‘Nail scratch marks on body…': Medical report deepens trouble for Kolkata gangrape accused Monojit Mishra
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
6 minutes ago
- First Post
What Trump-Putin summit could mean for US-EU trans-atlantic alliance
It is understandable that there will be limits to US-Russia détente, but Trump administration may further erode the strategic trust between the US and its European allies read more The European countries have stood with Kyiv since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in early 2022. For more than two years since the war, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), led by the US and the European Union, were united in supporting Ukraine in its war efforts against its more powerful neighbour. Billions of dollars of military assistance, including weapons and ammunition, flowed into Ukraine. However, divisions within Nato as well as between the US and the European Union have become more discernible with the return of Donald Trump to the American White House. President Trump, from the days of presidential election campaigns for the second term, has repeatedly opposed his predecessor Joe Biden's Ukraine policy. He also drastically differed with Biden's approach to Nato. During his first presidency, Trump was distrustful of Nato, but his successor, Joe Biden, had restored the trans-Atlantic trust amidst the Ukraine War. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While President Trump in his second administration successfully bulldozed Nato members to agree to his proposal for enhancement of their defence expenditure to make it five per cent of their respective GDP, he has not been able to bully the EU member countries to endorse his policy towards Russia and its war against Ukraine. As President Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska on Friday for their first summit this year and negotiate a deal to end the Ukraine War, European countries appear nervous. President Trump is not willing to carry the leaders of America's trans-Atlantic allies along with him while negotiating with President Putin. During decades of the Cold War, the US always consulted, partnered and collaborated with the European allies on numerous conflict spots. The US and Nato were together in the longest war of the Cold War era in Vietnam. They were together too in the longest war of the post-Cold War era against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The US and the Nato members also fought against Russia by fully backing Ukraine militarily and seeking to cripple the Russian economy through sanctions during the Biden administration. But now, under the Trump 2.0 administration, the trans-Atlantic relations have developed cracks, perhaps beyond complete restoration in the near future. Twenty-three out of 27 members of the European Union are also members of the Nato alliance. President Trump considers the EU a fierce competitor, perhaps an economic rival, and recently launched a tariff war against them, as against numerous countries around the world. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After several rounds of negotiations, the EU managed to conclude a trade deal by agreeing to a 15 per cent tariff on their exports to the US, which is actually several times more than the tariff rate earlier. The EU as an association signed the deal; the details of the deal, however, are not known. And all individual member countries are not contented over it. While many European leaders stay away from making critical remarks on President Trump's policies, the French prime minister called it 'a dark day' when the deal was announced. Others described it as a 'suboptimal deal'. While the EU energy imports from Russia were difficult amidst the Ukraine war and implementation of anti-Russian sanctions by the combined West, Trump's demands for more defence expenditure added to the economic agonies of the EU. But the European allies of the US felt more firmly sandwiched when Trump dilly-dallied on backing Ukraine militarily, pushed for direct negotiations with Russian President Putin and refused to consult them on an issue that has perceptibly posed the most serious security challenge to the continent since the end of the Second World War. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The decision of President Trump to hold a bilateral summit with President Putin in Alaska has rung an alarm bell in Europe. More outrageous to Ukraine and its European backers is the idea of a 'land swap' as part of the deal that would allow Russia to gain territory and make Ukraine cede part of its sovereign territory. Seven EU members, including France and Germany, issued a joint statement and proclaimed that 'the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine'. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy, on his part, outrightly rejected any 'land swap' that would be decided by the American and Russian leaders on Ukrainian territory. It appears as if in the current situation Ukraine and some European powers are united against the United States and Russia! Its ramifications can be radical transformations in contemporary geopolitics. The trans-Atlantic alliance can develop holes that will be difficult to fill up in the foreseeable future. The divergences on political and security affairs between the United States and Europe appear stark when one considers the French and British position on Palestine, the Spanish and Swiss decision against buying F-35 fighter aircraft from the US and the European resolve to bolster their military capabilities to address security challenges in the absence of American support. France and Britain have proposed the idea of collaboration in developing a European deterrence capability. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is understandable that there will be limits to US-Russia détente. Whether it will survive the Trump 2.0 administration is also a question mark. But the challenges of this détente between erstwhile cold warriors under the Trump administration may further erode the strategic trust between the United States and its European allies. The EU and Britain seem to have embarked upon a journey for achieving strategic independence from the United States, and this journey is unlikely to end even after a change of administration in the US. However, the EU's desire to achieve strategic autonomy is not going to be an easy way. The EU will also face tremendous difficulties from within the association. There are member countries that admire the Trumpian policies, and then there are also members, such as Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, which are Euro-sceptics. The recently elected president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, for instance, is a right-wing leader who appears to be pro-Trump on certain policy matters. He is dead against Russia but opposes Nato membership for Ukraine. Yet, the efforts towards consolidating the abilities of the EU to confront the challenges emanating from the other side of the Atlantic will remain a work in progress. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The author is founding chairperson, Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies, and editor, India Quarterly. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Deccan Herald
6 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
China loosens urea exports to India in sign of thawing tensions
By Hallie Gu and Pratik has eased curbs on urea shipments to India, in the latest indication of a thaw in tensions between Beijing and New Delhi as US President Donald Trump's trade policies target the two Asian the world's top importer of the crop nutrient, could take as much as 300,000 tons, according to people familiar with the matter. They asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to talk to the media. China is typically a major exporter of the nitrogen-based fertilizer, although it has restricted sales in recent move from Beijing comes in the wake of Trump's latest salvo of trade levies — doubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50% as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil — which has helped warm ties between China and India. .Relations between the two Asian neighbors hit a low point in 2020, when border clashes left 20 Indian fighters and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers dead. India recently allowed tourist visas for Chinese nationals after years of curbs, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Tianjin starting on Aug. 31. The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing didn't immediately reply to a fax seeking comment. India's Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers didn't immediately reply to a request for 2023, almost half of China's exports headed to India. But it halted sales to all destinations last year. Beijing relaxed the ban in June, while keeping its restrictions on India until the volume is small, it could grow into a significant trade flow, and help ease tight global supplies and cool high imported about 5.7 million tons of urea in the fiscal year ended March 31, down almost 20% from a year earlier, according to the Fertiliser Association of India. Purchases from China fell to almost 100,000 tons in 2024-25, compared with 1.87 million tons a year ago, it said. Given India's large, farm-dependent economy and the fact that domestic production falls short of demand, the country relies heavily on imports to bridge the gap and make supplies stable for farmers. Urea is heavily subsidized in the country, with the soil nutrient playing a critical role in boosting yields of key crops.
NDTV
17 minutes ago
- NDTV
Xi Jinping Takes Aim At US "Protectionism" In Phone Call With Brazil's Lula
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke with his Chinese counterpart following talks with the leaders of India and Russia, as part of his outreach to allies after Donald Trump thrust Latin America's biggest economy into the middle of his global trade war. A readout from Brazil's government said the two leaders spoke for about one hour and exchanged views on international affairs, including recent developments around the Russia-Ukraine war. Brazil's president, known universally as Lula, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping also agreed on "upholding multilateralism" through the Group of 20 and BRICS. During the phone conversation on Tuesday morning in Beijing, Xi called for coordinated efforts against unilateralism and protectionism - language usually used by China to criticize US trade policy. He said China supports the Brazilian people in safeguarding their country's legitimate rights, describing ties between the two nations as being "at their best in history," according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. China is willing to work with Brazil to strengthen coordination and set an example of "unity and self-reliance among Global South nations," CCTV cited Xi as saying. The call caps an effort by Lula to build solidarity across the BRICS club of major emerging nations, of which Brazil is a founding member along with Russia, China and India. Lula spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the past few days, as Brazil came under pressure from the US. Brazil has become a target of Trump's trade war after he imposed higher tariffs in an effort to end the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro on charges that he attempted a coup. Lula's government has responded by seeking to expand trade with other partners, especially with China, India and Southeast Asia. Xi's conversation with Lula also followed Trump's demand on Monday that China massively step up its purchases of US soybeans. Beijing has bought more of the legume from its top supplier Brazil in recent months, and is also testing trial cargoes of soybean meal from Argentina, to secure supplies of the animal feed ingredient. Trump on Tuesday extended a pause of sky-high levies on Chinese goods for another 90 days into early November. Even so, BRICS countries are among the nations that were hit the hardest by higher US tariffs that went into effect last week. Brazil holds the BRICS rotating presidency this year. Trump has slammed BRICS as being anti-US. The group, established in 2009, expanded last year and now also includes Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Egypt. Lula met Xi in May during a state visit to Beijing, where he signed more than 30 agreements for Chinese investment in mining, transport infrastructure and ports, among other deals.
