Geopolitics continues to drive closer India-Europe engagement, but strategic intent alone will not deliver meaningful economic integration, argues Shyam Saran. Europe faces internal divisions over Russia, China, defence and competitiveness, limiting its ability to act cohesively despite concerns over a US-China duopoly. For India, concluding and ratifying the India-EU FTA quickly is only the first step. The article argues that parallel agreements on investment protection and geographical indicators, alongside a stronger Trade and Technology Council, are essential. It also warns that unresolved issues around carbon border rules, compliance costs and limited European understanding of India could constrain the partnership’s potential.

A little-known feature of luxury watchmaker Rolex is that it is wholly owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a charitable trust created by founder Hans Wilsdorf in 1945. In his column, R Gopalakrishnan uses Rolex to explore the idea of a “spiritual holding company”, a concept popularised by Eric Ries, where ownership is designed to preserve purpose rather than maximise shareholder returns. Rolex reinvests part of its profits and channels the rest into philanthropy. The piece also cites Robert Bosch GmbH and Anthropic as examples of governance models intended to align commercial success with long-term social objectives.

The controversy around Joe Sacco’s The Once and Future Riot reflects less a case of state censorship than publisher caution, writes Shekhar Gupta. Penguin Random House India withdrew publication and proposed amendments, despite the book not being banned and remaining open to publication elsewhere. While the book is visually rich in the style of “comics journalism”, with a granular reconstruction of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, some historical assumptions, including his treatment of communal violence as largely post-1992, are open to question. Ultimately, Gupta says, Sacco’s conclusions are well within India’s public discourse and publication norms.

Pseudoscience becomes destructive not because it advances unusual ideas but because it elevates ideology above evidence, says Devangshu Datta. Using the cases of Trofim Lysenko in the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany’s rejection of established science, and Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, the article shows how politically enforced falsehoods can trigger economic damage, institutional decay and mass suffering. Suppressing dissent, manipulating data and persecuting researchers undermine scientific progress and drive talent away. The piece warns that when governments subordinate research to ideology, the costs extend far beyond academia and weaken entire societies.