- 7/7/2025
US President Donald Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on South Korea and Japan, effective from August 1st, as part of a plan targeting 12 countries. He warned against reciprocal actions, threatening additional tariffs.
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00:00Hello and welcome. You're watching World Today. I'm Geeta Mohan and there's some breaking news coming in at the top of this bulletin.
00:22Trump has now slapped tariffs on South Korea and Japan. Part of his plan on tariffs for 12 countries, two of them announced the United States of America imposes 25% tariffs on South Korea and Japan. In a letter to the Japanese government and to the Korean administration, Trump says trade deficit a major threat to U.S. economy and therefore 25% additional tariffs on the two countries from August 1st.
00:50These are first two of the 12 countries to which letters are being sent from the White House signed by none other than the U.S. president himself.
00:59My colleague Pranay Upadhyay for more. Pranay, not only is he slapping tariffs, but he's also looking at threatening them.
01:08The letter very clearly says that these are the tariff rates, 25% additional tariffs on South Korea and Japan from August 1st.
01:16The other 10 countries will be named soon. He's announcing all this on his social media platform rather than an official announcement from the White House platform.
01:26Very interesting the way the U.S. president is looking at announcements and how the president's office really is delivering those announcements from his social media platform through social and not from any other platform or the official platform.
01:45So major decision, 25% additional tariffs, but not only is he like I said, has he informed the two countries of the 25% additional tariffs.
01:56He's also said that should the two countries look at a reciprocity, then there will be 25% added to the reciprocal tariff that the two countries or the 12 countries are going to put.
02:11So important over here, huge decision by the Trump administration.
02:16He had already posted it on his social media platform that he will be sending letters to 12 countries.
02:24My colleague Pranay Upadhyay is with me.
02:27Pranay, very interesting, not just a 25% tariff, but also a threat saying that do not, do not look at reciprocity of tariffs here.
02:38Obviously, and these are the two key partners, be it Japan or South Korea, if you see, they are the key strategic allies for the United States.
02:48But, you know, with these letters, President Donald Trump want to give the message that, you know, he is not sparing anyone for that matter.
02:54And he has already announced that the 12, around a dozen countries will be in the list of, you know, first trench of these letters he will be sending out.
03:02He has already started that process.
03:04And, you know, many countries would be, you know, waiting for their letters.
03:09So we do not know whether India is there in that list or not.
03:13But, in fact, as far as our sources are indicating that India is already in an advanced process of having a bilateral trade agreement with the United States.
03:21And we do not hope to get a letter or, you know, from the U.S. President.
03:27But clearly, the kind of language which you must have also read in these letters addressed to the South Korean President, to the Japanese Prime Minister,
03:36clearly listed out that President Donald Trump has, in a way, in a way, he has cautioned that do not look at any reciprocity.
03:43Otherwise, like, you know, the 25% tariff, unless you negotiate a deal with the United States, which is the largest buyer of your product,
03:51then you should be ready for 25% tariffs.
03:54The tariff will be implemented from 1st of August.
03:57So clearly, President Donald Trump, if you see his tariff policy since 2nd April onward, Gita,
04:02he is clearly playing the carrot and stick, you know, methodology.
04:06He has announced these tariffs and also opened a door for negotiations.
04:11He has been pushing out these deadlines from 9th July.
04:14The deadline has already been pushed to 1st of August now.
04:17And now, he has already indicated that he is open to have a negotiation.
04:21But if not agreed, then these countries should be ready to face the 25% tariffs.
04:27Right.
04:27Pushing the date also could do with the fact that there are certain countries with which the U.S. is having important trade conversations,
04:35which includes India, and India might not be a part of these 12 countries.
04:39Having said that, there is a deficit that we recognize and we see when it comes to the United States of America.
04:45But is this the way to look at and take care of the imbalance in trade between U.S. and other countries?
04:53Pranay, stay on with us.
04:58Now, as BRICS nations gathered in Rio de Janeiro for the 17th BRICS summit,
05:04U.S. President Donald Trump threatened nations with additional 10% tariff as well
05:08if they supported anti-American policies in the BRICS bloc.
