US trade representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday outlined the Trump administration’s rationale for imposing an 18% tariff on Indian goods, citing Washington’s large trade deficit with New Delhi.Greer said the US is working to formally finalise the trade agreement with India announced earlier this week and is in the process of putting the details on paper.

Why the US is imposing tariffs

Explaining the decision to retain a baseline 18% tariff, Greer said the move reflects the size and growth of India’s trade surplus with the US.“The reason we’re maintaining some level of tariff 18% is because we have this giant trade deficit with them,” he said, adding that India has agreed to reduce its tariffs on a range of US products.According to US Census Bureau data, India’s trade surplus with the US reached USD 53.5 billion during the first 11 months of 2025, compared to USD 45.8 billion for all of 2024.Under the agreement, the US will reduce tariffs on most Indian goods to 18% from 50%. “We’ll finish papering it, but we know the specifics, we know the details,” Greer said, adding that India is maintaining some protection around agricultural goods.

Zero tariffs on several US products

Greer said India has agreed to cut tariffs on American industrial goods to zero from 13.5% and reduce duties on a wide range of agricultural and manufactured products.“For a variety of things, you know, tree nuts, wine, spirits, fruits, vegetables, etc, they’re going down to zero,” he said.However, he did not mention rice, beef, soybeans, sugar or dairy products that India also excluded from its recent trade agreement with the European Union.

Agriculture, energy trade and Russian oil

Greer said the US would continue to push for greater access to protected areas of India’s agriculture sector and that the two sides had reached an understanding on technical barriers to trade.“We’ve reached an understanding and an agreement with the Indians as well on a variety of technical barriers to trade, areas where they have not accepted US standards. We know American goods are safe,” he said.He added that there would be “a process for recognising US standards,” though India would have to go through its own political processes before accepting them. Once implemented, he said, this would open a market of more than one billion people to more US goods.Greer also said the US administration has been closely tracking India’s energy trade patterns, particularly its imports of Russian crude oil.“Have been monitoring Indians winding down purchase of Russian oil,” he said, adding that there are “a lot of opportunities for India to diversify supply and buy more US product.”He said India did not import Russian oil prior to 2022 and 2023 and has been working since late last year to scale down such purchases.The remarks come after US President Donald Trump said on February 2 that Washington would cut reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18% following a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, effectively sealing the deal.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said India had agreed to reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers against the US to zero and committed to significantly higher purchases of American products.“They will likewise move forward to reduce their Tariffs and Non Tariff Barriers against the United States, to ZERO,” Trump said, adding that India had committed to buying over $500 billion worth of US energy, technology, agricultural and other products.

India confirms sensitive sectors protected

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said India has ensured that its sensitive agriculture and dairy sectors remain fully protected under the agreement.“The agreement will protect the sensitive sectors, the interests of our agriculture and our dairy sectors in full respect,” Goyal said at a press briefing.He said the deal would open opportunities for labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, home décor, leather and footwear, gems and jewellery, organic chemicals, rubber goods, machinery and aircraft, with US duties on these products coming down to 18% .Calling it a “very good” agreement, Goyal said Indian exporters are now better placed than competitors which continue to face higher tariffs in the US market.The reduction of US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% is expected to improve India’s competitiveness in the American market. Key competitor countries face higher tariffs, including Vietnam and Bangladesh at 20% , Malaysia at 19% , and Cambodia and Thailand at 19% each.

What the trade deal means and how India benefits

Under the proposed pact, India is expected to eliminate duties on some products immediately, phase out tariffs on others, and reduce import duties in select sectors. Certain items may also receive quota-based tariff concessions. Sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy, however, are completely excluded from the agreement, PTI reported.Greater clarity on tariff changes is expected through a US executive order and a joint India-US statement, both of which are awaited.The agreement is likely to benefit labour-intensive sectors that have been hit by steep US tariffs.These include garments, leather and non-leather footwear, gems and jewellery, plastics, chemicals, carpets and handicrafts. Exports from these sectors currently face tariffs of up to 50% , which will be reduced to 18% .Between 2021 and 2025, the United States remained India’s largest trading partner in goods. The US accounts for about 18% of India’s total exports, 6.22% of imports and 10.73% of overall bilateral trade.

