French court finds Airbus, Air France guilty of manslaughter in 2009 crash
Airbus says it plans to appeal the ruling, which overturned a 2023 acquittal of both companies. By AFP and Reuters Published On 21 May 202621 May 2026 A French appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of manslaughter in 2009 Rio de Janeiro-Paris crash that killed 228 people – the worst aviation disaster in the country’s history. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that both companies were “solely and entirely responsible for the crash of flight AF447”, and ordered a payment of 225,000 euros ($261,720) for each passenger, the maximum fine possible for corporate manslaughter. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Although the penalties are largely symbolic, they capped an eight-week trial that victims’ families saw as a last chance to find justice two years after a lower court acquitted Airbus and Air France. Both companies have repeatedly denied all charges. Following the ruling, Airbus said it would appeal to France’s highest court, saying the latest finding contradicted submissions from prosecutors and the 2023 acquittal. Prosecutors previously warned that an appeal was likely and denounced the companies’ behaviour throughout the decade-plus legal process. “Nothing has come of it – not a single word of sincere comfort,” said prosecutor Rodolphe Juy-Birmann as the trial was under way last November. “One word sums up this whole circus: indecency.” Divers recover the tail section from the Air France A330 that crashed into the south Atlantic while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009 [File: Brazilian navy/AFP] Sensor malfunction The crash unfolded on June 1, 2009, when flight AF447 disappeared from radar screens as it headed from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to the French capital Paris with 216 passengers and 12 crew. Advertisement Two years passed before a deep-sea search uncovered the plane’s black boxes, which record flight data. Investigators found the pilots had pushed the jet into a climb as it struggled with sensors blocked with ice during a mid-Atlantic storm. The plane stalled and crashed into the ocean. While Airbus and Air France have blamed pilot error, the lawyers for passengers’ families argued that both companies knew that there was a problem with the plane’s pitot tubes, which measure flight speed. Pilots were not trained to deal with such an emergency as the tubes malfunctioned, prosecutors said, triggering alarms in the cockpit and turning off the plane’s autopilot function. Air France lawyer Pascal Weil said in October that the company “had the means to conduct high-altitude training, but we did not do so because we sincerely believed it was unnecessary”. Adblock test (Why?)
US-Iran diplomacy picks up: What’s the latest?
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday to meet with his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported. The United States and Iran have continued to exchange proposals for peace since a temporary ceasefire between them was agreed last month amid Pakistan’s mediation attempts to arrange talks. But hostilities have not come to a complete halt and both sides are believed to still be far apart on a number of key issues. On Monday, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted three drones, the day after a drone attack at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates. That raised more concerns about the potential for renewed military escalation in the Gulf as peace negotiations drag on. What are the latest diplomatic developments? While the details of discussions between Naqvi and Momeni have not been made public, Naqvi’s visit to Iran was the second in less than a week, potentially signalling new diplomatic efforts to resolve the US‑Israeli war on Iran. The Iranian IRNA news agency said Naqvi is scheduled to hold more meetings with senior Iranian officials. However, on Wednesday, Donald Trump told reporters that peace negotiations with Iran are “borderline” between talks and renewed strikes. “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump said. The visit to Tehran by Pakistan’s military chief was reportedly aimed at bringing the Iranian and US positions closer together, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported. Advertisement “The Iranian text is being discussed in Tehran regarding the overarching framework, some details and confidence-building measures as guarantees,” ISNA reported, adding that “the submitted text has narrowed the gaps to some extent, but further reductions require an end to the temptation for war from Washington”. Munir’s visit is “aimed at narrowing these gaps and reaching the moment for the official announcement of the memorandum of understanding”. What do we know about the latest peace proposals? Tehran is reviewing the latest US peace proposal conveyed via Pakistan, Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday. On Monday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iran had submitted a revised 14-point peace plan to end the war. In April, Pakistan hosted the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials since the war began on February 28. On April 8, a temporary ceasefire was reached between the conflicting parties through Pakistani mediation. Since then, armed hostilities have largely subsided, but a durable peace agreement remains elusive, with both the US and Iran dissatisfied with each other’s proposed terms. A major point of contention is Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. During negotiations, Washington has urged Tehran to give away its enriched uranium, a demand Tehran has resisted. It is understood that it may consider handing it over to a third party besides the US. The question of Iran’s ability to enrich uranium at all is another important issue. The US wants to impose a 20-year moratorium on Iran enriching any uranium. However, under the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed with a number of nations in 2015, Iran had been allowed to enrich to 3.87 percent – enough to develop a nuclear power programme. Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018, even though international inspectors said Iran had stuck to its side of the bargain. The Strait of Hormuz is another contentious issue. Since early March, Iran has restricted shipping through the narrow waterway linking the Gulf to the open ocean, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped during peacetime. Iran has allowed passage of vessels from select countries, but they are required to negotiate transit with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In its previous proposals to end the war, Iran has mentioned charging transit tolls for vessels. Washington and other countries have repeatedly rejected the prospect. In April, the US announced a naval blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, further adding to the disruption of global oil and gas supplies. Advertisement On Wednesday, the IRGC said it coordinated the transit of 26 vessels through the strait in the past 24 hours, as talks between Washington and Tehran remain stalled. (Al Jazeera) Another issue is Iran’s support and financing of proxy armed groups in the region, which it calls the “Axis of Resistance”. They include the Houthis in Yemen, who have disrupted Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in protest over the war on Gaza; Hezbollah in Lebanon and a number of groups in Iraq and Syria. The US wants all support from Iran to cease, but experts say the Iranians are unlikely to agree. What’s going on beyond the exchange of proposals? Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir may travel to Iran as soon as Thursday, Iran’s ISNA news agency has reported. This could signal that there is conversation going on beyond the US and Iran exchanging their versions of the proposals, analysts say. On Saturday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Munir are expected to visit China where Sharif is expected to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qian to sign several memoranda of understanding, strengthening bilateral understanding and economic cooperation. China hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for a two-day visit from Wednesday, and Moscow and Beijing say they have signed several agreements. Putin’s visit came just days after Xi hosted Trump in Beijing, which yielded little evidence that they had forged any agreement on how to end the war on Iran. After pushing China for weeks to take on a more active role in convincing Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration said ahead of the summit that it did not need Beijing’s help. Adblock test (Why?)
Arteta ‘built a fire’ instead of watching Arsenal’s Premier League crowning
Arsenal will lift the Premier League trophy for the first time since 2004 after Sunday’s match at Crystal Palace. By Reuters Published On 21 May 202621 May 2026 Anxious Arsenal fans around the world were glued to their screens when Manchester City’s draw at Bournemouth crowned the North London club as Premier League champions – but Mikel Arteta, who led Arsenal to their first league title in 22 years, was not watching. The manager had planned to be at Arsenal’s training centre in London Colney to watch the game with his players, but could not find the energy to make the trip, and chose to stay at home. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “I went outside to the garden, I started to build some fire. I started to do some barbecue, I didn’t watch any of it,” Arteta told reporters on Thursday. After finishing second three times in a row, Arteta heard the news of their long-awaited triumph from his eldest son, Gabriel, who plays for Arsenal’s Under-18 side. “My eldest son opened the garden door, he started to run towards me. He started to cry, gave me a hug and said, we are champions, daddy,” Arteta said. “Then my other two boys and my wife came over, and it was beautiful, just to see the joy on them as well.” Videos shared by Arsenal on social media showed players dancing and chanting at their training centre after their league title was confirmed with a game to spare. “It was their moment. And they have to be themselves in that moment. And if I’m there, I think it wasn’t going to be the same,” Arteta said. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard called Arteta soon after, asking where the manager was. “I said, guys, enjoy for a while and see you in a few hours somewhere in London,” Arteta recalled with a smile. Arteta questioned whether he could lead Arsenal to EPL title It is Arteta’s first league title as manager, and he admitted that he doubted himself during a high-pressure campaign, where they were often a slip-up away from losing their lead in the title race. Advertisement “To play with that on your back constantly is not easy. That has been one of the toughest moments… we showed very important values not only in sport, but in life. Which is perseverance, to be resilient, to be composed in moments when people are doubting,” he said. “And to be vulnerable. I’ve asked that question to myself, am I good enough to lead these players to win a major trophy? Until you do it, you cannot validate yourself.” Arteta said the mood in the club had changed after winning the Premier League, buoying the team’s confidence ahead of a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30. “It changes because the level of emotion you feel, it’s something I haven’t felt before,” he said. Arsenal will conclude their league campaign and lift the trophy at Crystal Palace on Sunday. “We will have a window to celebrate and lift the trophy and connect with the people we have constantly around us. Then we have six days to write new history in this football club,” Arteta added. Adblock test (Why?)
