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By Nantoo Banerjee Pakistan may be right that peace in Lebanon is essential for talks between the US and Iran. But, the key question is: will Iran’s theological regime ever ask its terror sponsor, Hezbollah, to go soft on Israel which lately launched massive waves of airstrikes across southern Lebanon, hitting over 200 Hezbollah targets, […]

The article Pakistan’s Back-Channel US-Iran Peace Negotiation May Not Work appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has cast Amaravati’s quantum push as a test of whether the country can build strategic technology capacity at home rather than remain tied to foreign platforms, using the launch of two indigenous open-access facilities to argue that partnership with global companies need not mean dependence. The remarks came days after the state unveiled Amaravati 1S and Amaravati 1Q on World Quantum Day, presenting the project as both a technology milestone and a political statement about capability.

Speaking in Amaravati, Naidu pushed back on questions over reliance on companies such as IBM, saying the starting point mattered less than whether domestic institutions could absorb, adapt and eventually build. He described the new facility as proof that companies and researchers in the country are capable of producing quantum systems, while acknowledging that the path to scale will involve collaboration. That framing is central to the state government’s pitch: use foreign alliances where useful, but ensure design, testing, skills and manufacturing depth are developed locally.

The immediate trigger for that argument was the April 14 launch of the Amaravati Quantum Reference Facility, or AQRF, spread across SRM University-AP in Amaravati and Medha Towers in Gannavaram. Andhra Pradesh has described the systems as the country’s first indigenously built, open-access quantum computer test beds, intended to let researchers, startups and industry users test hardware under operating conditions rather than rely only on closed imported machines. Officials say the site is designed to validate processors, cryogenic systems, amplifiers and control electronics, with access for hands-on study and benchmarking.

That matters because quantum computing remains a field in which much of the world’s high-end hardware is controlled by a small number of companies and laboratories. Andhra Pradesh officials and syndicated reports on the launch said about 85 per cent of the facility’s components were manufactured domestically, a claim being used to support the government’s assertion that a “sovereign hardware ecosystem” is now possible. The systems were developed with support from institutions including the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Science and the Defence Research and Development Organisation, alongside younger firms working on hardware integration.

Yet the sovereignty message sits alongside a second reality: Amaravati’s longer-term quantum ambitions still rely on international corporate participation. IBM, Tata Consultancy Services and the Andhra Pradesh government announced in May 2025 that the planned Quantum Valley Tech Park in Amaravati would seek to host an IBM Quantum System Two with a 156-qubit Heron processor, subject to export licences and final agreements, while TCS would work on algorithms and applications. Naidu himself described that project at the time as part of the National Quantum Mission and a route to job creation and industrial use cases.

That leaves Andhra Pradesh trying to strike a careful balance. On one hand, the state wants the credibility, tooling and developer ecosystem that come with IBM and TCS. On the other, Naidu is signalling that strategic depth cannot rest on access alone. His comparison with the telecom sector was meant to make that case: the country did not master mobile and network technologies overnight, but built capability over time through policy support, local firms and institutional confidence. In quantum, he appears to be arguing for the same sequence — collaborate first where necessary, but move steadily towards domestic competence.

The wider national backdrop supports that ambition. The National Quantum Mission, approved in April 2023 with an outlay of Rs 6,003.65 crore running through 2030-31, is meant to seed research, industrial development and applications across computing, communications, sensing and materials. The Department of Science and Technology says the mission aims to develop intermediate-scale quantum computers in the 50 to 1,000 physical qubit range and has already set up four thematic hubs led by IISc Bengaluru, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi. Amaravati’s project is therefore not operating in isolation; it is seeking to attach itself to a national push that is still in its build-out phase.

To support its planned product launch in June 2026, VinFast has continued to partner with leading motorcycle distributors in the Philippines, including Wheeltek Motor Sales Corporation; Gentrade International Phils., Inc. (Transcycle); Superbikes Corporation; Motoxpress Sales Corporation; FMN Industrial Corp.; Eduhome Enterprise, Inc.; Keymotors Incorporated; Motorpro by Abenson Ventures Inc. and Aserco; Moto Atelier Inc.; Ciclo Suerte; HG Motorzone; HGC Main Marketing (Motorboy); BLC Cycle Parts Supply; and Auto Ten Trade & Services Corp. Similar to the partners signed in January 2026, these partners have extensive networks, demonstrate strong operational capabilities, and possess longstanding experience in the motorcycle business, alongside a clear orientation toward the green transition.

VinFast and its partners will collaborate to rapidly roll out a showroom network across the market, with many outlets expected to be launched in parallel at the time of product introduction, laying the foundation for accelerated expansion of nationwide sales and after-sales services. The showrooms will be developed in high-demand areas with strong potential for green transition such as Metro Manila, Metro Davao, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Metro Cebu, Bulacan, and other major urban provinces, and will adhere to VinFast’s global standards for operations and brand identity.