Major traded products

In 2024, India’s key exports to the US included drug formulations and biologicals (USD 8.1 billion), telecom instruments (USD 6.5 billion), precious and semi-precious stones (USD 5.3 billion), petroleum products (USD 4.1 billion), gold and other precious metal jewellery (USD 3.2 billion), vehicle and auto components (USD 2.8 billion), ready-made cotton garments (USD 2.8 billion), and iron and steel products (USD 2.7 billion).Imports from the US included crude oil (USD 4.5 billion), petroleum products (USD 3.6 billion), coal and coke (USD 3.4 billion), cut and polished diamonds (USD 2.6 billion), electric machinery (USD 1.4 billion), aircraft and spacecraft parts (USD 1.3 billion), and gold (USD 1.3 billion).US services imports from India were estimated at USD 40.6 billion in calendar year 2024, led by computer and information services (USD 16.7 billion) and business management and consulting services (USD 7.5 billion).

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang seem to be going all out publicly to prove that all is well between the two companies. However, reports after reports say that all is not well between the two AI giants. According to a report in Reuters, OpenAI is unsatisfied with some of Nvidia’s latest artificial intelligence (AI) chips, and it has sought alternatives since last year. The report quotes as many as eight sources familiar with the matter, potentially complicating the relationship between the two companies.Out of these eight sources, seven sources reportedly said that OpenAI is not satisfied with the speed at which Nvidia’s hardware can spit out answers to ChatGPT users for specific types of problems such as software development and AI communicating with other software. The company needs new hardware that would eventually provide about 10% of OpenAI’s inference computing needs in the future, one of the sources told Reuters. This comes with what analysts see as a shift in ChatGPT-maker’s strategy, which is the company’s increasing emphasis on chips used to perform specific elements of AI inference, the process when an AI model responds to customer queries and requests.

What may be causing tension between OpenAI and Nvidia

As Reuters report says, “Nvidia’s graphics processing chips are well-suited for massive data crunching necessary to train large AI models like ChatGPT that have underpinned the explosive growth of AI globally to date. But AI advancements increasingly focus on using trained models for inference and reasoning, which could be a new, bigger stage of AI, inspiring OpenAI’s efforts. The ChatGPT-maker’s search for GPU alternatives since last year focused on companies building chips with large amounts of memory embedded in the same piece of silicon as the rest of the chip, called SRAM. Squishing as much costly SRAM as possible onto each chip can offer speed advantages for chatbots and other AI systems as they crunch requests from millions of users.” Last year, OpenAI struck deals with AMD and others for GPUs built to rival Nvidia’s. In fact, sources say OpenAI’s deal with AMD didn’t go very well with partner Nvidia. This AI inference has become the new front in the competition. This decision by OpenAI and others to seek out alternatives in the inference chip market marks a significant test of Nvidia’s AI dominance and comes at a time when the two companies are in investment talks. In September, Nvidia said it intended to pour as much as $100 billion into OpenAI as part of a deal that gave the chipmaker a stake in the startup and gave OpenAI the cash it needed to buy the advanced chips. In a joint announcement unveiling the September deal with Sam Altman, OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Jensen Huang called the deal “the largest computing project in history.” The deal was expected to close within weeks, however, negotiations have dragged on for months. New reports claim that Nvidia is now planning to halve its investments.According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has privately criticized OpenAI for what he has described as a lack of discipline in OpenAI’s business approach and expressed concern about the competition it faces from the likes of Google and Anthropic.In November, Nvidia said that it was committing to invest up to $10 billion into Anthropic. In a filing in the same month, Nvidia reportedly said that there was no assurance that it would “enter into definitive agreements with respect to the OpenAI opportunity or other potential investments, or that any investment will be completed on expected terms, if at all.”

Sam Altman and Jensen Huang deny any rift, but ..

