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The Independent
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
India to take steps to ‘secure national interest' after Trump imposes 25% tariff
The Indian government said it would take necessary steps to secure its national interest after Donald Trump hit the South Asian country with a 25 per cent import tariff in a stinging rebuke that also targeted New Delhi for its ties to Russia. The Narendra Modi government said it was evaluating the implications of the American president's decision – announced just ahead of the 1 August deadline for his new tariff regime to take effect – while continuing to carry out 'negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement'. New Delhi had been negotiating a trade deal with Washington for months before Mr Trump announced the levy. The talks were set to resume next month and Indian officials expected a deal to be reached by September or October. In a social media post announcing the new tariff, Mr Trump accused India of enforcing the 'most strenuous and obnoxious' regulatory hurdles of any country. He said he was imposing a 25 per cent levy on Indian exports to the US and an undefined penalty for New Delhi's energy and military purchases from Russia. 'While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,' Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. 'Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!' The US has a trade deficit of $45.7bn with India. Just a few hours later, Mr Trump again took aim at India for its ties with Russia. 'I don't care what India does with Russia,' he posted on Thursday. 'They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World.' Mr Trump's aggressive rhetoric crushed India's hopes of getting preferential treatment compared to other Asian economies on the back of his bonhomie with Mr Modi. The 25 per cent rate is harsher than what other major Asian economies like South Korea, Japan and Indonesia have secured from the US. While both South Korea and Japan have agreed to a 15 per cent rate, Indonesia has settled for 19 per cent. "The government has taken note of a statement by the US president on bilateral trade,' the Indian government said. 'The government is studying its implications.' Mr Trump had earlier announced a trade agreement with Pakistan which India's chief rival said would lead to lower tariffs on its exports. Neither side has yet revealed the agreed tariff rate, however. Mr Trump's latest comments threaten to strain Washington's relationship with New Delhi, which is already unhappy with the US president's closeness with Islamabad. Addressing the parliament on Thursday, commerce and trade minister Piyush Goyal said New Delhi was no more a 'fragile economy' and was, in fact, on track to become the third largest economy in the world. 'India and the US entered negotiations for a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement in March 2025, with a target to complete the first draft of the agreement by fall of 2025,' he said. 'The government is examining the impact of the recent events. The ministry of commerce and industry is holding talks with exporters, industries and all stakeholders and gathering information on their assessment of this issue.' Mr Goyal emphasised the government was committed to safeguarding the welfare of the country's farmers and labourers. In the five rounds of talks held so far, agriculture and dairy remained a major sticking point as the US sought greater access to the Indian market for its farm exports like wheat, corn, cotton, and genetically modified crops. India, however, insisted that the agriculture and dairy sector were off-limits. The sector employs over 80 million people in the country who will be prepared to take to the streets in protest if a deal is perceived to be detrimental to their interests. Mr Goyal told CNBC last week that agriculture was a sensitive sector for India and assured that the Modi government would ensure the interests of farmers were 'well protected.' However, he said India remained 'optimistic' about striking a deal with Washington soon. The US was India's top trading partner until recently, with bilateral trade totalling $190bn in 2024. Mr Trump and Mr Modi have set an ambitious goal to more than double that figure to $500bn.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Watch: Reeves backs Trump visit to Scotland ‘in the public interest'
Chancellor Rachel Reeves says Donald Trump 's upcoming visit to Scotland is 'in the public interest.' 'It's in Britain 's national interest to have strong relations with the US administration,' Reeves told press during a visit to a Rolls-Royce factory in Glasgow on Friday (25 Jul). 'And as a result of both that long-term special relationship, [it] has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal,' she added. Trump will land in Scotland on Friday at the start of a four-day visit which will include meetings with First Minister John Swinney and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Al Bawaba
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan officially dissolves itself amid security crackdown
Published July 22nd, 2025 - 06:21 GMT The now-dissolved association was formed in 2015 as a legally recognized alternative to the original Muslim Brotherhood group, which was disbanded by court order. ALBAWABA- In a surprise announcement, the Muslim Brotherhood Association in Jordan declared on Tuesday that it has permanently dissolved itself, citing "national interest" and a rejection of clandestine activity. Also Read Jordan participates in extinguishing fires in Syria The group issued a formal statement confirming the decision to cease all legal and administrative operations under the Jordanian Parties Law, effectively ending its official presence in the country. The announcement comes in the wake of escalating government pressure, including a ban on the group's activities, the closure of its offices, the confiscation of its assets, and the arrest of several of its members. Authorities allege that some members were involved in planning operations that posed a threat to national security, including the use of drones and domestically produced rockets. — Roya News English (@RoyaNewsEnglish) July 22, 2025 These developments culminated in a major government decision on April 22, 2025, when Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya announced that the Brotherhood's offices would be shuttered and any further activities deemed illegal. The Ministry of Interior had previously classified the association as illegal, stating that it had failed to comply with legal and organizational requirements. Security officials added that investigations had uncovered both internal and external links that were deemed dangerous to the state's stability. The now-dissolved association was formed in 2015 as a legally recognized alternative to the original Muslim Brotherhood group, which was disbanded by court order. Since then, it had continued limited political and social activity through the Islamic Action Front (IAF), its political arm, which had managed to secure parliamentary seats and play a role in public discourse. Also Read Turkey unveils hypersonic ballistic missile TAYFUN Block-4 Analysts say this move represents the official termination of the Brotherhood's legal standing in Jordan and reflects a hardened government stance toward political movements with Islamist affiliations. The decision also comes amid growing opposition calls for a comprehensive national political dialogue and greater tolerance for pluralism in the political landscape. The Muslim Brotherhood has denied any involvement in alleged plots to destabilize the country and has yet to issue a response to the latest announcement. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
