All eyes on India as Brics takes up US tariffs, Israel
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Brics countries were engaged in intense negotiations to finalise the declaration as PM Narendra Modi arrived in Rio for the summit on Sunday. A draft statement under discussion proposed condemnation of US tariffs and some of Israel's actions in Gaza, issues on which India has nuanced its position given its efforts to reach a trade deal with the US before Jan 9, Trump's deadline for suspension of tariffs, and its balancing act on relations with Israel and Palestine.
Brics - which was expanded last year to include Egypt, Ethiopia, UAE, Indonesia, Iran and Saudi Arabia as full members - has been an important platform for India to focus on issues like multilateral reforms, counterterrorism, sustainable development goals and people-to-people exchanges. Modi is expected to strongly raise the issue of cross-border terrorism in his address to further sensitise the international community about the role of Pakistan in promoting terrorism, as evident from the recent Pahalgam attack.
The Brics Declaration will be followed closely for what it has to say on tariffs and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. According to a Bloomberg report from Rio, going by a draft statement under discussion, Brics heads of govt are likely to adopt a position at odds with the Trump administration on tariffs and aspects of the conflict in the Middle East. The statement, however, doesn't name the Trump administration or the US on the tariff issue as not all countries apparently were comfortable with it.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
There's also a proposal for the leaders to express serious concern about the situation in Palestinian territory, citing the resumption of Israeli attacks and the obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The language, according to the report, includes a condemnation of the use of starvation as a method of warfare - a reference to charges levelled at Israel.
While it's not clear how much of the draft statement will appear in the final text that will be adopted on July 7, a proposal for full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip is also being deliberated. This may be a little off-putting for India which abstained from a UNGA vote recently for immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
However, while India recently backed out of a statement by the SCO condemning Israel's attacks on Iran, it has been more flexible with Brics.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
31 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (July 7, 2025) told President Donald Trump he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, handing Mr. Trump a nomination letter during a meeting at the White House. Speaking to reporters at the beginning of their meeting, Netanyahu said Israel was working with the United States to find countries who would give Palestinians a better future. The honor was 'well-deserved,' Netanyahu told Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump has long called himself a master peacemaker and made clear his desire for the Nobel Prize. Mr. Trump, speaking in front of reporters, said the nomination was news to him. 'Coming from you, this is very meaningful,' he told the Israeli leader. U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a private dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as families of hostages held in Gaza push for any ceasefire agreement to include the release of all remaining hostages. As the two leaders meet for the third time this year, the outwardly triumphant visit will be dogged by Israel's 21-month war against Hamas in Gaza and questions over how hard Mr. Trump will push for an end to the conflict.
News18
33 minutes ago
- News18
'If You Decide To...': Bangladesh, 13 Others Slapped With Trump Tariff Letters
Last Updated: Japan and South Korea were among the first countries to receive the letter from Donald Trump regarding imposition of tariffs on import of their goods to the United States. Embarking on a letter-post spree on Monday, US President Donald Trump sent out similar-worded letters to the leaders of 14 countries, imposing tariffs on their imports, which would go live on August 1. Japan and South Korea became the first countries to have received the letters shortly after 9.30 pm IST, July 7, as announced by Trump earlier that he would start sending letters to 12 to 15 countries about tariffs or deals with the United States. Posting the letters addressed to the leaders of the respective countries on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump imposed a 25% levy on imports from both Japan and South Korea. Minutes after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during her daily briefing that more letters are expected during the course of the day, Trump posted five more letters to Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and South Africa. Tunisia, which got the letter after a short pause, was slapped with a 25% tariff on its imports. Malaysia and Kazakhstan were slapped with a 25% tariff each on their exports to the US. Both countries widely export materials such as electronics, energy, and industrial metals to the United States. The US President further imposed as high as 40% tariffs on goods from Myanmar and Laos. South Africa will face a 30% tariff, as per Trump's announcement. Trump named more countries where he sent his letters. Thailand and Cambodia were handed over with 36% tariffs, while Serbia and Bangladesh were also slapped with 35% levies. Indonesia got 32%, while Bosnia and Herzegovina received 30% tariffs. In each of his 14 letters, Trump warned against any retaliatory tariffs, threatening reciprocation from the US. 