05:13Take a look at this report.
05:15As July 9 deadline for new tariff imposition approaches and letters expected to be sent to countries,
05:26U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a new diktat for the BRICS nations.
05:32Trump has threatened new tariffs on any nation supporting anti-American policies of the BRICS group.
05:38In his Truth Social post, Trump said the U.S. would impose an additional 10% tariff on any country
05:45aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS, with no exceptions.
05:51But he did not refer to any anti-American policy in his post.
05:56With unstable economy and policy of America first, disrupting major economies of G7 and G8 developed nations,
06:06BRICS, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa,
06:11is providing a platform for multilateral diplomacy amid conflicts and trade wars.
06:16But China, the leading nation in BRICS, responded, saying that the group does not target any particular nation,
06:25though condemning trade tariffs.
06:26The BRICS mechanism is an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries,
06:38advocating openness, inclusiveness, win-win cooperation and non-confrontation.
06:44Not against any country.
06:46We have indeed seen such statements by President Trump,
06:55but it is very important to note here that the uniqueness of a group like BRICS
06:59is that it is a group of countries that share common approaches
07:02and a common worldview on how to cooperate based on their own interest.
07:07And this cooperation within BRICS has never been and will never be directed against any third country.
07:16The threat to American economy from BRICS is the growing demand for de-dollarization.
07:21An idea was floated to create a common currency for trade between each other,
07:26thereby reducing the dependency on dollars.
07:30Brazil, the host of the 17th BRICS summit, proposed the idea whereby countries should not be forced to trade in U.S. dollars.
07:38Russian President Vladimir Putin seconded President Lula's idea.
07:42We all see that the world is undergoing fundamental changes.
07:48The unipolar system of international relations serving the interest of the so-called golden billion
07:53is becoming a thing of the past.
07:55It seems that the creation of an independent settlement and depository system on the BRICS platform
08:01will make currency transactions faster, more efficient and safer.
08:05However, India has been dismissing the claims of de-dollarization or introduction of any new currency within BRICS.
08:14I don't think there's any policy on our part to replace the dollar.
08:21As I said, at the end of the day, the dollar as the reserve currency is the source of international economic stability.
08:29The suggestion or the assumption that somewhere there's a united BRICS position against the dollar,
08:35I think is not borne out by facts.
08:36The original BRICS group had first met in 2009.
08:41The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates as members.
08:52Mahashwet Alala, Bureau Report, India Today.
08:54Well, Pranit, the serious threat that Trump is looking at the BRICS from is to do with de-dollarization.
09:07Despite the fact that India said that there is no de-dollarization,
09:11it seems like right now he's thinking of BRICS bloc as an anti-America bloc.
09:16Geeta, the United States has always been very critical about the BRICS as a grouping.
09:21And we have seen in the past, the previous U.S. president has also commented on the BRICS.
09:25But especially the President Donald Trump is quite vocal about his criticism.
09:30Even in the past he has said that, you know, BRICS is a non-entity, nobody cares about the BRICS.
09:36And he has already threatened in the past as well about the possible de-dollarization
09:40or any idea to de-dollarize or replace dollar as the global currency of trade.
09:45So, clearly, you know, with the BRICS meeting, the 17th BRICS meeting is underway in Brasilia.
09:51He has recently posted on Truth Social threatening and giving out, you know, threats to the Brazilian leadership,
09:57you know, in support of Jair Bolsonaro, the previous Brazilian president,
10:01you know, criticizing the current Brazilian leadership.
10:04But besides that, he is critical about the idea of de-dollarization.
10:09All the BRICS countries have indicated that they are not looking at any de-dollarization per se.
10:13But, yes, they are looking at, you know, having trade in local currencies, in the national currencies.
10:20And, you know, promoting the national currencies for the internationalization of their economy,
10:24their trade, and diversifying their own trade.
10:27But, clearly, this is a clear confrontation.
10:31And this has come at a time, this puts a very interesting, challenging time for India as well, Agita.
10:37Because from Brazil, India is taking over the chairmanship of Brazil.
10:40And now onward, at a time when we are having our bilateral trade agreement with the United States,
10:45we also have to balance this block.
