Common goals: On India and a five-nation tour
It is also impossible to escape the deep connections between India and the five nations in terms of political history. Each country shares a bond — colonies that suffered under British, Spanish, Portuguese and German forces — and why some of them joined the Non-Aligned Movement. They have all, at various points, committed to building South-South cooperation, and India and Brazil's role in founding the BRIC mechanism, along with Russia and China, and IBSA with South Africa, was an outcome, strongly pitching the interests of the Global South. None of the countries on the tour can be called 'anti-West', and New Delhi has had some differences with them over specific conflicts (Ukraine and Gaza). The motivating force behind the ties, however, and consequently Mr. Modi's nine-day itinerary, is more about a common desire to look beyond the present global order to one that is more equal, representative, and sensitive to the needs of developing and under-developed nations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- Indian Express
US reciprocal tariffs: India, others, eye an extended Aug 1 deadline for wrapping up trade deal
As the conclusion of the interim trade deal with India before July 9 remains uncertain, the United States has indicated that it may allow negotiations to continue until an extended deadline of August 1. Indian officials have indicated that while efforts are still underway to wrap up the trade negotiations, which had reached the last leg till the challenges thrown up in the final lap delayed the announcement of a pact, there could now be some more elbow room with respect to the fresh timelines. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with CNN, said: 'We're going to be very busy over the next 72 hours. President Trump is going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don't move things along, then on August 1, you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level.' 'So I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly. And we're going to send out probably 100 letters to small countries where we don't have very much trade, and most of those are already at the baseline, 10 per cent,' Bessent said. This is significant for India, as it is unlikely to sign on the dotted line by then, even though desperate efforts are under way to ink a mini trade deal covering goods, excluding contentious items. This comes as Indian negotiators, led by Chief Negotiator and Special Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal, returned on Friday after nearly a week of talks with the US. A government official indicated that the likely interim deal will involve only goods, as services and labour issues are not currently part of the negotiations. The US maintains that the August 1 cut-off date is not a new deadline but an outer limit for countries to 'speed things up', and that this strategy has helped bring trading partners such as the European Union on board. When Bessent was asked if there is a playbook for these actions, he said: 'The playbook is to apply maximum pressure. You know, we saw that the EU was very slow in coming to the table. Three weeks ago, on a Friday morning, President Trump threatened 50 per cent tariffs. And within a few hours, five of the European national leaders had called him. Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the EU, was on the phone and the EU is making very good progress. They were off to a slow start.' The threat from the Trump administration is that if the August 1 deadline is not adhered to, those countries go back to the April 2 tariff levels. Most of those are minor trading partners of the US and are likely outside America's 18 important trading relationships that account for 95 per cent of the country's trade deficit. India deal may be soon However, Bessent has indicated that no major trading partner will be slapped with tariffs as high as 70 per cent and that several deals are close. Bessent said: 'We are close to several deals as always. There's a lot of foot-dragging on the other side and, you know, so I would expect to see several big announcements over the next couple of days.' He declined to name specific countries, saying: 'I'm not going to name names because I don't want to let them off the hook.' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt last week had said that India remains a very strategic ally in the Asia-Pacific, and the President has a very good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi — and he will continue to have that. 'The President said last week [that the US and India are very close to a trade deal], and it remains true. I just spoke to our Secretary of Commerce about it. He was in the Oval Office with the President. They are finalising these agreements, and you'll hear from the President and his trade team very soon when it comes to India,' Leavitt said.
