MS Dhoni produced a sensational run-out to leave both fans and experts stunned during the IPL 2025 encounter between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on Monday. The incident took place on the second ball of the final over as Dhoni showed perfect aim to disturb the stumps on the non-striker’s end from his wicket-keeping position. Dhoni picked the ball behind the stumps and his underarm throw crashed into the stumps to dismiss Abdul Samad. A fine half-century from skipper Rishabh Pant helped Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) reach a moderate total of 166/7 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). After managing just 40 runs in the first five matches, Pant finally came good, scoring 63 in 49 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes.
After being put to bat first by CSK, LSG was off to a poor start. Khaleel Ahmed continued his first-over heroics in the season, getting opener Aiden Markram for just six in six balls at the conclusion of the first over, thanks to a fine diving catch from Rahul Tripathi.
CSK put another roadblock on LSG’s path as Anshul Kamboj got the big wicket of an in-form Nicholas Pooran for just eight in nine balls. LSG was 23/2 in four overs.
Mitchell Marsh and skipper Rishabh Pant rebuild the innings, with both taking to the attack against pacers. At the end of six overs, LSG was 42/2 in six overs, with Mitchell (22*) and Rishabh (6*) unbeaten.
LSG reached the 50-run mark in 6.3 overs, thanks to a reverse scoop by Pant that went for a six.
The 50-run stand between the duo ended with Ravindra Jadeja getting Marsh clean bowled for 30 in 25 balls, with two fours and two sixes. LSG was 73/3 in 9.3 overs. At the end of 10 overs, LSG was 78/3, with Ayush Badoni (5*) joining Pant (28*).
Badoni tried to ease off some pressure, hitting Jamie Overton for two successive sixes at the end of the 12th over.
LSG reached their 100-run mark in 12.3 overs.
A fine stumping from MS Dhoni ended Badoni (22 in 17 balls, with a four and two sixes), giving Jadeja his second wicket. LSG was 105/4 in 13.4 overs.
Pant eased off some pressure, hitting Matheesha Pathirana for two sixes, completing his first IPL 2025 fifty in 42 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes. The 18th over by Pathirana brought 18 runs for LSG.
The next over bowled by Khaleel helped LSG get 16 runs, including a six each by Pant and Samad. LSG reached the 150-run mark in 19 overs.
The final over was somewhat fruitful for CSK as they got Abdul Samad run out for 20 in 11 balls, with two sixes and Dhoni caught Pant (63 in 49 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) off Pathirana’s bowling.
LSG ended at 166/7 in their 20 overs, with Pathirana getting Shardul Thakur (6) on the final ball.
Jadeja (2/24) was the pick of the bowlers for CSK. Pathirana, Kamboj and Ahmed got a wicket each.
Minority Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, refering to the legal challenge to the amended Waqf law, told NDTV today that he is “confident” that the Supreme Court would not “venture into legislative matter”. He also said Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s declaration that the amended law will not be implemented in the state raises questions on whether she has any moral authority or the Constitutional right to occupy that position.
The minister’s comment comes amid an escalating row over the law, which has been challenged in the Supreme Court by multiple individuals and organisations, and the staunch assertion of Ms Banerjee in Bengal. The Supreme Court will hear the petitions on Wednesday.
“I am confident that the Supreme Court will not venture into a legislative matter,” the minister told NDTV. “We have to respect each other. If tomorrow the government interferes into judiciary, it won’t be nice. The separation of powers is well defined,” he said.
“I have not seen any other bill being scrutinised so much… one crore representation, maximum sittings of the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) and a record in Rajya Sabha while debating the bill,” he added.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had made it clear that it would not trespass into the domain of the legislature. But as the final arbiter on issues involving constitution, it has agreed to hear out the petitioners, who claim the amended law tramples on several fundamental rights, including the right to equality and the right to religious freedom.
In Bengal meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee — who refused to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and Uniform Civil Code last year — has now announced that the amended Waqf law will also join that category.
Asked about her stance, Mr Rijiju said it could indicate that Ms Banerjee does not believe in the Constitution of India.
“What kind of bizarre statement is that?” Mr Rijiju told NDTV.
“Does Mamata or anybody not care for the people? They treat Muslims as mere vote bank. It will be a black day, the moment they defy… Anybody who says they will not obey the act passed by the Parliament of India – does he or she have any moral authority and Constitutional right to occupy that position and hold the Constitution book? Do they respect Ambedkar? What kind of message do they want to send? Very unfortunate,” he added.
