
PM Modi thanks Malaysia, Cuba for for condeming Pahalgam terror attack: MEA
'Honourable Prime Minister also had bilateral meetings. One he had with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, wherein the Prime Minister thanked. Prime Minister Ibrahim for his strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack,' the MEA official said.
Ravi added that the two leaders also discussed the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement.
'The two leaders also discussed cooperation in the multilateral arena and regional security. Prime Minister congratulated Malaysia for its successful stewardship of ASEAN and welcomed its continued support for a strengthened ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. And the successful completion of the review of the ASEAN India FTA,' he said.
PM Modi also met President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, discussed bilateral issues and talked about the adoption of UPI in Cuba.
'The 2nd meeting that he had was with the President of Cuba, His Excellency Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, and both leaders talked about bilateral issues and exchanged ideas on further economic cooperation between the two countries. Very clearly in this meeting, India's digital public infrastructure and UPI- unified payment interoperability, these proposals, initiatives of India, which are low-cost cost came up. Cuba showed a lot of interest in looking into it and seeing how much it can benefit from those,' he said.
Ravi added that PM Modi also discussed the integration of traditional Indian Ayurveda in Cuba.
'Another item that came in in the discussion was Cuba's possible recognition of Ayurveda and extended support for integrating it into Cuba's public health system. There was also a suggestion for Cuba to recognise the Indian pharmacopoeia, which will benefit in terms of giving access to India's generic medicines to the Cuban national healthcare system. So these are broadly the discussions that happened in the bilaterals,' he said.
He added that Prime Minister Modi also had pull-asides with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh.
'In addition, the Prime Minister also had pull-asides with President Ramaphosa of South Africa and the Prime Minister of Vietnam. So broadly, these are today's highlights,' he said. (ANI)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: Shubhanshu Shukla, crew's return journey to Earth; Jannik Sinner wins Wimbledon 2025; and more
Good morning! After over two weeks at the International Space Station (ISS), NASA's Axiom-4 mission crew with Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and 3 others are set to begin their journey back to Earth today. In his farewell address on the eve of day of return, Group Captain Shukla, the first Indian on board the ISS,said: 'Today's India looks ambitious from space… today's India still looks 'saare jahan se acha.' The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which has been an equal partner in the entire exercise, said the microgravity experiments conducted by Shukla during the mission represent a significant leap in space technology. From the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocking to the splashdown off California coast on Tuesday – catch all the real-time action via our live blog! Follow suit: The Election Commission's move to carry out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls stirred up confusion and quite a controversy. But, there's more to follow. A day after a petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the decision, the poll panel wrote to Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all other states on July 5, directing them to begin preparations for a similar exercise, The Indian Express has learnt. Qualifying date: The official letters sent out indicate that while the nationwide exercise may start soon, a final timeline for the rest of the country is yet to be decided — though the aim is to include everyone who turns 18 years of age by January 1, 2026. Likely impact: This move gains significance against the backdrop of the upcoming Assembly elections in 2025 in BJP-ruled Assam; TMC-ruled West Bengal; DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu; and Left-ruled Kerala. The Union Territory of Puducherry will also elect a new Assembly next year. Whether the SIR in these four states — three of which are ruled by Opposition parties — will be linked to the Assembly elections next year may depend on how the top court hearing on the Bihar exercise unfolds. 🎧For a detailed recap of the Bihar case in court, tune in to today's episode of our 3 Things podcast. Some unanswered questions: Over the weekend, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report on the probe into the deadly Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash near Ahmedabad airport on June 12 came into the spotlight. The initial probe report, released on Saturday morning, is only an account of the initial findings of the investigation, and is subject to change. That said, there's some scope for reading between the lines. From sketchy cockpit voice recorder (CVR) details to an interesting addition of an aviation psychologist in the probe team – this particular report marks a departure from the normal. Here's more. GST reforms: To speed up the process of overhauling the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to initiate discussions with all stakeholders — states as well as Central ministries — to resolve outstanding issues. This brings the proposal to do away with the 12 per cent slab back on the table. Though this would simplify the multiple rate structure, it is estimated to amount to significant losses of Rs 70,000-80,000 crore for the Centre and states combined, top sources said. Iran's 'air power': For the Opinions section today, columnist Syed Ata Hasnain writes on the longstanding asymmetry in Iran's force structure and what it needs to be a strategic global actor. In reference to the Iranian strikes on Israel in April 2024, the former corps commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps explains why the country's 'missile-rich, air force-poor doctrine was, surprisingly, decades in the making'. 'Adult content', AI and an arrest: Last week, an Assamese woman's 'provocative posts' on Instagram made her an overnight sensation over claims that she had entered the adult film industry. Now, it has emerged that she was the victim of a cybercrime from a man she studied with, and who allegedly morphed her images and videos using AI tools to harass her. The 30-year-old accused was arrested on Saturday night, after the police tracked him down via information that he had provided to create the profile, which gathered over a million followers in a short period. Sinner is a winner: On Sunday evening, Jannik Sinner rounded out a deserved four-set victory to win his first Wimbledon title. The win tasted sweeter to the Italian as it came against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, only five weeks after the latter clinched the French Open title. The World No. 1's best came out in a match that lacked the same epic feel of their clash in Paris last month. Until next time Vibha Vibha B Madhava is a sub-editor at the news desk for She is interested in writing about gender, culture and politics of ableism. Having specialised in digital journalism, she is keen to explore various forms of interactive, multimedia storytelling. Apart from that, she also likes to experiment with social media. Qualification, Degrees/other achievements: Bachelor's degree in Media and Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. PG Diploma in Integrated Multimedia Journalism from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. With The Indian Express, this is Vibha's first stint in pursuing journalism in a full-time capacity. Previous internship experience: Deccan Herald, Bengaluru; The News Minute, Bengaluru; The Mojo Story; Radio Indigo 91.9 and Fever FM 94.3 (Hyderabad) You can find her on Twitter as @VibhaBMadhava , on LinkedIn (Vibha B Madhava), or write to her at ... Read More


Economic Times
25 minutes ago
- Economic Times
IITian still remembers each of 75 rejections but went on to build a Rs 9,500 crore business. Who is Pavan Guntupalli, founder of Rapido?
