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Photo feature: Defence technology
The latest around the world, from multirole fighter jets to automatic combat drones
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J35A: China's second stealth jet
The J-35A or FC-31 is China's fifth-generation stealth fighter jet designated for carrier operations and export markets, as seen during the Airshow China, in Zhuhai on November 12, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Advanced version of K9
The K9A2 is a self-propelled howitzer (SPH) produced by Hanwha Defense and is an advanced version of the K9 Thunder. It was displayed at the Eurosatory international land and air defence trade fair in France in June 2024. Photo: Reuters
Combat drones
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First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
What's in 'very big pact' with India as Donald Trump's tariff deadline nears?
US President Donald Trump has claimed that a 'very big' deal with India could come soon. His remarks came as Indian negotiators landed in the United States on Friday for the final round of talks on a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). But what do we know? What do experts think? read more US President Donald Trump delivering remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington. Reuters Is the trade deal between India and the US imminent? US President Donald Trump has claimed that a 'very big' deal with India could come soon. Trump's remarks came as Indian negotiators landed in the United States on Friday for the final round of talks on a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). Trump on April 2 – which he had dubbed 'liberation day' – had announced tariffs on dozens of nations. Trump later paused his 'reciprocal tariffs' and issued a 90-day deadline for countries to reach bilateral trade deals with America. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That deadline is set to expire on July 9. 'Everybody wants to make a deal and have a part of it… we just signed with China yesterday. We are having some great deals. We have one coming up, maybe with India. A very big one. Where we're going to open up India. In the China deal, we are starting to open up China,' Trump said on Friday. 'We're not going to make deals with everybody. Some, we are just going to send them a letter, say thank you very much… My people don't want to do it that way. They want to do some of it, but they want to make more deals than I would do'. But what's in this 'very big pact'? What do experts think? Let's take a closer look: What's in this 'very big' pact? India's team is being led by Rajesh Aggarwal. Aggarwal, who is the chief negotiator, will be dealing with US officials including those from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Trade between India and the United States touched $131.84 billion in the 24-25 Financial Year. If no deal is reached, India will face a base tariff of 10 per cent – lower than the 26 per cent Trump originally imposed. The US wants India to open up its agriculture, dairy, aviation and energy sectors. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It wants India to reduce tariffs on soy, wheat, ethanol and corn – two of which are its top exports to China. The US also wants less tariffs on apples. Reports say the meetings between the two sides have been contentious at times – with the Indian side pushing back on US demands particularly when it comes to its sensitive agriculture and dairy market. The US wants India to open up its agriculture, dairy, aviation and energy sectors, while New Delhi is looking for Washington to cut tariffs on steel and auto parts The US also wants to sell genetically modified (GM) crops in India. However, the Indian side is pushing back to protect Indian farmers. They also say they do not want to undercut the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system in India. A NITI Aayog working paper in May suggested that New Delhi offer some concessions on 'soybean oil imports' to help redress the trade imbalance – which has become an obsession for Trump. India is the world's biggest importer of edible oil. India may agree to reduce tariffs on automobiles – a long-pending demand of the US. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India, on the other hand, wants the US to roll back its reciprocal tariffs to zero. New Delhi also wants Washington to cut tariffs on steel and auto parts. The US had imposed a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium, and a 25 per cent tariff on automobile imports from India. But there is a stumbling block. 'The US side first wants India to commit to deeper import tariff cuts on farm goods like soybeans and corn , cars and alcoholic beverages along with easing of non-tariff barriers,' an official in the know has said. What do experts think? Experts think a bilateral trade deal (BTA) could benefit traders exporting textiles, gems and jewellery, smartphones and pharmaceuticals to the US. However, they say a BTA could benefit US exporters particularly those sending walnuts, pistachios and cranberries more. They say this is because many of New Delhi's exports to Washington already have duty-free access to the market. They say the rest could get only a limited boost. Which is perhaps why some have suggested caution. 'The ball is now in the US court. India is not for any win-lose trade partnership,' Ram Singh, chief of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, told The Times of India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Global Trade Research Initiative, for example, has warned against a deal that favours the US. India and the US in February had agreed to increase bilateral trade, which was at $262 billion in 2024, to $500 billion by 2030. Reuters 'The more likely outcome is a limited trade pact - styled after the US-UK mini trade deal announced on May 8,' GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said. 'Any trade deal with the US must not be politically driven or one-sided, it must protect our farmers, our digital ecosystem, and our sovereign regulatory space.' 'There may also be pressure on India to ease FDI restrictions in multi-brand retail, potentially benefiting firms like Amazon and Walmart and to liberalise rules on remanufactured goods, currently subject to stringent import norms,' Srivastava added. 'India must hold its ground and insist on a reciprocal, balanced, and transparent agreement,' the think-tank added. Indian officials have insisted that the country's interests will come first in any deal. 'Protecting India's interests will be supreme in India-US BTA talks,' an Indian official in the know said. Modi and Trump in February had agreed to increase bilateral trade, which was at $262 billion in 2024, to $500 billion by 2030. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Amazon loses AWS generative AI boss as tech talent shuffle heats up
By Greg Bensinger Amazon 's AWS recently lost its vice president overseeing generative artificial intelligence development, as the competition for talent heats up. Vasi Philomin told Reuters in an email that he left Amazon for another company, without providing specifics. A company spokesperson confirmed that Philomin had recently left after eight years with Amazon. Philomin helped lead generative AI efforts and product strategy, and oversaw foundation models known as Amazon Titan. The spokesperson said Rajesh Sheth, a vice president previously overseeing Amazon Elastic Block Store, had assumed some of Philomin's responsibilities. In his biography, Philomin said he also helped create and lead Amazon Bedrock , a hub for using multiple AI models and one of AWS's premier products in its battle for AI supremacy. He was a frequent speaker at AWS events, including Amazon's annual cloud computing conference in Las Vegas. Amazon is working to bolster its reputation in AI development, after rivals like OpenAI, and Google have taken an early lead, particularly with consumer-focused models. The Seattle-based online retailer and technology powerhouse has invested $8 billion in AI startup Anthropic and integrated its Claude software into its own products including a new revamped version of voice assistant Alexa that it's rolling out to customers this year. In December, Amazon introduced its Nova AI models which provide for text, video and image generation. Earlier this year, it added to the lineup with a version called Sonic that can more readily produce natural-sounding speech. Companies are employing creative techniques to hire top AI talent, including using sports industry data analysis to help identify undiscovered talent, Reuters reported last month. As a result, compensation has skyrocketed for some. However, as Amazon races to produce more advanced AI, it said it expects its own success will lead to fewer corporate jobs, according to a memo from CEO Andy Jassy last week. Job growth limits will be driven in particular by so-called agentic AI, which can perform tasks with minimal or even no additional input from people. "As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs," Jassy wrote.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
DeepSeek in troubled waters as German govt orders expulsion over data protection concerns
'DeepSeek has not been able to provide my agency with convincing evidence that German users' data is protected in China to a level equivalent to that in the European Union,' she said. DeepSeek has been reported to the two U.S. tech giants as illegal content, said commissioner Meike Kamp, and the companies must now review the concerns and decide whether to block the app in Germany. Frankfurt: Germany has taken steps towards blocking Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from the Apple and Google app stores due to concerns about data protection, according to a data protection authority commissioner in a statement on Friday. 'Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies,' she added. The move comes after Reuters exclusively reported this week that DeepSeek is aiding China's military and intelligence operations. DeepSeek, which shook the technology world in January with claims that it had developed an AI model that rivaled those from U.S. firms such as ChatGPT creator OpenAI at much lower cost, says it stores numerous personal data, such as requests to the AI or uploaded files, on computers in China. This report is auto-generated from Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also Read: DeepSeek is the dawn of a new world order, say the Chinese