While the implementation of the law rests in the hands of the state governments, the BJP has said the states have no power to bypass the Central laws.
“We want to make it clear that after the 73rd and the 74th amendments in the Constitution, powers of the Centre, state and district-level governments are clearly defined. No district panchayat can go beyond the law passed by the state assembly and no state can bypass the law passed by the Centre (Parliament),” said BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi.
The Opposition has called the amended law unconstitutional, pointing to the several contentious provisions that include mandatory inclusion of two non-Muslim members in the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, and the stipulation that individuals who practiced Islam for at least five years only can donate properties to Waqf.
Also, under the proposed law, government property identified as Waqf will cease to belong to it and the local Collector will determine its ownership.
The BJP has said the bill was drawn up after consulting a large section of people and it has the support of non-Muslim minorities. The bill has also passed the scrutiny of a Joint Parliamentary Committee and many amendments suggested by the members have been included.
The government has contended that the bill is about property and its management, not religion.
Huge lands and properties have been taken over by Waqf and there were largescale irregularities that did not allow Waqf property to benefit the economically deprived sections of the Muslim community, which the amended law would do, it said.
Chennai Super Kings’ Ravichandran Ashwin during a practice session. (PTI Photo)
Chennai Super Kings’ veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was dropped from the playing XI for the first time this season as CSK made a bold move ahead of their IPL 2025 clash against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on Monday. In a strategic shuffle, CSK skipper MS Dhoni announced at the toss that Jamie Overton and Shaik Rasheed would replace Ashwin and Devon Conway in the XI. Also See: IPL Live Score Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Ashwin, who has featured in all six of CSK’s matches so far, failed to make the impact the team had hoped for. The off-spinner has managed just five wickets in the season, with an expensive economy rate of 9.90 runs per over. His form, coupled with CSK’s worrying five-match losing streak, appears to have prompted the decision to bring in Overton — a pace-bowling all-rounder who adds depth to both departments.
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Speaking at the toss, Dhoni explained the tactical shift: “We want to bowl first, there’s chances of dew here. The wicket gets better in the second innings. We’ve made a couple of changes — Overton and Rasheed come in for Ashwin and Conway. It’s important to have the right mindset, play with intent.” Check out the daily cricket challenge – Who’s That? Interestingly, Ashwin was not named among the impact substitutes either, indicating a clear move toward a pace-heavy strategy on a pitch expected to assist seamers under lights. Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant confirmed one change, bringing Mitchell Marsh back in for Himmat Singh. “We would have bowled first too. In Lucknow, it’s slower early on and gets better. Against CSK, we just don’t want to give them an opening,” said Pant. CSK’s move to drop a stalwart like Ashwin signals a significant tactical recalibration as the team desperately seeks to halt their slide and get their season back on track.
Mentally tuned and match ready: Karun Nair makes impactful IPL return
LSG vs CSK Playing XIs: Lucknow Super Giants XI: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (w/c), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digvesh Singh Rathi Chennai Super Kings XI: Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (w/c), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana
Nearly four years before his arrest in Belgium, wanted businessman Mehul Choksi was arrested in the Dominican Republic for illegal entry. He had then alleged that Indian agents forcibly removed him from Antigua and Barbuda, where he fled just before the Punjab National Bank fraud came to light, and took him to the Dominican Republic.
Diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who owned Gitanjali Group, is an accused in the 12,636-crore fraud at the state-run bank. He fled India in January 2018 and reached Antigua, where he had taken citizenship by investment. In May 2021, Choksi appeared in the Dominican Republic and was arrested for illegal entry. He alleged that he was abducted in Antigua, tortured and brought to the Dominican Republic on a boat.
In the aftermath of the alleged abduction, a woman’s name came up. Choksi’s wife Priti alleged that they met Barbara Jabarika, a Hungarian national, in 2020 and alleged that she was part of a honeytrap plan. Barbara trashed these allegations and reports that she was Choksi’s “girlfriend”. I have my own income and business. I don’t need his cash, support, hotel booking, fake jewellery, or anything.”
She said Choksi introduced himself as Raj and that they first met in August 2020. “Raj (Mehul Choksi) was the one who approached me, asked for my number and ‘befriended me’, totally the opposite of what his wife says,” Barbara said. She also said Choksi had told her they may meet in Cuba, suggesting he planned to move there.
