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French PM Warns Of Fiscal Challenges As Government Faces Setback
Prime Minister François Bayrou cautioned that France’s financial troubles threaten the nation’s “very survival” as he braced for a defeat in Monday’s confidence vote, a result that could push the euro zone’s second-largest economy deeper into crisis.
Bayrou, President Emmanuel Macron’s fourth prime minister in less than two years, called the confidence vote over the pressure France is facing to repair its finances – with last year’s deficit nearly double the EU’s 3% limit of economic output and public debt reaching 113.9% of GDP.
“You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality,” Bayrou told lawmakers before the confidence vote.
“Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly,” he said.
France’s “very survival is at stake,” he said.
Opposition parties have made clear they do not agree with Bayrou on how to tackle the debt, and are set to vote against his minority government.
“We regret that we cannot trust you,” Socialist lawmaker Boris Vallaud told Bayrou, and urged Macron to replace him with a left-wing prime minister.
The minority government’s collapse would deepen France’s problems as Europe seeks unity over Russia’s war in Ukraine, an increasingly dominant China and trade tensions with the United States.
The turmoil threatens France’s ability to rein in its debt, with the risk of further credit downgrades as bond spreads – a gauge of the risk premium investors demand to hold French debt – widen.
“As for political instability, those who find all this amusing would do well to remember how much of an economic poison it is,” said Laurent Wauquiez of the conservative Republicans, who back the government.
The outcome of the confidence vote may come by around 1700 GMT.
“Our country has an urgent need for lucidity, it has the most urgent need for unity. But it is division that threatens to prevail, that threatens its image and reputation,” Bayrou said.
What’s Next?
If Bayrou falls, Macron will start the search for a prime minister capable of steering a budget through parliament, less than a year after the ouster of Bayrou’s conservative predecessor Michel Barnier.
Social tensions are also heating up. Some online groups have urged the French to “block everything” on Wednesday and mainstream labour unions plan social action on September 18 against plans for budget cuts.
The departure of a fourth premier in under two years would underline a political malaise of a depth rarely seen in France since the 1958 establishment of the Fifth Republic. The post-war constitution aimed to ensure stable governance by creating a powerful, highly centralized president with a strong parliamentary majority.
Instead, Macron, whose ascent to power in 2017 blew apart the political landscape and its traditional mainstream parties, is struggling with a fractured parliament in a country not used to consensus building or dealing with coalitions.
Macron has so far ruled out dissolving parliament, as he did last year. France has been mired in a political crisis since that snap election, which resulted in an even more divided parliament where no camp has a majority.
After the fall of a conservative and a centrist as prime minister, many observers expect Macron to next seek a candidate from the centre-left Socialists.
Such a candidate would face big challenges and still need to forge a delicate alliance with the president’s liberal bloc, which opposes many of the left’s ideas, including raising taxes for the wealthiest to plug France’s financial holes.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Time Running Out In Iran Inspection Talks, Says IAEA’s Grossi
Time is running out in negotiations between the U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran on fully resuming inspections in the Islamic Republic, the agency’s chief, Rafael Grossi, said on Monday, adding that he hoped the talks would conclude within days.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has not had access to Iran’s key nuclear facilities since the United States and Israel bombed them in June. Iran passed a law after the attacks suspending cooperation with the IAEA and saying any inspections had to be approved by its Supreme National Security Council.
IAEA, Iran Discuss Inspections
The IAEA and Iran are now in talks on the “modalities” of a full resumption of inspections, though Grossi says that does not alter Iran’s duty to allow verification measures such as inspections as a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
“There is still time, but not much. Always enough when there is good faith and a clear sense of responsibility,” Grossi said in a statement to a quarterly meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors.
“Progress has been made. It is my sincere hope that within the next few days it will be possible to come to a successful conclusion of these discussions in order to facilitate the resumption, the full resumption, of our indispensable work with Iran,” he added.
Their talks are taking place against the backdrop of Europe’s top three powers having initiated a 30-day process on Aug. 28 to re-impose sanctions on Iran. The curbs were lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that unravelled after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of it in 2018.