10:48So, this multipolarity and balancing of the depth of diplomacy need to be played.
10:53Right. Pranant, stay on.
10:55Now, Prime Minister Modi participated at the BRICS 17th summit in Rio de Janeiro.
11:01In his address to BRICS nations on day one of the summit,
11:04PM Modi denounced the Pahalgam terror attack that India faced on the 22nd of April.
11:08He said the attack was a blow to entire humanity,
11:12asserting that silent support of terrorism is not acceptable anymore.
11:17Prime Minister Modi also called for a unified stance against terror
11:20and said that there should be no hesitation in imposing sanctions on terrorists.
11:25Acknowledging the PM's concerns,
11:27BRICS nations strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack as criminal and unjustifiable.
11:32BRICS condemned Pahalgam terror in presence of China,
11:35although without naming any one nation.
11:37The term they used was cross-border terrorism.
11:40The summit declared that those involved must be held accountable
11:43and that zero tolerance on terrorism must be ensured.
11:46Prime Minister Modi also continued his Global South outreach
11:49and said that two-thirds of humanity has not been adequately represented in global institutions.
11:55He added that the Global South has not been given a place at the decision-making table
12:00and this is not just a question of representation but also a question of credibility and effectiveness.
12:07Pranay, India taking the lead when it comes to Global South.
12:11From here he's going to Namibia.
12:12We're looking at a major thrust from Brazil to Argentina,
12:17to Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago and now Namibia.
12:21You're absolutely right, Gita.
12:23Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Brazil.
12:27He will be going from Rio de Janeiro after the conclusion of the 17th BRICS summit.
12:31He will be going to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, for the bilateral visit
12:35and thereafter he'll be headed to Namibia.
12:38And after that he'll return back after the successful tour.
12:41So if you see the five countries where he is due to visit
12:45and Ghana to Argentina to Trinidad to Tobago to Argentina and then Brazil and then Namibia,
12:53clearly the footprint or the spots clearly indicates that
12:58how India is reaching out to the prominent countries of Global South,
13:02how we are building our relationship.
13:04And especially the BRICS summit, if we talk about Gita here,
13:07that this is a grouping of 45% of the global population,
13:1035% of the global economy and the success of BRICS declaration,
13:15you can say that, you can call it that, it is a success of India's diplomacy
13:19because the grouping has clearly lauded India's stand
13:23vis-a-vis the international terrorism, combating international terrorism,
13:27criticizing the Pelagam terror attack and at a time when China is also part of this grouping
13:32but India's diplomacy has succeeded in getting this declaration,
13:37the BRICS declaration, which has come out very clearly
13:39as far as the stand on terrorism is concerned.
13:44Right, Pranayv Patia, thank you so much for joining us.
13:49China seems rattled by India's Operation Sindhuur
13:53and failure of its missiles resorting to anti-Rafal campaign and agenda.
13:58French Intel reports have now exposed how China is pushing
14:01a misinformation campaign against Rafal jets
14:04following the dismal performance of Chinese missiles during Operation Sindhuur.
14:09The reports expose that defense attachés in China's foreign embassies
14:13led a charge to undermine Rafal sales,
14:16seeking to persuade countries that have already ordered the French-made fighter,
14:21notably Indonesia,
14:22not to buy more and to encourage other potential buyers to choose Chinese-made planes.
14:27Indian defense experts detail how China wants to push its J-10 fighters
14:32to countries including Indonesia,
14:35which had already ordered Rafals from Dassault,
14:37as Beijing reels from massive impact on its defense sector after Operation Sindhuur.
14:43Now, joining us live is Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon,
14:48former DGDIA.
14:50Thank you so much for joining us here on the network, sir.
14:53Now, how has China become assertive through its missions
14:55in spreading doubt about the performance of the Rafals?
14:58And then they're also using their cultural centers,
15:00which have now become listening posts.
15:02Chinese propaganda through their embassies
15:11trying to prove that their weapon systems
15:14are better than the French systems
15:15or Russian systems or Indian systems.
