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Canadians vote in election dominated by Trump's trade war, bluster
Canadians will decide whether to extend the Liberal Party's decade in power or instead hand control to the Conservatives. They'll pick either Prime Minister Mark Carney or opposition leader Pierre Poilievre to lead the way forward, but the election is also a referendum of sorts on someone who isn't even Canadian: Donald Trump. The American president trolled Canadians on election day with a post on social media post suggesting he was on the ballot and repeating that Canada should become the 51st state and incorrectly claiming that the US subsidises Canada. Until Trump won a second term and began threatening Canada's economy and sovereignty, even suggesting the country should become the 51st state, the Liberals looked headed for defeat.
India, France ink seal Rs 64,000 cr deal to procure 26 Rafale jets for Indian Navy
India and France on Monday inked an intergovernmental agreement to procure 26 naval variants of Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 64,000 crore for the Indian Navy.
The pact provides for setting up of a production facility for Rafale fuselage as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons in India, according to the defence ministry.
The agreement will also facilitate the transfer of technology for the integration of indigenous weapons in India, it said without elaborating. The ministry said the delivery of the aircraft would be completed by 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India.
India is procuring the jets for deployment on board aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
Manufactured by French defence major Dassault Aviation, the Rafale-Marine is a carrier-borne combat-ready aircraft with proven operational capabilities in the maritime environment.
Under the terms of reference, the delivery of the jets will have to start around five years after the signing of the contract.
Under the deal, the Indian Navy will also get associated ancillary equipment including weapon systems and spares from Dassault Aviation.
The defence ministry said that the Rafale-Marine has commonality with the Rafale being operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train to be operational by 2028
The $15 billion Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project being built in collaboration with Japan will be operational by 2028, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday.
Fadnavis also said the state is looking to raise $50 billion from international financiers for infrastructure development in the state, and announcements for the same will be done in four months.
Without naming Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis said the bullet train project suffered during a two-year rule until 2022, but now the work is on in full swing.
"By 2028, we will be able to travel in the bullet train," Fadnavis said, conceding that neighbouring state Gujarat is ahead of Maharashtra on the project development.
Fadnavis said creating infrastructure is very important to achieve the goal of $1 trillion GSDP, and that $30 billion was invested in infrastructure creation during his first stint as the chief minister between 2014-19, and more money is being put into important projects now.
Indian, UK trade ministers meet to push for deal
The British and Indian trade ministers began two days of talks to conclude more than three years of negotiations on a trade pact, under additional pressure to reach a deal because of Donald Trump's tariffs on exports to the United States. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal described his first day of talks in with British trade minister Jonathan Reynolds as "productive" in a post on X, without giving further details. India and Britain are both seeking bilateral deals with the United States to remove some of Trump's tariffs, which have upended the global trade system. The turmoil has also sharpened focus in both London and New Delhi on the need to clinch a UK/India trade deal. Talks are seen as nearing completion, with the latest negotiating round having been extended in a bid to reach a final conclusion. Any deal must reach agreement over tariffs on goods such as whiskey, agriculture and cars, as well as on regulations around pharmaceutical products and investments.
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