'I think an understanding has been reached on tariffs' Former Diplomat on Trump's tariff remark
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Mint
9 minutes ago
- Mint
Airbus A320 family to surpass Boeing 737s worldwide. What about India?
In February 1987, the A320 made its first flight at Toulouse in France, the home of Airbus. The aircraft was designed to take on rival Boeing's 737 series, which first flew in 1967, a good two decades earlier. When the A320 first took to the air, the 737 had already seen sales of over 1,300 planes which includes the -100 and -200, while transitioning to the -300/-400/-500 series. The A320, on the other hand, was a fly-by-wire design positioned to change aviation in more ways than one. After the initial struggles, Airbus started making a mark, expanding the A320 to have a full-fledged family comprising A319, A321 and A318, with which it did see only a handful of sales. Boeing, on the other hand, went on to expand its series to include the -700/-800/-900 and its Extended Range version. Also Read: How Indian airlines are benefiting from Look East Policy Cirium, an aviation analytics company, now predicts that the Airbus A320 family will overtake the B737 series this month, and this number includes military jets, which in effect means that the A320 family has overtaken the B737 in passenger planes a while ago. The 737 has a military version, P-8, which is in use with the Indian armed forces, among many others. Both Airbus and Boeing transitioned to the NEO and MAX, respectively, offering the same platform with improved engines and avionics which entered services in the later part of 2010s. Boeing has delivered 12,175 B737 series since inception while Airbus has delivered 12,155 A320 family jets as of early August, as per Cirium. The situation could have been slightly different had it not been for the two crashes of the MAX 8 for Boeing and subsequent global grounding, leading to Boeing ceding ground to Airbus and not being able to raise the production limit, while Airbus delivered 602 A320 family aircraft last year, at an average of just above 50 planes a month. India was an early adopter of the fly-by-wire A320, with Indian Airlines inducting the aircraft in 1989. However, when the government allowed privatisation of airlines starting with the Air Taxi concept in 1993, the early airlines moved towards the 737 — Modiluft, Damania, NEPC, Jet Airways, Air Sahara, everyone moved to the 737. A part of this was because of the grounding of A320 in India in 1990 for a few months after the Indian Airlines crash in Bangalore. The next order for A320 from India came in 2004 when India's first low-cost carrier Air Deccan decided to induct two A320s. In 2005, the government cleared a deal for 43 Airbus narrowbody aircraft. The next major breakthrough came with the second lot of privatisation; Kingfisher Airlines, Go Air, and IndiGo, all boarding the Airbus A320. India has close to 800 aircraft registered with scheduled airlines, and a heavy majority or 92% of these are narrowbody aircraft, which are either the Airbus or Boeing. However, Airbus has an unassailable lead in the market with a ratio of 4:1, i.e. one 737 aircraft for every four A320 family aircraft in Indian skies. This has only gotten better thanks to Akasa Air and Air India Express, which inducted aircraft in quick succession over the last three years as the 737 lost out after the demise of Jet Airways in 2019, which was a major operator of the 737 series in India and the region. Also Read: data-vars-page-type="story" data-vars-link-type="Manual" data-vars-anchor-text=" Analysis: How IndiGo reported a healthy profit in a challenging quarter"> Analysis: How IndiGo reported a healthy profit in a challenging quarter What started as a surprise 100 aircraft order at Paris in 2005 has only increased from there on with 900 aircraft yet to be delivered for IndiGo. As of today, IndiGo and Air India operate the Airbus narrowbody while Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa Air operate the 737 series. However, IndiGo's fleet of over 350 A320 family aircraft outweighs all the other Boeings in the country. There are 133 B737 and MAX 8 in the country, split between SpiceJet, Air India Express and Akasa Air. Airbus aims to increase the production limit of its A320 family aircraft to 75 per month across its multiple production sites by 2027. The target is steep to achieve amidst the current supply chain constraints. Boeing, on the other hand, is achieving around 38 B737s per month, with a target of 42 before increasing it further, making it very clear that once Airbus surpasses the 737 numbers, Boeing will find it very difficult to catch up. When it comes to India, the Airbus lead will hold on as IndiGo has a huge order book which takes its deliveries well into the 2030s and eclipses the order books of both Air India Express as well as Akasa Air.
