logo
Life for Indian students in Trump's America gets increasingly tougher

Life for Indian students in Trump's America gets increasingly tougher

Business Standard16 hours ago
Indian students putting the American dream on hold
premium
Sanket Koul New Delhi
Listen to This Article
With a dream to study law in the United States (US), 23 year-old James (name changed) had taken the now-defunct Law School Admission Test (LSAT) in 2024.
While he got 98.7 percentile in the exams, his wish to study in the US was put on hold due to the recent changes in student visa norms.
'I was advised by my friends in the US to not apply this year,' he said. There are two reasons why, he said. 'One is the association in terms of you being a foreigner and then there is the added fact that you are consistently
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Prominent businessman Sanjay Verma shot dead in Punjab's Abohar
Prominent businessman Sanjay Verma shot dead in Punjab's Abohar

India Today

time15 minutes ago

  • India Today

Prominent businessman Sanjay Verma shot dead in Punjab's Abohar

1:32 China has responded to Donald Trump's threat of imposing an additional 10% tariff on countries with 'anti-American policies'. The Chinese minister stated that Brics is not targeting any country and promotes openness and inclusivity. Trump had accused the six Brics nations of attempting to downplay the dollar, labelling it as anti-America. China refuted this claim, emphasising that Brics is an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries. The minister also reiterated China's position on US tariff hikes, stating that trade wars have no winners and protectionism is detrimental.

With PM Modi's Ghana visit, India challenges China's dominance in Africa
With PM Modi's Ghana visit, India challenges China's dominance in Africa

Indian Express

time15 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

With PM Modi's Ghana visit, India challenges China's dominance in Africa

Written by Gayettri Dixit and Gaurav Sen When Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped off his plane onto Ghanaian soil last week, it marked more than just a diplomatic handshake — it was history brushing off the dust and preparing to rewrite itself. This is the first prime ministerial visit to Ghana in the last three decades; it was not just overdue but also timely and strategic. The visit marked a careful instigation of diplomacy, culture, commerce, and shared values. It was a recalibration of India's Africa policy through the lens of one of West Africa's most influential democracies. PM Modi invoked the deeper ties between both nations that were born out of long anti-colonial struggles, and their relationship goes back to when Kwame Nkrumah and Jawaharlal Nehru shared a non-aligned vision for the global south. Modi's speech in the country's parliament struck a chord. 'We are both voices of the Global South,' he said, reminding the world that true global leadership today lies not only in military might or market size but in inclusivity, cooperation, and trust. PM Modi spoke with conviction that today's world needs reform in global governance and needs to come out from the post-World War II mindset and must deal with new realities shattered by pandemics, climate change, and technology disruptions. It was a pitch not just to Ghana but to all of Africa. India and Ghana elevated their relationship to 'Comprehensive Partnership'. Apart from that, both countries signed four MoUs. One was focused on traditional medicine and Ayurveda, which holds both cultural connection and a soft power move but also has the real health and commercial potential in Africa. Another aimed at deepening cooperation between the Bureau of Indian Standards and its Ghanaian counterpart, this will help in trade and investment due to higher quality and mutual recognition. The third was a cultural exchange programme for 2025-2029. And most crucially, a joint commission was agreed upon, which means that high-level officials from both countries will now meet regularly to track progress and chart future paths—turning intent into institutional memory. While the visit was important due to cultural connection and diplomacy, the less discussed topic was the economic and strategic relevance of the visit. India and Ghana trade reached to $3 billion, making India one of Ghana's top five trading partners. In addition, Indian companies are investing in over 850 projects in Ghana. But now, both sides have set their eyes on doubling this figure within five years. How? By unlocking new areas—renewable energy, fintech, agriculture, and digital health. The introduction of India's digital payment system, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), in Ghana is exceptional. Ghana has become one of the first African nations to adopt this Indian architecture real-time payment system. If successful, it could revolutionise Ghana's domestic banking architecture—just as it did in India. The conversation wasn't limited to economy and culture. The leaders also addressed security, terrorism, and defence cooperation. India pledged to extend training, capacity building, and cyber-security collaboration. Ghana, a stable democracy in an increasingly fragile region, welcomed the support. In a world where security dialogues are often militaristic, Modi reframed it: 'Security through solidarity,' he said. It was an important phrase—offering reassurance that India's engagement in Africa is partnership-based, not transactional or extractive. The visit to Ghana must not be seen independently of India's struggle to challenge China's increasing influence in African affairs. This should also be in the context of the changing world order and India's stand for multipolarity; India's vision will not be fulfilled without the support of the global south, and Ghana is still an important actor in the African landscape. As China entrenches itself in African infrastructure and the West occasionally lapses into paternalism, India's model—rooted in mutual development, local capacity, and democratic respect—offers a third way. India is not just in Africa for minerals or markets. It is there to help build institutions, develop skills, share technology, and co-create solutions. This is the message PM Modi carried with him to Accra, and it was received with open arms. The real test of the visit, of course, lies in what follows. Can the UPI system be rolled out effectively? Will India deliver on its vaccine partnership promises? Can the trade figures be doubled with meaningful diversification? Will the Joint Commission meet regularly and deliver? These are the questions that will shape India-Ghana ties in the years to come. But what this visit has already achieved is vital: it has reinvigorated a forgotten friendship and placed Ghana squarely at the centre of India's Africa policy. As PM Modi departed Accra, having been awarded Ghana's highest civilian honour—the 'Order of the Star'—it was clear that this was not just a one-off ceremonial trip. It was a foundational moment in India's ambition to be not just a great power but a trusted global partner. In Ghana, India found more than an ally. It found a co-author in its journey toward a more balanced, multipolar world. Gayettri Dixit is Assistant Professor at Centre for African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Gaurav Sen is Senior Research Fellow at the School of International Studies, JNU

