logo
India proposes retaliatory duties at WTO against US tariffs on autos

India proposes retaliatory duties at WTO against US tariffs on autos

Straits Times4 hours ago
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
New Delhi has proposed retaliatory duties against the US at the World Trade Organisation.
New Delhi has proposed retaliatory duties against the US at the World Trade Organisation, saying Washington's 25 per cent tariff on automobiles and some auto parts would affect US$2.89 billion (S$3.68 billion) of India's exports, according to an official notification.
'India reserves the right to suspend concessions or other obligations ... that are substantially equivalent to the adverse effects of the measure to India's trade,' the statement said.
According to the notification, the duty collected by the US would amount to US$725 million and New Delhi will impose an 'equivalent amount of duty collected from products originating in the United States'.
India did not specify the tariff rate or which goods it would levy duties on.
India is trying to clinch a trade deal with Washington before a July 9 deadline set by US President Donald Trump, after which he has threatened to impose a 26 per cent tariff on all imported Indian goods.
India has signalled it is ready to slash its high tariff rates for the US but has not conceded on Washington's demands for opening up the agriculture and dairy sectors. REUTERS
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group
UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - Pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action's co-founder on Friday lost a bid to pause the British government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, though the group is launching an urgent appeal. Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, asked London's High Court to stop the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, before a full hearing of her case that banning the group is unlawful later this month. British lawmakers this week decided to ban Palestine Action after its activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes in protest against what the group says is Britain's support for Israel. Proscription would make it a crime to be a member of Palestine Action that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. The group accuses the British government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in its ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Ammori's lawyer Raza Husain said the proscription marked the first time Britain had sought to ban a group carrying out such direct action, describing it as "an ill-considered, discriminatory, authoritarian abuse of statutory power". Critics of the government's decision, including some United Nations experts and civil liberties groups, have also argued that damaging property does not amount to terrorism. DEFENCE FIRMS TARGETED The group has particularly focused on Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems and Britain's government cited a raid at an Elbit site last year when it decided to proscribe the group. The decision to ban the group came as four members were charged over the incident at the RAF Brize Norton air base, in which military planes were sprayed with red paint. Husain said that was the only example of action targeting a government or military facility and all previous incidents were against private companies to support his argument against designating Palestine Action as terrorist. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Britain's interior minister, has said that violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that Palestine Action's activities pass the threshold for proscription. Judge Martin Chamberlain ruled against Ammori's bid to pause the ban, meaning the proscription of Palestine Action will come into force at midnight. Husain asked for a temporary pause until Monday pending an appeal but Chamberlain refused, saying: "You are going to have to trouble the Court of Appeal tonight." Ammori said in a statement that "we are seeking an urgent appeal to try to prevent a dystopian nightmare of the government's making". REUTERS

Ukraine's Zelensky says interceptors downed many Russian drones overnight
Ukraine's Zelensky says interceptors downed many Russian drones overnight

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Ukraine's Zelensky says interceptors downed many Russian drones overnight

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox An hours-long assault saw Russia fire more than 500 Russian drones and missiles at Ukraine. KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 4 that interceptor drones had proved effective in downing many Russian drones deployed in an overnight Russian attack on Kyiv and issued a new call for their rapid development and production. Mr Zelensky noted the hours-long assault, the largest in the 40-month-old war with more than 500 Russian drones and missiles deployed, had been 'difficult, but a significant portion were still shot down'. 'Today also brought important results from our interceptor drones. Dozens of Shaheds (Iranian-designed drones) were shot down specifically by these interceptors,' Mr Zelensky said, in his nightly video address. 'We are scaling this up as much as possible. More production of these interceptor drones, more training and more preparation for our drone operators. This is a clear task.' Mr Zelensky has long focused on manufacturing and developing drones, an industry that was virtually non-existent when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour in February 2022. In recent weeks, he has spoken more specifically of the need to develop drone interceptors to parry increasingly intensive attacks by swarms of Russian drones, deployed along with missiles. In June, the president noted that Ukrainian companies had already boosted production of the interceptors in response to the increasingly frequent and destructive Russian attacks. Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat said in June that developing interceptor drones would help Ukraine use its resources more rationally in fending off Russian attacks, rather than relying on missiles and aircraft. REUTERS

Yego battles to keep javelin's future alive in Kenya
Yego battles to keep javelin's future alive in Kenya

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Yego battles to keep javelin's future alive in Kenya

Julius Yego, the former world champion famously known as "Mr. YouTube", faces a lonely battle to preserve javelin's future in Kenya as he prepares for Saturday's Neeraj Chopra Classic with the weight of an entire sport on his shoulders. The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist stands as Kenya's sole representative in javelin at World Athletics Championships, a contrast to his country's dominance in distance running that has produced athletes like Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon. "India, of course, being a very big economy, has really been able to help Chopra. I would say maybe the Kenyan story is a little bit different because there isn't much support in the sport as such," Yego told Reuters. "You can see it's only me who is still there. I'm in the last stages of my career and then we haven't got big support as I would want it to happen, but hopefully it will continue. "I can't even push when I'm not there (retired). So I can't even be part of the people who really want to make the change when I'm not active," added 36-year-old Yego, who won the world title in 2015. Coming from countries with less exposure in athletics, Yego finds kinship with Chopra in their shared mission to expand javelin globally. "We want to make the sport grow even bigger because it is a footprint that matters a lot. What we have done so far and what will happen after us, we want the sport to continue even when we are no longer there," the 36-year-old said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore 20 retired MPs spoke up on many issues in Parliament, helped successors prepare for new role: PM Wong Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Banks tighten vigilance and processes following $3b money laundering case Asia JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital Singapore Trilateral work group formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work Singapore Power distribution system in renewal project may be linked to Bukit Panjang LRT disruption: SMRT Singapore Rise in number of scam e-mails claiming to be from Cardinal William Goh: Catholic Church With the worlds looming in Tokyo in September, Yego said he was operating at "90% fitness" due to injury concerns and with a couple of months to go before the competition starts, he does not want to rush into anything. The Kenyan also reflected on his country's depth of talent in athletics, praising triple world and Olympic 1,500 metres champion Kipyegon's recent achievements. Kipyegon last month fell short in her attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes when she clocked 4:06.42 in a Nike "Breaking4" project that, though faster than her own world record, will not be ratified. "Kenya has big talent, especially in track. Faith's done so well. She's done great in her push to break the four-minute barrier," he said. However, he expressed a particular interest in nurturing "the next generation of javelin throwers." Apart from Yego, Irene Jepkemboi can be his country's next hope in the sport after she became the first Kenyan female athlete to surpass the 60-metre mark in the javelin last month. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store