When it comes to India's Narendra Modi and Donald Trump of US - the easiest refrain these days is "uncertainty is certain".
Keir Starmer has sacked Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US over his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
The Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty told MPs that Lord Mandelson had not disclosed the extent and depth of his friendship with Epstein, a convicted child sex offender, when he was appointed as the ambassador.
He said No 10 had not known about emails from Mandelson to Epstein suggesting his 2008 conviction for soliciting a child for prostitution was wrongful and should be challenged.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador.
“The emails show that the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment. In particular, Peter Mandelson’s suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information.
Piyush Goyal is a trusted Man Friday of PM Narendra Modi. As Commerce Minister he has made a big revelations about 'good progress' in trade talks between India and the US.
Now, there is another version in the stories amid stories (including over mis-interpretation) that perhaps Sergio Gor, as new incoming US envoy to New Delhi will actually deliver the miracles.
Trump’s nominee to be the US Ambassador to India, Gor's arrival is expected to ease the political tension.
Gor is extremely close to the Trump family, especially the oldest son, Donald Trump Jr and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Indian officials see Gor's nomination as a “sign of importance and priority of India-US ties".
It’s unclear whether the trade deal has become a piece in the larger geopolitical play vis-a-vis Russia that Trump is attempting. The imposition of 25 per cent extra tariffs as a penalty for buying Russian oil has put India in the highest US bracket of 50 per cent tariffs.
The impact on certain sectors (gems, stones, leather) is severe, with livelihoods being lost overnight. Foreign investment flows to India may also be affected.
Trump’s hard signalling to US companies to come back and manufacture at home is another potential problem.
Talks between India and the US on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the progress made so far, the commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said Thursday.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump had instructed the trade ministers of both countries to conclude the first tranche by the fall or November of 2025. Since March this year the talks have been going on with all seriousness,” he said at a press conference in Patna.
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