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First Post
12 minutes ago
- First Post
Alaska summit: Putin wins hands down as Trump gifts him time
The Alaska summit proved that neither Trump knows Putin nor can guarantee a ceasefire or peace It was the typical high-voltage Donald Trump pomp and power show at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. A B-2 Spirit Bomber escorted by four F-35 Lightnings conducted a flyover as a desperate Trump tried to persuade Vladimir Putin to reciprocate his unrequited love. They shook hands on the red carpet and later posed on a blue stage emblazoned with 'ALASKA 2025' amid parked F-22 Raptors. However, hours before, Putin, in his subtle yet powerful style, had already delivered his message loud and clear: Make USSR Great Again (MUGA). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Harking back to the Soviet Union's superpower days of global dominance during the Cold War, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arrived at a hotel where Trump and Putin later met sporting an unusual dress breaking the diplomatic protocol. A black jacket over a white sweatshirt emblazoned with 'CCCP'—Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—and light blue denims. Lavrov's dress wasn't merely symbolic; it conveyed two messages. First, Putin's longing for the USSR's lost greatness and anger at its disintegration, which the Russian president had termed 'the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century'. Second, Russia's immense confidence in being back in the diplomatic fold after being declared a pariah by the West since Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The stage was set. The performers were ready. Trump was accompanied by Marco Rubio (secretary of state), John Ratcliffe (CIA director), Steve Witkoff (special envoy to Ukraine and the Middle East). Scott Bessent (treasury secretary) and Howard Lutnick (commerce secretary). Putin's entourage comprised Lavrov, Yuri Ushakov (foreign policy adviser), Andrei Belousov (defence minister), Kirill Dmitriev (Russian Direct Investment Fund chief) and Anton Siluanov (finance minister). The audience expected to be spellbound by a scintillating performance by the brilliant cast. However, the most-anticipated drama was a big flop for the American audience and international media. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Neither Trump nor Putin took questions from a quote-famished media as reporters jostled to get even one comment. Both made their statements and left the media disappointed. Antagonist Putin turns protagonist The Russian president came, he saw and he conquered. Putin was brimming with confidence from the moment he agreed to take a ride on The Beast, Trump's armoured limousine, at the latter's request. He was a virtuoso, an artiste who had crafted and polished his skills in dealing with five American presidents—Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Trump (six times in his first term).After the summit ended, Putin was the first to address the media as Trump stood silent by his side. Putin got what he eagerly sought—that too on American soil. Despite being shunned by the West, especially the Joe Biden administration, and having an ICC arrest warrant for committing war crimes in Ukraine, his performance was excellent. First, Putin, whose troops occupy around 18 per cent of Ukraine, including Crimea, 70 per cent of Donetsk and almost all of Luhansk (Donbas) and two-thirds of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, came out with the biggest gain. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Putin has time till November-end to capture more Ukrainian territory and to negotiate with both Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from a more powerful position. By December, Ukraine's harsh winter would set in, making fighting extremely difficult. The Russian advance in eastern Ukraine has been incremental but continues. Putin has around three months to turn these slow gains into strategic wins. Moreover, neither Trump nor Putin announced the venue and date of another meeting. Putin wants to freeze the gains and the conquered areas in Russia's fold and Zelensky to drop his goal of joining NATO. The Ukrainian president rejects both demands. Before and after the summit, Trump said that a tri-lateral meeting between Putin, Zelensky and him would be the best option to reach peace. The Alaska summit was held months after Trump showed a willingness to meet Putin. Convincing Putin and Zelensky to meet face-to-face will require intensive diplomatic efforts and hectic parleys between the three countries. That will allow Putin to buy more time to advance further inside Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Zelensky was quick to highlight how Putin will use the opportunity. '… we anticipate that in the coming days the Russian Army may try to increase pressure and strikes against Ukrainian positions in order to create more favourable political circumstances for talks with global actors', he wrote on Telegram. Second, Putin re-established diplomatic ties with the US amid a grand welcome in a country that led Nato against him without the Russian leader taking one step back. 