Reuters

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe sentenced to 12 years of house arrest

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will be sentenced on Friday to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official, according to a document seen by Reuters and a source with knowledge of the matter.

Uribe was convicted of the two charges on Monday by Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia in a witness-tampering case that has run for about 13 years. He has always maintained his innocence.

The information, also published by local media, came hours ahead of the hearing where Heredia will read the sentence in court.

Uribe will be fined $578,000 in the case, the document showed.

The conviction made him the country’s first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial and came less than a year before Colombia’s 2026 presidential election, in which several of Uribe’s allies and proteges are competing for top office.

It could also have implications for Colombia’s relationship with the U.S.: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week Uribe’s conviction is a “weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch by radical judges” and analysts have said there could be cuts to U.S. aid in response.

Uribe, 73, and his supporters have always said the process is a persecution, while his detractors have celebrated it as deserved comeuppance for a man who has been accused for decades of close ties with violent right-wing paramilitaries but never convicted of any crime until now.

August 1, 2025
Flight attendants sue Boeing

Four flight attendants on the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plane that experienced a mid-air cabin panel blowout in January last year are suing Boeing for physical and emotional injuries.

In separate lawsuits, flight attendants are seeking compensation for past and future economic damages, citing physical and mental injuries, emotional distress and other financial costs.

“Each of the four flight attendants acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers’ safety first while fearing for their lives,” Tracy Brammeier, the attorney representing each of the plaintiffs, said.

“They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering traumatic experience.”

Boeing declined to comment, while Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The lawsuits were filed on Tuesday in Seattle’s King County Superior Court and accuse Boeing of negligence and failure to exercise reasonable care in the production, sale and repair of 737 MAX jets and its parts.

“Boeing knew or should have known of the quality control issues present in its production of the 737 MAX line of aircraft,” the filings said.

The incident sparked a crisis for the planemaker and prompted the U.S. Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into the company and declare that Boeing was not in compliance with a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.

Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Boeing had failed to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight to prevent the incident.

The board criticized Boeing’s safety culture and its failure to install four key bolts in the panel during production, and accused the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of ineffective oversight.

August 1, 2025
Gaza mother worries time running out for evacuation of malnourished daughter

Stroking the hair of her emaciated daughter on a hospital bed in Gaza City, Nasma Ayad fears time is running out for a medical evacuation of the malnourished eight-year-old to avoid the fate of her sister, who died last month.

“I feel I’m slowly losing my daughter, day after day – everything she’s suffering from is multiplying,” Ayad said.

With few medical supplies and limited food, treating malnourished Palestinian children with complicated conditions in war-shattered Gaza has become increasingly difficult, according to medical staff and humanitarian agencies.

Jana received treatment for malnutrition last year at an International Medical Corps clinic in the central town of Deir al-Balah after showing signs of weakness and delayed growth.

Though she improved, the frequent interruption of healthcare services and increasing scarcity of food – as Israeli forces who control all access to Gaza have kept up their offensive against Hamas – led to a relapse, Ayad said.

She weighs just 11 kilograms (24 pounds) and has trouble seeing, speaking or standing up.
“She started having an edema, which is fluid retention that makes the limbs and the body swell and store water because of the lack of protein and food,” said Suzan Marouf, a therapeutic nutritionist at Patient Friend’s Benevolent Society Hospital.

Jana’s sister, Joury, died on July 20. The child had kidney problems exacerbated by malnutrition, her mother said.

Gaza’s spiralling humanitarian crisis prompted the main world hunger monitoring body on Tuesday to assess that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding, and that immediate action is needed to avoid widespread death. Images of emaciated Palestinian children have shocked many around the world.

Gazan health authorities have reported more and more people dying from hunger-related causes. The total now stands at 156, among them 90 children, most of whom died in the past few weeks.

Ayad had hoped both her girls could be evacuated to safety to receive treatment outside the Gaza Strip. Health officials had added them to a list of patients who were in need of evacuation last September.

But the evacuations never transpired. Though it was too late for Joury, her mother still holds out some hope for Jana.

“I am calling for the urgent referral of Jana as soon as possible to be treated outside the country,” she said.

With the international furore over Gaza’s ordeal growing, Israel announced steps over the weekend to ease aid access. But the U.N. World Food Programme said on Tuesday it was still not getting the permissions needed to deliver sufficient aid.

