Toxic waste from 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy to be transported today
Indore: The process of transporting toxic waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy began early on Sunday. Approximately 337 tonnes of hazardous waste will be moved 225 km to Pithampur, where it will be incinerated and safely disposed of.
Director of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation, Swatantra Kumar Singh, has already written to senior officials in Indore, Bhopal, and Dhar, urging them to prepare for the operation. Several GPS-equipped trucks have been deployed to transport the waste.
On December 3, the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed that this dangerous waste be disposed of within four weeks. The toxic materials, stored at the now-closed Union Carbide factory, had remained untreated for decades. The court criticised officials for the delay, stating, "Are you waiting for another disaster?"
The waste disposal process involves two stages: incineration and secure burial. Once transported, the waste will be handled by Pithampur Industrial Waste Management Private Limited, located near Tarapur village in Pithampur. An initial test incineration of 35.6 tonnes will be conducted to determine the safest and most efficient method. Sources indicate that trial runs will incinerate the waste at rates of 135 kg/hour, 80 kg/hour, and 270 kg/hour. Based on the results, the remaining waste will be disposed of accordingly.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