The battle of perception: From Israel’s Fauda to Hezbollah’s FPV footage
The footage lasts just three minutes. An Israeli flag flies over a position in the village of al-Bayada, in occupied southern Lebanon. One drone approaches the flagpole while another observes from above. The flag falls after the impact. The final frame displays a digitally rendered, torn Israeli flag with the words: “Al-Bayada does not welcome you.” The video’s caption reads: “Flag lowering ceremony”. This is the latest video released by Hezbollah, which reflects a broader context beyond a single hillside in southern Lebanon. Journalists and observers who covered southern Lebanon in the late 1990s may recall Hezbollah’s media strategy before the Israeli withdrawal. Al-Manar TV functioned as more than a television channel; it operated as a psychological campaign in plain view. Repeated footage of Israeli soldiers screaming after being attacked with a roadside bomb, retreating, positions abandoned, and flags lowered, created the perception in the Arab world that Israel was already departing before any official decision to do so had been taken. Back then, the image pushed forward a new reality, one that played a vital role in mobilising support for Hezbollah and adding pressure on the Israeli government internally to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Then the withdrawal occurred in May 2000, and to many, it felt like a natural result of all that was happening. This approach was never abandoned, but it became unnecessary for a long period due to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s commanding presence and speeches. Advertisement For two decades, Nasrallah was the face of the media war. A man whose son was killed in battle. A leader who said things and then made them happen. What he had could not be taught or replicated; it was credibility accumulated over years of real achievement, giving him the rare ability to reshape how his audience understood events. When something went wrong, he could reframe it. When a setback came, he could place it inside a longer story that made sense. He was the frame that held everything together. The war in Syria badly damaged Hezbollah’s image. Seeing its fighters in Qalamoun, Aleppo, Homs, and other Syrian cities, in what much of the Arab world saw as a sectarian war, was hard to absorb. But Nasrallah was there to absorb it for his base, give it logic, and keep the narrative from collapsing. He framed it as a war to preserve resistance against Israel, rather than one to defend an ally combating a revolution. Without him, the organisation could have faced an even worse image, not only among his critics but also among his supporters. The image itself could not survive without him. Then came 2024. Fuad Shukr, one of Hezbollah’s most senior commanders, was killed in Beirut at the end of July. Less than two months later, the pager operation tore through Hezbollah’s ranks, hundreds of devices detonating at once, an intelligence penetration so complete it felt almost unreal. Then the assassinations kept coming. Senior commanders, one after another. And on September 27, Nasrallah himself was killed in an Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut. His successor, Naim Qassem, was the deputy leader for 30 years. His organisational capabilities helped the party restructure and rebuild, but he is not a communicator. What Nasrallah had was not a transferable skill. It grew from decades of confrontation, presence, and delivery. Qassem’s words lack the crucial layer of strategic narrative his predecessor mastered. So Hezbollah’s media machinery, which always depended on the leader’s voice to shape everything, found itself, for the first time in decades, without a centre, without the voice capable of putting things together, and giving a hint to supporters of what’s to come. As for Israel, its communications strategy wasn’t something it wandered into by accident. For years, Israel had been building it on two tracks simultaneously. The first was operational. A well-resourced apparatus of military spokespersons, carefully managed press access, and rapid-fire media briefings, all designed to get the Israeli military’s version of any story to people’s mobile phones and newsrooms before any alternative could take hold. Advertisement An investigation by Swiss public television SRF released in October revealed how the Israeli military had been quietly producing slick 3D animation videos weeks before major operations, ready to deploy the moment the strikes began, justifying hits on hospitals, residential blocks, and civilian infrastructure. Many broadcasters ran them, and many did not even ask questions about the accuracy of what they were showing. The second track was cultural and ran deeper. Fauda, the Netflix thriller written by veterans of Israeli undercover units, spent several seasons building audiences worldwide, painting Palestinian and Hezbollah fighters as brutal and ultimately incompetent, always outthought, always outmanoeuvred. Tehran, on Apple TV+, did the same job on Iran: Mossad as professionals, the Islamic Republic as a paranoid bureaucracy lurching from one failure to the next. Neither series was crude propaganda, and that was their leverage. They entered living rooms in countries with no prior opinion