Rush Hour: India revises US retaliatory tariffs, Bhagwat's ‘retire at 75' remark sparks row and more
India has proposed to double the retaliatory tariffs it plans to impose on the United States under World Trade Organization norms. The action came in response to Washington hiking import duties on aluminium and steel.
In a communication circulated among members of the organisation on Wednesday, India reportedly said that the reciprocal tariffs would apply to $7.6 billion worth of American goods and lead to a duty collection worth $3.82 billion.
On May 9, India had notified the World Trade Organization that it may impose retaliatory tariffs on the US after Washington increased the import duties on aluminium and steel to 25%. The previously proposed retaliatory measures would have led to a duty collection of $1.9 billion. Read on.
A comment by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat has sparked questions from the Opposition about whether he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will step down from their posts upon turning 75.
At a book launch in Nagpur on Wednesday, Bhagwat narrated an anecdote about late RSS ideologue Moropant Pingle. 'When you are honoured with a shawl on turning 75, it means that now you have grown old, now just move aside, let us do it,' he quoted Pingle as having said. Both Bhagwat and Modi will turn 75 in September.
On Friday, the Congress' communications chief Jairam Ramesh said that Modi had been reminded by Bhagwat that he will turn 75 in September. His party colleague Pawan Khera said that Bhagwat's message was 'good news' as it meant that the RSS chief and Modi would retire in September.
The BJP rejected the speculation, saying that there is no rule in the party that requires a person to retire at the age of 75. Read on.
The collapse of the bridge in Vadodara, which resulted in 19 deaths, occurred due to the crushing of the 'pedestal and articulation joints', Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel has said.
A pedestal is a concrete element that is used to transfer loads from structures. An articulation joint is a designed gap in a structure that allows for movement due to factors such as foundation settlement, temperature changes or moisture. These joints help prevent cracking and other structural damage.
Rushikesh Patel added that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has suspended four officials of the roads and buildings department for 'negligence'. Read on.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has said that India hit 13 air bases and nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during Operation Sindoor. 'Foreign press said that Pakistan did that and this,' Doval added. 'You show me one photograph, one image, which shows any damage to any Indian [structure], even a glass pane having been broken.'
On May 10, the Indian armed forces said that the Pakistani air bases and defence installations that were struck 'using air-launched precision weapons from our fighter aircraft' included Sargodha, Bholari, Rafiqi, Murid, Chaklala (Rawalpindi) and Rahim Yar Khan. The headquarters of the Pakistan Army is located in Rawalpindi.
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