Business
Royal Mail and DHL halt some US deliveries over tariffs
Postal services around the world are pausing some deliveries to the US over confusion around new import taxes that must be paid on parcels from the end of the month.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month ending the global import tax exemption on low-value parcels, which takes effect from 29 August.
While gifts worth less than $100 will remain duty-free, the changes mean all other packages will face the same tariff rate as other goods from their country of origin.
Postal services, including Royal Mail and Germany’s DHL, said they would suspend deliveries until they had proper systems in place to deal with the new rules.
Royal Mail said it was withdrawing its current US export services for businesses from Tuesday, but added it hoped to have a new system up and running within two days to allow it to comply with the new rules before they kick in.
“We have been working hard with US authorities and international partners to adapt our services to meet the new US de minimis requirements so UK consumers and businesses can continue to use our services when they come into effect,” the company said.
Royal Mail said cards and letters could continued to be posted as usual.
The US had a so-called de minimis exemption on packages worth up to $800, which allowed consumers to buy cheap clothing and household goods from sites such as Shein and Temu without paying import duties.
But the duty-free rule on Chinese goods ended on 2 May, and is now being extended to the rest of the word.
The White House said ending the duty-free exemption would combat “escalating deceptive shipping practices, illegal material, and duty circumvention”, claiming some shippers had “abused” the exemption to send illicit drugs into the US.
The Trump administration said de minimis shipments had skyrocketed from 115 million in the 2023/24 financial year, to 309 million by 30 June this year.
While China is a major source of shipments that use the exemption, Canada and Mexico are also significant sources of low-cost parcels being sent to the US.
Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany said it was temporarily suspending parcel delivery for business customers to the US from Saturday, as “key questions remain unresolved” about how duties would be paid, and by whom.
DHL sad it was “closely monitoring the further developments” and remained in contact with US authorities, and said shipping via its DHL Express services “remains possible”.
“The company’s goal is to resume postal goods shipping to the US as quickly as possible,” it said.
Earlier this week PostNord announced it was also suspending services as the US authorities only provided details about the required changes on 15 August.
“This decision is unfortunate but necessary to ensure full compliance of the newly implemented rules,” said Bjorn Bergman, PostNord’s head of group brand and communication.
Online marketplace Etsy said it was suspending shipping label purchases from 25 August for Australia Post, Canada Post, Royal Mail and Evri for US-bound packages while couriers adjusted services.
“The state of tariffs is evolving, so please be sure to keep an eye on recommendations from your preferred shipping carrier,” Etsy said in advice to its sellers.
In Trump’s “big beautiful bill”, passed by Congress on 3 July, the change to de minimis was due to come into effect on 1 July 2027, but a recent executive order sped up the process by two years.
The new rule does not affect personal items Americans carry with them from foreign travel valued at $200 or less and it does not affect gifts valued at $100 or less.
The government on Thursday kept petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices unchanged at Rs253.17 per litre and Rs257.08 per litre respectively, for the coming fortnight, starting from January 16.
This decision was notified in a press release issued by the Petroleum Division.
Earlier, it was expected that the prices of all petroleum products would go down by up to Rs4.50 per litre (over 1pc each) today in view of variation in the international market.
Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers, and directly impacts the budgets of the middle and lower-middle classes.
Meanwhile, most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary, as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains, and agricultural engines such as trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells, and threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
The government is currently charging about Rs100 per litre on petrol and about Rs97 per litre on diesel.
One of Britain’s most prolific rail fare dodgers could face jail after admitting dozens of travel offences.
Charles Brohiri, 29, pleaded guilty to travelling without buying a ticket a total of 112 times over a two-year period, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
He could be ordered to pay more than £18,000 in unpaid fares and legal costs, the court was told.
He will be sentenced next month.
District Judge Nina Tempia warned Brohiri “could face a custodial sentence because of the number of offences he has committed”.
He pleaded guilty to 76 offences on Thursday.
It came after he was convicted in his absence of 36 charges at a previous hearing.
During Thursday’s hearing, Judge Tempia dismissed a bid by Brohiri’s lawyers to have the 36 convictions overturned.
They had argued the prosecutions were unlawful because they had not been brought by a qualified legal professional.
But Judge Tempia rejected the argument, saying there had been “no abuse of this court’s process”.
JSW Jetour T2 Launch: JSW Motors Limited, the passenger vehicle arm of the JSW Group, is reportedly preparing to enter the Indian car market this year. It has partnered with Jetour, a China-based automotive brand owned by Chery Automobile, and the Jetour T2 SUV could be the company’s first product, according to the reports.
Media reports suggest that the launch will happen independently and not under the JSW MG Motor India joint venture. The SUV will wear a JSW badge and name, instead of the Jetour branding. The upcoming SUV will be assembled at JSW’s upcoming greenfield manufacturing facility in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra.
According to the reports, the company plans to have the vehicle on sale by the third quarter of this year. With this move, JSW aims to establish itself as a standalone carmaker in India.
Expected Powertrain
The SUV is likely to arrive with a 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid setup. Internationally, this hybrid powertrain is offered with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. It is still unclear which version will be introduced in India.
Design
In terms of design, the T2 is a large and rugged-looking SUV. It has a boxy and upright stance, similar to vehicles like the Land Rover Defender. Despite its tough appearance, it uses a monocoque chassis instead of a ladder-frame construction.
Size
The SUV measures around 4.7 metres in length and nearly 2 metres in width. This makes it larger than the Tata Safari, even though it is a five-seater. A longer 7-seat version is also sold in some markets.
Price
Pricing details for India are yet to be announced. For reference, the front-wheel-drive five-seat T2 i-DM is priced at AED 1,44,000 (around Rs 35 lakh) in the UAE.
Jetour
Jetour is a brand owned by Chinese automaker Chery. Launched in 2018, it focuses mainly on SUVs and is present in markets across China, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
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