Choksi, however, alleged that Barbara did not try to help him when he was being beaten up and placed on a watercraft to be taken to Dominica from Antigua and Barbuda. He also said the way Barbara behaved indicated “she was an integral part of this whole plan”.
Priti Choksi trashed Barbara’s claims that she knew Choksi as Raj. “How is it possible that despite all the media attention and public furore surrounding this case, that this lady who has an Instagram account with thousands of followers was in the dark about all this, and did not come out to speak in defence of her ‘friend’?” she said. “These bogus claims are only an attempt to present a wrong picture of my husband,” she said.
Choksi was imprisoned in the Dominican Republic for 51 days before he got relief from the British Queen’s Privy Council and returned to Antigua, foiling India’s attempts to extradite him. Later, the illegal entry charges against him in the Dominican Republic were dropped.
In March 2023, Interpol took down a Red Notice against Choksi. A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or surrender. In response to the Interpol move, the CBI said Choksi approached international forums, including the Commission for Control of Interpol’s Files, with “false claims, concocted dramatic stories and imaginary narratives” to “create diversions” because he faces possibilities of extradition to India. The CBI had also said an INTERPOL Red Notice is “neither a pre requisite nor a requirement for extradition proceedings”.
Last year, Indian agencies learned that Choksi was in Belgium, and they promptly alerted the agencies there. All documents regarding the fraud case were also shared. Belgian police arrested Choksi on Saturday and found he was trying to flee to Switzerland. Choksi’s wife Priti is a Belgian citizen. According to reports, Choksi submitted fabricated documents to get a residency card in Belgium. He also concealed that he was a citizen of India and Antigua. Earlier, in February, Choksi’s lawyer told a Mumbai court that he cannot return to India because he was in Belgium for blood cancer treatment.
Choksi’s lawyer said he will file an application in Belgium, seeking relief on health grounds. Vijay Aggarwal said a key ground for appeal will be Choksi’s health. “He is undergoing cancer treatment and wants to continue it in Switzerland. He is currently not a flight risk,” he said. The lawyer cited security concerns if Choksi is brought back to India. “We believe that as soon as he arrives, he will receive inhuman treatment. He wants to protect himself from this,” he said.
NEW DELHI: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge strongly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in New Delhi, labeling them as “enemies of Babasaheb” both past and present. The remarks came in response to Modi’s accusations that Congress was spreading “votebank ka virus” by opposing the Waqf Amendment Act and insulting B.R. Ambedkar‘s legacy. During a press conference in the national capital, Kharge highlighted historical opposition faced by Ambedkar from Hindu organizations when he adopted Buddhism. “These people were enemies of Babasaheb then and even now. Even when he was alive, they did not support him. When Baba Saheb adopted Buddhism, do you know what these people said? They said that he is from the Mahar community, an untouchable. They also said that now Buddha has been made an untouchable. Baba Saheb’s political party was the Republican Party, and Hindu Mahasabha was against him,” Kharge said. Kharge addressed the women’s reservation bill, emphasizing Congress’s demand for specific reservations for SC, ST, and OBC women. “When the women’s reservation bill was passed 2 years ago, the Congress party demanded that it be implemented immediately. Our demand was that SC, ST and OBC should be given reservations in it. This is our objective. We have been fighting for this for a long time. It was decided in the Ahmedabad convention to launch a campaign to take it forward,” he stated. The Congress president challenged BJP’s claims about following Ambedkar’s ideology, questioning their actual contributions to his principles. Earlier that day, while in Hisar, Haryana, to inaugurate the first direct commercial flight to Ayodhya, Prime Minister Modi accused Congress of opposing the Waqf Amendment Act purely for vote bank politics. “Congress has become the destroyer of Constitutions. Dr BR Ambedkar wanted to bring in equality, but Congress spread the virus of vote bank politics. Babasaheb wanted every poor, every backward to be able to live with dignity and with their head held high, to have dreams and complete them,” Modi said. The Prime Minister defended the recently passed Waqf Amendment Act, assuring protection for SC, ST, and OBC lands from Waqf encroachment. “The loot of the poor will stop with this amended Waqf law. Under the new Waqf law, land or property belonging to any Adivasi cannot be touched by the Waqf Board…Poor Muslims and Pasmanda Muslims will get their rights. This is real social justice,” Modi stated. Modi also recalled Congress’s historical opposition to Ambedkar’s election campaigns. “We should not forget what Congress did to Babasaheb. Congress humiliated him while he was alive. They made him lose elections twice. Congress even tried to erase his memory. Congress also tried to destroy Baba Saheb’s ideas forever. Dr Ambedkar was the protector of the Constitution, but Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution,” he said. The exchange between the political leaders comes as India prepares to celebrate the 135th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on April 14, 2025. Ambedkar, affectionately known as ‘Babasaheb,’ served as independent India’s first law and justice minister and is renowned as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Born into an impoverished Dalit Mahar family in Madhya Pradesh, Ambedkar dedicated his life to fighting for the equal rights of marginalized sections of society, earning recognition as a ‘Dalit Icon’ for his contributions to their rights.
