Imported medium and heavy-duty trucks will face a 25% tariff starting November 1, 2025 on all imports from other countries.
A uniform 25% ad valorem tariff will be applied to all imported medium and heavy-duty trucks entering the United States effective November 1, 2025, altering import costs and customs duty collection for those vehicle categories; principal affected source countries include Mexico, Canada, Japan, Germany and Finland.

Mumbai airport seizures: hydroponic weed, exotic wildlife and drones intercepted; four passengers arrested for smuggling.
Customs officials intercepted multiple concealed consignments in passengers' baggage-nearly 3.9 kg of suspected hydroponic marijuana, seven drones, and live and dead exotic wildlife species-appraised at significant illicit-market values, and arrested four arriving passengers under suspicion of smuggling.

Shipbuilding joint ventures to expand domestic fleet capacity, reducing reliance on foreign shipping and strengthening maritime self-reliance.
A national programme to build vessels through joint ventures with oil public sector undertakings centralises demand aggregation via the national shipping corporation to expand domestic fleet capacity and reduce reliance on foreign shipping. Supporting measures include extension of the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme, creation of a Maritime Development Fund, launch of the Shipbuilding Development Scheme, granting infrastructure status to large vessels, customs duty exemptions for shipbuilding components, and extension of the tonnage tax regime to inland vessels to strengthen long-term financing and competitiveness.

Trade tariffs on Brazilian imports may be contested after Brazil's president urges removal amid US claims of economic emergency.
Brazil's president requested removal of recently elevated US trade tariffs on Brazilian imports, challenging US justification that Brazil's domestic policies and the criminal prosecution of a former president constituted an economic emergency warranting such measures. Lula emphasized Brazil's trade surplus with the US, invited the US leader to a climate summit, and offered to meet in Washington to seek resolution and return to normal trade relations.

Tariff volatility is overturning trade calculations and raising supply chain and sovereignty risks for nations' strategic planning.
Trade policy disruption from pervasive tariff volatility is overturning conventional trade calculations and producing strategic consequences for national economic and security planning. Concentration of global manufacturing and constrained supply chains amplify end to end risks, while sanctions, asset seizure and emerging financial instruments alter international economic engagement. Competition for critical minerals and tightened technology controls heighten strategic pressure, and technological penetration raises concerns about erosion of sovereignty. The minister calls for de risking exposures, preserving strategic options, and selectively assuming risks to advance national interests.

India negotiating FTAs and a bilateral trade pact with multiple partners while addressing US-imposed additional tariffs on imports.
India is negotiating multiple free trade agreements and a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement with partners including the US, EU, Oman, Chile, Peru, New Zealand and Eurasia; five rounds with the US have been held aiming to conclude a first tranche by October-November 2025 to increase bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 from USD 191 billion. US-imposed measures-a 25% reciprocal tariff plus a 25% penalty tied to purchases of Russian crude-have resulted in an effective 50% additional duty on certain Indian imports.

Free trade agreement negotiations to fast-track tariff reduction and services liberalization, aiming to boost bilateral trade and investment.
Negotiations will soon commence to conclude a free trade agreement between India and Qatar, with parties finalising terms of reference and fast tracking talks to reduce or eliminate import duties, ease services trade norms, and attract investment to substantially increase bilateral trade and business by 2030.

Trade red lines: India presses for a deal that preserves sovereign policy space while negotiations address tariffs and market access.
India insists any bilateral trade agreement with the US must respect New Delhi's red lines, seeking a mutually acceptable "landing ground" after talks faltered over US-imposed tariff measures and unresolved divergences in sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy. India regards a second tariff tied to its energy sourcing as unfair; negotiations continue against a backdrop of broader geopolitical shifts-heightened sanctions use, competition for critical minerals, supply-chain concentration risks and a global move toward de-risking-which frame India's insistence on preserving sovereign policy space.

Trade deal with US must respect India's red lines amid tariffs, as talks resume to find a landing ground.
Any prospective trade agreement between India and the United States must accommodate and respect India's red lines, and current efforts are focused on locating a mutually acceptable "landing ground" for negotiations. The parties are seeking an understanding that secures market access while preserving non negotiable national positions, and ongoing discussions aim to resolve tariff-related disagreements tied to energy sourcing without disrupting broader areas of engagement.

Trade-driven energy efficiency promotes greener manufacturing and supports aligning trade policy with energy efficiency objectives.
Export orientation leads manufacturing firms to adopt advanced foreign technologies that improve energy efficiency relative to similar non-exporters; empirical analysis using propensity score matching-difference-in-differences shows these gains arise within a few years, persist over time, and are robust across methods, implicating technology diffusion as the primary mechanism driving export-linked energy efficiency improvements.

Federal mobilisation of National Guard troops faces legal limits as deployments provoke challenges over state sovereignty.
The issue is whether the executive may federalise National Guard and federal law-enforcement personnel for domestic crowd-control and enforcement operations without intruding on state sovereignty; federal litigation contends some deployments exceed presidential authority and raise constitutional and civil liberties concerns about military-style intervention in civil affairs.

Supreme Court term addresses presidential power, tariffs, removals, birthright citizenship, voting maps, and transgender sports bans.
The term confronts core questions about presidential power: whether emergency statutes permit unilateral tariffs, whether at will removal of independent agency officials should be permitted, and whether an executive order can abrogate birthright citizenship, each implicating separation of powers and settled constitutional doctrine.

E-waste falsely declared as aluminium scrap seized; imports breached FTP, E Waste Rules and mandatory safety standards.
Seizure at Nhava Sheva Port of used laptops, CPUs, processor chips and other electronic components declared as aluminium scrap led DRI to invoke the Customs Act, finding imports of prohibited old and used electronic goods in breach of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, the E Waste (Management) Rules 2022 and the Electronics and IT Goods (Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021, and non compliant with Bureau of Indian Standards safety and labelling rules; disposition options include re export or destruction and disposal as scrap, and an implicated firm director was arrested and remanded.

EU-India free trade talks face unresolved rules of origin and market access while both sides seek a mutually beneficial FTA.
Negotiations on a proposed Free Trade Agreement and an Investment Protection agreement between India and the EU remain challenging with important issues unresolved; eleven chapters including customs and trade facilitation, dispute settlement, digital trade and competition have been concluded, while key chapters on rules of origin and market access are yet to be finalised and require further rounds to achieve a mutually beneficial package.

Trade agreement CETA expands market access and tariff reductions, paired with social security exemption to boost bilateral economic integration.
The summary emphasises the free trade agreement CETA as the central legal instrument to expand market access and reduce tariffs, paired with a double contribution convention that exempts employers of Indian workers from duplicate UK social security contributions; both measures aim to facilitate cross border employment, investment and deeper economic integration under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Vision 2035 implementation roadmap.

Marijuana seizure at airport after customs profiling: 6.554 kg found, valued at Rs 6.5 crore, two arrested.
Customs intercepted two arriving passengers from Bangkok, diverted them for X ray and baggage inspection, and found 6,554 grams net of green narcotic packets that diagnostic tests prima facie identified as ganja/marijuana, valued at about Rs 6.5 crore; the narcotics were seized and the two Indian nationals arrested.

Solar cells imports from China face recommended anti-dumping duties of 23-30% to protect domestic industry.
DGTR recommends imposition of anti-dumping duty on solar cells imported from China for three years, finding exports at prices below normal value causing injury to domestic industry; proposed ad valorem duties are 23% for certain Chinese firms and 30% for others, with final imposition subject to the finance ministry's decision.

Trade rebalancing urged as Russia seeks increased imports from India, and diplomatic criticism at global forum highlighted.
Russia has directed measures to soften its trade imbalance with India by increasing purchases of Indian agricultural products and medicines to offset heavy crude imports, reflecting an active trade rebalancing approach; separately, India publicly criticised Pakistan at the UN Human Rights Council for alleged state-sponsored persecution and discrimination against religious minorities, demonstrating heightened multilateral diplomatic contention.

Pakistan's trade deficit surge heightens external vulnerability and pressures financing programme conditions, demanding export diversification and import restraint.
The widening trade deficit-a near 46% increase in the monthly gap and a 32.9% rise in the quarter-heightens external sector vulnerability, risks to foreign exchange reserves and currency stability, and complicates debt servicing amid reliance on external financing and ongoing reviews of programme conditions. Policy responses emphasised include export diversification and industrial upgrading, incentives for high value exports, strengthened regional trade links, and curbs on non essential imports to restore external balance and meet financing programme benchmarks.

E-bond system for import-export transactions replaces paper stamp bonds, streamlining bond procurement and trade compliance.
Introduction of an e-bond system replaces paper stamp bonds for import-export transactions in Maharashtra, eliminating the physical stamp paper requirement and centralizing bond issuance in a digital workflow to streamline procurement, accelerate trade operations, enhance transaction transparency, reduce revenue leakage, and improve ease of doing business for importers and exporters.