Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

US Exempts India Backed Iran’s Chabahar Port From Sanctions

The United States said on Tuesday (6) that it would exempt Iran's Indian-backed port of Chabahar from new sanctions on Tehran, recognising the value of the project to Afghanistan.

Late last year, Iran inaugurated the port on the Indian Ocean which provides a key supply route to landlocked Afghanistan and allows India to bypass its historic enemy, Pakistan.


The United States will exempt from sanctions the development of Chabahar along with an attached railway project and Iranian petroleum shipments into Afghanistan, the US state department said.

President Donald Trump's "South Asia strategy underscores our ongoing support of Afghanistan's economic growth and development as well as our close partnership with India," a State Department spokesperson said.

"This exception relates to reconstruction assistance and economic development for Afghanistan. These activities are vital for the ongoing support of Afghanistan's growth and humanitarian relief," the spokesperson added.

The United States, which has been building closer relations with New Delhi since the late 1990s, earlier exempted India from sanctions that took effect on Monday (5).

The Trump administration has vowed to exert maximum pressure on Iran to end its support for regional proxies, exiting a denuclearisation agreement that brought sanctions relief.

Trump's decision has been opposed by European powers as well as other nations including India, which has largely warm relations with Iran and accuses Pakistan of fomenting attacks on its soil.

India has poured two billion dollars into Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led overthrow of the extremist Taliban regime, which was also opposed by Iran.

India has seen Chabahar as a key way both to send supplies to Afghanistan and to step up trade with Central Asia as well as Africa.

Iran has plans to link the port by railway to Zahedan on the Pakistani border up to Mashhad in the northeast.

Agence France-Presse

More For You

modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)

US trade officials in India for talks as tariff deadline nears

US OFFICIALS arrived in India on Tuesday for trade discussions ahead of the implementation of tariffs announced by president Donald Trump.

The meetings come as the US moves forward with reciprocal tariff measures affecting multiple countries, including India.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)

India open to tariff cuts on £17.7 bn worth of US imports: Report

INDIA is considering cutting tariffs on more than half of US imports valued at £17.7 billion as part of ongoing trade negotiations, two government sources told Reuters.

The move, which would be the most significant tariff reduction in years, is aimed at countering reciprocal tariffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
tata-steel-green

Artist’s impression of Tata Steel’s state-of-the-art Electric Arc Furnace facility being built in Port Talbot. (Image credit: Tata Steel)

Tata Steel

Tata Steel hires local firms for Port Talbot project, creating 300 jobs

TATA STEEL has appointed three South Wales contractors to support its £1.25 billion investment in green steelmaking at Port Talbot. The contracts will create over 300 skilled jobs in the local supply chain.

Bridgend-based Darlow Lloyd & Sons will oversee excavation, recycling, infrastructure, and drainage work for the transition to Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steelmaking.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Survey Reveals More Britons Reducing Everyday Spending

About 43 per cent of consumers said they were cutting back on everyday purchases, while more than a third reported increasing their savings as a precaution. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Survey shows more Britons cutting back on everyday expenses

CONSUMERS in the UK are reducing spending on everyday items as confidence in the economy declines ahead of chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spring statement, according to a KPMG survey.

The survey, conducted among 3,000 UK consumers, found that 58 per cent believed the economy was worsening in the three months to February, up 15 percentage points from the previous quarter, The Guardian reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
23andMe

Many users trusted 23andMe with some of their most sensitive personal information

Getty Images

DNA data of millions at risk as 23andMe declares bankruptcy

The recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by genetic testing company 23andMe has raised serious concerns about the privacy and security of the DNA data of millions of users. Founded in 2006, 23andMe has long been a leader in consumer genetic testing, offering individuals insights into their predisposition to various diseases and the possibility of connecting with unknown relatives. However, with the company now seeking buyers in bankruptcy proceedings, the sale of this genetic data has become a source of alarm for privacy advocates and experts.

Many users trusted 23andMe with some of their most sensitive personal information, their DNA. However, as the company faces financial struggles, privacy experts warn that the future handling of this data may be far less secure. Tazin Kahn, CEO of the nonprofit Cyber Collective, which promotes privacy and cybersecurity for marginalised groups, expressed deep concern about the potential consequences. “Folks have absolutely no say in where their data is going to go,” she said. “How can we be so sure that the downstream impact of whoever purchases this data will not be catastrophic?”

Keep ReadingShow less