Fashion Value Chain
32 minutes ago
- Fashion Value Chain
VIBE 2025 Set to Transform Industry-Specific AI Adoption in 48 Hours
Upekkha, the India-US accelerator that has backed over 100 SaaS and AI startups, has announced VIBE 2025 (Vertical Intelligence & BEyond), the world's first summit dedicated exclusively to vertical AI. Scheduled for 10-11 July 2025 at The Leela Palace, Bengaluru, and co-hosted with SaaSBoomi, this two-day flagship event will showcase how AI can move from concept to real-world deployment within just 48 hours. VIBE 2025 in Bengaluru will unite 200+ AI startups and 100+ CXOs to deliver live 48-hour AI pilots, driving real-world impact across manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and more 'Walk in with a problem statement, walk out with a working AI pilot in 48 hours.' This bold promise underpins VIBE 2025's mission – to convert AI ambition into actionable outcomes. 'AI hype is cheap. Outcomes are priceless. At VIBE, a banker, a healthcare firm, or a manufacturer can frame a real problem on Day 1 and see a functional AI first pilot in forty eight hours,' said Prasanna Krishnamoorthy, Convener, VIBE & Partner, Upekkha. VIBE 2025 features VIBE Pilots, the worlds first AI pilot festival. This 24-hour innovation sprint invites enterprise leaders to present live challenges from their strategic priorities. Pre-selected AI startups will build working prototypes to solve these challenges, with CXOs providing immediate feedback. From fraud detection in finance to inventory management in retail, these pilots are designed to lead directly to partnerships and deployments. 'AI destroyed the junior developer market and built one of the fastest categories in history, from nothing to $1.6B in ARR in AI coding in under a year. It is coming for verticals next. We are bringing 200 startups and 100 CxOs to VIBE Summit to shape how to navigate this,' said Thiyagarajan Maruthavanan, Convener, VIBE & Partner, Upekkha. VIBE 2025 will feature headline voices such as Shekhar Kirani (Accel) and Pratik Pal (Tata Group) on India's $50 billion AI opportunity, and Shankar Maruwada (EkStep, Aadhaar) on the country as the AI use-case capital. Leaders from Renault Nissan, ABB, Airbus, and Accenture will cover AI in manufacturing. Banking, consumer-tech, healthcare, and insurance insights will come from Muthoot, Ujjivan Bank, Citi, Tata Digital, Narayana Health, Dozee, HDFC Securities, HDFC Life, and MediAssist. The summit opens with a keynote and masterclass by Simon Wardley on navigating AI's platform shift, and closes Day 1 with Prof. Saras Sarasvathy urging enterprises and entrepreneurs to co-create in uncertainty. VIBE 2025 promises over 20 sessions featuring 50 speakers, with participation from 200 AI-native startups and more than 100 CXOs and investors. The event will include VIBE Pilots, sector-specific sessions across banking, insurance, manufacturing, health, energy, space, and consumer-tech, as well as the VIBE Awards, which will spotlight AI deployments already generating real revenue and impact. Closed-door CXO dinners and boardroom workshops will enable deep dives into data governance, regulation, and AI strategy. 'Satya Nadella recently called India 'the AI use-case capital of the world.' VIBE 2025 turns that headline into a market by matching domain pain-points with AI talent and capital in real time. We don't need another 10-year transformation roadmap. We need an AI pilot that proves itself in 10 hours. VIBE is where we're making it happen,' said Avinash Raghava, CEO, SaaSBoomi. Unlike traditional AI conferences that focus on horizontal Gen-AI trends with slide decks and vendor booths, VIBE 2025 will deliver live 24-hour build sprints with pre-matched startups and CXOs, producing ready-to-deploy pilots and curated enterprise-startup partnerships. The summit focuses on delivering vertical AI solutions tailored for specific industries. For agenda, tickets, and further information, visit The detailed schedule is available at About Upekkha Upekkha is an AI Accelerator for global Indian founders. The company partners with founders building next-generation AI software companies. Established in 2017, Upekkha has become a powerful force in reshaping the Indian startup ecosystem. About SaaSBoomi SaaSBoomi is a community-led platform that brings together SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) founders, builders, and enthusiasts to share knowledge, collaborate, and accelerate the growth of SaaS businesses, primarily in India. Founded in 2015 as an informal network of SaaS founders eager to learn from one another, SaaSBoomi has grown into a vibrant community representing over 1,500 companies.
Hans India
33 minutes ago
- Hans India
Dr Jitendra Singh calls for paradigm shift in agriculture sector
Technology in agriculture has progressed rapidly under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership over the past 11 years, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said on Monday, calling for a paradigm shift in the agriculture sector by embracing cutting-edge technology and fostering greater synergy among stakeholders. Addressing the 96th annual general meeting of the ICAR Society at the NASC Complex in the capital, the minister said its full potential still remains untapped at the ground level. Speaking at the event, chaired by Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Dr Singh underscored that every technology available globally is now accessible within India. 'It is no longer about whether technology is available—it is about how fast we adopt it and integrate it into our agricultural ecosystem to add value to our economy,' he told the gathering. The minister stressed the importance of breaking mental and institutional silos, noting that many in the agriculture value chain are not just unaware of new technologies, but also unaware that they are unaware. Pointing to success stories like the Lavender Revolution in Jammu and Kashmir, where over 3,500 startups have emerged around lavender cultivation, Dr Singh emphasised how new-age farming — using satellite imaging, remote-controlled tractors, and order-based crop production — is reshaping the agricultural narrative. 'From lavender in Bhaderwah to off-season tulips grown for temple offerings, we have examples where science and strategy have combined to generate both income and innovation,' he noted. He also highlighted that biotech-driven advances, such as pest-resistant cotton developed through Department of Biotechnology initiatives and radiation-based food preservation techniques by the Department of Atomic Energy, are redefining how produce is grown, stored, and exported. 'Our mangoes now fly to the U.S. thanks to these technologies. And yet, many states have not come forward to fully exploit these tools,' he observed. Dr Singh proposed more frequent and informal cross-ministerial interactions to ensure real-time exchange of innovations. 'We should not wait for annual meetings alone. Let's create working groups and reach out when solutions can be shared, spontaneously and practically,' he urged.