Israel and the U.S. accuse Hamas of stealing aid – which the Islamist group denies – and the U.N. of failing to prevent this. The United Nations says it has seen no evidence of Hamas diverting much aid. Hamas accuses Israel of causing starvation and using aid as a weapon, which the Israeli government denies.

August 1, 2025
India hit by rare earth magnet shortage due to China’s export ban

India’s Eicher Motors reported that a shortage of rare earth magnets disrupted its first-quarter production of performance motorcycles due to China’s export ban on the key component, prompting the company to switch to alternative materials.

“We started working on the alternative material…at least about three or four months back. Now (the import of) that alternative material is not a major issue,” Eicher’s Managing Director B. Govindarajan told analysts in a post-earnings call.

The shortage of the critical component stalled production of Royal Enfield’s Himalayan, Scram and Guerilla motorcycles, Govindarajan added.

Indian two-wheeler manufacturers, particularly e-scooter makers, are scouting substitutes to rare earth magnets, as China controls 90% of the global production.

Earlier in the day, India’s top e-scooter maker TVS Motor said it was looking for rare earth alternatives used for motors. Ola Electric, meanwhile, had said it has developed rare-earth-free motors, which are to be deployed from the December quarter.

China’s curbs on rare-earth exports have disrupted the global auto industry, with companies warning of a severe supply crunch.

Eicher, whose Royal Enfield leads premium motorcycle sales in India, reported a profit that topped estimates on Thursday, helped by strong local and overseas demand.

The company clocked a profit of 12.05 billion rupees ($137.6 million) for the quarter ended June 30, compared with 11.01 billion rupees a year earlier, beating analysts’ estimate of 11.17 billion rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Its shares closed down 0.2% before the results were announced. They are up 13.4% so far in 2025.

($1 = 87.6040 Indian rupees)

August 1, 2025
Israel kill starving Palestinians as US envoy set to visit aid sites

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in a bid to salvage Gaza truce talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine is unfolding.

Shortly after Witkoff’s arrival, President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social network: “The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!”

Witkoff arrived in Israel with Netanyahu’s government facing mounting international pressure over the widespread destruction of Gaza and constraints on aid in the territory.

Following the meeting, a senior Israeli official said an understanding between Israel and the U.S. was emerging that there was a need to move from a plan to release some of the hostages to a plan to release all the hostages, disarm Hamas militants, and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.

The official did not provide details on what that plan would be, but it was seen as a shift from seeking a limited truce to a more comprehensive deal. The official added that Israel and the United States will work to increase humanitarian aid, while continuing the fighting in Gaza.

Witkoff will travel to Gaza on Friday to inspect food aid delivery as he works on a final plan to speed deliveries to the enclave, the White House said.

“The special envoy and the ambassador will brief the president immediately after their visit to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump on Thursday called the situation in Gaza “a terrible thing,” when asked about comments from his ally and Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who termed Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian enclave a genocide.

“Oh it’s terrible what occurring there, yeah, it’s a terrible thing. People are very hungry,” Trump told reporters when asked about Greene’s social media comments. Trump also noted financial assistance by Washington to address the hunger crisis in Gaza.

CEASEFIRE TALKS

Indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha ended in deadlock last week with the sides trading blame for the impasse and gaps lingering over issues including the extent of an Israeli military withdrawal.

Israel on Wednesday sent a response to Hamas’ latest amendments to a U.S. proposal that would see a 60-day ceasefire and the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a source familiar with the details said.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Gaza medical officials said at least 23 people were reported killed by Israeli fire across the enclave, including 12 people among crowds who had gathered to receive aid around the Netzarim corridor, an area held by Israeli troops in central Gaza.

The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots to disperse crowds, and had not identified any casualties.

Since Israel’s offensive began, the Gaza health ministry has recorded 156 deaths from starvation and malnutrition, most of them in recent weeks, including at least 90 children.

Confronted by rising international outrage over images of starving children, Israel said on Sunday it would halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and designate secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine.

CALLS ON HAMAS TO DISARM

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday the United Nations and its partners had been able to bring more food into Gaza in the first two days of pauses, but the volume was “still far from enough”.

Residents face peril from Israeli forces and Palestinian looters when trying to reach supplies.

“I have tried several times to grab a sack of flour. The only time I managed to do so, someone with a knife froze me in the street and took it away, threatening to stab me,” one man from Deir Al-Balah told Reuters, asking not to be identified.

Pressure has been mounting in Gaza on Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel. Hamas is still holding 50 hostages in Gaza, of whom around 20 are believed to be alive.