Those three powers – France, Britain and Germany, known as the E3 – have said they will go ahead with re-imposing sanctions under the so-called “snapback” process unless IAEA inspections fully resume in Iran, and Tehran accounts for its large stock of near-weapons-grade uranium and resumes nuclear talks with the United States.
“I am confident that with these practical steps (on inspections) in place, other important diplomatic consultations and processes will find a more promising ground upon which to advance towards positive outcomes,” Grossi said, apparently referring to broader diplomacy such as Iran-E3 discussions.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Mapping India’s Neighbourhood, One Border At A Time
In the swirl of policy debates and big-ticket announcements, it’s easy to lose sight of the nuts and bolts that actually knit countries together. Bridges, roads, power lines, border posts—these are the silent connectors that tell the real story of regional cooperation. Now, thanks to an ambitious new platform, those scattered stories are coming together on one map.
The Sambandh Database and Map: India’s Regional Connectivity Links, created by the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), is the first-ever attempt to chart India’s cross-border infrastructure with its neighbours in one place.
Think of it as a living atlas of India’s ties with Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. From energy grids to waterways, highways to trading points, Sambandh pulls together the hard data and turns it into an accessible, dynamic tool.
Its first phase focuses on Bhutan—a fitting pilot given India’s deep partnership with the Himalayan nation—but the ambition is much wider. The ultimate goal is to track and visualise every major strand of connectivity that India is building across South Asia. In a region notorious for being one of the least integrated in the world, Sambandh’s very existence is a statement of intent.
“This is about more than infrastructure,” says one of the project leads at CSEP. “It’s about reimagining how we understand India’s place in its neighbourhood.”
What makes Sambandh stand out is its cartographic imagination. For the first time, policymakers, scholars, businesses, and even curious citizens can zoom out and see India’s regional network in one frame. Where once data was buried in government files, press releases, or scattered across research papers, Sambandh offers a clean, interactive view of India’s cross-border highways, energy pipelines, border posts, and waterways.
The timing couldn’t be better. With India pushing its “Neighbourhood First” and “Act East” policies, connectivity has become the currency of diplomacy. Each road built into Nepal, each port project in Sri Lanka, each energy line into Bangladesh is not just an engineering feat but a political signal. Sambandh makes those signals legible.
The Sambandh project has clear goals:
- To create a longitudinal database of India’s regional links.
- To visualise infrastructure in four sectors—energy, land, border, and waterways—across six types of connections.
- To support evidence-based decision-making for governments, businesses, and multilateral partners.
Behind the platform is the broader Sambandh Regional Connectivity Initiative, launched in 2020, which explores India’s partnerships across South and Southeast Asia. It’s a scholarly yet deeply practical effort, led by CSEP’s Riya Sinha, Constantino Xavier, and Abhishek Agarwal. Their work doesn’t just catalogue projects—it contextualises them, showing how they fit into India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, and why they matter for regional integration.
For researchers, Sambandh is a treasure trove. For policymakers, it’s a decision-making compass. For businesses, it’s a roadmap of opportunities. And for anyone invested in South Asia’s future, it’s a reminder that the region is slowly but surely stitching itself together.
The beauty of Sambandh is that it tells a story we rarely see: India not just as a rising power, but as a connector. A country whose ambitions are mapped not only in global summits, but in the highways, grids, and ports that quietly but powerfully link millions of lives across borders.
South Korea Seeks US Reentry For Workers Detained In Immigration Raid
Seoul stated on Monday that it seeks permission for hundreds of South Korean workers, arrested last week during a major U.S. immigration raid at a car battery project and scheduled to return home soon, to be allowed to re-enter the United States.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is flying out to Washington on Monday evening and will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his trip to resolve the issue. Cho also said he would be asking for the U.S. visa system for Korean workers to be streamlined in the future.
About 300 South Koreans Detained
About 300 South Koreans were among 475 arrested on Thursday at the site of a $4.3 billion project by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution to build batteries for electric cars. It was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigative operations.
The raid sent shockwaves through South Korea, a major U.S. ally, which has been trying to finalise a U.S. trade deal agreed in late July.
It came just 10 days after South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington and the two pledged closer business ties.
In addition to potentially fraying bilateral ties, the development has shone fresh light on how many foreign firms investing in the U.S. have struggled to find qualified American workers.
