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President Donald Trump has warned that Iran will be in “great danger” if diplomatic efforts to curb its nuclear ambitions fail, adding that Tehran “can’t have nuclear weapons.”
Trump confirmed on Monday that the United States is engaging in direct talks with Tehran over its nuclear programme, with a high-level meeting scheduled for Saturday. Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump said, “Maybe a deal’s going to be made, that would be great. But if not, Iran will be in great danger.”
Trump’s comments came just a day after Iran publicly rejected direct negotiations. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed openness to indirect talks through Oman, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains staunchly opposed, insisting earlier this year that “there should be no negotiations with such a government.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that Iran is enriching uranium close to weapons-grade levels, despite Tehran’s claims that its programme is for peaceful purposes.
“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump had earlier told NBC News, warning that any failure to reach an agreement would trigger unprecedented military retaliation. He added, “Doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious.”
The United States exited the 2015 nuclear agreement under Trump’s leadership in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran under a “maximum pressure” strategy. With hostilities increasing — including US strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen and Iranian drone attacks on Israel — Trump has floated the idea of secondary sanctions if Tehran refuses to engage.
The renewed talks with Iran coincided with Netanyahu’s second visit to Trump since his return to office. The Israeli leader, who also met with top US officials including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, focused heavily on securing relief from newly imposed US tariffs. Trump recently slapped a 17% tariff on Israeli imports as part of his “Liberation Day” economic policy, despite Israel being one of Washington’s closest allies.
Trump also used the Oval Office meeting to double down on his controversial plan to “control” the Gaza Strip, describing it as a “great piece of real estate.” Discussions with Netanyahu reportedly included Iran’s role in the region, ongoing fighting in Gaza, and efforts to release Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Trump has given Iran a two-month deadline to strike a new nuclear deal, warning that time is running out and alternatives may not be diplomatic.

India likes to do things differently. While the world has been struggling to get back on its feet after US President Donald Trump pulled the rug from underneath, with his reciprocal tariffs announcement, some nations, like China and Canada retaliated shortly after, with tit-for-tat tariffs. While China countered the US’ 34 per cent with the same figure, Canada mirrored the US by announcing a 45 per cent levy on the automobile sector. Several other nations reached out to Washington in order to renegotiate its own tariffs in order to evade Trump’s reciprocal move.

India took a different route. It said it will not retaliate to US’ 26 per cent tariff announcement, nor will it reduce the tariffs it already imposes on America. Instead, New Delhi reportedly plans to absorb, adjust, and rework the trading dynamic in a way that President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will have a minimal impact on Indian exporters. At the same time, both nations are accelerating trade talks to put in place a “win-win” trade deal. Even before Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs, India placed itself in an advantageous position by becoming one of the first nations to initiate a mega trade pact with America.

JAISHANKAR-RUBIO PHONE CALL

In this regard, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke over a phone call on Monday. Both leaders agreed that an “early conclusion” of the bilateral trade agreement will benefit both nations. The two leaders also had a detailed discussion on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian subcontinent.

Shortly after the talks, Dr Jaishankar said that it was “Good to speak with Secretary Marco Rubio today. Exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian Sub-continent, Europe, Middle East/West Asia and the Caribbean. Agreed on the importance of the early conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement. Look forward to remaining in touch.”

Good to speak with @SecRubio today.

Exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian Sub-continent, Europe, Middle East/West Asia and the Caribbean.

Agreed on the importance of the early conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement.

Look forward to remaining in touch.…

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 7, 2025

According to news agency Reuters, an official in the government has said that New Delhi has looked into a clause of Trump’s tariff order that offers a possible reprieve for trading partners who “take significant steps to remedy non-reciprocal trade arrangements”.

Another official told Reuters that India finds itself better placed than Asian peers like China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, which have been hit by higher US reciprocal tariffs. New Delhi and Washington have agreed to finalize an early trade deal by autumn 2025 – one that may completely resolve their differences on tariffs.

INDIA’S RECENT MOVES

New Delhi however, has signaled that since US’ reciprocal tariffs are now imposed on India, the terms of negotiations will be on equal footing, and Washington’s conditions on removal of subsidies, especially on pharma and agriculture, will no longer apply.

But at the same time, India has also taken a number of steps to win over Trump, including lowering tariffs on high-end bikes and bourbon whiskey, while also completely dropping a tax it imposed on digital services that affected US tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and X, among others.

Meanwhile, India’s Commerce Ministry is closely assessing the immediate impact of Trump’s tariffs with all stakeholders. It said that feedback is being taken from exporters, especially those vulnerable to be impacted most – like diamond merchants. The department, it said, is also studying the opportunities that may arise from this tariff move.

ROBUST INDIA-US TIES

India and the United States enjoy a broad-based global strategic partnership covering nearly every major domain. The relationship is driven by shared democratic values, converging strategic interests, and dynamic people-to-people engagement. High-level exchanges continue to play a key role in advancing bilateral cooperation.

