Day after attack, Sukhbir Badal performs 'sewa' at Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Punjab
Chandigarh (PTI): A day after he survived a bid on his life, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday performed the duty of 'sewadar' outside Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Punjab's Rupnagar district amid tight security.
The former deputy chief minister, a Z+ protectee, arrived at the Ananadpur Sahib shrine surrounded by security personnel. Dressed in blue 'sewadar' uniform, Badal sat at the entrance of the gurdwara with a spear in one hand.
He is undergoing religious punishment pronounced by the Akal Takht, the temporal body of Sikhs, for "mistakes" committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government and his party in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Besides the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Akal Takht has asked Badal to perform the service of 'sewadar' at Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Takht Damdama Sahib, and Darbar Sahib in Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib for two days each.
On the second day of his penance at the Golden Temple on Wednesday, Badal had a narrow escape as a former Khalistani terrorist fired at him from a close range but missed as he was overpowered by plainclothes policemen.
Police made elaborate security arrangements ahead of Badal's visit to Takht Kesgarh Sahib.
Rupnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Gulneet Singh Khurana said foolproof security arrangements have been made.
Plainclothes policemen have also been deployed and police are keeping an eye on things, officials said.
Besides Badal, SAD leaders and workers were present at the gurdwara.
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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.
