German foreign minister says first phase of Trump's Gaza plan achievable by next week
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that the initial stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza must...
U.S.-India trade relations plunged into crisis on Wednesday after President Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing India's continued reliance on Russian oil.
The decision follows the collapse of trade negotiations and marks the most significant downturn in bilateral ties since Trump resumed office in January.
The order, which raises tariffs on some Indian products to as much as 50%, will take effect 21 days after 7 August. Key Indian export sectors such as textiles, footwear, and gems and jewellery are expected to be hit hardest.
In a sharp rebuke, India’s Ministry of External Affairs called the move “extremely unfortunate” and said, “India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.” It added that the country’s oil imports are based on energy security considerations and market dynamics, not politics.
The timing of the U.S. decision coincides with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to China, his first in more than seven years, prompting speculation about shifting strategic alignments.
Madhavi Arora, an economist at Emkay Global, warned that the new levies would “practically kill trade between the two nations”. Another economist, Garima Kapoor from Elara Securities, noted that the tariff shock could pressure the Indian rupee and spur new calls for fiscal relief.
India imported a record $52 billion of Russian oil in 2024, according to government data. The White House did not comment on whether China, another major Russian oil buyer, might face similar penalties. However, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently told Chinese officials that failing to curb such purchases could trigger new tariffs under pending legislation.
A senior Indian government official said the steep tariff rate and sudden nature of the move caught New Delhi off guard, even as it remained engaged in trade discussions with Washington. There are now behind-the-scenes efforts to negotiate a compromise that could involve a gradual cut in Russian oil imports in exchange for tariff relief.
The trade fallout adds further strain ahead of the 12 August expiry of the U.S.-China tariff truce, after which both sides are expected to reintroduce triple-digit duties on a wide range of goods.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that the initial stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza must be implemented by the beginning of next week at the latest, while acknowledging that other elements of the proposal would take longer to resolve.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday found a militia leader guilty for the first time over atrocities committed in Sudan’s Darfur region more than two decades ago.
Protesters once again took to the streets of Madagascar’s cities on Monday, marking a third consecutive week of anti-government demonstrations now calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down.
Iran and France indicated on Monday that talks on the release of two French citizens held in Iran in exchange for an Iranian national detained by France were progressing.
Ukraine’s military says it has carried out strikes on one of Russia’s main explosives factories and an oil terminal in occupied Crimea, escalating long-range attacks on key sites supporting Moscow’s war effort.
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