In the past few days both OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang have strongly denied reports of any tension between the two companies. Last week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang brushed off a report of tension with OpenAI, saying the idea was “nonsense” and that Nvidia planned a huge investment in OpenAI. A spokesperson for OpenAI in a separate statement said that the company relies on Nvidia to power the vast majority of its inference fleet and that Nvidia delivers the best performance per dollar for inference.OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman too wrote in a post on Twitter that Nvidia makes “the best AI chips in the world” and that OpenAI hoped to remain a “gigantic customer for a very long time”.

NEW DELHI: Just 17, Anahat Singh is learning how to make big moments look routine. On Sunday in Washington, she delivered the biggest result of her young career with the calm of someone who seems to know exactly where she is headed. Anahat stunned top seed, reigning Commonwealth Games champion and world No. 10 Georgina Kennedy of England 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 in a brisk 26-minute final to win her maiden PSA Bronze-level title at the Squash On Fire Open.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The victory was her 15th title overall on the PSA Tour, achieved in just 26 tournaments, and also made her the youngest Asian player to break into the world’s top 20 rankings.What stood out was not just the scoreline, but the manner in which Anahat controlled the contest. In the opening game, she trailed 8-10 but reeled off four straight points to take it, setting the tone for the rest of the match. Having lost to Kennedy in their only previous meeting, the seventh seed showed composure well beyond her years, rarely allowing the higher-ranked opponent to settle.“I’m extremely happy,” Anahat said after the final. “Coming into this event, I played the British Junior Open a few weeks back and I didn’t play too well. I knew in between these events I had some time to train and I did as much as I possibly could to get the best out of my game,” she added.The result, she said, was part of a clear plan. “I knew I wanted to do well in these events, get my ranking up and also put on a performance, and I’m glad I was able to do that this time.”The title adds to a rapidly growing list of achievements. Anahat was part of the Indian team that won a historic Squash World Cup title in Chennai last year. Earlier this season, she reached the semifinals of the Canadian Women’s Open, a PSA Silver-level event, signalling her readiness to challenge top-ranked players consistently.Those around her have long believed this rise was inevitable. “When I met her, she was 13-year-old and already one of the contenders to win the national title. She is like a prodigy,” said her coach Stephane Galifi. “We want her to be in the top 10 at the world level as soon as possible.” Galifi believes her strengths are already evident.“She is very gifted. She learns very quickly, very mature for her age. She has got everything, a whole package. She can cover the court very well, read the game very well. Some players mature when they’re 25-26. She is like a sponge, learning and absorbing everything quickly,” the Italian said.But there is still work to do. “She needs to play more events out of India, have different training with better players. She needs to get a little stronger in terms of fitness because at the top level all players are extremely fit,” he said.For now, Anahat’s breakthrough in Washington feels less like a surprise and more like the next logical step for a teenager steadily turning promise into performance.

Kayla Nicole’s alleged controversial moment takes a dig at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship.(Image via Getty Images/ Taylor Swift/Instagram)

Taylor Swift has stayed out of the spotlight for the last few weeks as Travis Kelce deals with retirement rumors. While Travis Kelce’s ex girlfriend, Kayla Nicole, has always been in the news for her controversial actions, it seems she has allegedly taken a dig at the star player and his relationship with the billionaire pop star, Taylor Swift.

Kayla Nicole’s subtle dig at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce sparks outrage

Just a few hours ago, on Saturday night, clips of Kayla Nicole dancing with Toni Braxton to the singer’s popular 2000 track “He Wasn’t Man Enough” sparked chaos.Kayla Nicole was performing alongside other dancers at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, as she posted several clips on her social media.But it is one moment that has sparked panic. In a clip that has now gone viral, Toni Braxton could be heard yelling, “Kayla, is he man enough?”Many feel this was a subtle dig at Travis Kelce while others feel Toni Braxton yelled out “Taylor” and not “Kayla”.However, neither Kayla Nicole nor Toni Braxton has addressed the controversy yet as they continue to remain silent.

