Sriram Lakshman

2 weeks ago | thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman

In an increasingly fragmented and multipolar world, countries are prioritising bilateral arrangements, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday.  However, she denied that the India-U.K. trade negotiations were going to be sped up because of the tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, even as she was optimistic that the negotiations would be concluded “sooner rather than later”.

3 weeks ago | thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman

Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on America’s trade partners, including 20% on E.U. goods, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was “prepared to respond”, even as she appeared to keep the door open for negotiations. “I deeply regret this choice,” she said, referring to Mr. Trump’s tariffs, as she delivered a video broadcast on Thursday morning.

3 weeks ago | thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman

On the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on April 2, the E.U. and U.K. had starkly contrasting responses planned, with the E.U. gearing up for retaliation and the U.K. bracing for impact and deciding for now not to impose retaliatory tariffs as it hopes to reach a deal with Mr. Trump. On Tuesday (April 1, 2025), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was considering the use of all of its policy instruments in response to Mr. Trump’s move.

3 weeks ago | thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman

Reacting to news reports that “hundreds” of Indian citizens in the U.S. had received visa revocation emails for campus activism and been told to “self deport” towards the end of last week, the U.S. State Department said it routinely invoked its authority to revoke visas when information came to light suggesting a visa holder had become ineligible to continue holding the visa. The State Department declined to confirm the specific news reports, citing privacy reasons.

4 weeks ago | thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman

The U.K.’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced that she would deepen previously announced cuts to disability and sickness benefits as part of a £14 billion package to fix the country’s public finances. The Chancellor, who emphasized higher borrowing costs and greater trade uncertainties in the world, also confirmed a previously announced increase in arms expenditures as part of the U.K. increasing its contributions to the defence of Ukraine and Europe.