Mothers of hostages led a protest outside Netanyahu’s office, calling on the government to end Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed over 60,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and more protests were held in Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition includes two far-right parties that want to conquer Gaza and re-establish Jewish settlements there, has said he will not end the war until Hamas no longer rules the enclave and lays down its arms. Hamas rejects calls to disarm.

Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating ceasefire efforts, backed a declaration on Tuesday by France and Saudi Arabia which outlined steps for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The declaration says Hamas “must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.” Israel has ruled out the PA gaining control of Gaza.

Hamas-led factions said on Thursday Palestinian resistance will not stop until “the occupation” ends and an independent, fully sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital is established.

Israel has denounced declarations by France, Britain and Canada since last week that they may recognise a Palestinian state, which Israel says amounts to rewarding Hamas for its October 7, 2023, assault on Israeli territory.

That attack, in which fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to Gaza, precipitated Israel’s assault in the enclave and sparked the worst bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The U.S. State Department also announced sanctions on officials of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, saying the groups were undermining peace efforts. It was Washington’s latest apparent diplomatic shift backing Israel against the Palestinians and diverging from its European allies.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The full impact of the U.S. move was not immediately clear: the State Department said targeted individuals would be barred from travelling to the United States but did not identify those targeted.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, embarking on a visit to Israel, said negotiations for a two-state solution must begin, while for Germany the recognition of a Palestinian state would come at the end of that process.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, on Thursday voiced support for annexing the West Bank.

August 1, 2025
Pakistan to import US crude for first time under landmark deal with Vitol

KARACHI: Pakistan’s largest refiner Cnergyico (CNER.PSX), will import 1 million barrels of oil from Vitol in October, its Vice Chairman Usama Qureshi told Reuters on Friday, marking the country’s first-ever purchase of U.S. crude following a landmark trade deal.

The West Texas Intermediate light crude cargo will be loaded from Houston this month and is expected to arrive in Karachi in the second half of October, Qureshi said.

“This is a test spot cargo under our umbrella term agreement with Vitol. If it is commercially viable and available, we could import at least one cargo per month,” he said, adding that the shipment was not meant for resale.

The deal follows months of multiple negotiations which first began in April, he said, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose 29% tariffs on imports from Pakistan.

Qureshi said Pakistan’s finance and petroleum ministries encouraged local refineries to explore U.S. crude imports after the April tariff announcement.

Vitol did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of office hours.

On Thursday, Pakistan hailed a trade deal struck with the U.S., its top export market, and said the agreement would increase investments. The White House said on Thursday the U.S. will charge a 19% tariff on imports from Pakistan.

A key China ally, Pakistan has been warming up to Trump after he threatened tariffs. It has credited U.S. diplomatic intervention for ending recent hostilities with neighbouring India and nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Oil is Pakistan’s biggest import item and its shipments were valued at $11.3 billion in the year ended June 30, 2025, accounting for nearly a fifth of the country’s total import bill.

The import deal will help Pakistan diversify its crude sourcing and reduce reliance on Middle Eastern suppliers, who account for nearly all of its oil imports.

Also Read: Pakistan says it wins US tariff deal; Trump cites oil reserves pact

“Gross refining margin is on par with Gulf grades, and no blending or refinery tweaks are required,” Qureshi said.

Cnergyico can process 156,000 barrels of crude per day and operates the country’s only single-point mooring terminal near Karachi, enabling it to handle large tankers unlike other refiners in Pakistan.

The company plans to install a second offshore terminal to allow larger or more frequent shipments, and to upgrade its refinery over the next five to six years, Qureshi said.

The refiner, which has been operating at an average refinery run rate of 30% to 35% due to tepid local demand, is betting on growth in demand for oil products.

“We expect run rates to rise as domestic demand strengthens and local production is prioritised over imported fuels,” Qureshi said.

Trump said on Wednesday the U.S. would also cooperate with Pakistan to develop the South Asian country’s “massive oil reserves”, without providing further details.

August 1, 2025
Trump hits India, dozens of other countries’ goods with steep tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump slapped steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan, pressing ahead with his plans to reorder the global economy ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline.

Trump set rates including a 35% duty on many goods from Canada, 50% for Brazil, 25% for India, 20% for Taiwan and 39% for Switzerland, according to a presidential executive order.

The order, opens new tab listed higher import duty rates of 10% to 41% starting in seven days for 69 trading partners as the 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT) deadline approached.