Kayla Nicole has been accused of dissing Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce even before

This has not been the first time that Travis Kelce’s ex girlfriend, Kayla Nicole, has been alleged to diss the Chiefs’ star player’s relationship with Taylor Swift.A few months ago, for Halloween 2025, Kayla Nicole sparked outrage after she dropped a music video dancing to Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough”, dressed like the artist.But many fans felt it was a parody of Taylor Swift’s newly released track, Opalite.However, neither Taylor Swift nor Travis Kelce opened up about it in public.While Kayla Nicole’s actions have sparked outrage over the last few years, the popular social media influencer has also opened up about the hate she receives.In a heartfelt interview to PEOPLE, Kayla Nicole said, “My mouth almost drops when I see some things about me because you click the link, get to the article, you read the article, and almost nothing about the article supports the headline.”Kayla Nicole added, “It’s pretty disheartening.”Kayla Nicole and Travis Kelce dated for five years before ending things in 2022.

India-US trade deal sealed: In a big breakthrough, India and the US have announced a trade deal, after US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on phone. With the trade deal, India has secured an 18% reciprocal tariff rate for its goods exported to the US. Trump has said that the tariff on US exports to India will be reduced to zero.PM Narendra Modi welcomed the trade deal calling it a ‘wonderful announcement’. “Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18%. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement. When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation,” PM Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter).“President Trump’s leadership is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. India fully supports his efforts for peace. I look forward to working closely with him to take our partnership to unprecedented heights,” he added.

Trump Tariff Rate For India Lower Than Pakistan, China

With this deal, India bags a place among countries facing one of the lowest tariff rates from the Donald Trump administration. Incidentally, the 18% tariff rate is lower than Pakistan’s 19%, Indonesia’s 19%, Vietnam’s 20%. Bangladesh’s 20%, and China’s effective tariff rate which ranges between 30-35%.Also Read | India-US trade deal: 25% penal tariffs linked to Russian oil gone? Here’s what we knowWhen Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on Liberation Day in April 2025, India was hit with a 26% tariff rate. As negotiations for a trade deal continued, Trump imposed a 25% tariff rate on India effective from August 2025. This was later hiked to 50%, with the 25% additional penal tariff being for India’s crude oil imports from Russia. The Trump administration accused India of indirectly financing Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Reports suggest that the 18% reciprocal tariff rate now effectively also removes the 25% tariff on India for Russia crude oil procurement. An official confirmation on the same is awaited.Details of the India-US trade deal are yet to be revealed, though Trump’s post makes a series of claims: from India’s promise to stop buying Russian crude, reducing tariffs on US goods to zero, agreeing to step up US oil imports to buying $500 billion of US products across sectors.Also Read | India-US trade deal: Top 7 points Trump says he agreed on with PM ModiTrump posted on Truth Social, “It was an Honor to speak with Prime Minister Modi, of India, this morning. He is one of my greatest friends and, a Powerful and Respected Leader of his Country. We spoke about many things, including Trade, and ending the War with Russia and Ukraine. He agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela. This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week! Out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a Trade Deal between the United States and India, whereby the United States will charge a reduced Reciprocal Tariff, lowering it from 25% to 18%. They will likewise move forward to reduce their Tariffs and Non Tariff Barriers against the United States, to ZERO. The Prime Minister also committed to “BUY AMERICAN,” at a much higher level, in addition to over $500 BILLION DOLLARS of U.S. Energy, Technology, Agricultural, Coal, and many other products. Our amazing relationship with India will be even stronger going forward. Prime Minister Modi and I are two people that GET THINGS DONE, something that cannot be said for most. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump with PM Modi (file photo)

US President Donald Trump has announced a trade deal with India, after having imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods in August 2025. The trade deal announced by Trump on his social media platform Truth Social has several elements, including a substantial reduction in tariffs and claims of India stopping Russian oil purchases.Trump had imposed a 50% tariff on India, 25% of which were for crude oil imports from Russia. Trump administration officials have repeatedly claimed that India’s crude purchase from Russia helped finance the latter’s war against Russia.PM Narendra Modi confirmed the trade deal via X (formerly Twitter: “Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18%. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement. When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. President Trump’s leadership is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. India fully supports his efforts for peace. I look forward to working closely with him to take our partnership to unprecedented heights.”

