International
India never accepted mediation, does not accept it, will never accept it: PM Modi to Trump

New Delhi, June 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed to US President Donald Trump that India does not seek and will never accept any mediation on matters related to Pakistan, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, on Wednesday.
Misri revealed that the two leaders spoke over the phone for 35 minutes, their first conversation since the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
The call took place after a scheduled in-person meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G7 Summit was cancelled due to Trump’s early return to the US.
“The phone conversation was held at the request of President Trump,” said Misri, adding that PM Modi used the opportunity to detail India’s measured military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 innocent tourists.
The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front, a group affiliated with the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
“Prime Minister Modi said that on the night of May 6-7, India had targeted only terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India’s actions were very measured, precise, and non-escalatory,” Misri said.
“India had made it clear that it would respond to Pakistan’s ‘goli’ with ‘gola’ (a strong, proportionate military response),” he said.
Operation Sindoor saw India strike nine high-value terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and PoK. In response, Pakistan launched military strikes not only on Indian military infrastructure but also on civilian and religious sites, prompting further escalation.
The Foreign Secretary also disclosed that on the night of May 9, US Vice President Vance conveyed to PM Modi that Pakistan could launch a major retaliatory strike.
“Prime Minister Modi told him clearly that if this happens, India will respond with even greater force. India’s strong counterattack on the night of May 9-10 caused heavy damage to Pakistan’s military. Several of their airbases were rendered inoperable,” Misri said.
He noted that following India’s forceful retaliation, Pakistan approached India with a ceasefire request.
“Prime Minister Modi stated that the ceasefire was agreed to only at the request of Pakistan and that India does not want mediation. He made it clear that at no point during this episode were India-US trade talks or third-party mediation discussed,” Misri stated.
“The halt to military action was discussed directly between the two countries through existing military channels,” he added.
Reiterating India’s long-standing position, Misri said, “Prime Minister Modi stressed that India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it. There is complete political unanimity in India on this issue.”
President Trump, according to Misri, fully understood India’s position and expressed support for its fight against terrorism. PM Modi also informed Trump that India will consider any terror act emanating from Pakistan as an act of war, and that Operation Sindoor remains ongoing.
Trump reportedly asked if PM Modi could stop by the US on his return from Canada, but the Prime Minister expressed his inability due to prior commitments. However, both leaders agreed to try to meet soon.
The conversation also covered international developments, including the Iran-Israel conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Both leaders agreed that direct dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv is necessary for peace.
“They also discussed the Indo-Pacific and the vital role of the QUAD. Prime Minister Modi invited President Trump to India for the next QUAD summit, and President Trump accepted the invitation,” Misri said.
International
Trump doubles down on 10 per cent tariff for BRICS; threatens 200 per cent tariff on pharma

New York, July 9: US President Donald Trump doubled down on his threat to charge BRICS members an additional 10 per cent tariff and alleged that the group was “set up to degenerate our dollar”.
Speaking to reporters as he presided over a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump said: “Anybody that’s in BRICS is getting a 10 per cent charge” — and that would include India.
On another trade issue that could affect India, Trump said that a 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals would come soon, but added he would “give people about a year, year and a half”.
“We’ll give them a certain period of time to get their act together,” he said about the pharmaceutical companies.
India’s pharmaceutical exports to the US last year was nearly $9 billion.
A reporter recalled that he had said Monday night that trade deal was coming with India soon and asked him about the applicability of the proposed BRICS tariff.
He said: “Anybody that’s in BRICS is getting a ten per cent charge. If they’re member of BRICS, they’re gonna have to pay per cent tariff just for that one thing, and they won’t be a member for long.”
India has opposed a BRICS currency for trade to compete with the dollar and exercised a virtual veto on the proposal.
Laying out India’s policy, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in March: “I don’t think there’s any policy on our part to replace the dollar.”
Affirming the importance of the dollar to the world’s and India’s economy, he added: “At the end of the day, the dollar as the reserve currency is the source of international economic stability, and right now, what we want in the world is more economic stability, not less.”
The letter he sent to BRICS member South Africa on Monday said only that it would face a 30 per cent tariff starting next month, but made no mention of BRICS penalty.
Trump said the BRICS tariff would come “soon”.
Despite India’s so far successful efforts to stop the creation of a BRICS currency, Trump continued to complain about a BRICS conspiracy.
“BRICS was set up to hurt us. BRICS was set up to degenerate our dollar and take our dollar as the standard, take it off as the standard,” he said.
He said that he would oppose it because it would be like losing a war, he said.
“And that’s okay if they want to play that game, but I can play that game too,” he said.
He said he thought BRICS “largely broke up” with only a couple of countries hanging around.
“BRICS is not, in my opinion, a serious set-up,” he said.
But he said that they want to destroy the dollar “so that another country can take over and be the standard, and we’re not going to lose the standard”.
In fact, opposition from India to a BRICS currency is because of the threat of China manipulating it to its benefit.
Business
US tariffs to now take effect from August 1 as trade talks intensify