Some of them had reached tariff-reducing deals; others had no opportunity to negotiate with his administration. Trump included an exception for some goods shipped within the coming week.

Goods from all other countries not listed would be subject to a 10% U.S. import tax. Trump had previously said that rate might be higher.

The administration also teased that more trade deals were in the pipeline as it seeks to close trade deficits and boost domestic factories.

Facing a Friday deadline of his making, the Republican president has tapped emergency powers, pressured foreign leaders, and pressed ahead with trade policies that sparked a market sell-off when they were first announced in April.

This time, markets had a more muted reaction. Stocks and equity futures fell modestly in Friday morning trading in Asia.

Trump’s order said that some trading partners, “despite having engaged in negotiations, have offered terms that, in my judgment, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters.”

Other details are still to come, including on the “rules of origin” that will determine what products might face even higher tariffs.

Trump also said “we have made a few deals today that are excellent deals for the country,” and a U.S. official later told reporters that they were still to be announced.

CANADA, MEXICO

Trump issued a separate order, opens new tab for Canada that raises the rate on Canadian goods subject to fentanyl-related tariffs to 35%, from 25% previously, saying Canada had “failed to cooperate” in curbing illicit narcotics flows into the U.S.

The higher tariffs on Canadian goods contrasted sharply with Trump’s decision to grant Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs of 30% on many goods to provide more time to negotiate a broader trade pact.

Trump complained to reporters earlier that Canada had “been very poorly led.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was disappointed by Trump’s decision, and vowed to take action to protect Canadian jobs and diversify the country’s export markets.

“While we will continue to negotiate with the United States on our trading relationship, the Canadian government is laser focused on what we can control: building Canada strong,” he said in a post on X.

The extension for Mexico avoids a 30% tariff on most Mexican non-automotive and non-metal goods compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade and came after a Thursday morning call between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

“We avoided the tariff increase announced for tomorrow,” Sheinbaum wrote on X, adding that the Trump call was “very good.”

About 85% of U.S. imports from Mexico comply with the rules of origin outlined in the USMCA, shielding them from 25% tariffs related to fentanyl, according to Mexico’s economy ministry.

Trump said the U.S. would continue to levy a 50% tariff on Mexican steel, aluminum and copper and a 25% tariff on Mexican autos and on non-USMCA-compliant goods subject to tariffs related to the U.S. fentanyl crisis.

“Additionally, Mexico has agreed to immediately terminate its Non Tariff Trade Barriers, of which there were many,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, without providing details.

INDIA DISCORD

Goods from India appeared to be headed for a 25% tariff after talks bogged down over access to India’s agriculture sector, drawing a higher-rate threat from Trump that also included an unspecified penalty for India’s purchases of Russian oil.

Although negotiations with India were continuing, New Delhi vowed to protect the country’s labor-intensive farm sector, and the threat of higher rates from Trump triggered outrage from the opposition party and a slump in the rupee.

Trump’s rollout of higher import taxes on Friday comes amid more evidence they have begun driving up consumer goods prices.

Commerce Department data released Thursday showed prices for home furnishings and durable household equipment jumped 1.3% in June, the biggest gain since March 2022. Recreational goods and vehicles prices shot up 0.9%, the most since February 2024. Prices for clothing and footwear rose 0.4%.

This range plot displays U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff rates for the economies which reached deals with the U.S., or received Trump’s letter on July 7 or later, or have special situations.

TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM JUDGES

Trump hit Brazil’s exports on Wednesday with a steep 50% tariff as he escalated his fight with Latin America’s largest economy over its prosecution of his friend and former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies.

The run-up to Trump’s tariff deadline was unfolding as federal appeals court judges sharply questioned Trump’s use of a sweeping emergency powers law to justify his sweeping tariffs of up to 50% on nearly all trading partners.

Trump invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare an emergency over the growing U.S. trade deficit and impose his “reciprocal” tariffs and a separate fentanyl emergency.

The Court of International Trade ruled in May that the actions exceeded his executive authority, and questions from judges during oral arguments before the U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit in Washington indicated further skepticism.

Meanwhile, China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with Trump’s administration, after Beijing and Washington reached preliminary deals in May and June to end escalating tit-for-tat tariffs and a cut-off of rare earth minerals.

A U.S. official told reporters that they are making progress toward a deal.

August 1, 2025
Pakistan wins US tariff deal; Trump cites oil reserves pact

ISLAMABAD: The United States and Pakistan hailed a trade deal on Thursday that Islamabad said would lead to lower tariffs and increased investment, but without specifying the level of tariff to be levied on Pakistani exports.