'The past period was very difficult for bilateral relations. And, let's be honest. They have slid to the lowest point since the Cold War. … Obviously, sooner or later, it was necessary to correct the situation—to move from confrontation to dialogue. And in this regard, a personal meeting of the heads of the two states was really overdue,' he said with Trump by his side. Third, the much-touted summit hinged on a territorial swap between Russia and Ukraine—rejected by Zelensky—to reach a peace deal and end Europe's bloodiest war since WWII. That's what Trump had been chiming before the summit to the shock of European allies. However, during a virtual call with European leaders later, he said that any territorial concession should be decided by Ukraine. There was no discussion about a territorial swap at the meeting. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Fourth, Putin didn't even agree to a ceasefire—forget a peace deal. Earlier too, he never agreed to a ceasefire and continued with the onslaught despite several attempts by Trump and Witkoff, who had met Putin four times in over two months. Despite praising Trump and his administration for facilitating 'the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict', Putin didn't indicate ending the conflict. Fifth, he again blamed Ukraine, as did Trump during Zelensky's White House visit in February, for starting the war and repeated how Russia's security is under threat. 'I have said more than once that for Russia, the events in Ukraine are associated with fundamental threats to our national security.' On the other hand, Putin, using his trademark tactics, terming Ukrainians 'brotherly no matter how strange that may sound in today's conditions'. 'We have the same roots and everything that is happening for us is a tragedy and a great pain.' Putin put the ball in Trump's court while conflating Russia's 'legitimate concerns' and the 'root causes of the crisis' with a ceasefire and Ukraine's security. 'Therefore, our country is sincerely interested in putting an end to this. But at the same time, we are convinced that for the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Putin was referring to Nato's eastward expansion and Ukraine's ambition to be part of the military bloc. Though Ukraine's security 'must, without a doubt, be ensured' and 'I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine', Russia's 'legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored'. Putin said. Sixth, he massaged Trump's ego without conceding anything. 'Overall, we have established a very good business-like and trusting contact with President Trump,' he said knowing well how Trump gloats in self-praise and all the more when patted on the back by an adversary like him. 'And I have every reason to believe that by moving along this path, we can—the quicker the better—reach an end to the conflict in Ukraine,' Putin said without mentioning a timeline to end the war or even a ceasefire. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Putin's best shot was slamming Joe Biden and praising Trump for saying that the war would have never happened if he were the US president. 'And in the end, I would like to add one more thing. I'd like to remind you that in 2022, during the last contact with the previous administration, I tried to convince my previous American colleague that the situation should not be brought to the point of no return when it would come to hostilities and accept it quite directly back then—that is a big mistake,' he said of Biden without naming him. In the biggest boost to the US president's ego, he said that if Trump were the president in 2022, the war wouldn't have started, as claimed by him during the 2024 US election campaign. 'Today, when President Trump is saying that if he were the president back then, there would be no war, and I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so. I can confirm that,' Putin said. He even invited Trump to Moscow for another meeting—if it is held at all—in a rare public use of English. 'Next time in Moscow?' he said as the joint presser ended triggering an expected reaction from Trump, who said, 'Ooh! That's an interesting one. I don't know. I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening. Thank you very much, Vladimir.' Trump was never in control of the plot Trump looked visibly exhausted. The American president expected to mesmerise the audience—but his performance was below average. There was no ceasefire or peace deal, contrary to his boastful claims of one in the offing, as Russia continued to attack Ukraine during the around-three-hour meeting. Inviting Putin to the US was Trump's first mistake. The cringeworthy display of military power play and posing with Putin, flanked by Raptors, was the second mistake. The big, hollow claims and threats made by Trump in the months and days leading up to the summit were his third and biggest blundTrump is all bluster and no bite whenever he confronts an equally dominating and powerful adversary like Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump wrote the Alaska summit script, but Putin controlled the plot. The Russian leader pulled the strings and his American counterpart danced all along—even in the months before the summit. Trump, like his predecessors, has failed miserably to read the former KGB agent, despite meeting him five times and talking to him over the phone nine times in his first presidency, seven calls after office and another six calls in his second term. Russian leaders have always outsmarted their American counterparts. Two months after America's failed Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba, John F Kennedy met Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at a summit in Vienna in 1961. In 1962, Khrushchev deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba, jolting Kennedy and bringing the world to the precipice of Armageddon. 'Kennedy allowed himself to be bullied by Khrushchev [in Vienna] and he regretted it,' according to award-winning journalist Evan Thomas, who authored the book Being Nixon: A Man Divided. 'Some scholars think that Khrushchev felt like he could push Kennedy around. And that made him, perhaps, more likely to put the missiles into Cuba.' Trump failed like Kennedy. From his campaign trail's hollow claim to end the war in 24 hours if he returned to power to cajoling and coercing Putin, Trump's blustering narrative of how he could influence the Russian leader to sign a peace deal fell flat and exposed his flaws. When Putin rejected his ceasefire offers, Trump threatened sanctions. The Russian president was unrelenting. Soon, Trump's frustration with him was public. He was visibly 'very angry' and 'pissed off' at the 'bullshit' thrown by 'crazy' Putin. Finally, he gave Putin a 50-day deadline to end the war or face more sanctions and secondary sanctions on top buyers of Russian crude oil (China and India). He failed. Then Trump reduced the deadline to 10-12 days. He failed again. Trump had also boasted that he would know exactly in 'the first two minutes' of the meeting whether a deal could be made', and also vowed to 'walk' away from the table if the talks remained inconclusive. In the end, it boiled down to a no-show with Trump's blow-hot-and-cold attitude resulting in a mockery. Trump's 'two-minute' boast fizzled out as the meeting lasted for more than two-and-a-half hours—neither did he walk away from the unproductive talks as pledged earlier. In his statement, shorter than that of Putin's, Trump's usual strategy of fake claims regarding the war and his one-sided bromance with Putin were on display. '…I believe we had a very productive meeting. There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say,' he said despite Putin not agreeing to even a ceasefire. 'There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there,' he added. Aware that he had achieved nothing but zilch, Trump admitted that there were 'a couple of big ones [points] that we haven't quite gotten there, but we've made some headway. So, there's no deal until there's a deal'. Sensing that he would be pilloried by the media for failing to squeeze even one ounce of concession from Putin, Trump conveniently put the onus on NATO and Zelensky. 'It's ultimately up to them. They're going to have to agree with what Marco and Steve.' Finally, he was back to his admiration for Putin, who has always manipulated him. Claiming that Putin and he 'really made some great progress today', Trump said, 'I've always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin—with Vladimir. We had many, many tough meetings, good meetings.'To please Putin further, Trump reiterated that the Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election was a 'hoax'. 'We were interfered with by the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. It made it a little bit tougher to deal with, but he [Putin] understood it. I think he's probably seen things like that during the course of his career. He's seen—he's seen it all. But we had to put up with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. He knew it was a hoax, and I knew it was a hoax.' Trump's statement was a redux of his meeting with Putin in Helsinki in July 2108 when he sided with Russia against US intelligence agencies and denied any election interference. In another feat of imagination, Trump concluded by saying that both were on the same page about stopping the killing of Ukrainians. 'We had some good meetings over the years, right? … Let's do the most productive one right now. We're going to stop, really, 5, 6, 7 thousand, 1000s of people a week from being killed, and President Putin wants to see that as much as I do.' Post-summit comments show who's winner A few days before the summit, the White House was careful not to portray it as a Trump show that could guarantee a ceasefire or a peace deal. However, Trump was back to his boisterous ways claiming that Putin wants a peace deal, not to occupy the whole of Ukraine, because of their rapport. 'I think he [Putin] has wanted the whole thing,' he told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade's radio show. 'But because of a certain relationship that he has with me running this country, I believe now he's convinced that he's going to make a deal. He's going to make a deal. I think he's going to.' Later, he doubled down on his claim at the White House. 'I think President Putin will make peace.' Trump's claim sounded very stale. In February, he made the same claim. 'I mean, I know him very well. Yeah, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn't.' The Alaska summit proved that neither Trump knows Putin nor can guarantee a ceasefire or peace. Putin didn't concede anything while Trump gave away everything. The post-summit comments proved how Putin had outmanoeuvred Trump. In his first comments after the summit, all Putin had to say was a few words of praise for Trump and how they 'talked about a possible resolution of the Ukrainian crisis on a fair basis'. 'The visit was timely and very useful. We discussed practically all areas of our cooperation,' he said without providing any details about the points of cooperation, a ceasefire or peace. 