The move, in Trump’s telling, was prompted by Beijing’s “lack of respect for global markets.” But the U.S. president may well have been smarting from Beijing’s apparent willingness to confront U.S. tariffs head on.
The two economies are now locked in an all-out, high-intensity trade standoff. And China is showing no signs of backing down.
And as an expert on U.S.-China relations, I wouldn’t expect China to. Unlike the first U.S.-China trade war during Trump’s initial term, when Beijing eagerly sought to negotiate with the U.S., China now holds far more leverage.
Indeed, Beijing believes it can inflict at least as much damage on the U.S. as vice versa, while at the same time expanding its global position.
But since Trump first launched a tariff increase on China in 2018, a number of underlying economic factors have significantly shifted Beijing’s calculus.
Crucially, the importance of the U.S. market to China’s export-driven economy has declined significantly. In 2018, at the start of the first trade war, U.S.-bound exports accounted for 19.8% of China’s total exports. In 2023, that figure had fallen to 12.8%. The tariffs may further prompt China to accelerate its “domestic demand expansion” strategy, unleashing the spending power of its consumers and strengthening its domestic economy.
And while China entered the 2018 trade war in a phase of strong economic growth, the current situation is quite different. Sluggish real estate markets, capital flight and Western “decoupling” have pushed the Chinese economy into a period of persistent slowdown.
Perhaps counterintuitively, this prolonged downturn may have made the Chinese economy more resilient to shocks. It has pushed businesses and policymakers to come to factor in the existing harsh economic realities, even before the impact of Trump’s tariffs.
Trump’s tariff policy against China may also allow Beijing a useful external scapegoat, allowing it to rally public sentiment and shift blame for the economic slowdown onto U.S. aggression.
China also understands that the U.S. cannot easily replace its dependency on Chinese goods, particularly through its supply chains. While direct U.S. imports from China have decreased, many goods now imported from third countries still rely on Chinese-made components or raw materials.
By 2022, the U.S. relied on China for 532 key product categories – nearly four times the level in 2000 – while China’s reliance on U.S. products was cut by half in the same period.
There’s a related public opinion calculation: Rising tariffs are expected to drive up prices, something that could stir discontent among American consumers, particularly blue-collar voters. Indeed, Beijing believes Trump’s tariffs risk pushing the previously strong U.S. economy toward a recession.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks at Chinese President Xi Jinping during the plenary session at the G20 Summit on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
Potent tools for retaliation
Alongside the changed economic environments, China also holds a number of strategic tools for retaliation against the U.S.
It dominates the global rare earth supply chain – critical to military and high-tech industries – supplying roughly 72% of U.S. rare earth imports, by some estimates. On March 4, China placed 15 American entities on its export control list, followed by another 12 on April 9. Many were U.S. defense contractors or high-tech firms reliant on rare earth elements for their products.
China also retains the ability to target key U.S. agricultural export sectors such as poultry and soybeans – industries heavily dependent on Chinese demand and concentrated in Republican-leaning states. China accounts for about half of U.S. soybean exports and nearly 10% of American poultry exports. On March 4, Beijing revoked import approvals for three major U.S. soybean exporters.
And on the tech side, many U.S. companies – such as Apple and Tesla – remain deeply tied to Chinese manufacturing. Tariffs threaten to shrink their profit margins significantly, something Beijing believes can be used as a source of leverage against the Trump administration. Already, Beijing is reportedly planning to strike back through regulatory pressure on U.S. companies operating in China.
