- 3 months ago
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is in Mumbai on a two-day visit with a 125-member delegation to boost trade after the historic UK-India Free Trade Agreement.
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00:00Hello and welcome, I'm Geeta Mohan and you're watching India Today Global.
00:16Let's begin with the top story.
00:17British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is in India's financial capital, Mumbai, on a two-day visit.
00:24He brings along a delegation of more than 125 entrepreneurs, cultural leaders and university vice-chancellors
00:31after India and the UK signed the historic Free Trade Agreement, also called the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement,
00:39on the 24th of July during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the UK.
00:43But what does this visit entail? Take a look.
01:16Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is leading a delegation of 125 CEOs, entrepreneurs, cultural leaders and university vice-chancellors
01:29to boost trade relations between both countries.
01:34This is also the biggest UK trade mission ever to come to India.
01:38This is the biggest trade mission that the United Kingdom has ever sent to India.
01:43That FTA is really important for us.
01:46It's the biggest deal that we've struck since we left the EU and I think it's the biggest deal that India has ever struck.
01:54But the matter of issuing visas to Indian workers and students is not priority for Prime Minister Starmer
02:01when he meets Prime Minister Modi on Thursday.
02:04While speaking to reporters on Route India, Starmer said there will be no relaxation to visa rules for India.
02:12Instead, the focus will be to take advantage of the free trade agreement that we've already struck.
02:18In wake of President Trump's changes in the H1B visa policy, when Starmer was asked whether the UK was trying to attract tech professionals,
02:29he said the country wanted to attract top talent but said there were no plans for new visas to India.
02:35As Starmer's Labour Party trails the populist reform UK party in polls,
02:41the British Prime Minister is trying to take a restrictive stance on both immigration amid high public concern about the issue.
02:50The trade deal between India and UK will see UK cars and whisky becoming cheaper to export to India
02:56and Indian textiles and jewellery cheaper to export to the UK.
03:00It also includes three-year exemption on social security paid by Indian employees working in the UK on short-term visas.
03:09With Mahashweta Lala, Bureau Report, India Today.
03:15After Operation Sindhu, in which India launched precision strikes on Pakistan's terror hubs,
03:21Khwaja Asif, the Defence Minister, has warned the chances of war with India are real.
03:27While speaking in an interview with Samad TV, Pakistan's Defence Minister said in case of war with India,
03:33Pakistan could achieve even bigger success.
03:35He further added that Pakistan has more supporters and allies than it had six months ago.
03:41He claimed India has lost the support of countries which were with it before May,
03:46though he did not mention the name of any one country.
03:49The remark comes after Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dhawedhi warned Pakistan to stop sponsoring terrorism
03:56if it wants to retain its place on the world map.
03:59I think we have more foreign help also.
04:06We have more allies lined up on our side.
04:11These are all things which are value addition to our standings.
04:15I think that some people could get into it.
04:20In other words, when we have a talk about these restrictions,
04:23we have mentioned here in the past few days,
04:24we have quite a long time in the past few years.
04:29We have some goodwill to live in the past few countries.
04:31We have a long time in this country,
04:33and we have a long time in the past few days.
04:36I will not deny it from the first time in the 18th century.
04:43I will not deny it from the first time in the 18th century.
04:48I will never have a country.
04:50I believe that if God will not do this,
04:55I will not deny it.
04:58If God will not deny it from the beginning,
05:02inshallah.
05:04After all the Bonhami and a deal on rare earth minerals,
05:08the U.S. is now looking to sell Amram missiles to Pakistan worth $2.51 billion.
05:14Why would U.S. sell strategic arms to Pakistan, an all-weather friend of China?
05:19On Statecraft, we discuss, has U.S. lost its strategic vision?
05:24Look at an excerpt right now.
05:32Pakistan is about to get a fresh supply of American firepower.
05:46The AIM-120 Amram, one of the most advanced air-to-air missiles in the world.
05:51It's a deal worth billions.