“This deal marks the beginning of a new era of economic collaboration especially in energy, mines and minerals, IT, cryptocurrency and other sectors,” the Pakistan finance ministry said in a statement following a final round of talks in Washington.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who led the final round of talks, said there was a larger economic and strategic agreement.

“From our perspective, it was always going beyond the immediate trade imperative, and its whole purpose was, and is, that trade and investment have to go hand in hand,” he said, in video-taped remarks.

Pakistan had faced a potential tariff of 29%, which was later suspended – as with other nations – to allow trade talks up to an August 1 deadline. Islamabad was aiming at a tariff less than regional trade rivals such as Vietnam, which had a 20% tariff imposed by Trump, and India, which is threatened with a 25% tariff.

Also Read: Pakistan, US successfully finalize landmark trade deal

Islamabad’s trade surplus with Washington was around $3 billion in 2024, mainly due to textile exports. The United States is Pakistan’s biggest market for textiles.

The finance ministry said the agreement would lead to a “reduction of reciprocal tariffs, especially on Pakistani exports to the United States”, but stopped short of revealing the figure.

U.S. President Donald Trump meanwhile trumpeted a pact to help develop Pakistan’s oil reserves. “We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves,” Trump wrote on social media.

“We are in the process of choosing the Oil Company that will lead this Partnership.”

OFFSHORE EXPLORATION

However Pakistan has seen a series of unsuccessful offshore exploration attempts. Its proven recoverable conventional crude oil reserves of between 234 million and 353 million barrels by different estimates place it around 50th in the world.

Shale oil extraction has not been developed in Pakistan, though a 2015 study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated a technically recoverable shale oil resource of 9.1 billion barrels for Pakistan.

Oil is Pakistan’s biggest import item, $11.3 billion in the year ended June 30, 2025, accounting for nearly a fifth of its total import bill, central bank data showed.

The agreement does have potentially wider diplomatic aspects. Washington has been concerned to wean Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country of 240 million people, away from its increasing dependence on China.

Before the Trump administration, Islamabad’s relationship with Washington had cooled in recent years, as the U.S. had drawn closer to Pakistan’s traditional adversary India.

There was also resentment from Washington over Afghanistan, especially under the administration of President Joe Biden, which oversaw a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the handing over of the country to the Taliban insurgency.

Under Trump, Washington has sought to renegotiate trade deals with many countries which he threatened with tariffs for trade relations he calls unfair, a characterization many economists dispute.

In South Asia, Trump has repeatedly taken credit for a ceasefire agreed between India and Pakistan on May 10, after four days of conflict, saying he used the threat of restricting trade to get the two sides to halt hostilities.

Islamabad embraced that version of events, praising him for intervening and then nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. India disputes Trump’s claims that the ceasefire resulted from his involvement and trade threats.

August 1, 2025
England in driving seat as India reach 204-6

England gained the upper hand after a rain-hit first day of the final India vs England Test at The Oval on Thursday as the tourists, needing victory to square the series, battled to 204-6, with all their big guns dismissed cheaply.

England had to work hard for their breakthroughs and will be delighted to have got rid of KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill, the men who have tormented them throughout the summer, though captain Gill gifted his wicket with a suicidal run-out.

Even though there are four days remaining, India’s chances of fighting their way into a position where they could force a victory already look extremely slim.

The overcast morning conditions had looked ideal for England’s all-seam attack, even without injured captain Ben Stokes, but they lacked a cutting edge.

Gus Atkinson, playing his first match of the ongoing India vs England series, trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw for two as stand-in captain Ollie Pope finally got on the right side of a DRS review after 14 unsuccessful appeals last year.

Rahul, with over 500 runs to his name from the first four matches, looked relatively untroubled before playing-on to Chris Woakes for 14 as India reached lunch on 72-2.

Gill, averaging over 90 and with four centuries to his name in the series, then inexplicably set off for a non-existent single and was run out by four yards as bowler Atkinson had time to transfer the ball to his right hand before throwing down the stumps.

Read more: WATCH: Shubman Gill throws away wicket while attempting a needless run

Shubman Gill had started the day with all sorts of records in his sights but, by adding only 21, he achieved only a couple as his tally of 743 took him beyond West Indies’ Garfield Sobers (722 in 1966) as the highest-scoring visiting captain and also moved him into the top nine for the most runs scored in a series in England – either for or against the hosts.