Chinese and U.S. flags fly at a booth during the first China International Import Expo on Nov. 6, 2018, in Shanghai.Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images
A strategic opening for China?
While Beijing thinks it can weather Trump’s sweeping tariffs on a bilateral basis, it also believes the U.S. broadside against its own trading partners has created a generational strategic opportunity to displace American hegemony.
Close to home, this shift could significantly reshape the geopolitical landscape of East Asia. Already on March 30 – after Trump had first raised tariffs on Beijing – China, Japan and South Korea hosted their first economic dialogue in five years and pledged to advance a trilateral free trade agreement. The move was particularly remarkable given how carefully the U.S. had worked to cultivate its Japanese and South Korean allies during the Biden administration as part of its strategy to counter Chinese regional influence. From Beijing’s perspective, Trump’s actions offer an opportunity to directly erode U.S. sway in the Indo-Pacific.
Similarly, Trump’s steep tariffs on Southeast Asian countries, which were also a major strategic regional priority during the Biden administration, may push those nations closer to China. Chinese state media announced on April 11 that President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from April 14-18, aiming to deepen “all-round cooperation” with neighboring countries. Notably, all three Southeast Asian nations were targeted with now-paused reciprocal tariffs by the Trump administration – 49% on Cambodian goods, 46% on Vietnamese exports and 24% on products from Malaysia.
Farther away from China lies an even more promising strategic opportunity. Trump’s tariff strategy has already prompted China and officials from the European Union to contemplate strengthening their own previously strained trade ties, something that could weaken the transatlantic alliance that had sought to decouple from China.
On April 8, the president of the European Commission held a call with China’s premier, during which both sides jointly condemned U.S. trade protectionism and advocated for free and open trade. Coincidentally, on April 9, the day China raised tariffs on U.S. goods to 84%, the EU also announced its first wave of retaliatory measures – imposing a 25% tariff on selected U.S. imports worth over €20 billion – but delayed implementation following Trump’s 90-day pause.
While Trump’s tariffs will inevitably hurt parts of the Chinese economy, Beijing appears to have far more cards to play this time around. It has the tools to inflict meaningful damage on U.S. interests – and perhaps more importantly, Trump’s all-out tariff war is providing China with a rare and unprecedented strategic opportunity.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday flagged off a commercial flight from Hisar to Ayodhya and laid the foundation stone for a new terminal building at Maharaja Agrasen Airport. The terminal, to be built at an estimated cost of over Rs 410 crore, is part of Modi’s vision to make air travel safer, more affordable, and accessible to all. Addressing a public event in Haryana’s Hisar, Modi said, “Before 2014, there were 74 airports in the country, but today there are over 150 airports. Imagine 74 airports in 70 years? Every year, there are record airline passengers in the country. The airline companies have placed orders for 2000 new aircraft. On one the hand, our government is working on connectivity, and on the other hand, ensuring the welfare of the poor and social justice.” The upcoming terminal will feature a modern passenger facility, a cargo terminal, and an air traffic control (ATC) building. The project is expected to be completed within two years. The launch of the Hisar-Ayodhya flight marks a significant step in boosting Haryana’s aviation connectivity. According to an official statement, scheduled flights will now operate twice a week between Hisar and Ayodhya. Additionally, three weekly flights will connect Hisar to Jammu, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh. PM Modi is visiting Haryana to unveil several development projects worth ₹10,000 crore, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar — a key architect of the Indian Constitution and a symbol of Dalit empowerment. Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, along with several state ministers, attended the event.
Stock exchanges across India will remain closed on Monday to commemorate Dr BR Ambedkar Jayanti. The occasion marks the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar, who was born on April 14, 1891. The nation observes this day as a public holiday annually, with educational institutions, banks and numerous government offices remaining closed to honour the social reformer and creator of the Indian Constitution. The Indian equity markets concluded the previous week on a positive note following an intensely volatile session at the week’s beginning. On Friday’s closing, Sensex reached 75,157.26 points, rising by 1,310.11 points or 1.77 per cent, whilst Nifty settled at 22,828.55 points, increasing by 429.40 points or 1.92 per cent. The sectoral indices showed strong performance in Nifty metal, consumer durables, and oil and gas. The week had commenced with a substantial decline on Monday, as global markets responded adversely to the US administration’s declaration of reciprocal tariffs. This action sparked concerns about a potential trade conflict and caused investor unease. The circumstances deteriorated when China issued its own counter-measures, further affecting investor confidence globally. The markets subsequently regained stability after the US chose to postpone tariff implementation for all nations except China. This decision provided relief to international markets, including India, leading to price recovery in subsequent trading sessions. Domestically, Indian indices benefited from the Reserve Bank of India’s latest policy statement. The central bank reduced interest rates and maintained an accommodative position, suggesting potential additional support if required. Investors responded positively to this announcement, helping offset earlier declines. Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking said “The upcoming holiday-shortened week will remain sensitive to further developments on the U.S.-China tariff front. On the domestic side, the spotlight will also be on corporate earnings, with heavyweights such as Wipro and Infosys from the IT sector, along with private banking majors HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, scheduled to announce their quarterly results”.
