India badly needs a ceasefire with Trump on the trade front. This ceasefire is far more critical for lndia’s economy and its millions of unemployed and partially employed. Trump seemed to have started a trade war primarily targeting China early April which resulted in the US arbitrarily imposing high import tariffs on all its major trade partners, including India. https://thewire.in/trade/modi-needs-a-trade-ceasefire-with-trump 

India today faces one of the highest tariffs of 25% which Trump announced on Wednesday (July 30). Most other major trade partners of the US such as EU, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia have managed to sign reasonable deals with tariffs ranging between 15% to 20%, which gives them a clear edge over India. China too has done a reasonable deal with much lower duties than originally imposed.

So as of August 1, which is Trump’s deadline for deals with nations, India stands quite isolated with one of the highest tariffs slapped on her. There is a double whammy as Trump has said more penal tariffs could come if India continues her special relationship with Russia in regard to crude oil purchases and defence imports. India’s national interest dictates she cannot afford to dilute relationship with Russia, especially on critical co-production of high tech defence items such as Brahmos missiles etc.

M K Venu

01/08/2025

Top government sources conceded they were surprised at Trump's Wednesday announcement, especially since negotiations for a bilateral trade pact were still underway and a US team is scheduled to land in New Delhi on August 25 for the sixth round of talks. https://www.rediff.com/news/report/india-unlikely-to-retaliate-against-us/20250801.htm 

However, they ruled out the prospect of any retaliatory action being initiated by New Delhi, and asserted that India would neither succumb to the Americans on issues of national security, such as its defence ties with Russia, nor cede ground on its domestic interests in the agriculture and dairy sectors.

The government has also kept a close watch on how some leaders, such as Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met during the BRICS Summit and bilateral visit to that country in the first week of July, have opted to defy Trump's threats.

Trump had threatened a 50 per cent tariff on Brazilian goods, which failed to cow down Lula with the result that the US has since issued a long list of exemptions to the levies on goods from Brazil.

by By Archis Mohan

01/08/2025

 Floods, Cracks & Sinkholes: Is India Ready To Fix Its Urban Future?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypnO3XTF_Ms CNN-News18 

Flooded roads, mounds of garbage, potholes, traffic chaos, crippling infrastructure - Every Monsoon, Same Story. But this time, Lucknow, a city that was once known for its filth and scattered garbage is now ranked three in Swachh Survekshan. Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai have also topped the list. Which brings us to this question - what are India's urban priorities? What went right in these cities and can other metros follow?

Read more …

'They are going to pay 25%': Donald Trump warns India as trade deal deadline looms https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/they-are-going-to-pay-25-donald-trump-warns-india-as-trade-deal-deadline-looms-486916-2025-07-30 Trump has long criticized India’s trade practices, calling the relationship “very tough” and blasting what he views as excessive tariffs and non-tariff barriers. “They are going to pay 25%,” Trump told reporters, responding to questions about whether India would face new levies. “Yeah, I think so. India has been – they’re my friends.”

Rupee set to deepen losses as India braces for higher US tariffs By Jaspreet Kalra July 30, 2025 https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rupee-set-deepen-losses-india-braces-higher-us-tariffs-2025-07-30/  India is preparing to face higher U.S. tariffs, likely between 20% and 25%, on some of its exports, as it holds off on fresh trade concessions ahead of Washington's August 1 deadline, Reuters reported post market-hours on Tuesday. Trump's remark will cause a "knee-jerk reaction," with traders likely reading it as a negative cue, a trader at a state-run bank said, adding that while India was expected to crack one of the first deals, it now appears to be a laggard.

I was going to give the link to the times article, but they have made it difficult to copy and paste.. so I went to the source

जैसे जैसे आईफोन की सेल बढ़ रही है भारत पर बोझ बढ़ रहा है, कैसे लग रहा है आम आदमी को फटका. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0MS0FkfLE   GIRIJESH VASHISTHA

Dhankhar's Surprise Resignation,  | The Wire Wrap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-M-ymb5g8A  

Jul 25, 2025
In a sudden and surprising move early this week, Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post as vice-president of India late on Monday evening, effective immediately. While he said he was responding to “medical advice”, the way the resignation occurred – just hours after he had been sitting chairing the Rajya Sabha on the opening day of the monsoon session – left most commentators believing that a political disagreement is at play. Jahnavi Sen is joined by The Wire's editor Seema Chishti and senior journalist and commentator Sanjay Jha to discuss what this means. 

The three also talk about the Bombay high court judgment acquitting 12 men in the July 11, 2006 serial train blasts in Mumbai that killed 189 people. Eleven of these men had spent 19 years in jail while the 12th passed away in custody in 2001. 

In conclusion, they discuss the questions raised by the opposition about the Election Commission, as well as the ongoing 'special intensive review' of electoral rolls in Bihar. 

Institutions: https://www.youtube.com/embed/v=m-M-ymb5g8A?start=405&end=717  Sanjay and Seema  

How India’s Data Centre Surge is Reshaping Tech Services https://analyticsindiamag.com/ai-features/unlocking-20-growth-how-indias-data-centre-surge-is-reshaping-tech-services/  Cybersecurity services top the growth prediction, with 17% of respondents citing it as the area most likely to see increased demand due to data centre expansion, followed closely by cloud services (16%) and cooling, power and physical infrastructure services (15%).

From Storage to Services: Can India’s Data Center Boom Catalyze Tech Services Growth?  https://community.nasscom.in/communities/nasscom-insights/storage-services-can-indias-data-center-boom-catalyze-tech-services Despite accounting for around 20% of the world’s data, India currently holds only 3% of the global data centre capacity, indicating significant room for expansion. While Mumbai leads the sector with 41% of the country’s capacity, Chennai follows at 23%, the survey points out. 

 Bunker Roy: Learning from a barefoot movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qqqVwM6bMM  Bunker Roy: Learning from a barefoot movement   Oct 17, 2011
http://www.ted.com In Rajasthan, India, an extraordinary school teaches rural women and men -- many of them illiterate -- to become solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors in their own villages. It's called the Barefoot College, and its founder, Bunker Roy, explains how it works.

It started in a jail cell. Now, it fights to free those wrongfully jailed https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-plus/law/it-started-in-a-jail-cell-now-it-fights-to-free-those-wrongfully-jailed/articleshow/122924710.cms  Innocence Network India, a coalition of lawyers, prison‑rights activists and civil society groups who work for “the rights of those wrongfully prosecuted or convicted, especially under terrorism charges.”
Wahid Shaikh, who helped found the network,  a school teacher in Nagpada, central Mumbai, spends most of his after-school hours running Acquit Undertrial, his one-man YouTube channel that amplifies cases of alleged wrongful prosecution and demands compensation for acquitted convicts.

https://www.youtube.com/@SHAiK_HWAHiD

Pro-Palestine activists protest at Mahindra outlet in Hyderabad https://www.siasat.com/pro-palestine-activists-protest-at-mahindra-outlet-in-hyderabad-3251426/ part of a nationwide campaign to highlight what they describe as Mahindra’s involvement with the Israeli economy and its “complicity in the genocide of Palestinians.” The IPSP has previously targeted other international and domestic companies, such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, Reliance Retail, Tata’s Zudio, and Domino’s, accusing them of “complicity in the genocide.”