Seoul said on Sunday that discussions to arrange the release of workers, who were mostly employed by subcontractors, were largely concluded. A plan is in the works to fly them home on a chartered plane this week under what one South Korean foreign ministry official said would be called a “voluntary departure”.
“From the beginning, we negotiated with the premise that there should be no personal disadvantage (to the detained workers),” Cho told a parliamentary hearing on Monday.
Details on how the workers may have breached immigration rules have not been released by authorities or the companies, but South Korean lawmakers on Monday said some may have overstepped the boundaries of a 90-day visa waiver programme or a B-1 temporary business visa.
Experts Assist Factory Test
South Korea Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said on Monday that he had heard that some experts had travelled from South Korea to help with a test run of the factory, which was due to begin production in October.
“You need to get a visa to do a test run, but it’s very difficult to get an official visa. Time was running out, and I think experts went to the United States,” he said.
Seoul has expressed its unhappiness about the arrests and the public release of footage showing the operation, which involved armoured vehicles and the shackling of workers.
Trump, who has ramped up deportations nationwide as his administration cracks down on illegal immigrants, said last week he had not been aware of the raid. He called those detained “illegal aliens”.
On Sunday, he called on foreign companies investing in the U.S. to “respect our Nation’s immigration laws”, but sounded more conciliatory.
“Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build world-class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so,” he said on Truth Social.
Top Investor
Hyundai Motor is one of the biggest foreign investors in the United States and is among South Korean companies participating in a pledge of $150 billion in foreign direct investment in the U.S., which comes on top of a $350 billion fund that the South Korean government has separately pledged.
A spokesperson for the automaker said some staff had been asked to suspend non-essential trips to the United States.
LGES has also suspended most staff business trips to the U.S. and will be recalling South Korea-based employees now in the country.
The battery maker said last week it is cooperating with U.S. authorities and had paused construction work on the factory.
A Hyundai Motor spokesperson said last week none of the people detained were employed directly by the automaker and that production of electric vehicles at the sprawling site was not affected.
The companies declined further comment on Monday.
Cho’s trip to the U.S. is due to end on Wednesday.
(With inputs from Reuters)
China Weighs Trade Law Revision Amid Growing Tariff Barriers
China’s top legislative body on Monday began deliberating the first revision in over two decades of the nation’s foreign trade law, as Beijing aims to provide legal backing for countermeasures it may employ during a trade conflict.
The revision would strengthen China’s trade countermeasures, allowing trade bans or restrictions on foreign individuals or organisations deemed a danger to China’s sovereignty or security, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The draft also outlines the establishment of a “trade adjustment assistance” system and measures to stabilise supply chains, the report said.
The revision, the first since April 2004, was expected this year, but its deliberation had not appeared in the agenda for a scheduled meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress this week.
‘Other Necessary Measures’
China’s commerce ministry had previously mentioned that “other necessary measures” beyond trade bans and restrictions could be taken, without providing details.
Such open-ended language allows for a vast range of countermeasures deployed in the past, including export controls and investigations into foreign companies.
It was unclear if the revision would be passed this week. Bills, revisions and amendments typically require three readings by lawmakers.
The rise of global trade barriers since Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency has exacerbated challenges for China’s export-driven economy, with the imposition of sweeping duties on imports of Chinese products setting off months of tit-for-tat tariff escalations.
Washington and Beijing in August extended a truce for 90 days, staving off even higher duties.
Meanwhile, China last week announced initial anti-dumping duties on pork imports from the European Union, deepening trade tensions that spiked when the bloc imposed tariffs on China-made electric vehicles. Mexico is also considering tariffs on Chinese products.
China’s export growth slowed to a six-month low in August, as a boost from the tariff truce with the U.S. faded.
(With inputs from Reuters)
SpaceX-EchoStar $17 Billion Deal To Expand Starlink Reach
SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, announced on Monday that it will acquire wireless spectrum licences from EchoStar for approximately $17 billion — a significant move aimed at boosting the 5G capabilities of its Starlink satellite network.
The companies also agreed to a deal that will enable EchoStar’s Boost Mobile subscribers to access Starlink direct-to-cell service to extend satellite service to areas without service.