Synopsis Pavan Guntupalli, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus, transformed a simple concept into Rapido, a bike-taxi service valued at ₹6,700 crore. Overcoming initial setbacks with his logistics startup and investor skepticism, Guntupalli secured funding from Hero MotoCorp's Pawan Munjal. Agencies How this IITian Turned Startup Failure Into India's Largest Bike-Taxi Platform While it's common to hear tales of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) alumni achieving stellar positions in global corporations, one particular journey stands out for breaking the mold—a tale of entrepreneurship, resilience, and remarkable brand-building worth Rs 6,700 crore in under ten years. This narrative has become a beacon of motivation for many aspiring Indian the many successful IITians, Pavan Guntupalli's story shines as a standout example. Originating from Telangana, Guntupalli cracked the demanding IIT-JEE entrance exam and completed his degree at IIT Kharagpur. He began his professional journey at tech giant Samsung before venturing into the startup world. His initial business effort was a logistics venture named 'theKarrier,' which he co-founded with a friend. Despite their dedication, the company didn't take off and eventually shut down. Yet, Guntupalli remained undeterred. Using his learning from that setback, he launched Rapido—a bike-taxi and auto-rickshaw service aimed at offering quick and inexpensive commuting options to everyday his vision to life wasn't easy. Convincing investors of Rapido's potential was a daunting challenge. Over 75 potential funders rejected the proposal, largely due to fears that the startup couldn't compete with dominant players. But Pavan's determination never wavered. In an interview with NDTV Profit, he said that he still remembers the 75 rejections but acknowledges that some of them were valid. "We learnt from it," he said. What gave Rapido an edge was its unconventional growth strategy. While most ride-hailing services zeroed in on India's metro cities, Rapido turned its focus to tier-1 and tier-2 towns, where mobility issues were widespread and solutions limited. Initially, the company offered highly competitive rates—a base fare of Rs 15 and Rs 3 per kilometer—prioritizing affordability even at the cost of grassroots-level thinking paid off. Rapido gradually expanded across India and today operates in over 100 cities. Its mobile app has recorded over 5 crore downloads, and it boasts a dedicated network of 50,000 riders, referred to as 'captains,' serving a growing user base of around 7 lakh active of 2025, Rapido has grown into a solid brand valued at Rs 9,350 crore, as per a report. According to a report by Inc42 , the company's annual revenue has crossed Rs 1,000 crore, solidifying its position in India's fast-growing mobility sector—all born from one man's refusal to quit after failure.


Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
IITian still remembers each of 75 rejections but went on to build a Rs 9,500 crore business. Who is Pavan Guntupalli, founder of Rapido?
While it's common to hear tales of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) alumni achieving stellar positions in global corporations, one particular journey stands out for breaking the mold—a tale of entrepreneurship, resilience, and remarkable brand-building worth Rs 6,700 crore in under ten years. This narrative has become a beacon of motivation for many aspiring Indian entrepreneurs. Pavan Guntupalli: The Visionary Behind Rapido Among the many successful IITians, Pavan Guntupalli's story shines as a standout example. Originating from Telangana, Guntupalli cracked the demanding IIT-JEE entrance exam and completed his degree at IIT Kharagpur. He began his professional journey at tech giant Samsung before venturing into the startup world. His initial business effort was a logistics venture named 'theKarrier,' which he co-founded with a friend. Despite their dedication, the company didn't take off and eventually shut down. Yet, Guntupalli remained undeterred. Using his learning from that setback, he launched Rapido —a bike-taxi and auto-rickshaw service aimed at offering quick and inexpensive commuting options to everyday riders. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 10년 발톱무좀, 정확히 6개월 걸렸습니다! (사실주의) 홈시네라이프 더 알아보기 Undo Overcoming Investor Rejections Bringing his vision to life wasn't easy. Convincing investors of Rapido's potential was a daunting challenge. Over 75 potential funders rejected the proposal, largely due to fears that the startup couldn't compete with dominant players. But Pavan's determination never wavered. In an interview with NDTV Profit, he said that he still remembers the 75 rejections but acknowledges that some of them were valid. "We learnt from it," he said. The Strategy That Made Rapido Unique What gave Rapido an edge was its unconventional growth strategy. While most ride-hailing services zeroed in on India's metro cities, Rapido turned its focus to tier-1 and tier-2 towns, where mobility issues were widespread and solutions limited. Initially, the company offered highly competitive rates—a base fare of Rs 15 and Rs 3 per kilometer—prioritizing affordability even at the cost of profitability. This grassroots-level thinking paid off. Rapido gradually expanded across India and today operates in over 100 cities. Its mobile app has recorded over 5 crore downloads, and it boasts a dedicated network of 50,000 riders, referred to as 'captains,' serving a growing user base of around 7 lakh active customers. A Billion-Rupee Brand As of 2025, Rapido has grown into a solid brand valued at Rs 9,350 crore, as per a report. According to a report by Inc42 , the company's annual revenue has crossed Rs 1,000 crore, solidifying its position in India's fast-growing mobility sector—all born from one man's refusal to quit after failure.