In the initial phase, the network will distribute a portfolio of swappable-battery e-scooters, including Evo, Feliz II, Viper, and other models expected to be launched in the near future, alongside upcoming models that will be further adapted to local infrastructure conditions and consumer usage patterns in the Philippines.

The Philippines is one of Southeast Asia’s largest motorcycle markets, characterized by strong demand for personal mobility and rapid urbanization. Amid fuel price volatility and a growing shift toward sustainable solutions, e-scooters are emerging as a promising pathway, particularly when supported by an integrated ecosystem.

VinFast is pioneering the development of a comprehensive e-scooter ecosystem in the Philippines, encompassing dealer networks, after-sales services, financing solutions, and energy infrastructure. Notably, the company aims to deploy approximately 30,000 battery-swapping stations nationwide in the near term, in collaboration with infrastructure partners, to deliver a convenient and flexible user experience.

Earlier in 2026, VinFast announced plans to expand its e-scooter business across five key international markets, including the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Thailand, and Malaysia, as part of its global strategy to scale a green mobility ecosystem.

Ms. Vo Thi Cam Tu, Managing Director of VinFast E-Scooters Overseas Market, said: “Our partnerships with 14 major dealers in the Philippines mark an important step in rapidly establishing a strong distribution and service foundation from the outset. We are not only introducing products tailored to local needs, but also developing an integrated ecosystem, from battery-swapping infrastructure to after-sales services, enabling consumers to access and adopt e-scooters in a convenient, efficient, and sustainable manner.”

In recent years, VinFast has steadily built its presence across key Southeast Asian markets, including the Philippines, through a diverse electric vehicle portfolio and strategic partnerships in infrastructure and services. The expansion into e-scooters further completes its green mobility ecosystem in the market and the region, while providing consumers with more flexible options in the transition to sustainable transportation.

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The dispute sits inside a broader U. S. tariff reset. In March, the USTR opened Section 301 investigations into structural excess capacity in manufacturing across 16 economies, including Singapore, and launched another set of probes into whether about 60 economies have failed to prohibit or effectively enforce bans on imports made with forced labour. Reuters reported that the Trump administration moved down this route after a Supreme Court ruling in February struck at the legal basis of a large part of its earlier tariff framework, prompting Washington to search for narrower but still forceful trade instruments. USTR said comments were due by April 15, with hearings on forced labour beginning on April 28 and on overcapacity from May 5.

Singapore’s central argument is that the U. S. portrayal of the bilateral trade balance is flawed. In its submission, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said the United States has run a consistent overall trade surplus with Singapore for more than two decades. Data cited by Singapore from U. S. agencies show America posted a goods trade surplus of US$1.9 billion and a services trade surplus of US$25.1 billion with Singapore in 2024, with those surpluses rising in 2025 to US$3.6 billion and US$29.6 billion respectively. Singapore also said the U. S. recorded sectoral surpluses in semiconductors and electrical equipment as well as petrochemicals, undercutting the suggestion that exports from Singapore into the American market are being fuelled by a broad pattern of manufacturing distortion.

That matters because Washington’s overcapacity inquiry is built around the idea that some trading partners maintain large or persistent surpluses, idle production or both, allowing them to push artificially cheap goods into world markets. Singapore’s reply does not deny that the U. S. is entitled to examine trade imbalances, but it says its own industrial base does not fit that template. Officials pointed to manufacturing-space occupancy holding around 90 per cent over the past five years, which they said is consistent with advanced-economy norms and inconsistent with the claim of large underused capacity. Singapore further argued that, given land scarcity, it would run against policy and economic logic for industrial land to be left substantially idle.

On the labour side, Singapore’s response is equally direct. The government said it does not condone forced labour in supply chains and has legal and enforcement mechanisms to address such practices. Channel NewsAsia reported that Singapore told U. S. investigators it has a comprehensive domestic framework against forced labour and against the importation of goods produced through it. That is an important distinction, because the U. S. probe is not confined to labour abuses inside a country’s own factories; it is also examining whether governments adequately prevent tainted goods from entering their markets and then moving through global trade channels.

The business implications extend beyond Singapore. The U. S. investigations cover major manufacturing and export economies across Asia and Europe, and any eventual remedies could include new duties or other restrictions before temporary tariffs expire in July, according to Reuters and trade-law analyses tracking the dockets. For companies, that raises the prospect of higher compliance costs, closer supply-chain screening and a wider blending of trade policy with labour-rights enforcement. Singapore’s case is being watched because it is a high-value manufacturing and logistics hub with deep exposure to electronics, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and re-export trade, sectors where even modest tariff changes can alter sourcing decisions.

Politically, the row is awkward for both sides. Singapore is not only a long-standing U. S. economic partner; its free-trade agreement with Washington remains America’s only such pact with a South-east Asian trading partner. Singapore has said bilateral trade and investment support around 350,000 jobs in the United States, while its direct investment stock there reached US$71.7 billion in 2025. That does not shield it from a more aggressive U. S. trade climate, but it does give Singapore a stronger basis than many others to argue that the relationship is balanced, rules-based and mutually beneficial.