05:53Born out of quiet corridors and loud ambitions.
05:57Signed off under Trump's watch, this isn't just about missiles.
06:01It's about momentum.
06:03It's about a Washington Islamabad reboot, sealed in smoke trails and signatures.
06:09But as Pakistan leans on China for almost every screw and sensor in its defense ecosystem,
06:15the question burns brighter.
06:17Is America arming a friend or feeding its rival through the back door?
06:21Is Trump selling America security?
06:24And is China going to be the big gainer in this strategic war?
06:29Hello and welcome. You're watching Statecraft with me, Geeta Mohan.
06:41For Pakistan, this deal is a dream dressed in stars and stripes.
06:45A validation after years of military isolation and diplomatic frost.
06:49For the US, it's a gamble.
06:51A handshake with a country that calls Beijing its all-weather friend.
06:55The missiles will modernize Pakistan's aging F-16 fleet, sharpen its combat edge and rewrite its air war playbook.
07:05But at what cost?
07:07Can America really afford to share cutting edge technology with a nation that shares its secrets and sometimes its enemies with China?
07:17The deal is official.
07:19The US Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense, has approved a $2.51 billion contract with Raytheon, covering the production of AIM-120C-8 and AIM-120D-3 variants, completion by May 2030.
07:37The fine print hides the real twist.
07:40The number of missiles heading to Pakistan remains undisclosed.
07:44The roots of Pakistan and America's defense relationship go deep and often toxic.
07:50In the Cold War, the US armed Pakistan to counter the Soviets, flooding it with jets and missiles.
07:57When sanctions came in the 1990s over Pakistan's nuclear tests, the flow stopped, temporarily.
08:049-11 era revived the pipeline under counter-terrorism cooperation.
08:09But every time trust was built, Pakistan found a way to break it.
08:14Osama bin Laden's hideout in Abdabad being Exhibit A.
08:19Now, Trump's missile diplomacy appears to resurrect the old partnership, but under very different global circumstances.
08:26President Trump does not have much love to give when it comes to China.
08:31And yet, Pakistan is China's closest military partner.
08:35Irony couldn't fly higher.
08:38The risk is real and history is proof.
08:41Reverse engineering is Pakistan's favorite sport and China's an art form.
08:46From fighter jets to drones, Pakistan's joint ventures with Beijing thrive on imitation.
08:52Introduce a new missile into that environment.
08:55And you're practically inviting a lab inspection from Chinese defense scientists.
09:00For Pakistan, this sale isn't just an upgrade, it's validation.
09:05After years of global skepticism, sanctions and economic collapse, the US handshake restores its image.
09:12It allows Pakistan's generals to tell their people and Beijing that Washington still trusts them.
09:19The timing of this deal also carries a geopolitical message.
09:24Just months after the May 2025 plashes between India and Pakistan, Trump pushed for a ceasefire, a move Islamabad eagerly credited him for.
09:34By rewarding Pakistan with missiles soon after, Trump transforms peace brokerage into arms brokerage.
09:42Its political theater masquerading as strategy.
09:45But who benefits?
09:46Trump gets headlines.
09:47Pakistan gets hardware.
09:49And China gets data.
09:51The only loser might be the very America first doctrine Trump claims to champion.
09:57And Pakistan's defense industry something to boast about.
10:02But even as they celebrate, one truth stands stark.
10:06Pakistan remains dependent on China for weapons, on the US for validation, and on loans for survival.
10:14Missiles may buy power in the sky, but not sovereignty on the ground.
10:19For India, the implications are unmistakable.
10:22A more capable Pakistan Air Force alters strategic calculations along the line of control.
10:28The Indian military will likely respond with rapid modernization, more Rafals, more media missiles, and accelerated indigenous programs like the AMCA.
10:38The arms race spiral spins faster.
10:41Stability slips further.
10:43And at the center of it all sits Trump's signature, a symbol of how one deal can tilt an entire region's security equation.