As the trade war between the US and China escalates, Beijing has suspended the export of several critical rare earth elements, metals and magnets, threatening to choke off supplies to the West of components central to weapons, electronics, automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and a wide range of consumer goods.
The Chinese government is drafting a new regulatory system for exports, and while the policies are being framed, the shipments of the magnets, essential for the manufacturing of almost everything ranging from cars to missiles, have been halted at many Chinese ports, according to a report by The New York Times.
Per the report, once the new regulatory system is in place, it could permanently prevent supplies from reaching certain companies, including American military contractors.
US Dependency On Chinese Imports
The official crackdown on exports is part of Beijing’s retaliation against US President Trump’s punishing trade war. China produces around 90 per cent of the world’s rare earths, a group of 17 elements used across the defense, electric vehicle, energy and electronics industries. Seven categories of medium and heavy rare earths, including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium-related items, have been placed on the export control list. The United States has only one rare earths mine, and most of its supply comes from China.
Beijing placed export restrictions on rare earth elements on April 2 as part of a broader package of tariffs and company restrictions in retaliation for Trump’s decision to hike tariffs against most Chinese products to 54 per cent. The export curbs include not only mined minerals but permanent magnets and other finished products that will be difficult to replace, analysts said.
The move, which Beijing had long hinted was possible, further ratchets up trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies and leaves American manufacturers scrambling for fresh supplies of the critical minerals they have relied upon for decades.
Now, metals and special magnets made with them can only be shipped out of China with special export licenses, the NYT report said.
However, Beijing’s system to issue these licenses is barely in place, which is causing consternation among industry executives that the process could drag on and that current supplies of minerals and products outside of China could run low.
A Move To Exert Dominance
The move, which affects exports to all countries, not just the US, is the latest demonstration of China’s ability to weaponize its dominance over the mining and processing of the critical minerals.
While the export controls stop short of an outright ban, Beijing can throttle shipments by restricting the number of export licenses it issues. Lockheed Martin, Tesla and Apple are among the US companies that use Chinese rare earths in their supply chains.
The US government has stockpiles of some rare earths, but not enough to supply its defense contractors in perpetuity.
Beijing has already imposed outright bans on the export of three metals to the US and slapped export controls on many others.
The moves to restrict heavy rare earths are especially important because China has even tighter control over these elements, David Merriman at consultancy Project Blue, told Reuters.
“There is currently only one HREE (heavy rare earth element) focused operation outside of China, Myanmar and Laos,” he said, adding that China has close involvement in supply chains from Myanmar and Laos.
Why Rare Metals Are Important For The US
The heavy rare earth metals put under export suspension by China are used in magnets– essential for many kinds of electric motors used in the manufacturing of electric cars, drones, robots, missiles and spacecraft and gasoline-powered cars.
These metals are required for the manufacturing of jet engines, lasers, car headlights and certain spark plugs and capacitors, which are electrical components of the computer chips that power artificial intelligence servers and smartphones.
Ousted Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina tore into the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government on Sunday, branding him as a “self-centered loan shark” who plotted the country’s downfall with foreign players to quench his thirst for power. In an eight-minute virtual address, she also raised doubts over what killed Abu Sayeed, a student protester who became a face of the resistance.
Hasina, who escaped to India last August fearing for his life, had vowed to return to Bangladesh days ago, saying this was the reason Allah had kept her alive.
Addressing her supporters on Sunday, she accused Yunus of erasing Bangladesh’s history, especially those linked to the Awami League’s contribution to the country’s freedom struggle.
