India's leader promises trade and investment in a visit to Trinidad and Tobago
'It's time for us to work together to give the global south its rightful seat at the table,' Modi said. 'For us there are no limits to our cooperation with you.'
The two-day trip was Modi's first official visit to the diverse, twin-island Caribbean country that shares longstanding ties with India. The visit was expected to boost investment in energy, health, security and other sectors.
In his speech, Modi said that he saw 'great potential' in working with Trinidad and Tobago on everything from developing new digital artificial intelligence tools to agriculture. He said that trade between the two countries was only set to grow 'with human development at the center.'
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced a number of investments into medical, energy and technological infrastructure promised by Modi, and thanked the leader.
'This visit is more than just diplomacy. It marks a new dawn," she said. "India, and Trinidad and Tobago, will now work as strategic partners.'
She said that the two countries were also working on renewing bilateral trade and investment agreements, and that Trinidad and Tobago were slated to expand exports to India.
In his speech, Modi also highlighted the long-standing connections between the two nations, which he said acted as a 'powerful symbol' of fraternity and trust between the two nations.
More than 35% of the Caribbean country's 1.4 million inhabitants are East Indian, descendants of indentured workers brought from India during the colonial era.
Modi was greeted warmly by many of the country's Hindu population, but some in Trinidad and Tobago's Muslim community sharply criticized the leader. About 18% of Trinidad and Tobago's population is Hindu, while 5% is Muslim.
'Both our nations rose from the shadows of colonial rule to write our own story,' Modi said. 'The legacy of shared heritage and mutual respect continues to guide our partnership.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Leisure operator plan to invest £10m in several Surrey facilities
A leisure operator said it planned to invest nearly £10m in facilities in Surrey if it took over a council Borough Council said the existing leisure contract, which oversees the management at Guildford Spectrum, Guildford Lido and Ash Manor Sports Centre, is due to expire on 31 October. A spokesperson for the council said: "Following a thorough commercial and technical evaluation, Freedom Leisure scored the highest total score and has therefore emerged as the preferred bidder."According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Freedom Leisure plans to install a "state-of-the-art" soft play facility at Spectrum Gym and add all-year-round swimming in the Lido. It plans to operate the Lido pool from 07:00 BST to 21:00 BST during the winter months, subject to the installation of external also proposes adding a Pilates and yoga/hot yoga studio to replace the existing Catherine Houston said the popularity of the facilities had attracted "significant interest" from major leisure operators."I look forward to seeing more opportunities for people to take part in leisure and well-being activities over the coming years," she added. The council said the proposed new contract would run for 10 years, with the option to extend for a further five years, offering "long-term stability and continuity for the borough's leisure provision".Councillors will discuss the new contract agreement before a final decision is made at the end of July.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Reuters' X accounts blocked in India amid confusion over ‘legal demand'
The primary X handles of international news agency Reuters were blocked in India 'in response to a legal demand', according to a notice on the microblogging platform. A message displayed on Reuters ' X account (formerly Twitter) read: '@ Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.' However, the Indian ministry of electronics and information technology denied issuing any new legal demand to block Reuters' accounts on the Elon Musk -owned platform. 'There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle. We are continuously working with ' X ' to resolve the problem,' the spokesperson for the ministry said. The absence of clear reasons for the block has led to confusion and concern among Indian users and media watchers, once again raising questions over press freedom and digital censorship in India. The block gained attention on Saturday evening. The Reuters World account became inaccessible shortly afterward, by 11.40pm local time. An Indian government source told the Press Trust of India that a demand to block several hundred X accounts was made during India-Pakistan tensions in April, particularly when India launched a counter-terrorism operation inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The unnamed source said the government had issued the order on 7 May, but Reuters seems to have acted only now, calling it a 'mistake on their part'. India launched what it called Operation Sindoor, carrying out an attack inside Pakistani territory to target terrorist camps. Pakistan denied that terrorists were attacked, claiming all casualties were civilians. Around the same time, Indian news website The Wire said the Indian government blocked access to its news website and ordered the removal of Pakistan -linked content across digital platforms. The website of The Wire, a news organisation known for its investigative journalism and critical coverage of the government, became inaccessible across much of the country. In recent years, the Indian government has expanded its information technology laws to bring social media under its ambit and to allow the blocking of online content on the grounds of national security or public order. India ranked 151st in the World Press Freedom Index in 2025, a slight improvement from 159th last year.
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Trump's tariffs threat triggers surge in air freight costs
Air cargo rates have surged as companies scramble to beat Donald Trump's July 9 tariffs deadline. The cost of transporting goods by plane between south-east and the US has risen by 11pc to $5.17 (£3.79) per kg since early May as companies rush to get products to America before the looming tariffs deadline. A 90-day pause on Mr Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs is due to expire next week and the president has threatened to impose steep tariffs on countries that do not strike a trade deal before then. 'We're going to start sending letters out to various countries, starting tomorrow,' Mr Trump told reporters last week, adding that import taxes would 'range in value from maybe 60pc or 70pc tariffs to 10pc and 20pc tariffs'. Air freight is a faster way of transporting goods from Asia to the US. It typically takes just two or three days, compared to between 10 and 15 days when goods are moved by sea. Shipping is typically more popular because it is far cheaper. However, companies are paying a premium in an effort to move stock to the US before tariffs take effect. 'If the tariffs land tomorrow and say those apply to a huge volume of stock on water, then you're not protected from the increase in tariffs,' said one industry source. 'If you have sent those goods via air freight, you get them there quicker.' Eytan Buchman, from Freightos, a cargo platform, said there had been 'about a 10pc increase in air cargo imports to the United States last week compared to the prior week'. Companies were taking to the air to 'mitigate or minimise the risk of not being able to get products where they need it, when they need it,' he said. Most goods that are transported by air travel in the belly of passenger planes, rather than on dedicated cargo planes. The higher frequency of passenger planes during the summer months makes it easier for businesses to send more by air as Mr Trump's deadline looms. Some airlines that devote a portion of their business to air freight. It makes up a significant part of business for Cathay Pacific, the flag carrier of Hong Kong, given that it runs frequent flights between China and the US. Last year it made revenues of HK$27.42bn (£2.56bn) from its cargo business, contributing just over 25pc of the group's annual earnings. A spokesman said: 'The temporary pause in tariff situation has helped stabilise our commercial performance over the past few weeks.' As new tariffs come into effect 'these will hopefully set a new baseline for future demand and remove some of the uncertainty we experienced at the start of the year,' they added.
