EU launches retaliatory tariffs on US goods
London, June 22 : The European Union (EU) on Friday launched tariffs on some $3.2 billion worth of American goods, in retaliation for tariffs US President Donald Trump's administration imposed on imported steel and aluminium earlier this month.
The bloc slapped a 25 per cent tariff on American products such as whiskey, tobacco, Harley Davidson motorcycles, cranberries and peanut butter, reports The Independent.
They also leveraged another 50 per cent tax on select items such as footwear, some types of clothing and washing machines.
Speaking to the Irish Parliament on Thursday night, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU would "do what we have to do to rebalance and safeguard" against the US tariffs.
"It goes against all logic and history," he said of the US taxes.
"Our response must be clear but measured."
The statement echoed the words EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström remarks on Wednesday that the 28-member bloc was "left with no other choice" than to impose retaliatory measures.
The tariffs come weeks after the Trump administration implemented a 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent tariff on aluminium, affecting trade partners like Canada, Mexico, and the EU, The Independent reported.
Trump threatened additional taxes on European cars if the EU chose to retaliate. The EU has also filed a case with the World Trade Organisation (WTO), claiming Trump's tariffs were "pure protectionist" and "illegal".
They also threatened a second round of tariffs on some $4.3 billion worth of US products if the dispute was not resolved.
Mexico has already announced its own tariffs on US goods, and Canada's tariffs on nearly $13 billion of US products are set to take effect next month.
Trump has also imposed tariffs on other trade partners as well, slapping a 25 per cent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods last week.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Domestic air passenger traffic hits single-day record of 5.05 lakh on Nov 17
New Delhi (PTI): Marking a new record, domestic air passenger traffic crossed 5 lakh for the first time in a single day on Sunday, reflecting strong travel demand amid festive and wedding seasons.
Airlines carried 5,05,412 passengers on Sunday (November 17) and the number of flight departures was at 3,173, according to the latest data from the civil aviation ministry.
It was the first time that domestic air passenger traffic crossed the 5 lakh-mark in a single day.
"Domestic travel has witnessed strong demand during the festive season. Daily flown pax crossed 5 lakh on 17th Nov.
"The high pax movement is largely backed by robust festive demand and the start of the wedding season. We expect strong demand to continue in the winter season," Gaurav Patwari, Vice President - Air Category - at travel portal Cleartrip, said.
The occupancy of flights operated by the main scheduled carriers on Sunday were above 90 per cent.
However, On Time Performance (OTP) of the airlines have been impacted in recent days due to various factors.
On Sunday, the OTP of IndiGo was at 74.2 per cent, followed by Alliance Air at 71 per cent and Akasa Air at 67.6 per cent. Among other airlines, SpiceJet and Air India's OTP stood at 66.1 per cent and 57.1 per cent, respectively.
In October, aviation watchdog DGCA said Indian airlines will operate 25,007 flights every week to and from 124 airports in the winter schedule that started from October 27.
The number of flights is three per cent higher than 24,275 departures per week from 125 airports in the current summer schedule.
In comparison to the winter schedule 2023, the number of flights has increased by 5.37 per cent.
The winter schedule is from October 27, 2024 till March 29, 2025.