India-US Trade Deal: Top Points To Know

Trump’s Truth Social post contained many points around the trade deal. India is yet to confirm the trade deal. Here are the top points that Trump has said:

How Trump announced India-US trade deal

Trump posted on Truth Social, “It was an Honor to speak with Prime Minister Modi, of India, this morning. He is one of my greatest friends and, a Powerful and Respected Leader of his Country. We spoke about many things, including Trade, and ending the War with Russia and Ukraine. He agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela. This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week! Out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a Trade Deal between the United States and India, whereby the United States will charge a reduced Reciprocal Tariff, lowering it from 25% to 18%. They will likewise move forward to reduce their Tariffs and Non Tariff Barriers against the United States, to ZERO. The Prime Minister also committed to “BUY AMERICAN,” at a much higher level, in addition to over $500 BILLION DOLLARS of U.S. Energy, Technology, Agricultural, Coal, and many other products. Our amazing relationship with India will be even stronger going forward. Prime Minister Modi and I are two people that GET THINGS DONE, something that cannot be said for most. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

File photo: Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina (Picture credit: ANI)

A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to a total of 10 years in prison in two separate corruption cases linked to alleged irregularities in the allocation of residential plots under the Purbachal New Town government project near Dhaka.According to news agency ANI, Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 handed Hasina five years’ imprisonment in each case, taking the total sentence to 10 years.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Robiul Alam.In the same cases, Hasina’s niece Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, a British MP and daughter of Sheikh Rehana, was sentenced to two years in each case, totalling four years in prison.Another niece, Azmina Siddiq, and Hasina’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq, also known as Bobby, were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment each.

Details of the verdict and accused

The 79-year-old former premier was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for allegedly using her official influence to allocate residential plots to others, including Tulip Siddiq, under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachal on the outskirts of the capital. The court pronounced the judgment at around 12.30 pm (local time).Apart from Hasina and her relatives, several others were also convicted. According to news agency PTI, those sentenced to five years’ imprisonment included a former junior housing minister, a former secretary of the housing ministry, a former Rajuk chairman and officials of the state-run Rajuk authority, which oversees plot allocations. Only one of the accused, a senior Rajuk official, was present in court, while the rest were tried in absentia.“The trial of the accused was not obstructed regardless of where they (accused) were in the world,” the judge said while delivering the verdict, as quoted by PTI.

Background of the cases

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the cases on January 13, 2025, initially against 16 individuals, later submitting charge sheets against 18 accused on March 10, 2025. A total of 31 witnesses testified during the trial, with the recording of testimonies concluding on January 5 this year. The court had fixed February 2 for pronouncing judgment in both cases.The corruption watchdog alleged Hasina colluded with government officials to illegally secure plots in the Purbachal New Town Project for herself and her family members, despite them being ineligible under existing rules. Hasina has earlier been convicted in multiple other cases related to the same project and sentenced to a cumulative 26 years in prison in previous verdicts.

Reactions and political context

Hasina’s now-disbanded Awami League described the sentences as “entirely predictable” and alleged the cases were “fabricated” by the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.Tulip Siddiq rejected the allegations, calling the process “flawed and farcical from the beginning to the end”. “I’m absolutely baffled by the whole thing,” she was quoted by the BBC as saying, adding that she had not received any summons or charge sheet. She said she had engaged lawyers in both the UK and Bangladesh.Sheikh Hasina has been living in exile in India since August 5, 2024, after her government was toppled in a student-led uprising. Following her ouster, an interim government under Muhammad Yunus initiated a series of legal proceedings against Hasina, her family members and former Awami League leaders.Earlier, a special tribunal sentenced Hasina to death on charges of committing crimes against humanity for her alleged role in brutally suppressing the student-led uprising. Separately, on an Anti-Corruption Commission complaint, a court on November 27 had sentenced Hasina to a total of 21 years’ imprisonment.