Dear Express Explained Reader, It was typical perhaps of Pakistan, hostage to innumerable pulls and pressures from actors and factors within, and lugging heavy baggage of history and insecurities, to make a U-turn in less than 24 hours and decide not to import cotton and sugar from India after all. The biggest beneficiary of the resumption of this trade, stopped by Pakistan in anger after the constitutional changes of August 5, 2019 in Jammu & Kashmir, would have been Pakistan itself. Prabha Raghavan wrote about the components and nature of the hesitant trading between the subcontinental neighbours, and Nirupama Subramanian explained the big picture context of politics and diplomacy within which to place it. Both of these pieces were written before the Imran Khan cabinet changed its mind — but do read; they explain a lot, including Islamabad’s walkback. Pranav Mukul and Anil Sasi wrote a fascinating piece this week on how the pandemic had disrupted global supply chains of semiconductor chips, leading to a shortage in the automobile industry and forcing carmakers to slow down production lines. Pranav and Anil also wrote about an exciting new artificial intelligence-based innovation that Google has announced, as a result of which Google Maps will by default nudge you on to the most eco-friendly route to your destination, one that will give you the smallest possible carbon footprint. Prof Faizan Mustafa, one of India’s most respected experts of constitutional law and a regular contributor to Explained, wrote on the legal issues in an extraordinary public interest petition filed in the Supreme Court, which seeks to have 26 verses of the Holy Quran declared unconstitutional and non-functional. Stay safe. If you are above the age of 45 and have not yet taken or scheduled your first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, please do so at the earliest. 2020 was a catastrophic year, and it needs all of us to roll up our sleeves in the effort to bury it as quickly and as deep as possible. Do keep reading The Indian Express Explained Sincerely, Monojit (monojit.majumdar@expressindia.com) If you received this newsletter as a forward, you can subscribe to it here | Do read our Explained articles here Quixplained: What is vaccine wastage, and how can it be prevented? | .png)
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