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Trump’s doubling of tariffs on Indian imports takes effect, hiking tensions

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Trump’s doubling of tariffs on Indian imports takes effect, hiking tensions


A 3D-printed miniature model of US President Donald Trump, the Indian flag and the word “Tariffs” are seen in this illustration taken July 23, 2025. — Reuters 
  • Tariffs of up to 50% threaten Indian exporters and jobs.
  • Failed talks blamed on political misjudgment, missed signals.
  • US, India seek to highlight security partnership.

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on goods from India to as much as 50% took effect as scheduled on Wednesday, escalating tensions between the world’s two largest democracies and strategic partners.

A punitive 25% tariff imposed due to India’s purchases of Russian oil adds to Trump’s prior 25% tariff on many products from India. It takes total duties to as high as 50% for goods such as garments, gems and jewellery, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and chemicals — among the highest imposed by the US and on par with Brazil and China.

The new tariffs threaten thousands of small exporters and jobs, including in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

An Indian Commerce Ministry official said on condition of anonymity that exporters hit by tariffs would receive financial assistance and be encouraged to diversify to markets such as China, Latin America and the Middle East.

A US Customs and Border Protection notice to shippers provides a three-week exemption for Indian goods that were loaded onto a vessel and in transit to the US before the midnight deadline. These goods can still enter the US at prior lower tariff rates before 12:01am EDT (0401 GMT) on September 17.

Also exempted are steel, aluminum and derivative products, passenger vehicles, copper and other goods subject to separate tariffs of up to 50% under the Section 232 national security trade law.

India trade ministry officials say the average tariff on US imports is around 7.5%, while the US Trade Representative’s office has highlighted rates of up to 100% on autos and an average applied tariff rate of 39% on US farm goods.

Failed talks

As the midnight activation deadline approached, US officials offered no hope for India to avert the tariffs.

“Yeah,” said White House trade adviser Peter Navarro when asked if the increased tariffs on India’s US-bound exports would go into effect as previously announced on Wednesday. He offered no further details.

Wednesday’s tariff move follows five rounds of failed talks, during which Indian officials had signalled optimism that US tariffs could be capped at 15%, the rate granted to goods from some other major US trade partners including Japan, South Korea and the European Union.

Officials on both sides blamed political misjudgment and missed signals for the breakdown in talks between the world’s biggest and fifth-largest economies. Their two-way goods trade totaled $129 billion in 2024, with a $45.8 billion US trade deficit, according to US Census Bureau data.

Exporter groups estimate hikes could affect nearly 55% of India’s $87 billion in merchandise exports to the US, while benefiting competitors such as Vietnam, Bangladesh and China.

Sustained tariffs at this rate could dent India’s growing appeal as an alternative manufacturing hub to China for goods such as smartphones and electronics.

The US-India standoff has raised questions about the broader relationship between India and the US, important security partners who share concerns about China.

However, on Tuesday the US State Department and India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued identical statements saying senior officials of the ministries and defense departments met virtually on Monday and expressed “eagerness to continue enhancing the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship.”

Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to the Quad, a partnership that brings together the US and India with Australia and Japan.





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22 India-backed terrorists killed in Khyber intelligence-based operation, says ISPR

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22 India-backed terrorists killed in Khyber intelligence-based operation, says ISPR


Security personnel stand guard in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. — AFP/File
  • IBO conducted on reported presence of India-backed militants: ISPR.
  • Says weapons and ammunition also recovered from killed terrorists.
  • Sanitisation operation continues to eliminate any other militants.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies neutralised at least 22 India-sponsored terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 21, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

According to the military’s media wing, the joint operation was conducted in response to the reported presence of India-backed militants, also known as Fitna al-Khawarij.

It added that during the operation, the terrorists resorted to indiscriminate firing out of panic and in an attempt to avoid capture. As a result, a 10-year-old innocent child was martyred.

The ISPR added that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from killed India-sponsored terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.

“Sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji found in the area,” the ISPR said, adding that the relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision “Azm-e-Istehkam” will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.

“Such sacrifices of our innocent civilians further strengthen our resolve.”

Pakistan has witnessed a spike in cross-border militant activity, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which share a border with Afghanistan, since the Afghan Taliban took control in 2021.

In response to the escalating attacks, Pakistan launched “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq,” during which approximately 796 Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants were killed, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

More than 1,000 Afghan Taliban fighters and terrorists were also injured during the Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. The minister had said that 286 posts of the Afghan Taliban regime had been destroyed and 44 captured.

In October 2025, the two countries were also involved in border clashes after Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants carried out unprovoked assaults on Pakistan’s border positions.

The ensuing fighting resulted in the deaths of over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred in the line of duty.





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Mariska Hargitay expresses love for Christopher Meloni’s ‘Law & Order’ series

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Mariska Hargitay expresses love for Christopher Meloni’s ‘Law & Order’ series


Mariska Hargitay expresses love for Christopher Meloni’s ‘Law & Order’ series

Mariska Hargitay has revealed she was moved to tears after seeing Christopher Meloni’s emotional response to the cancellation of Law & Order: Organized Crime, describing it as the closing of a significant chapter for her longtime co-star and friend.

Speaking to Extra, Hargitay said she watched Meloni’s Instagram video about the show ending and was immediately overcome. 

“I saw it and burst out in tears, first of all,” she said. 

“I immediately burst out in tears because it has, just like [Meloni] said, and he was so beautiful and open, because it has been a great ride. And it has been so beautiful and intimate and such a huge part of his life and was life-changing for him.”

She also said the news had come as a genuine shock. 

“Chris is working and in demand and such a magnificent actor. But it’s, in a way, closing a chapter. So when that happens, one needs to take inventory. It’s a real marker in your life.”

Law & Order: Organized Crime was officially cancelled after five seasons earlier this month. 

Meloni marked the occasion with a heartfelt video on Instagram. 

“I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back. It was a good ride,” he said.

The series, which premiered in 2021, followed Stabler, the character Meloni first played on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as he returned to New York after a decade away to rebuild his life and take on organised crime. 

It aired on NBC for its first four seasons before moving to Peacock for its fifth and final season, which concluded in June 2025. 

The cast also included Danielle Moné Truitt, Rick Gonzalez, Ainsley Seiger and Dean Norris.





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Luke Grimes shares what disappoints ‘Yellowstone’ fans the most

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Luke Grimes shares what disappoints ‘Yellowstone’ fans the most


Luke Grimes shares what disappoints ‘Yellowstone’ fans the most

Luke Grimes has been playing cowboy Kayce Dutton on Yellowstone since 2018, but some fans are still coming to terms with a fundamental truth: he is an actor, not an actual cowboy.

The 42-year-old, who now continues the character’s story in the CBS spinoff Marshals, told Toronto radio station CHUM 104.5 that the strangest fan encounters often involve a version of the same realisation.

Some viewers, he said, “loved that show so much that they were, on a certain level, upset that it wasn’t real.” 

The most common version of this comes in the form of a complaint. “A lot of times you’ll get the, ‘You’re not a real cowboy.'” 

His response is straightforward. 

“Well, of course I’m not, I’m an actor. That’s why I’m able to do this. If I was a real cowboy, I’d be, like, herding cattle right now. I wouldn’t be on this show.”

Even his one-year-old son, whom he shares with wife Bianca Rodrigues Grimes, has his own take on the cowboy persona. 

“My son thinks my cowboy hat is really funny,” Grimes told PEOPLE at the Marshals LA premiere. 

“He doesn’t understand why I have that big thing on my head.” That said, the baby loves visiting the set and got excited when he was brought along.

New episodes of Marshals air Sundays at 8pm ET on CBS.





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