Expanding Capacity By ‘More Than 100 Times’
The spectrum purchase allows SpaceX to start building and deploying upgraded, laser-connected satellites that the company said will expand the cell network’s capacity by “more than 100 times”.
Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO, SpaceX, said the deal will help the company “end mobile dead zones around the world… With exclusive spectrum, SpaceX will develop next-generation Starlink Direct to Cell satellites, which will have a step change in performance and enable us to enhance coverage for customers wherever they are in the world”.
The news sent shares of EchoStar surging 19% in early trading. Shares of US wireless carriers AT&T and T-Mobile were down more than 3% and Verizon was down more than 2%.
The push comes amid fast-rising wireless usage. In 2024, Americans used a record 132 trillion megabytes of mobile data, up 35% over the prior all-time record, industry group CTIA said Monday.
‘Cell Towers In Space’
SpaceX has launched more than 8,000 Starlink satellites since 2020, building a distributed network in low-Earth orbit which has seen demand from militaries, transportation firms and consumers in rural areas.
Roughly 600 of those satellites – which SpaceX calls “cell towers in space” – have been launched since January 2024 for the company’s direct-to-cell network, orbiting closer to Earth than the rest of the constellation.
Crucial to those larger satellites’ deployment is Starship, SpaceX’s giant next-generation rocket that has been under development for roughly a decade. Increasingly complex test launches have drawn the rocket closer to its first operational Starlink missions, expected early next year.
FCC Enquiries
The deal comes months after the Federal Communications Commission questioned EchoStar’s use of mobile-satellite service spectrum and raised concerns about whether it was meeting its obligations to deploy 5G in the country.
EchoStar said it anticipates that the transaction with SpaceX and the AT&T deal will resolve the FCC’s enquiries.
An FCC spokesperson said the “deals that EchoStar reached with AT&T and Starlink hold the potential to supercharge competition, extend innovative new services to millions of Americans, and boost US leadership in next-gen connectivity”.
The company in August sold some nationwide wireless spectrum licenses to AT&T for $23 billion. AT&T agreed to acquire 50 MHz of nationwide mid-band and low-band spectrum.
President Donald Trump previously prodded EchoStar and FCC Chair Brendan Carr to reach an amicable deal for the company’s wireless spectrum licenses.
Deals And Allegations
SpaceX will pay up to $8.5 billion in cash and issue up to $8.5 billion in stock. SpaceX has also agreed to cover roughly $2 billion in interest payments on EchoStar’s debt obligations through late 2027.
After the sale, EchoStar will continue operating its satellite television service Dish TV, streaming TV platform Sling, internet service Hughes and its Boost Mobile brand.
SpaceX had aggressively pressed the FCC to reallocate underused airwaves for satellite-to-phone service after alleging EchoStar failed to meet certain obligations.
In a letter to the FCC in April, SpaceX said EchoStar’s spectrum in the 2 gigahertz band “remains ripe for sharing among next-generation satellite systems” and that the company has left “valuable mid-band spectrum chronically underused”.
The deal with EchoStar will allow SpaceX to operate Starlink direct-to-cell services on frequencies it owns, rather than relying solely on those leased from mobile carriers like T-Mobile.
In May, the FCC approved Verizon’s $20 billion deal to acquire fiber-optic internet provider Frontier Communications. Verizon spent $52 billion to acquire and clear key spectrum in 2021.
(With inputs from Reuters)
London Tube Closes As Workers Launch Week-Long Strikes
London’s Tube network ground to a halt on Monday as workers launched a week-long strike over pay and working conditions, causing major travel disruptions for commuters and tourists across the city.
Almost no London Underground trains are expected to run between Monday and Thursday. Additionally, the Docklands Light Railway, which connects the financial centres of Canary Wharf and the City of London, will not run on Tuesday and Thursday.
Londoners reported making longer journeys to get to work on Monday morning, with many choosing to cycle and others taking detours.
“The prospect of it being all week, it’s a bit of a nightmare… it’s probably taken me twice as long to get in this morning,” said legal counsel Laura Sutton, 46, who was near London Bridge station.
Union Demands Better Conditions
The RMT trade union said the dispute centred on pay, fatigue management, shift patterns and a reduction in the working week.
