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Indian Express
33 minutes ago
- Business
- Indian Express
India, EU close 7 out of 23 chapters in trade deal; last round to take place in September
As trade negotiations pick up pace amid US tariff threats, India and the EU have managed to close two more chapters in the latest round of talks and narrow gaps in services, a government official said on Tuesday. The two sides have now agreed on seven out of 23 chapters in the ongoing negotiations for what could be the largest trade agreement India has ever entered into. Satya Srinivas, special secretary in the Department of Commerce, said the last (12th) round of talks concluded last week in Brussels. 'We have exchanged our offers on services and non-services… there were discussions on that. We also discussed key interests in market access related to goods as well… The next round of talks (will be held) in the first week of September,' Srinivas said. However, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is not part of the EU trade negotiations, Hervé Delphin, EU Ambassador to India, told The Indian Express last month. 'I have come to discover that CBAM is one of the best-known acronyms in India. First, CBAM is not a trade measure. It is not part of trade and the FTA. It's about compliance with our climate agenda to accelerate decarbonisation,' he said. On February 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the European Commission President agreed to seal an FTA deal by year-end. Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal said that the 10th and 11th rounds of talks are likely to be held in August here and in October in Malaysia. 'We are engaged in the negotiations. Nine rounds of talks have been concluded so far… The progress so far has been chequered — not what it could have been — but the good part is that we are moving forward on many aspects, especially on customs and trade facilitation,' Agrawal said. Further, he said talks are also progressing on issues like technical cooperation, SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) and TBT (technical barriers to trade) collaborations. 'We hope there is going to be one physical round in August and… another in October in Malaysia. So we hope that in these two rounds, we should be able to make good progress and try to have some kind of conclusion when the ASEAN-India Summit takes place at the end of October. The endeavour is in that direction. Let's see how much we can achieve,' he said. The review of the agreement is a long-standing demand of domestic industry, and India is looking forward to an upgraded pact that will address the current asymmetries in bilateral trade and make trade more balanced and sustainable. Ravi Dutta Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, covering policy issues related to trade, commerce, and banking. He has over five years of experience and has previously worked with Mint, CNBC-TV18, and other news outlets. ... Read More
Indian Express
43 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Two chefs bring forgotten flavours to life in Chandigarh
It starts with a smell — of browned onions, of slowly cooked spices, of something both unfamiliar and deeply known. In the kitchen at Hyatt Regency Chandigarh, two chefs move with quiet intensity, stirring not just pots but history. From July 11 to 19, the hotel is hosting Royal Dastarkhan, a culinary journey into the kitchens of the Mughal courts. But this is no theme festival. For chef Deepak Sarkar and chef Osama Jalali, it's something far more personal — a reunion with memory, tradition, and home. Sarkar, the hotel's executive chef, grew up in the bustling lanes of Delhi's Sadar Bazaar — near Jama Masjid — a neighbourhood where food and festivity were inseparable. 'My grandfather used to cook mutton korma whenever there was a feast,' he recalls. 'I'd tag along to help — bringing spices from the market, peeling onions. I was just 12 when I cut my finger slicing raw mangoes for pickle.' That early curiosity led him to culinary school and years of experience in some of India's top hotels. But somewhere along the way, amidst Japanese menus and modern techniques, the longing for the food of his childhood never left. 'Post-COVID, with everyone doing fusion and delivery, I felt a need to return to the basics,' he says. 'Butter chicken, dal makhani, nihari — the classics, done right.' It's this return to roots that led him to invite Jalali, a long-time collaborator and kindred spirit, to Chandigarh. Jalali, unlike most chefs, learned his craft not in a kitchen school but in his mother's kitchen. 'She learned from the khansamas of the Nawab of Rampur,' he says. 'I'd sit with her, watch her cook, ask questions. Later, I began translating old recipe manuscripts from Farsi, Urdu, and Persian — recipes no one was cooking anymore.' His path began in journalism — as a food critic who wrote over 2,000 restaurant reviews. But with time, reviewing gave way to reviving. 