15:19It was, Operation Sindhuur was being seen by the world,
15:23especially the third world countries,
15:25who are biggest importance of the weapon systems
15:28from all these top-ranking manufacturers of the world weapon systems.
15:33That includes China.
15:35So, intention was to prove to the world
15:38that Chinese weapon system and Turkish weapon system
15:41and some of the inventory of Pakistan
15:43also has Western weapon systems, including their crafts.
15:47So, intention was to prove that these weapon systems
15:50are better than the Russian, the Indian, or French,
15:53so that the next orders come to these industries.
15:56Whereas, the truth on the ground was that within 72 hours,
16:02Pakistan's air defense was down,
16:04Pakistan's air force was grounded,
16:06and India could hit their 13 air bases
16:09and other installations at will on the third day,
16:15that is, on the 10th of May morning.
16:18And because of this, what was seen by the world,
16:21the stock markets of Chinese reacted to this truth.
16:26And on 13th of May, Chinese markets' defense index fell by 3%.
16:32And two of the main weapon manufacturing companies,
16:37and I got the name, the typical Chinese names,
16:39two of the main weapon defense manufacturing companies,
16:44their shares slipped by 8.6% and 6.3%,
16:48respectively, in a single day on 13th of May.
16:51Now, markets are not driven by propaganda.
16:56Markets are driven by actuals.
16:58And when the actuals came to be known to the world,
17:01Chinese markets slumped.
17:02So, it was a real-life trials going on
17:06of the Chinese aircrafts, Chinese radars, Chinese missiles,
17:09vis-a-vis Indian air defense system,
17:12the Indian joint venture systems like BrahMos,
17:14and Russian systems like S-400,
17:17and French systems, say, Rafales.
17:20So, this propaganda is basically to keep their weapons market
17:25and clients intact,
17:27which I think is known to the whole world by now.
17:31General Dhillon, there are so many conflicts and wars
17:33that are taking place,
17:34especially when you look at Operation Sindhuur.
17:36Is this now a battle for global arms trade?
17:43Absolutely, ma'am.
17:44I mean, in this particular conflict,
17:47this was the first conflict in the history
17:49where two nuclear powers were involved in warfighting with each other.
17:55Never before this,
17:57the two nuclear powers have ever come to this type of a situation.
18:00And this was also the first time in the history
18:03that a nuclear power was downed within 72 hours.
18:07Their air defense was down,
18:09their air force was down,
18:10and their defensive mechanism was down,
18:12and Indian weapon systems and Indian projectiles
18:15could hit all their essential strategic assets,
18:20airfields and others, at will.
18:23And it was accepted by none other than,
18:26or no less than, the prime minister of Pakistan.
18:28When he told that the chief of army staff
18:31called him in the night
18:32and told him the Noor Khan air base,
18:34which is one of the strategic assets
18:36next to a strategic division,
18:38that that has been hit.
18:40And our DGs of air oppression,
18:43the army military oppression,
18:45the naval oppression,
18:46in the media briefings have shown
18:47the videos and the satellite imageries
18:51and the weapon-mounted camera imageries
18:53to prove that all the weapon systems we fired,
18:57nothing could be intercepted by Chinese radars
19:00or Chinese air defense system
19:02or Turkish air defense systems,
19:04which Pakistan was using.
19:06Whereas all our weapon systems
19:08hit the intended target on 10th morning,
19:10none of the projectiles,
19:12including Chinese missiles and Chinese aircrafts,
19:14could hit any of our military installations
19:17over the three days which they were trying.
19:19So, Indian air defense system,
19:22Russian and French, as I said,
19:24they proved far more superior
19:27than the Chinese and Turkish.
19:29But the Western media had a narrative
19:32to sell that Indian weapon systems
19:36or the Russian or French weapon systems
19:39were not good enough
19:39because they were looking at
19:41long-term defense sales market.
19:43So, for that reason,
19:46they have even used their embassies
19:48to spread this false narrative
19:50that Chinese weapon systems were better.
19:53And we all know all that,
19:55you know, false narrative
19:57of so many aircrafts downed and all.