'We naturally respect the position of the US administration, which sees the need for an immediate end to hostilities, and we would also like to see this happen. We would like to move towards resolving all issues by peaceful means. No indication of a ceasefire, an end to the conflict or even a trilateral meeting with Trump and Zelensky. On the other hand, Trump granted Putin's wish. 'I wouldn't be thrilled if I didn't get it [a deal],' he told Fox News on the way to Alaska. 'Everyone says, 'You're not going to get a ceasefire. It'll take place in the second meeting.' But I'm not going to be happy with that.' Several hours later, Trump made a predictable U-turn realising that he had returned empty-handed—no ceasefire but only a peace deal. In the event, there was no agreement on a ceasefire, and Trump downplayed its importance in a post on Truth Social as he returned to Washington. 'It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often do not hold up,' he posted on Truth Social after returning to Washington. It's obvious that Putin didn't agree to a ceasefire and called for a peace deal so that he could buy more time to continue his assault and seize more Ukrainian territory. That's the reason both presidents refused to interact with the media at Anchorage. If Trump had revealed what transpired at the meeting and how he agreed to Putin's insistence on a peace deal, not a ceasefire, he would have faced a barrage of questions. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and a former president, summed it up precisely how Putin got what he wished for without preconditions. 'Important fact. The meeting has demonstrated that negotiations are possible without preconditions while the Special Military Operation continues,' he wrote. The writer is a freelance journalist with more than two decades of experience and comments primarily on foreign affairs. He tweets as @FightTheBigots. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
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First Post
12 minutes ago
- First Post
Indian-origin Krishangi Meshram becomes youngest solicitor in UK. Who is she?
Indian-origin law graduate Krishangi Meshram has become the youngest solicitor in England and Wales at the age of 21. She was raised in the Iskcon Mayapur community of West Bengal. She cleared the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) recently, officially starting her career in law She has become one of the youngest solicitors in England and Wales. Image: The Open University Indian-origin law graduate Krishangi Meshram has scripted history by becoming one of the youngest solicitors in England. At 21, she now holds the title of the youngest solicitor in England and Wales. Her achievement was followed by another accomplishment when she was featured in the Law Society Gazette's August 1 edition. But who is she, and where do her roots lie? Here's a look: Who is Krishangi Meshram? The 21-year-old Indian-origin law graduate has become one of the youngest solicitors in England and Wales. She grew up in the Iskcon Mayapur community in West Bengal and is now based in the UAE. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meshram's legal journey began when she was just 15, after enrolling for a law degree with The Open University (OU) in the UK. Three years later, she graduated with a First-Class Honours LLB, becoming the youngest OU student to achieve this, before moving on to complete a Master's degree. She recently passed the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), officially beginning her career as a solicitor. 'Studying with flexibility not only gave me academic freedom but also taught me discipline, focus, and organisation. These skills helped me secure a role at an international law firm, where I am now gaining practical experience," Meshram was quoted as saying by The Times of India. She grew up in the Iskcon Mayapur community in West Bengal. Image: News18 She also said that distance learning helped her balance her studies, travel, and family life. Her parents, Tapan and Indira Meshram, said they were proud but also taken by surprise. 'We encouraged her to give it her best shot, but we couldn't have anticipated such a remarkable outcome," they said. Her interest in the subject began after a short programme at Harvard University, which her father recalled as having 'resonated deeply with her core values of justice and fairness.' He credited her upbringing in Mayapur, 'away from toxic academic competition,' for shaping her discipline and focus from a young age. Explaining her choice of career, Meshram said she wanted 'a degree that would provide a breadth of transferable knowledge.' She added that the OU also gave her 'valuable skills, from self-discipline to organisation,' according to OU News. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD By the time she was 18, she had already taken up a remote role at a Singapore-based law firm, an opportunity that helped her qualify as a solicitor within three years. 'I've been working full-time since I graduated and am now finishing the qualifications needed to become a qualified lawyer,' she said. Now the youngest solicitor in England, she is looking to the future and exploring roles in both the UK and the UAE, according to her LinkedIn profile. Her areas of interest include fintech, blockchain, and AI law. She has also spoken about her aim to focus on legal services for businesses and private clients. Sharing her plans with OU News, she said, 'My next step will be to finalise my specialism. I'm hoping to help businesses and private clients with vital legal matters such as wills and probate, while also keeping an eye on emerging digital technologies.'