or knowledge of the conflict and quietly arranged the furniture before the next war arrived. When Israel attacked Iran in June 2025, a LEGO animation video with the soundtrack from Tehran started circulating online. The Iranian responded with another LEGO video that didn’t leave a real impact, but it was just the beginning. By the time the United States and Israel launched their campaign in February, aimed openly at Iran’s nuclear programme and its leadership, Tehran had assembled a media response that caught many observers off guard. Explosive Media, a Tehran-based group producing animated short videos in English, began releasing Lego-style animated films at a pace matching the news cycle. One showed US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beside the devil, looking at Epstein Files, before Trump presses a button and a rocket flies towards Iran. The camera then cuts to the rubble of an Iranian girls’ school that was attacked by Israel and the US military. In another video, missiles are flying towards their targets, each dedicated to a different victim
At least eight killed in Israel’s air attacks on southern Lebanon
Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue despite the ‘ceasefire’ that was recently extended until the beginning of July. Published On 20 May 202620 May 2026 At least eight people have been killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, in the latest violation of an ongoing “ceasefire” agreement, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA). Israeli fighter jets struck in the village of Doueir on Wednesday, killing five people and injuring two others, NNA reported. Several homes were flattened in the attack, the agency said. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Another Israeli attack killed two people near a hospital in the village of Tibnin, while one person riding a motorcycle was killed in a drone attack on the village of Burj Shemali in the Tyre district, NNA said. The Red Cross said it recovered the body of one person on the outskirts of the town of Shebaa in the Nabatieh governorate. Israeli attacks across Lebanon continue despite the United States-mediated “ceasefire” that was recently extended until the beginning of July. The fresh wave of Israeli attacks came hours after at least 16 people were killed in Israeli air attacks across southern Lebanon on Tuesday. The Health Ministry said three women and three children were among the victims. Moreover, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said its forces clashed with Israeli troops trying to advance to the centre of the village of Haddatha late last night. The group also reported clashes with Israeli forces in the town of Biyyada and the municipality of Rashaf. Attacks on eastern Lebanon ongoing Israeli forces continue to expand their military campaign beyond the country’s south into the western Bekaa Valley. Advertisement “For weeks, the Israeli army has been targeting Muslim Shia majority villages in the western Bekaa Valley where Hezbollah has support,” Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported. “They lie on the road that links the southern front-line villages to the east of the country.” Yousef Hasan, displaced from the town of Yuhmor, called Israel “an expansionist state that kills women and children”. “They don’t believe in borders. For them, the border is as far as Israeli soldiers can reach. It is a state that occupies others’ lands,” Hasan told Al Jazeera. Since March 2, Israel has killed 3,073 people in Lebanon and injured 9,362 others, and displaced more than 1.6 million, about one-fifth of the country’s population, according to Lebanese authorities. Israeli forces have also destroyed entire villages in southern Lebanon, prompting comparisons with the devastation caused by Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza. Adblock test (Why?)
Oscar-winning director calls Trump, Netanyahu and Putin ‘monsters’
Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar called Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin ‘monsters’ during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, where he wore a Palestine solidarity pin. Published On 20 May 202620 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Bodies of Italian divers recovered from cave in Maldives
NewsFeed The bodies of two of five Italian divers who died in a deep underwater cave in the Maldives have been recovered. Authorities are investigating what caused the experienced group’s deaths. Published On 20 May 202620 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
China’s Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Beijing