20:00In the end,
20:01on the fourth day of the battle,
20:03Pakistan was down to their knees
20:04and that is when,
20:05at exactly 3.35 p.m.,
20:08their DGMO picked up the phone,
20:10called up our DGMO
20:11and asked for cessation of hostilities.
20:14So, this is the truth which the world knows.
20:18Right.
20:19Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon,
20:20thank you so much for joining us.
20:26Flash floods that ravaged Texas
20:28over the weekend
20:28have killed at least 82 people
20:31and left many others missing
20:32in the state
20:33in southern United States of America.
20:36The deaths and destruction
20:37caused by the floods
20:38have brought the government's response
20:40and warning systems under scrutiny.
20:43A warning for flash floods
20:44in parts of Texas remains in place
20:46and the search for missing people continues.
20:49Death,
20:57destruction and devastation.
21:05This is the grim reality facing central Texas.
21:09At least dozens have died,
21:11with many still missing
21:12after devastating flash floods
21:14wreaked havoc in Texas.
21:15The relentless floodwaters
21:19stranded families at campsites,
21:21submerged homes
21:22and swept vehicles away in their path.
21:26Care County was the hardest hit
21:28among the 20 affected counties in the region.
21:32Volunteers and residents
21:33continued tireless search efforts
21:35across 12 counties,
21:37determined to find those still missing.
21:39I've driven down from Hunt
21:42and it's the most horrific.
21:44As soon as we saw how horrible it was,
21:46we kind of knew
21:47there was probably not going to be,
21:48there weren't going to be survivors.
21:51It's just been difficult.
21:53It's really hard to go through the river
21:55and try to find anything.
21:57The guys have fallen here and there.
21:59We're using backhoe to shake up the trees,
22:01see if anybody's stuck up there,
22:02but it's been very difficult.
22:04Eyewitnesses and survivors
22:08described the chaos and heartbreak
22:09as the deadly floodwaters rose swiftly,
22:12claiming lives and ripping apart communities.
22:17The hardest part was
22:19there was a little boy
22:20who started floating downstream
22:23and he was screaming,
22:26asking for help,
22:27but there just wasn't anything
22:29anybody could do at that point.
22:31This is my parents' house.
22:32They're in their 80s.
22:3411 o'clock at night,
22:36they started having the water rise
22:38and come into their house
22:39so they were able to escape up the hill
22:41and they got word of their neighbor
22:44being stuck in her attic
22:45so they went over and rendered aid
22:47and got her out.
22:48She's 92 years old.
22:50Then they were able to reach their tool shed
22:52up higher ground
22:54and neighbors throughout the early morning
22:57began to show up at their tool shed
22:59and they all rode it out together.
23:01The most devastating impacts of the flooding
23:04were felt at Camp Mystic,
23:06a popular summer camp for youngsters.
23:09Many of the victims were children and staff
23:11affiliated with summer programs across the region.
23:15Meanwhile, officials released videos
23:17showing Texas military forces
23:19evacuating a group of campers
23:22using a truck around the town of Hunt.
23:25As floods continue to wreak havoc,
23:28serious questions are emerging.
23:30Could recent job cuts in key federal agencies
23:33have contributed to the scale of the disaster?
23:37Are you investigating whether some of the cuts
23:39to the federal government
23:40left key vacancies at the National Weather Service
23:43or in the emergency court?
23:44They did not.
23:45U.S. President Trump, on the other hand,
23:48called the floods catastrophic
23:50while blaming the previous government.
23:54They did.
23:54I'll tell you,
23:55if you look at that,
23:58what a situation that all is.
24:00That was really the Biden set-up.
24:02That was not our set-up.
24:03But I wouldn't blame Biden for it either.
24:06I would just say
24:08this is a hundred-year catastrophe
24:10and it's just so horrible to watch.
24:14As investigations into the course
24:16and response unfold,
24:18authorities continue to assess
24:19the full extent of the damage
24:21and efforts are ongoing
24:22to locate missing individuals.
24:25Aid is being rushed to the community's
24:26hardest hit by one of the deadliest floods
24:29Texas has seen in decades.
24:33With Neha Kumari, Bureau Report, India Today.
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