'I was seeing too many menus saying 'progressive Indian.' I wanted to go backwards — to the lost dishes.' Together, the two chefs have curated a rotating menu of rare recipes — Nargisi Murgh Seekh, Taar Kalia, Bhindi Kalia, and the deeply surprising Gosht ka Halwa, a sweet made from mutton that diners are invited to guess before being told. 'No one ever gets it,' Jalali laughs. But what lingers isn't just the food. Jalali brings his grandmother's 100-year-old copper vessels to serve in. He visits tables, tells stories, folds in fragments of memory with each dish. 'Food tastes different when you know where it comes from,' he says. At a time when dining often feels rushed or performative, their collaboration feels rooted — a quiet rebellion against reinvention, a celebration of preservation. 'We're not trying to modernise history,' Sarkar says. 'We're just trying to let it breathe again.' And for anyone who tastes it, it does exactly that. (The writer is an intern with The Indian Express)
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Wider US tariffs off the table in trade talks for now: Official
While relief on US reciprocal tariffs is among the key demands from Indian negotiators in exchange for opening up the Indian market to American goods, wider US tariffs—such as those on metals, a likely duty on BRICS countries, and on buyers of Russian oil—are not part of the ongoing trade negotiations with the US yet, a government official said on Tuesday. 'As of now, India and the US are negotiating on the basis of the terms of reference (ToR) that were finalised [in April],' the official said in response to a question on whether wider US tariffs are part of the ongoing negotiations. The official added that the negotiations will continue with the US and the goal remains a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by the end of the year. The official said that, currently, only US baseline tariffs of 10 per cent and sectoral tariffs on steel and aluminium—along with fentanyl-related tariffs on China—have come into effect. 'These have resulted in higher duty collections for the US, and their imports from China and specific sectors have gone down,' the official said. This assumes significance as US President Donald Trump has continued to announce fresh tariffs on countries despite the US having trade deals with some of them, such as Canada and Mexico. While sectoral tariffs—such as 50 per cent on steel, aluminium and copper—are already disrupting India's exports to the US, Trump has also threatened steep tariffs on BRICS countries over their challenge to the US dollar and has warned of duties on buyers of Russian oil. Notably, India is a top importer of Russian oil. Trade data show that the US is India's third-largest copper export market, after Saudi Arabia (26 per cent) and China (18 per cent). However, given copper's status as a critical mineral and its extensive use across infrastructure, energy and manufacturing, India's domestic industry is likely to absorb any decline in US demand resulting from the proposed tariffs. Exporters have said that US tariffs on steel have already impacted India's steel exports. Earlier this month, Trump said that tariffs on pharmaceuticals could rise to 200 per cent after a year. This is significant, as the US is India's largest overseas market for pharmaceuticals. Drug exports to the US rose to $9.8 billion in FY25, up 21 per cent from $8.1 billion the previous year, and now account for 40 per cent of India's total pharma exports. Trump added that he is also planning to impose tariffs on imported semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, with medicine tariffs potentially reaching 200 per cent. However, he said drugmakers would be given about a year 'to get their act together'. 'We're going to give people about a year, a year and a half to come in and, after that, they're going to be tariffed,' Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on July 8. Ravi Dutta Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, covering policy issues related to trade, commerce, and banking. He has over five years of experience and has previously worked with Mint, CNBC-TV18, and other news outlets. ... Read More
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
In a first-of-its-kind exercise, 20 spotted deer translocated from Vantara to Banni grasslands