BREAKINGBREAKING, Xi and Putin hold talks just days after US President Donald Trump made an official visit to China. Published On 20 May 202620 May 2026 A meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin has started in Beijing, Chinese state media reports. Xi welcomed Putin on Wednesday to the Chinese capital, shaking hands with the Russian leader outside the Great Hall of the People in advance of their talks, video by Russian media showed. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Before entering the Great Hall, Putin and Xi walked down a red carpet, rolled out to greet the Russian leader, and stood as a military band played their two national anthems. Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said the visit by Putin and that of the recently concluded trip by US President Donald Trump are very different as the Russian leader is marking 25 years of Sino-Russian friendship and Putin has already visited China 25 times so far. “So this visit will really be about deepening existing coordination and cooperation,” Yu said. “We are expecting that the two sides will update each other on the situation in the Middle East as well as Ukraine. No doubt Xi Jinping will also talk to Putin about what was discussed with Donald Trump last week,” Yu said. Putin is being accompanied by a large delegation of Russian businesspeople and government leaders, Yu said, adding the Kremlin had announced the two leaders will sign some 40 different agreements covering everything from the economy and tourism to education. “But I think for Putin the main topic of discussion with Xi Jinping is going to be on energy security,” Yu added. This is a breaking news story. More to follow soon. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Republican Thomas Massie who stood up to Trump defeated in Kentucky primary
With an estimated 72 percent of the vote counted, Ed Gallrein led with 54.4 percent to Massie’s 45.6 percent. US President Donald Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party as Kentucky voters ousted one of the few conservative lawmakers willing to openly challenge his authority. Congressman Thomas Massie‘s defeat, which was predicted by US news networks, including NBC and CNN, about two hours after polls closed on Tuesday, marks another victory in Trump’s campaign to punish dissent within Republican ranks. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list With an estimated 72 percent of the vote counted, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein led with 54.4 percent of the vote to Massie’s 45.6 percent. The Associated Press news agency called the race for Gallrein, whose campaign was backed by Trump’s endorsement as well as millions of dollars from pro-Trump and pro-Israel political lobby groups. The contest, widely described as the most expensive House of Representatives primary in US history, saw more than $32m spent on advertising and offered the latest evidence of Trump’s hold over Republicans. It followed the primary defeat on Saturday of another Trump critic, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, as well as losses for dissenting Republican state lawmakers in Indiana earlier this month. “Massie got Trumped. Donald Trump is the sun and the moon and the stars in the Republican Party in Kentucky,” Kentucky-based Republican strategist TJ Litafik said. A test of Trump’s influence The Kentucky vote was closely watched as a test of whether Trump’s hold on Republican voters remained firm despite concerns over his war on Iran, growing inflation and declining personal approval ratings, and whether there was still space in the party for lawmakers willing to break with him. Advertisement Massie had angered Trump by opposing US military action in Iran and Venezuela, criticising aid to Israel, resisting parts of the president’s agenda, and backing efforts to release files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The president spent months attacking Massie, a libertarian-leaning seven-term congressman, calling him a “moron”, a “nut job” and a “major sleazebag”. “Dealing with him is just horrible. I don’t think he’s a Republican… He’s not a libertarian,” Trump told reporters after polls opened on Tuesday. “Sometimes they say he’s really a Dumb-ocrat. He votes against us all the time,” Trump said, using a nickname he frequently deploys against Democrats. ‘I’m not running against President Trump’ In the northern Kentucky city of Covington, Rob Barkley, a former Trump supporter who backed Massie, said the president’s attacks had pushed him further towards the congressman. “He’s on the Republican side, so he has a conservative mindset,” Barkley told US media after casting his ballot. “But he’s not as far-right leaning as Trump’s politics,” he said. Massie, who voted with Trump roughly 90 percent of the time during the president’s second term, framed the contest as a broader test of independence within the Republican Party. “I’m not running against President Trump. Most of the people voting for me support President Trump like I do,” Massie said. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also made a rare appearance in Massie’s district on Monday to campaign for Gallrein. Federal law restricts government employees from engaging in partisan political activity while on duty, but Hegseth’s office said he attended in a personal capacity and that no taxpayer money was used. Trump later revealed that Hegseth’s campaign appearance came just hours before the US had expected to launch a new military assault on Iran, although the operation was later postponed. Several US states, including Georgia and Pennsylvania, held primaries on Tuesday in advance of November’s midterm elections, but the Kentucky race emerged as one of the night’s most closely-watched contests. Massie, first elected in 2012, had long been one of Trump’s most persistent Republican critics. Adblock test (Why?)
Tata-ASML deal: How significant is it for India’s semiconductor push?