10:56Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has lauded US President Donald Trump's attempts at bringing peace between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindhu,
11:04although India has rejected those claims.
11:06Carney met President Trump at the White House and gave him credit for influencing global affairs.
11:12Trump had in the past on several occasions claimed to have brokered a peace deal between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindhu.
11:19But India has always maintained that ceasefire was reached after Pakistan's DGMO called his Indian counterpart and requested for a truce.
11:29This is the Canadian Prime Minister's second visit to the White House and comes ahead of next year's review of the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement.
11:38You kindly hosted me and some of my colleagues a few months ago, and I said at the time, you are a transformative president.
11:48And since then, the transformation in the economy, unprecedented commitments of NATO partners to defense spending, peace from India, Pakistan through to Azerbaijan, Armenia, disabling Iran as a force of terror.
12:02And now, and I'm running out of time, but this is, in many respects, the most important.
12:09After the conclusion of the ongoing indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on the second day in Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh, a senior Hamas official, Tahir al-Nono, said that Hamas and Israel have exchanged lists of detainees to be released on the basis of agreed criteria and numbers.
12:27Hamas has also sought U.S. and Israeli guarantees of a permanent end to the war.
12:32The statement also mentioned that Hamas delegation demonstrated positivity and sense of responsibility required to achieve necessary progress and finalize the agreement.
12:42The mediators are, meanwhile, trying to remove obstacles to implement the ceasefire agreement.
12:47Meanwhile, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was neither fair nor realistic to put the burden of achieving peace in Gaza solely on Hamas and Palestinians,
12:58and that Israel must stop its attacks in order for peace efforts to succeed.
13:05The Palestinian resistance group Hamas responded very positively to Mr. Trump's peace plan.
13:14Thus, it clearly demonstrated its will for peace.
13:18However, it is a fact that peace is not a single-winged bird.
13:23Placing the entire burden of peace on Hamas and the Palestinians is neither a fair, correct nor realistic approach.
13:30Currently, the greatest obstacle before the path leading to peace is Israel's attacks.
13:36Despite Mr. Trump's clear calls, Israel continues its attacks, which undermine the positive atmosphere.
13:43If peace is truly desired, Israel's attacks must be stopped immediately.
13:48I spoke with Ahmed Abu Amshah, 43-year-old music teacher in Gaza, who is transforming the lives of traumatized children through the power of song.
14:01Forced to live on beaches and makeshift camps after repeated bombings, Abu Amshah and his small community are battling hunger, disease and collapsing infrastructure.
14:11Yet, amid the devastation, he brings moments of joy and normalcy to children.
14:16Listen in to this exclusive conversation.
14:21Ahmed, I'd like our viewers to see this video that you made with the kids.
14:26Because that just goes to show the everyday fear that kids live in and how you're trying to turn that around.
14:32Now, this was a video that you put out using drone sounds because there was continuous drone sound through the day.
14:40And how you turned it into music.
14:43What made you really think of making a video and using it as music with the children?
14:51Okay.
14:52About the drone, you know, it's always exists.
14:58Like 24 hours, the drones exist.
15:02But sometimes it's going to be quiet and sometimes it's going to be loud.
15:07Once upon a time, we have, you know, activity with the kids and the drone was very loud.
15:20And the kids told me, Mr. Please stop.
15:23We can't.
15:24We can't hear you.
15:25The drone.
15:26The drone sound is very loud.
15:28It's annoying.
15:29It's terrible.
15:30Really.
15:31It's what it was very, very, very loud.
15:36So I told them, no, we will not stop.
15:39We're going to sing with it.
15:41They told me how we're going to sing with it.
15:45I told them, okay, let's make it like a ground music holding one note, like, and we're going to sing with it.
15:57Like, it's going to go like.
16:02So they love the idea and we sing it and I grab my phone and record this song.
16:08I, I, I never imagined that video.
16:12I wake up in the morning.
16:15One million views, you know?
16:17Oh, my God.
16:18Oh, my God said this song never die from live.