“They are not after a king’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members’ health and wellbeing,” RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said.
Transport for London, which operates the capital’s public transport network, said the union would only accept a deal which led to a reduction in the working week, with staff typically working 35 hours.
It said it had been working hard to resolve the dispute and had offered staff a 3.4% pay rise.
Some train services in the capital will be running during the strike.
The Elizabeth Line, which operates trains to Heathrow Airport, and the Overground rail network were operating with some minor disruption.
As well as likely disruption for commuters and tourists, the strikes have prompted British rock band Coldplay to reschedule two concerts at Wembley Stadium this week, while U.S. singer Post Malone also postponed his two shows in London until later in the month.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Norway Votes With Labour Party Holding Slim Edge For Re-Election
Norway went to the polls on Monday for the final day of a parliamentary election shaped by concerns over living costs and global political turmoil, with the ruling Labour Party narrowly favoured to retain power.
A left-wing bloc of Labour and four smaller parties is seen winning 88 seats in parliament, three more than the minimum needed to secure a majority and down from a combined 100 seats in 2021, according to an average of recent opinion polls.
Casting his ballot in Oslo, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said rising prices had been, in his opinion, top of voters’ minds, but added that inflation and interest rates were now on their way down.
“This issue of your daily coping with expenses has been key … And then of course also what is around Norway with the war in Ukraine, the Middle East and how we secure our foreign policy in a predictable way,” Stoere told reporters.
Right-Wing Parties Eye Victory
On the right, the populist Progress Party, the centre-right Conservatives and two smaller groups look set to win the remaining 81 seats, but opinion poll forecasts were within the margin of error, and the outcome could depend on how some of the smallest parties fare.
Voting in the two-day election concludes at 1900 GMT, followed by immediate exit polls, with final results expected by early Tuesday morning.
Among other key issues were taxes and the quality of public services. The result could have an impact on the oil and gas industry and power supplies to Europe, as well as the management of Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign and trade policies also loomed large, and analysts said this could benefit Stoere, a former foreign minister who presents himself as a safe pair of hands.
Labour was lagging in the polls at the start of the year but received a major boost in February from the surprise return to politics of former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg as finance minister – a move dubbed “Stoltenback” in Norwegian media.
Potential ‘Tutti Frutti’ Coalition
While the election remains close, the left-wing bloc appeared to have momentum in the most recent opinion polls, said Johannes Bergh, head of the national election studies programme at the Oslo-based Institute for Social Research.
“So if you were betting, you would probably guess that the centre-left would win,” Bergh said.
Benjamin Tegelaar-Breiby, a 29-year-old software developer, said he hoped for a centre-left win.
“I feel like the world is kind of crumbling around us, and so I would like stability in Norway. That’s kind of what I’m voting for,” he told Reuters in Oslo.
At least nine political parties are expected to secure seats in the election, but only the leaders of Labour, Progress and the Conservatives are candidates for prime minister.
Stoere has ruled since 2021 with the backing of the agrarian Centre Party and the Socialist Left, but opinion polls show he may also need to rely on the far-left Red party and the Greens in a mix some analysts have dubbed a “tutti frutti” coalition.
Demands from the Greens and Reds could include tougher restrictions on oil and gas exploration, more taxes on the wealthy and high earners, and more overall spending from the country’s sovereign wealth fund.
Labour Leads, Conservatives Challenge
Labour is seen winning some 27% of the vote, this month’s pollofpolls.no average showed.
On the right, former Prime Minister Erna Solberg of the Conservative Party hopes to return to power with promises of broad tax cuts, including to the wealth tax that is deeply unpopular with businesses.
But as in other Western countries, voters are increasingly turning to more populist right-wing options. Before the election, Sylvi Listhaug’s anti-immigration Progress Party was polling at around 21% of the vote, comfortably ahead of the Conservatives on 14%.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Israel Vows Intense Gaza Assault To Force Hamas To Surrender
Israel announced it would intensify airstrikes on Gaza on Monday in a “mighty hurricane,” serving as a final warning to Hamas that the enclave will be destroyed unless fighters comply with U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand to release all hostages and surrender.
Residents said Israeli forces bombed Gaza City from the air and blew up armoured vehicles in its streets. Hamas said it was studying the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal, delivered on Sunday, with a warning from Trump that it was the militant group’s “last chance”.