India’s Tata Electronics has signed a deal with the Dutch technology giant ASML (Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography) to build India’s first front-end semiconductor fabrication plant as New Delhi pushes to develop a domestic semiconductor manufacturing base. Front-end manufacturing refers to the building of microscopic circuits onto a blank silicon wafer using specialised lithographic machines. ASML is a pioneer of lithographic technology used in the mass production of microchips across the world. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “India’s rapidly expanding semiconductor sector represents many compelling opportunities, and we are committed to establishing long-term partnerships in the region,” ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet said. Semiconductor chips power modern technology and are critical for everything from smartphones and cars to artificial intelligence systems and defence technology. The agreement was announced during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the Netherlands, which ended on Sunday. So what do we know about the deal, and what does it mean for India’s artificial intelligence ambitions? What are the details of the deal? Under the agreement, ASML will supply advanced lithography technology to Tata Electronics, which is a subsidiary of the multinational Tata conglomerate, for the manufacture of 300mm wafers. Tata Electronics plans to invest $11bn to build India’s first semiconductor fabrication plant in Dholera in Modi’s home state of Gujarat. “ASML will enable the establishment and ramp-up of Tata Electronics’ Dholera Fab with its holistic suite of lithography tools and solutions,” the companies said in a joint statement. Advertisement The plant will produce chips for sectors that include automotive manufacturing, mobile devices and AI applications. Currently, India imports the bulk of its microchips because it does not manufacture advanced chips (such as sub-7 nanometre, or nm) for AI and smartphones. In October, India unveiled its first indigenous semiconductor chip – the Vikram-32 (Vikram 3201). It is a 32-bit microprocessor designed for space launches. ASML, Europe’s biggest technology company by market value, can provide India with the technology considered essential for advanced chip manufacturing. The Dutch company said it would help “establish and ramp up” production at the planned plant by supplying its cutting-edge chipmaking tools. Tata Electronics has also teamed up with Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC), which is helping set up the plant. The company is a major semiconductor powerhouse, specialising in the making of memory chips. According to Tata, PSMC will share access to a “broad technology portfolio”, including 28nm, 40nm, 55nm, 90nm and 110nm chip-making technologies. The plant is expected to be ready by 2028, according to Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw. India has increasingly partnered with Taiwan firms for technology transfers, supply-chain integration and workforce development as it tries to build a domestic semiconductor ecosystem. India and Taiwan have seen increased trade in recent years, including in technology and AI, reaching $10bn in 2024. Taiwan is a major player in the production of global semiconductors. What are 300mm semiconductor wafers? The Gujarat plant will manufacture chips using 300mm wafers, the global industry standard for advanced semiconductor fabrication. A 300mm wafer is a thin circular slice of silicon on which chips are built. Larger wafers are important because they allow manufacturers to produce more chips per production cycle, lowering costs and improving efficiency. Many cutting-edge chips used in AI servers, data centres, smartphones and advanced vehicles are produced on 300mm wafers. In the semiconductor supply chain, 300mm fabrication is at the core of the front-end manufacturing process. This stage involves designing and fabricating integrated circuits onto silicon wafers before the chips are cut, packaged and tested in later back-end stages. Why is the deal significant for India? For India, the deal is both industrial and strategic. It furthers self-sufficiency and strengthens ties with Europe, with which it signed a “mother of all deals” free trade agreement in January. Advertisement “India is seeking to build out its semiconductor industry by building 12nm chips. ASML can supply the equipment needed to produce them,” Sujai Shivakumar, a director and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Al Jazeera. “In this respect, it is an important development in the growth of markets for ASML as well as the capacity for production within India.” According to analyst Harsh V Pant, the deal is one of the “most important semiconductor developments India has seen in recent years”. The deal is significant because it signals a shift in India’s role in the AI economy “from mainly software services and AI talent toward owning part of the physical infrastructure behind AI itself”, Pant, head of the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera. “It may not necessarily make India a semiconductor powerhouse overnight, but it is probably the clearest sign yet that India wants to become a serious semiconductor manufacturing nation, a trusted geopolitical tech partner and eventually an AI infrastructure player, not just an AI consumer,” he pointed out. “I think that’s why this deal is important and this is something that India would be carrying forward.” It also supports the government’s broader push to position the country as a major global technology and AI player. “India trails only the US and China in terms of AI competitiveness,” Shivakumar said. Nearly 20 percent of the world’s chip design engineers are Indians. So New Delhi can use this talent pool in its pursuit to become a hub for semiconductor research and development. However, Shivakumar says the industry, including the design part, is “inherently complex” and “globally interconnected”. “Indian engineers working for US companies are part of this ecosystem. I think what we’re seeing now is an intensification of those connections,” he added. The European Union sees India, the world’s most populous nation, as an important trading partner and market for its goods and services amid the tariff war unleashed by United States President Donald Trump. Experts said the deal is highly significant for India because semiconductor manufacturing is seen as essential for technological independence. However, India’s push to ramp up semiconductor