National Post
11-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
Canadians are cool to Carney government forcing through 'national interest' projects unilaterally: poll
Most Canadians support Prime Minister Mark Carney's new legislation to fast-track infrastructure projects deemed in the 'national interest,' according to a new poll, but the federal government has a long way to go if it wants to convince voters that it should be able to unilaterally approve such big projects without buy-in from other groups. Article content The Leger poll released Friday found that 56 per cent of respondents nationally view the One Canadian Economy Act, the Carney government's signature piece of legislation to date, as a positive step, compared to 25 per cent who said it's a bad idea. Support was strongest in B.C., the Atlantic provinces, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, at around two-thirds, while just over half supported the new legislation in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. Article content Article content The legislation, which became law last month, has been criticized for giving Ottawa too much power and discretion because it allows the federal cabinet to fast-track major infrastructure projects by bypassing the usual environmental and approval processes. Article content Article content A plurality of respondents (42 per cent) to the Leger poll said that such projects should require the support of federal and provincial governments as well as impacted First Nations. Only eight per cent of respondents said that the federal government's support alone should be enough, while 27 per cent said projects should go ahead if the federal and affected provincial governments are in favour. Article content Ten per cent said the decision belonged to Ottawa and affected Indigenous governments. Article content Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president, said the public seems to be sending Ottawa a two-track message. Article content 'In theory, it gives the federal government strong latitude to move forward on projects of national interest,' he said. 'But for the public, it's going to be a collaborative process.' Article content Article content Since the legislation became law late last month, the federal government has tried to work behind the scenes to convince Indigenous leaders, provinces and others that their concerns won't be steamrolled in the push to get big projects built. Article content Article content Carney announced late last month that the government will host a series of summits with Indigenous leaders, beginning July 17 with First Nations. Summits with Inuit and Metis leaders will soon follow. Article content Some provinces, notably Quebec and British Columbia, have also pushed back on Ottawa's new rights to fast-track pipelines in particular, while environmental groups and First Nations have called for a more inclusive process for big projects than what they believe is in the works. Article content The poll also found that the Carney government's post-election honeymoon shows no signs of ending yet. After winning the popular vote in the April federal election by 2.5 percentage points, the Liberals now enjoy a 13-percentage-point lead (48 per cent versus 35 per cent) over the second-place Conservatives among decided voters.
Russia Today
07-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
India negotiating US trade deal from position of strength
India will negotiate a bilateral trade agreement with the US from a position of strength, keeping New Delhi's national interests in mind, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has said, according to the Hindu BusinessLine newspaper. Washington and New Delhi are engaged in negotiations for a trade agreement and are racing to meet a July 9 deadline set by US President Donald Trump, in order to avoid reciprocal tariffs. 'Today, India negotiates from a position of strength,' Goyal said at a summit on Saturday, according to the report. 'We are self-confident and can compete with anybody in the world.' The minister said India did not negotiate under deadlines. 'We negotiate keeping national interest in mind, and national interest is paramount in all our global engagements,' he added. Since returning to office in January, Trump has launched a tariff campaign aimed at protecting US manufacturers. It culminated on April 2 with a set of measures on what he called 'Liberation Day', including a blanket 10% tariff and up to 70% on countries he accused of treating the US most 'unfairly.' 'India wants a trade deal where it would get market access in its areas of interest, including labor-intensive goods, and it should have sustained preference over other countries in these areas,' a source familiar the matter told the Hindu BusinessLine. Some Indian media outlets have reported that a trade deal with the US is in its conclusion phase, while others said an agreement would be finalized in stages. 'India has already offered to bring down tariffs in a number of sectors for American goods while insisting that its red lines in sensitive areas, including agriculture and dairy, be respected,' the Times of India cited a source as saying. Last week, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Financial Express that the country could not do anything that would weaken its agriculture or the positions of its farmers. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, bilateral trade between India and the US touched $131.8 billion, with a trade surplus of $41.18 billion for New Delhi, according to the Indian Commerce Ministry. In Trump's second term, the US has signed new trade deals with the UK and Vietnam. Washington has also reached a temporary deal with Beijing to limit tariffs at 30% – after hiking them to 145% in a series of tit-for-tat increases earlier this year.