After a rain-delayed restart, a wayward Josh Tongue, whose first over lasted nine balls and went for 12 runs, finally found his line to nip the edge of Sai Sudharsan’s bat to dismiss him for 38.

Tongue repeated the feat soon afterwards to remove Jadeja – who scored a superb unbeaten century in his team’s rearguard action in the fourth India vs England Test – for nine and India were reeling on 123-5 with their big-hitters all gone, or in the case of Rishabh Pant, absent through injury.

Dhruv Jurel, a ball after overturning an lbw decision against him, then got tucked up by Gus Atkinson and was caught neatly at second slip by Harry Brook for 19.

Karun Nair batted calmly to finish on 52 not out and Washington Sundar, another centurion last Sunday, was on 19 at the close.

There was a painful end of the day for Woakes, who suffered a serious-looking shoulder injury after falling heavily as he dived to try to prevent a boundary, but it was a hugely satisfying return for Gus Atkinson, who finished the day with figures of two for 31 off 19 overs, in his first test since May.

“It was a good day. There was pressure on for the bowling side with the conditions that were overhead and 200-odd for six, we are happy with that,” he said. “An early wicket tomorrow and we will be in good position.

“It’s been two months or so since I last played for England. It has been frustrating. I haven’t played much cricket so it was pleasing I was available to play in this last test and I feel fresh.”

As well as his consistently-probing bowling, Gus Atkinson’s run out of Shubman Gill was a huge contribution to his country’s cause.

“I was surprised when he kept coming and I got the ball and was like ‘I need to hit here’,” he said. “It was pleasing to get him out like that.”

August 1, 2025
Trump tariffs rattle India’s markets, cloud growth outlook

MUMBAI, July 31: India’s rupee plunged toward a record low and equity indexes declined on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped steeper-than-expected tariffs on Indian goods, with analysts warning of sustained pressure on the country’s growth.

Trump to impose 25% tariff on India from Aug 1

The 25% tariffs announced could shave off the South Asian nation’s growth in 2025-26 by up to 40 basis points, with the threat of additional penalties further clouding the outlook, economists said.

India’s benchmark equity indices, the Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex, fell about 0.6% each, while the rupee declined to an over five-month low of 87.74 before paring losses amid likely dollar-selling intervention by the central bank.

The Indian rupee is within touching distance of the record low of 87.95 it hit in February.
“88.00 looms as a big level on the charts and likely a focus for RBI as well,” said Brad Bechtel, head of global FX at Jefferies.

“Will be interesting to see if they allow the currency to depreciate through that level to offset the impact of tariffs or if they fight to maintain currency ‘stability’. I think they let it go through, in which case 90 becomes a big level to watch.”

Trump blasts India, Russia as ‘dead economies’

IMPACT ON GROWTH AND INVESTMENT

Analysts warned that a dent to New Delhi’s manufacturing ambitions could hamper growth in the world’s fifth-largest economy.

“If these tariffs remain in place, they could undermine India’s growing appeal to businesses seeking trade diversion in low-value-added manufacturing sectors,” said Raphael Luescher, Co-Head of EM equities at Vontobel.

Goldman Sachs economist Santanu Sengupta estimated a 30-bps hit to growth once the tariffs are imposed, adding that “elevated policy uncertainty in the U.S. can cause Indian firms, particularly those exposed to U.S. tariffs, to postpone investment decisions.”

However, DBS Bank said downside risks are likely to be offset by fiscal support for labour-intensive industries and smaller exporting firms, alongside further rate cuts.

“Despite limited tariff arbitrage, we are still of the view that the economy will continue to benefit from trade diversion flows as manufacturers diversify and derisk from other production bases, including China,” DBS economists wrote.

GEOPOLITICAL BALANCING ACT

Alison Shimada, head of Total Emerging Markets Equity at Allspring Global Investments, said the direct macroeconomic impact may be limited given India’s exports to the U.S. account for just 2–3% of GDP.

But she noted that “India wishes to maintain constructive trade relations with both Russia and the U.S.,” and could consider increasing imports from the U.S. to ease tensions.

“The stock market may react negatively in the short term as the INR is depreciating on the back of this news,” Shimada added.

“However, there is a level of scepticism in the markets until the final agreements are released. Therefore, fundamentals will remain a key focus since India earnings season is ongoing.”

The Indian government expects the economy to grow at 6.3%–6.8% in 2025–26.

July 31, 2025