New Delhi/Washington, July 7: US President Donald Trump’s country-specific tariffs are now scheduled to take effect from August 1, offering a temporary reprieve as trade talks intensified with several countries, including India.
Earlier, the US tariffs were set to take effect from July 9.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced the tariff reprieve on Sunday (US time) while speaking to the media. He noted that President Trump was “setting the rates and the deals right now”.
Trump told reporters that “I think we’ll have most countries wrapped up by July 9, either through letters or finalised agreements”, adding that notification letters warning of upcoming tariff hikes would begin going out from Monday (US time), with more expected to follow on Tuesday.
Trump said that sending notices would be much easier than “sitting down and working 15 different things…this is what you have to pay, if you want to do business with the United States.”
In April, Trump announced a base tariff of 10 per cent on most of America’s trading partners and thereafter additional duties ranging up to 50 per cent.
The US has announced trade deals with the United Kingdom and Vietnam so far, with some more trade deals apparently in the pipeline.
“President Trump’s going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don’t move things along, then on August 1 you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level. So I think we’re going to see a lot of deals very quickly,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNN.
India’s high-level official delegation led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal has returned from Washington after the trade talks with US officials without reaching a final agreement on the sensitive issue of trade in agricultural and dairy products that the US is pushing for.
Meanwhile, Trump has announced that an additional 10 per cent tariff will be imposed on countries that “align themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS”.
Business
12 nations to get US tariff letters on Monday, says Trump

New Delhi/Washington, July 5: US President Donald Trump has signed tariff letters on exports from 12 countries, which are expected to be sent out on July 7 (Monday).
Speaking to the media aboard Air Force One, the US President said the names of the countries which will receive the letters would only be revealed on Monday.
“I signed some letters and they’ll go out on Monday, probably 12. Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs,” he told reporters.
“The letters are better. It is much easier to send a letter,” Trump added.
Trump has suggested that the reciprocal tariffs could go even higher, potentially reaching 70 per cent for some countries, and take effect from August 1.
The US President in April unveiled a base tariff of 10 per cent on most goods entering the country, along with higher rates for certain countries, including China. Those elevated tariffs were later suspended till July 9.
Washington has concluded trade agreements with two countries – the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, India’s high-level official delegation, led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, has returned from Washington without reaching a final agreement with US officials on the sensitive issue of trade in agricultural and dairy products that the US is pushing for.
However, there is still a glimmer of hope that an interim bilateral trade agreement may be reached at the highest political level in the two countries before the July 9 deadline.
The Indian team was in Washington for negotiations on an interim trade agreement with the US from June 26 – July 2.
According to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, India will not hurry into signing a free trade agreement under pressure from any deadline.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in the national capital, Minister Goyal emphasised that India is ready to make trade deals in the national interest but it “never negotiates trade deals with a deadline”.
The US is seeking broader market access for its agricultural and dairy products, which is a major hurdle, as for India, this is a livelihood issue for the country’s small farmers, and hence, is considered a sensitive area.
While India is looking to secure an exemption from President Trump’s 26 per cent tariffs by concluding an interim deal before July 9, it is also pushing for significant tariff concessions for its labour-intensive exports such as textiles, leather and footwear.
-
Crime3 years ago
Class 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra9 months ago
Mumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra9 months ago
Mumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra10 months ago
False photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
Crime9 months ago
Baba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
-
National News9 months ago
Ministry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Maharashtra8 months ago
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News10 months ago
J&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface