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Highlights: We're close to closing in on final call for GST rates & slabs reduction, says Sitharaman

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from around the world here

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Nirmala Sitharaman, Nirmala

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (Photo: PTI)

US President Donald Trump criticised India's tariff regime, calling it "next to impossible" to sell goods to the country due to its high tariffs. In a nationally televised address, Trump highlighted the tariffs his administration plans to implement soon. He also claimed that India has now agreed to significantly reduce its tariffs, attributing the move to his administration’s efforts to expose the issue. "India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can't even sell anything in India," Trump said from the White House. "They have agreed, by the way; they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done."
  External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Irish counterpart, Simon Harris, and announced that both countries have agreed to establish a Joint Economic Commission to enhance trade, investment, and technology ties. Jaishankar shared the update in a post on X on Friday, highlighting his discussions with the Irish leader during his visit to Dublin. "A warm and open meeting with Tánaiste & FM @SimonHarrisTD of Ireland this morning in Dublin. We discussed our bilateral cooperation, including a new Action Plan to reinvigorate ties. Agreed to set up a Joint Economic Commission to increase our trade, investment, and technology linkages. Exchanged views on recent developments in our respective regions and globally, including the Ukraine conflict, West Asia, Afghanistan, and the Indo-Pacific. Also spoke about India-EU cooperation and multilateralism," Jaishankar stated. 
Indian and Bhutanese officials met in New Delhi on March 6 and 7 to review boundary-related fieldwork, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on March 7. The discussions focused on technological and capacity-building collaboration for survey and boundary-related work, aligning with the priorities of both nations, the MEA stated in a release. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress made by their respective field survey teams and other stakeholders. They also finalised a work plan for the next three field seasons. The Indian delegation was led by Surveyor General of India Hitesh Kumar S. Makwana, while Dasho Letho T. Tangbi, Secretary of International Boundaries, represented Bhutan. According to the MEA, the meeting was held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, reflecting the tradition of regular dialogues across all sectors of bilateral cooperation.
 
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First Published: Mar 08 2025 | 8:27 AM IST

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