Both nations also have a robust economic partnership. New Delhi and Washington have set a target to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 from the current over $190 billion.

Both nations also invest heavily in each other. In the financial year 2023-24, the US was India’s third-largest source of FDI, contributing USD 4.99 billion – around 9 per cent of total equity inflows. Indian companies are also making major investments in the US, with a 2023 CII study noting 163 Indian firms have invested over USD 40 billion, creating 425,000 direct American jobs.

(Inputs from Reuters)
 

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Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley, and Abtisam Mohamed, MP for Sheffield Central (Photo: X)

The Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, has condemned the treatment of two British MPs who were detained and refused entry to Israel over the weekend, calling the move “unacceptable” and “deeply concerning” during a statement to the House of Commons.
Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley, and Abtisam Mohamed, MP for Sheffield Central, had both received entry clearance before travelling as part of a parliamentary delegation to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, on arrival at Tel Aviv airport, they were held for six hours by Israeli immigration officials. Falconer told MPs, “When I spoke to them at 8.30pm, they believed they were to be detained overnight without their mobile phones.”
Following intervention by Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Falconer, the MPs were released from detention but still barred from entering Israel. They were flown back to the UK early on Sunday morning.
“It is my understanding that this is the first time a British MP has been barred from entering Israel,” Falconer said. “That decision appears to have been taken on the basis of the comments made in this Chamber.” He continued, “It is no way to treat democratically elected representatives of a close partner nation. We have made this clear at the highest levels in Israel.”
Falconer confirmed that Foreign Office officials were involved in assisting the MPs and paid tribute to the pair, who he said “behaved with great dignity”. He added that they had planned to visit humanitarian projects in Gaza and the West Bank to witness the impact of the ongoing conflict and rising settler violence.
“These visits are commonplace for MPs from across this House and from all parties,” he said, pointing out that more than 160 MPs have taken part in similar trips, often supported by groups such as Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Council on Arab British Understanding.
Falconer warned the Israeli government that barring MPs “will only damage the image of the Israeli government in the eyes of Honourable Members across the House.” He also addressed the wider crisis in Gaza, citing the deaths of 15 paramedics in Rafah on 23 March and reiterated the UK’s call for a ceasefire. “The killing of 15 paramedics and rescue workers… was one of the deadliest attacks on humanitarian staff since the war began,” he said. “These deaths are an outrage and we must see this incident investigated transparently.”
“A ceasefire is the only way we will bring the conflict to an end,” he said.

Twenty years ago, on a Saturday night, Richard Petrone Jr and his girlfriend Danielle Imbo, accompanied by their friends, went out to a bar in Philadelphia. Once the outing was over, Mr Petrone Jr was supposed to drop Ms Imbo off at her home in New Jersey and head back to his apartment in Philadelphia. Their friends or anyone else never heard back from them after they left the bar, CNN reported.

Investigators found no forensic evidence of the couple’s whereabouts after they were last seen at the bar, retired FBI special agent Vito Roselli, who was the case’s first lead investigator, said.

Their truck was not spotted on any of the area’s toll bridge cameras and the couple’s credit cards and bank accounts registered no activity, he added.

The couple, along with Mr Petrone Jr’s 2001 black Dodge Dakota pick-up truck, just disappeared into the night. 

His mother Marge Petrone said she knew something was wrong when she didn’t immediately hear back from him. “His phone was never off – it was always in his hands,” she told CNN.

To this day, there are no leads in the case. No one in the family thinks the couple planned their disappearance and relocated to a different area to start a new life. At the time, they were parents to a teen and a toddler, respectively. According to their families, they would never just abandon their kids.

Mr Roselli, who now works in cybersecurity for an international company in Miami, says, “It stays with me. Like, ‘What did I miss?’ … is constantly living rent-free in my head. But also because you want to see closure for the two families.”

FBI’s Philadelphia office says the matter remains a top priority. According to one of the statements, following the couple’s disappearance, the FBI collaborated with law enforcement from other jurisdictions in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

They dispatched divers to investigate the Delaware River and other bodies of water between Philadelphia and Mount Laurel. Investigators followed leads in many states and examined financial, phone, and road toll data. They also looked into a flurry of theories, but nothing brought any fruitful results. 

Technology was less developed in the early 2000s than it is now, which limited the scope of the investigation. While forensic science has advanced much since then, in this instance, it hasn’t had much of an impact, as there is no physical evidence.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the case. 

Donald Trump has announced an additional 50 per cent tariff on China less than 48 hours after Beijing announced a tit-for-tat 34 per cent tariff on the United States, which Trump had declared a day earlier as part of his reciprocal tariff order. This now takes US’ tariff on all Chinese goods to an all-time high of 84 per cent as the US-China trade war escalates.

This is over and above a 10 per cent global tariff, which the White House has said, applies to all nations worldwide, taking China’s tally of Trump’s tariffs to a staggering 94 per cent. Though President Trump gave China’s Xi Jinping a 24-hour window of opportunity to roll-back or “withdraw” the additional tariff he has imposed against the US, failing which, Chinese goods will face this revised 94 per cent tariff in total.

