US president's son Donald Trump Jr. visits Taj Mahal
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Agra (PTI): Donald Trump Jr., son of US President Donald Trump, visited the Taj Mahal in Agra on Thursday and spent nearly an hour exploring the monument under an elaborate security arrangement, officials said.
Trump Jr. arrived at the monument around 3.30 pm and had an extensive photo session inside the complex, including at the iconic Diana bench, they said.
A senior official said he showed deep interest in the Taj Mahal's history and construction, asking his guide detailed questions about its architecture.
Guide Nitin Singh accompanied Trump Jr. during the tour. Singh is the same guide who had shown the monument to President Donald Trump during his 2020 visit, officials noted.
Security was significantly tightened for the visit. Besides local police, security personnel from the US were also deployed.
CISF took over inner security as soon as Trump Jr. entered the premises, ensuring a seamless movement inside the monument. Ahead of his arrival, the administration also carried out special cleaning drives and cleared key routes of stray animals, they said.
Trump Jr. is also expected to attend a high-profile destination wedding in Udaipur, they added.
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge met a high-level delegation from Chile, led by Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday to discuss collaboration in emerging technologies, clean energy, and startup ecosystems, officials said.
The delegation’s visit to Bengaluru, as part of its India engagements, underscores Karnataka’s growing prominence as a preferred partner for global collaborations in technology, innovation, and startup ecosystems, officials added.
The discussions reflected strong alignment between Chile’s evolving technology-focused growth strategy and Karnataka’s established leadership in innovation and deep-tech ecosystems, according to a statement.
Both sides explored opportunities to build partnerships that move beyond traditional sectors and focus on innovation-led growth, talent exchange, and market access.
The meeting focused on opportunities in renewable energy, including green hydrogen and sustainable industrial innovation.
Other potential areas of collaboration included marine biotechnology, aquaculture technologies, and AI applications across traditional industries.
According to the state IT minister, Karnataka is now a global hub for deep-tech, AI, biotech, aerospace, and advanced research, backed by one of the world’s strongest talent pipelines.
“As partners under the global innovation alliance, we must move beyond agreements on paper to actionable collaboration,” Kharge said.
“We are keen to work with Chile on startup exchanges, market access programmes, and building joint innovation corridors, including R&D centres, incubators, and accelerators. Chile’s position as a gateway to Latin America presents a significant opportunity for our startups to scale globally,” he added.
Officials said the engagement builds on the Letter of Intent signed between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of Chile during the Bengaluru Tech Summit, which established a framework for collaboration in startups, emerging technologies, research, and skill development under the Global Innovation Alliance.
Mackenna, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the country is actively advancing its transition toward a knowledge- and technology-driven economy.
“Our engagement with Karnataka reflects our interest in building strong innovation partnerships that enable technology exchange, talent collaboration, and access to dynamic startup ecosystems,” he added.
“We see significant potential to work together in sectors such as clean energy, digital technologies, and emerging industries, while also strengthening Chile’s role as a bridge between India and Latin America,” he said.