16:27He loves you and I have you.
16:29Oh, my God, we need you to sing with the heavens.
16:33Oh, my God, we need you to sing with the sun.
16:38Of my God's eyes, I neverŃŃ with the sunlight and the sun.
16:41I love you.
17:11Elon Musk is taking on Wikipedia.
17:28The world's richest man is set to launch Grokipedia,
17:32an AI-powered truth hub that he claims will fix online bias.
17:37Supporters call it a revolution in knowledge.
17:39Critics call it Musk's latest power grab.
17:42Here's a report.
18:09Musk says, and I quote, version 0.1 early beta.
18:14Unquote of Grokipedia will launch in just two weeks,
18:18powered by his artificial intelligence company, XAI.
18:22So what is it all about?
18:23According to Musk's supporters, Grokipedia aims to become the world's most accurate knowledge source.
18:31Built for humans and AI and free from bias or hidden agendas.
18:37In other words, it is supposed to tell the truth.
18:40No filters, no political correctness.
18:43But critics say this is just part of a larger push by right-wing billionaires,
18:48including Musk, to reshape the media landscape.
18:51They point out that Musk has accused Wikipedia of being woke,
18:55while his own AI chatbot, Grok, has faced backlash for spreading far-right and even anti-Semitic content.
19:03And as the US media scene tilts further towards political polarization,
19:08with Trump's allies attacking traditional outlets and billionaires buying up media giants,
19:13Musk's Grokipedia could be his boldest and most controversial move yet.
19:18Will Grokipedia truly reinvent online knowledge or rewrite it?
19:23We'll find out soon, because Elon Musk's war on information has just begun.
19:29Visharik Shahab, Bureau Report, India Today Global.
19:31The US Senate confirmed Sergey Gaur as the next ambassador to India.
19:38This comes amid ongoing tariff talks between the US and India.
19:43Gaur is the trusted and close aide of President Donald Trump.
19:46He was confirmed by an on-block Senate vote that approved 107 appointments,
19:51despite a US government shutdown.
19:53The final tally was 51 in favour, 47 against.
19:56Trump, who had described Gaur as a great friend,
20:00will also be the special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs.
20:04Other nominees confirmed include Paul Kapoor of California
20:07as Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs
20:10and Anjani Sinhao of Florida as Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore.
20:14That's all in this edition of India Today Global.
20:20Before I go, I leave you with this.
20:22Stars, stories and statements.
20:25Looks the Chanel show at Paris Fashion Week wasn't just about couture.
20:31It was a celestial blend of glamour and gossip that kept everyone talking.
20:36Sujata Sharada with this report.
20:39Goodbye and take care.
20:44The show started with models walking down a runway,
20:55studded with giant, planet-like sculptures,
20:57but that wasn't the only thing people were talking about
21:01during the Chanel show at Paris Fashion Week.
21:05Many familiar faces dazzled the event with their presence,
21:09starting with everyone's favourite, Margot Robbie,
21:12who posed effortlessly in front of the catwalk,
21:15wearing a chic bomber jacket,
21:17paired with black trousers,
21:19the perfect mix of power and poise.
21:24Harry Potter star Emma Watson was there too
21:28and her appearance drew extra attention
21:31following her recent public spat with author J.K. Rowling.
21:34The actress also sparked buzz after being spotted wearing a sparkling ring on her ring finger,
21:42fueling rumours of a possible engagement.
21:46Emma was accompanied by Nicole Kidman,
21:49who made her first global appearance just a week after filing for divorce from musician Keith Urban.
21:55The Oscar-winning actress was joined by her daughters Faith,
22:00Sunday Rose and her niece Lucia,
22:02with Sunday Rose already making her own mark in fashion,
22:06having walked the Dior runway last week.
22:09As the night unfolded,
22:11it became clear that Chanel did not just showcase fashion,
22:15it celebrated stories and star all under one dazzling Parisian sky.
22:20With Sujata Shardha, Bureau Report, India Today.
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