Written by Jay Jani Twenty spotted deer were translocated to the Banni Grassland Reserve by the Gujarat forest department on Tuesday in collaboration with Vantara, the rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre in Jamnagar, in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Reliance group. The release took place in a designated 70-hectare protected area within Banni, one of the largest grassland ecosystems in Asia. The deer were brought from Vantara's ex-situ conservation facility in Jamnagar and transported in specially designed ambulances under the supervision of forest officials. Vantara provided technical and logistical support for the operation, ensuring it followed established conservation protocols, a release from Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) said. Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Dr Sandeep Kumar told The Indian Express that there are nearly 160 blackbucks and spotted deer in Banni grasslands. This move, to release the deer into Banni grasslands, is part of a larger state-backed effort aimed at supporting the state's broader conservation roadmap, according to the press release. Ahead of the exercise on Tuesday, a joint assessment of the site was conducted by teams from the Gujarat forest department and Vantara, including forest officials, Vantara's wildlife biologists and veterinarians. The review was conducted to evaluate the habitat's suitability and identify key ecological measures for future species restoration efforts, the press release stated. The RIL statement, quoting Dr Brij Kishor Gupta, Director of the Greens Zoological, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, or Vantara, said, 'This initiative reflects a collaborative approach to conservation where scientific expertise and logistical support are combined to strengthen biodiversity in the Banni grasslands. Contributing to government-led efforts, the focus remains on achieving meaningful conservation outcomes through partnerships grounded in shared objectives.' Banni spans over 2,600 square kilometers in the Kutch district and is home to 12 species of mammals, including the Indian gazelle, Indian wolf, golden jackal, Nilgai, striped hyena, and Indian fox. The Gujarat forest department has been actively involved in restoring degraded areas, controlling invasive species, and encouraging the growth of native grass to sustain local wildlife in Banni, according to the press release. The grassland, which is a protected forest, is dotted by 52 villages and is also known for the Banni breed of buffaloes. This release is one of several planned efforts aimed at strengthening wildlife populations and sustaining the fragile yet vital ecosystem of the Banni grasslands, the press note said. Jay Jani is an intern with The Indian Express
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Pahalgam attackers fired in air in ‘celebration' after gunning down 26 civilians, star witness tells investigators
A key eyewitness to the Pahalgam terror attack has told investigators that he saw the gunmen fire four rounds in the air in 'celebration' after killing 26 civilians in the meadows on April 22, The Indian Express has learnt. The 'star protected eyewitness', who the National Investigation Agency tracked with help from the Jammu and Kashmir police and the central intelligence agencies, had been confronted by the three Pakistan-based terrorists in the Baisaran meadow minutes after the attack, it is learnt. Last month, the NIA had arrested two locals – Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad – for allegedly harbouring the attackers. 'They disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists and confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Toiba,' an NIA spokesperson had said. As its probe proceeded, the NIA found a local – now the star witness – who was able to share key details of what transpired in the minutes after the attack. He is learnt to have told investigators that the gunmen stopped him while they were leaving Baisaran after gunning down the civilians. 'He was asked to recite the kalma, and once he started speaking in his local accent, they spared him. They started celebratory firing – four rounds were shot in the air,' said a source, who is familiar with his statement. On the basis of his statement, the investigation team seized four used cartridges from the spot. The man is also learnt to have told investigators that he saw Parvaiz and Bashir – the two arrested locals – allegedly standing near a hill and looking after the belongings of the attackers, which the gunmen eventually collected from them. Investigators have also questioned Parvaiz and Bashir at length, based on which they now know what transpired in the run-up to the attack. 'Parvaiz has claimed that a day before the incident, all three attackers came to his house around 3:30 pm and asked for food. They were carrying weapons. His wife served them food, and they sat for around four hours, asking questions related to security arrangements in Baisaran, tourist gathering spots, routes, and timings,' a source in a central intelligence agency said. Before leaving, the men asked Parvaiz's wife to pack some spices and uncooked rice, and gave the family five notes of Rs 500. 'Afterwards, they met Bashir. They asked them (the two locals) to reach Baisaran around 12:30 pm on April 22 and left for a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park,' the source said. Sources said one of the attackers is believed to be Suleiman Shah, who was involved in the killing of seven employees of a firm constructing the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway on October 20 last year.