President Trump made the announcement at around 11:30 am (US time – 9 pm India time). Citing his earlier “warning” to “tariff abuser” China, he shared a post on his social media platform Truth Social, in which he wrote, “Yesterday, China issued retaliatory tariffs of 34 per cent, on top of their already record setting tariffs, non-monetary tariffs, illegal subsidization of companies, and massive long term currency manipulation, despite my warning that any country that retaliates against the US by issuing additional tariffs, above and beyond their already existing long term tariff abuse of our nation, will be immediately met with new and substantially higher tariffs, over and above those initially set.”

He went on to warn that “If China does not withdraw its 34 per cent increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose additional tariffs on China of 50 per cent, effective April 9th.”

The furious US president also threatened the end all talks with China regarding Beijing’s request for dialogue amid a globally spiralling tariff war. He also said that talks with nations that have not retaliated the US import duty, will be given a chance to negotiate. “Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated! Negotiations with other countries, which have also requested meetings, will begin taking place immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote.

Global stock markets and oil prices have been in a free fall for the past 72 hours over President Trump order to impose reciprocal tariffs on nations that tariff America. “These are, as the name suggests, just reciprocal – which means we do to them, what they do to us”, President Trump had said during his Wednesday announcement.

China, who President Trump has repeatedly singled out for its gross “tariff abuse” against the United States “for decades”, swiftly hit back with Beijing upping existing US tariffs by an additional 34 per cent – the same as what Trump levied on them. Before Trump’s announcement, Beijing had warned that reciprocal tariffs will lead to a “painful trade war” which will “not benefit anyone”.
 

Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah during a practice session ahead of an Indian Premier League match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (PTI)

Jasprit Bumrah has been included in Mumbai Indians‘ playing XI for the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2025 on Monday. It has been over three months since Bumrah last took the field, last appearing for India in the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney.
Also See: IPL Live Score, MI vs RCB
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene had confirmed Bumrah’s return after recovering from a stress injury. Bumrah, who took 32 wickets in the Australia series before being sidelined, joined the MI camp on Saturday after receiving clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
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The highly anticipated MI vs RCB clash features Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, but Bumrah’s comeback has become the focal point. RCB currently hold the third position with two wins and one loss, while MI sit eighth with one win and three losses.
“He is available, he is training today, and should be available [for RCB game]. He arrived last night, he had his sessions with NCA [now Centre of Excellence] to finalise that, he has been handed over to our physios. He is bowling today, so all good,” Jayawardene said during the pre-match press conference on Sunday.
“Knowing Jasprit he will be up for it. We’re very happy to have him in the camp, the experience he brings, that extra voice out there in the middle, chatting with Boult, chatting with Deepak or any other younger bowler, giving that advice is also very valuable for us. That’s what we are looking forward to from him,” the head coach added.
Bumrah’s return comes as a significant boost to Mumbai Indians, who had to rely on inexperienced, uncapped Indian players like spinner Vignesh Puthur and pacers Ashwani Kumar and Satyanarayana Raju in his absence. Jayawardene had stressed that the team needs to give Bumrah space and not expect too much as he returns after a long break.
The BCCI had taken a cautious approach with Bumrah’s recovery, ensuring he achieves full fitness before returning to action. His next major assignment will be India’s five-Test tour to England in June, which marks the beginning of India’s ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.

Bumrah has been a crucial player for Mumbai Indians since his IPL debut in 2013, claiming 165 wickets in 133 matches. He missed only one season in 2023 due to a back injury that required surgery in March of that year.
Despite MI finishing at the bottom of the table in their previous campaign, Bumrah emerged as the franchise’s leading wicket-taker and finished third overall. He captured 20 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 16.80, with his best figures being 5/21.
The stress injury had kept Bumrah out of India’s white-ball series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy, both of which India won.

The price of cooking gas or domestic LPG cylinder has been hiked by Rs 50 per cylinder, Union Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday. The price has been increased for both subsidised and general category customers.

“The price of 14.2 kg LPG will go on to increase from 500 to 550 under Ujwala and from 803 to 853 for non-Ujwala users,” said Mr Puri.

Last week, the prices of commercial LPG gas cylinders were reduced by Rs 41. The price revision impacted restaurants, hotels and other commercial establishments that use these cylinders for daily operations. 

Earlier today, the government has also raised its excise duty on petrol and diesel, however, the hike would not be passed on to consumers and would be borne by oil marketing companies.

The excise duty on petrol was hiked to Rs 13 per litre and that on diesel to Rs 10 a litre, an official order showed.
The increase in duties will “come into force on the 8th day of April 2025,” it said.

While any change in taxes is normally passed on to consumers, there will be no change in the retail selling price of petrol and diesel as the excise hike will be set off against the reduction in retail prices that was warranted from the fall in international oil prices.