Trump imposes 25 percent tariff on Indian goods over Russian oil
The move on Wednesday threatens to complicate US-Indian relations further and comes shortly after an Indian government source said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit China for the first time in over seven years later this month.
US-India ties are facing their most serious crisis in years after talks with India failed to produce a trade agreement.
The White House move, first signaled by Trump on Monday, follows meetings by Trump's top diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow aimed at pushing Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine.
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Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,261
Here is how things stand on Friday, August 8: Fighting The Ukrainian military said its drone units hit the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region. It was not immediately clear what the extent of the damage was at the refinery, which, together with the Krasnodar refinery, processed 7.2 million metric tonnes of crude oil in 2024. Local Russian emergency services said they had extinguished a fire at the Afipsky refinery, saying it was caused by fallen drone debris. The Russian Ministry of Defence said air defence systems had shot down nine Ukrainian drones in the region overnight. Russia's Defence Ministry said air defence systems also shot down eight British-made Storm Shadow missiles launched by the Ukrainian army over the past 24 hours. Russia also hit a Ukrainian railway hub used for transferring weapons and military equipment to Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, the ministry added. Gas supplies continued on Thursday through the Orlovka interconnector in southern Ukraine, which was attacked by Russian drones on Wednesday, the Ukrainian gas transmission operator said. Ceasefire Russia's Deputy United Nations Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said that Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet with United States President Donald Trump next week, but said he was not aware of any planned meeting between Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump said Putin does not have to agree to meet with Zelenskyy in order to have a meeting with him. Putin said that the United Arab Emirates is one of the suitable locations to hold a meeting with Trump. Putin added that he was not 'on the whole' against meeting Zelenskyy, adding that 'certain conditions should be created' for such a meeting. He stressed that the current situation was 'far' from being ready for it. French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France's full support for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the launch of talks aimed at reaching a lasting and solid peace, following a 'long discussion' with Zelenskyy and other European leaders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had spoken with Zelenskyy about the developments of the last days and next steps. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the conflict in Ukraine during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Sanctions and tariffs Russia and India stressed their commitment to a 'strategic partnership' in bilateral security talks in Moscow, a day after Trump announced higher tariffs on imports from India because of its purchases of Russian oil. Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval as saying that New Delhi was looking forward to a visit from Putin by the end of the year. Russia's central bank has tweaked its rules for non-residents, allowing foreigners' funds from special type-C accounts to pass to Russian investors when involved in the exchange of assets, a move that could free up blocked capital in Russia and abroad. As Russia sought to ratchet up military production for the war in Ukraine, a state-owned explosives manufacturer circumvented Western sanctions by purchasing equipment made by Germany's Siemens from a middleman that imports technology from China, the Reuters news agency reported. Regional developments Zelenskyy said he discussed a new financial assistance programme that will 'strengthen Ukrainians now and in the post-war period' on a call with International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva. Russia said it had protested to Italy this week over what it called 'odious' anti-Russian statements, in an ongoing row over the cancellation of a concert by Russian conductor Valery Gergiev in Italy.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
CAIR urges US to probe the death of father killed in Israeli settler attack
A Muslim American group has sent a letter to the administration of President Donald Trump urging it to investigate the death of United States citizen Khamis Ayyad in a settler attack in the occupied West Bank. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Ayyad's family has 'no confidence in any investigation conducted by Israeli authorities'. The letter, penned by CAIR and its Chicago chapter, was sent on Wednesday, almost a week after Ayyad's death on July 31. Addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi, it underscored legal provisions, including the US-Israel Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), that would enable Washington to investigate Ayyad's death. 'The Department of Justice has previously relied on these very statutes to investigate the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, which killed several Americans. Yet it has failed to apply them when the perpetrators are Israeli,' the letter read. 'This double standard is indefensible and is a CLEAR act of discrimination. American citizenship must not be selectively protected based on the identity or political alliances of the killer.' Ayyad, a Chicago area resident and father of five, was one of two US citizens killed in settler attacks in the West Bank in July. According to Ayyad's family, settlers torched cars outside his home in the town of Silwad, north of Ramallah, last week. Ayyad woke up to put out the fire, but then the Israeli army showed up at the scene and started firing tear gas in his direction. The family believes that Ayyad died from inhaling tear gas and smoke from the burning vehicles. Earlier in July, Israeli settlers also beat to death 20-year-old Sayfollah Musallet, a Florida native, near the West Bank village of Sinjil. The US government has acknowledged Ayyad's death but stopped short of denouncing it or even calling for an investigation. 'We can confirm the death of a US citizen in the town of Silwad in the West Bank,' a US State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera last week. 'We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them. We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank.' According to CAIR, US officials have not reached out to Ayyad's family. William Asfour, the operations coordinator for CAIR-Chicago, said the State Department's statement shows that 'Palestinian lives are not valued' by the US government. 'This statement from the State Department seems more like formalities than any actual concern,' Asfour told Al Jazeera. 'We want to see direct action. Holding the terrorist settlers accountable is a step in the right direction.' After Israeli soldiers or settlers kill American citizens, the US usually calls on Israel to investigate. But Israel rarely prosecutes anyone for abuses against Palestinians. Rights advocates have long argued that Israel is not equipped to investigate its own crimes. For example, no charges have been brought in the case of Musallet's fatal beating nearly one month later. The CAIR letter stressed that Israel has a 'well-documented and deeply troubling history of distorting facts, fabricating narratives, and systematically exonerating its soldiers and illegal settlers'. Since 2022, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 10 US citizens. None of the cases have resulted in criminal charges. 'The murder of Khamis Ayyad must mark a turning point. The time to stop hiding behind legal technicalities and political convenience is now. Inaction is complicity,' the CAIR letter said. On Monday, Congressman Chuy Garcia, who represents a district in the Chicago area, also called for the US to launch its own probe into Ayyad's death. 'I join his family in urging a full US investigation into the incident and demand the accountability of those involved,' Garcia wrote in a social media post.
Qatar Tribune
5 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
BoE cuts its main interest rate to 4 percent lowest level since early 2023
Agencies The Bank of England (BoE) lowered its main interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 4% on Thursday, as policymakers seek to bolster the sluggish U.K. economy. Thursday's decision was widely anticipated in financial markets as the bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) balances its responsibility to control inflation against concern that rising taxes and U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war may slow economic growth. The committee voted 5-4 in favor of the cut. The rate cut is the bank's fifth since last August, when policymakers began lowering borrowing costs from a 16-year high of 5.25%. The Bank of England's key rate – a benchmark for mortgages as well as consumer and business loans – is now at the lowest level since March 2023. 'There will be hopes that if loans become cheaper, it will help boost consumer and business confidence but there's a long way to go,' Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said before the decision. 'In the meantime, speculation over potential tax rises in the Autumn Budget may keep households and companies cautious, given the uncertainty over where extra burdens may land.' Policymakers decided to cut rates even though consumer prices rose 3.6% in the 12 months through June, significantly above the bank's 2% target. The bank sees the recent rise in consumer prices as a temporary spike, due in part to high energy costs, and expects inflation to fall back to the target next year. Against the backdrop, policymakers were faced with reports that the government may be forced to raise taxes later this year due to sluggish economic growth, rising borrowing costs and pressure to increase spending. Britain's unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in the three months through May, the highest level in four years, signaling that previous tax increases and uncertainty about the global economy are weighing on employers. The U.K. economy grew 0.7% in the first three months of 2025 after stagnating in the second half of last year.