‘Mighty Hurricane’ Airstrikes
“A mighty hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City today, and the roofs of the terror towers will shake,” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.
“This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons – or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated,” he wrote.
Katz’s post appeared before reports of a shooting at a bus stop in Jerusalem that killed five people. Hamas praised the attackers.
According to a senior Israeli official, the latest U.S. proposal for Gaza calls for Hamas to return all 48 remaining living and dead hostages on the first day of a ceasefire, during which negotiations would be held to end the war.
Hamas has long said it intended to hold onto at least some hostages until negotiations were complete. It said in a statement it was committed to releasing all hostages with a “clear announcement of an end to the war” and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Offensive In Gaza City
Israel launched a major assault last month on Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of residents are living in the ruins, having returned after the most intense fighting of the war’s early weeks nearly two years ago.
Residents of Gaza City said Israeli forces pounded several districts from the air and ground, and detonated decommissioned armoured vehicles laden with explosives, destroying clusters of homes in the Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun, and Tuffah neighbourhoods.
Among at least 12 Palestinians reported killed in Gaza on Monday was Osama Balousha, a journalist for Palestinian media, medics said.
Nearly 250 journalists have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to Palestinian authorities, making it by far the world’s deadliest war for news media in living memory. Israel bars all foreign reporters from Gaza, so all journalists killed there have been Palestinians. Palestinian officials say Israel has deliberately targeted some journalists, which Israel denies.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested a Gaza deal could come soon to secure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas. Earlier, he issued what he called his “last warning” to the Palestinian militant group.
Israel ‘Considering’ Trump’s Proposal
An Israeli official said Israel was “seriously considering” Trump’s proposal but did not elaborate.
The war began with an assault by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel in 2023. The attackers killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages to Gaza. Most of the hostages were released in ceasefires in November 2023 and January-March 2025, but the group has held on to others as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
Israel’s assault has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and caused a humanitarian catastrophe. Nearly 63,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed, according to health officials in the enclave.
Six more Palestinians, including two children, have died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory’s health ministry said on Monday, raising deaths from such causes to at least 393 people, most in the past two months.
Israel, which controls all supplies into Gaza, says the extent of hunger there has been exaggerated and the reported deaths are due to other causes.
Throughout the conflict, efforts to negotiate an end to the war have faltered over Israel’s condition that Hamas free all hostages and surrender. Hamas says it will not lay down its arms until Palestinians have an independent state.
(With inputs from Reuters)
India Aims To Finalise Qatar Free Trade Pact Framework In October
India is expected to finalise the terms of reference for a proposed free trade pact with Qatar in early October, a government source said on Monday, as it seeks to strengthen global partnerships and counter the effects of U.S. tariffs.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal could visit Doha on October 6 to conclude the framework for negotiations, the government source, who asked not to be named as the details of trade discussions are still not public, told reporters.
Bilateral Trade Goals
During a February visit to India by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, both sides agreed to elevate their partnership and double bilateral trade to $28 billion within five years.
Qatar has also announced plans to invest $10 billion in India in infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, food security, logistics, hospitality and other sectors.
India and Qatar already have close energy cooperation, and last year renewed a long-term deal for the supply of liquefied natural gas to India for 20 years starting in 2028.
Trump’s Tariff Salvo
After U.S. President Donald Trump imposed additional 25% tariffs on Indian goods for buying Russian oil last month, doubling total duties to 50%, New Delhi is accelerating efforts to deepen trade ties with other partners.
It is also seeking a free trade pact with the European Union, India’s biggest trading partner in goods, later this year.
Exporter groups estimate the U.S. tariffs could affect nearly 55% of India’s $87 billion in merchandise exports to the United States, while benefiting competitors such as Vietnam, Bangladesh and China.
More Trade Pacts
India is pursuing bilateral trade agreements with Oman, Chile, and Peru as part of a broader strategy to expand exports and diversify global markets, the source added.
The government emphasises that these pacts will balance growth opportunities with safeguards for farmers and small businesses, ensuring that domestic industries remain protected while boosting international competitiveness.
(With inputs from Reuters)