“All signs of Bangladesh’s freedom movement are being removed. Mukti Joddhas (freedom fighters) are being insulted. We had built Mukti Joddha Complexes in all districts to keep their memories alive, but those are being burnt down. Will Dr Yunus be able to justify this?” she said, warning the chief adviser, “If you play with fire, it will burn you to death.”
Her jabs at Md Yunus – the chief adviser to the interim government – were pointed and miles away from subtleness and diplomacy. Seven months after being forced to flee the country, she reiterated her claim of a foreign conspiracy that wanted to destroy Bangladesh.
“That loan shark, power-hungry, money-hungry, self-centred person hatched a foreign conspiracy and used wealth from abroad to destroy the country. The BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) and Jamaat-e-Islami are carrying out (political) murders and harassing (Awami League leaders),” she said.
BNP, led by an ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is the only major political alternative to the Awami League that had managed to dethrone Hasina in the past. Hasina’s ouster emboldened the BNP last year to try and reclaim power, but a comeback is unlikely for Zia due to her ill health.
Ms Hasina – against whom a new arrest warrant was issued in Dhaka yesterday – said the end of Awami League’s regime has given an industrial shock to Bangladesh. Thousands of factories have since shut, and those linked to Awami leaders have been burnt down. Industries are being finished. Hotels, hospitals, everything is being destroyed, she said.
“Awami League leaders are being framed for the death of vandals. Those who burnt down police stations and beat cops to death are not being charged. Cases are being filed against Awami League leaders. Our leaders are not able to stay at home, everything has been destroyed,” she added.
Mr Yunus was well aware of the fallout but he is driven by his hunger for power, said Ms Hasina.
“How will this country run if the law enforcement personnel are being murdered in public? Doesn’t Yunus understand this? Or is he guiding the country to doomsday? This fascist terrorist Yunus is destroying our country out of hunger for power,” added the Awami League chief.
“Murders Were Part Of Conspiracy”
Abu Sayeed was a student activist who died during the massive quota agitation ahead of Ms Hasina’s ouster. The police and the protesters made conflicting claims over the cause of his death at a clash in July last year. A more aggressive campaign by the students followed and Sayeed became the face of their protest. And as Bangladesh got an interim government, he was epitomised as a “hero of the generation” and branded as a victim of Hasina’s ruthlessness.
In February, a fact-finding report by the UN said Sayeed was a victim of a “deliberate extrajudicial killing” by the police. It also flagged the use of 7.62 mm bullets by the police in some instances.
Ms Hasina, however, asserted the police used only rubber pellets, not metal bullets.
“Abu Sayeed was hit by a rubber bullet. The police didn’t use metal bullets. A rock smashed his head when they were throwing stones at the police. Even the police had the right to defend themselves when attacked. But where did the 7.62 mm bullet come from? Who brought that rifle to the protest?” asked the former prime minister.
Ms Hasina claimed a top official tried to uncover the truth, but he was shunted. “When an official identified the bullet and said he would find out which civilians had this type of gun, Yunus removed him from his post. He did so because he is responsible for this murder.”
She said she formed a judicial enquiry committee in July to probe the death of protesters but Yunus didn’t let them work.
“Now exhume Sayeed’s body and conduct a forensic examination. It will be proved that all the murders were part of a conspiracy. I didn’t kill them, neither did Awami League nor the police. The police rather were victims. Those who unleashed violence were given indemnity. Will they be brought to justice? No, because Yunus engineered this. It was part of his meticulous design,” she said.
Hasina said the new regime has ended hope for the hard-working Bangladeshis.
“Top doctors and surgeons have been sacked. Political workers have been given police uniforms. Are they qualified for the job? No rules were followed. And the BNP is busy looting. They are destroying the country. Thousands of labourers are jobless. Farmers are distressed. Hard-working people are losing their means of livelihood. They are violating humans at every step. I can’t let this continue,” she declared.
Ms Hasina keeps airing her views on Bangladesh and the Yunus government through her party’s social media handle as she remains in exile in India.
Dhaka has been trying to extradite her and Yunus has raised it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi too. When he met PM Modi weeks ago, he accused Hasina of trying to “destabilise the situation in Bangladesh” and requested India to take steps that restrain her from making such remarks. Earlier, Delhi had raised concerns over reports of atrocities against the Hindu minorities of Bangladesh, but Dhaka maintained such figures were hugely inflated and most were “fake news”.
