A temporary reprieve for China after Biden-Xi meeting
There is no thaw in the cold relationship between the US and China after their respective presidents met recently. But business is pushing the two leaders to come to terms and get over the idea of decoupling. The leaders’ meeting also opened up channels of communication between the militaries of the two countries
L’Affaire OpenAI: A tale of differing visions of AI
What has become increasingly clear is that this fight was not about taking control of the highly valued OpenAI, as much as a clash of visions on the future of the organisation and the future of artificial intelligence itself
Miss Universe 2023 Highlights: Miss Universe 2023 is Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua
Miss Universe 2023 LIVE Updates: Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios has been announced as the winner of the Miss Universe 2023 title. The event was held at the Jose Adolfo Pineda Arena in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Sam Altman’s relevance to personal loan guarantees in India
The shock and sense of injustice that most Indians feel at the ouster of a founder from the company he or she founded also gives, in the same breath, legitimacy to founders being held responsible, without limit, for the failure of the company and for its resultant liabilities
Irrespective of where Sam Altman goes from here, he will be known as AI’s first champion
It is very unlikely that Sam Altman will vanish from the scene. The manner in which ChatGPT and generative AI stormed into our lives and Altman’s role in introducing the concept of “intelligence as a service” have been epoch-defining
Who is Shweta Sharda, the 23-year-old who will represent India at Miss Universe 2023?
Miss Universe 2023: Shweta Sharda became eligible to participate in the pageant after winning the Miss Diva Universe 2023 crown in August.
The Reading List: November 17, 2023
A selection of articles and social media gems from the world of economy, business and finance, curated by our research and opinion teams
Alibaba's Troubles: Who wants to catch Jack Ma’s falling knife?
While Ma is no longer actively involved in Alibaba’s operations, his decision to sell more of his stake is a chilling reminder that the firm doesn’t have a controlling shareholder at the top, just when billions of dollars need to be spent to move into new fields such as generative AI
Hezbollah, Houthis are only paying lip service to Palestine
In theory, Iran can rally Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria to launch a multi-front war on Israel. But Iran does not want such a war to happen because the consequences would be catastrophic for its regional assets and for the country itself