'If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by will be added onto the tariffs that we charge," Trump wrote. In his letters to Japan and South Korea – two of the closest allies in Asia for the US – Trump cited long-standing trade imbalance with the countries as the reason behind 25% tariffs. Donald Trump was making 'tailor-made trade plans" for different countries, which will be in the interest of the Americans, the White House Press Secretary said today. 'The President is making tailor-made trade deals. Approximately 12 more nations will receive the letters. The letters will be posted on Truth Social," she said. India may also receive the tariff letter from Trump today, even as both countries are engaged in negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). Check Full List: About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @ More Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: July 08, 2025, 01:35 IST News world 'If You Decide To...': Bangladesh, 13 Others Slapped With Trump Tariff Letters | Full List
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
VA halts major staff layoffs: How veterans affairs protects jobs and improves veteran care under Trump administration
Veterans and workers fought against big job cuts Live Events VA keeps services safe while staff leaves VA safeguards care amid cuts and protests FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said on Monday it will not do a big layoff like many other federal agencies did under the Trump administration's U.S. DOGE Service. VA was originally planning to cut nearly 83,000 workers, as revealed in a leaked memo in March, but now it will only reduce staff by about 30,000 employees by the end of this fiscal year, as per the Secretary Douglas A. Collins had earlier said these cuts were 'tough but necessary' and warned staff to 'get used to it.' The White House said cutting VA staff would make the agency less 'bloated' and more efficient and transparent, as per the report by The Washington many veterans and advocacy groups strongly opposed the deep cuts, saying it would hurt the quality of VA services. VA employees' morale dropped, and many workers left their jobs because of fears about layoffs. The VA decided not to do a big Reduction in Force (RIF) after veterans groups, Congress, and staff warned that fewer workers would hurt veteran make up a large part of the federal workforce, so cutting VA jobs risked upsetting a key Republican voting group. President Trump is popular with veterans and had said he would not cut their VA benefits. VA avoided big layoffs because many workers left voluntarily through retirement, normal job attrition, and delayed resignations, as stated by the reports.A federal hiring freeze also helped reduce staff numbers without forced layoffs. VA had about 484,000 employees in January but had about 467,000 by June—a loss of 17,000 workers. Between July and September, VA expects 12,000 more employees to leave by normal attrition or retirement programs, as mentioned in the report by The Washington an email to VA staff, Secretary Collins said after four months of study and action, VA is 'headed in the right direction' for both staff levels and customer service. Collins said even with 30,000 staff leaving, VA performance is improving, like fewer veterans waiting for disability benefits and better claims processing, according to the said it has safeguards to protect veteran care and benefits during staff reductions, with many mission-critical jobs exempt from retirement offers and hiring freezes. The VA is one of the biggest federal employers and provides medical care to millions of veterans and families, as per the in the year, VA already lost 2,400 workers due to layoffs in February. Thousands of VA workers chose early retirement this spring to avoid future cuts. In June, thousands of veterans protested in Washington and many other states against more VA staff cuts, according to the report by The Washington reversal on big layoffs may also reflect the loss of power of Elon Musk and the DOGE team, who started cutting staff aggressively in January but later fell out with Trump and left. Some DOGE team members remain in government, working on Trump's policies like changing gun rules and federal regulations, as stated by the month, DOGE lost control over awarding billions in federal funds, showing its reduced influence. Collins thanked VA staff in his email, calling them 'an important part' of the effort to improve the agency, as mentioned in the report by The Washington the VA plans to reduce staff by about 30,000 through retirements and attrition, avoiding large VA says it has safeguards to protect veteran care and mission-critical jobs during staff reductions.