Top Spain Stainless Steel Maker Wants EU to Be More Like Trump on Trade
Top Spain Stainless Steel Maker Wants EU to Be More Like Trump on Trade

Mint

time15 minutes ago

  • Mint

Top Spain Stainless Steel Maker Wants EU to Be More Like Trump on Trade

Europe's approach to trade will need to be more like Donald Trump's to protect an ailing steel industry from a flood of Chinese imports, according to the head of one of the region's top stainless steel makers. Only outright tariffs can counter the wave of cheap Asian supplies that a safeguard system under the World Trade Organization's free-trade rules has failed to contain, said Bernardo Velazquez, chief executive officer of Spain's Acerinox SA. 'If we don't want to rely solely on imports and have our own supply of strategic raw materials, we need to consider imposing tariffs,' Velazquez said in an interview in Madrid. 'I'm not saying tariffs should be our 'favorite word' as Trump said, but we should stop having forbidden words in Europe.' European steelmakers have been grappling in recent years with high energy costs and competition from Asian peers saddled with overcapacity. The trade wars triggered by the US president will likely only make things worse — not only due to less access to the American market but also because the EU will be targeted by Asian mills even more. 'They will target the world's largest free market, which is Europe,' said Velazquez. The EU's safeguard system sets country quotas for duty-free imports and imposes a 25% levy on shipments above that. Chinese mills have partly skirted the system by selling their steel to Europe through third countries. In the case of stainless steel, Indonesia is also a major producer that's been overwhelming the European market, Velazquez said. Other top producers of the material in Asia include India and Japan. The safeguard, first implemented in 2018, is due to expire in 2026 and can no longer be renewed, but could be replaced by another instrument. If nothing changes, European production 'will remain in Europe, as there will be no other market to sell to' and Asian manufacturers will also look to the region's market as they, too, will no longer be able to sell to the US, said Velazquez. On the bright side, Velazquez sees Germany's recently approved spending package as a potential driver for the industry, a view shared with other players who have called for tariffs to ensure they can back Europe's renewed defense and infrastructure push. Acerinox has a diversified business, with most of its earnings before items coming from the US. Its North American Stainless Inc. unit makes about half of that kind of steel in the continent. Still, the Madrid-based company's North American operations won't necessarily fully benefit from the tariffs imposed by Trump, said Velazquez. They're 'a political matter' which is 'creating a lot of uncertainty even for American companies. We don't know whether the countries from which we buy our equipments or raw material will be subject to some kind of restrictions' and that has an impact on the business, he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store