Trump to consider possible import duties on automobiles
Washington, May 24: US President Donald Trump ordered the Commerce Department to start a study into determining the need to impose import duties on autos and parts.
"I instructed Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, to consider initiating a Section 232 investigation into imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts to determine their effects on America's national security," Efe news reported quoting Trump as saying in a statement on Wednesday, after meeting Ross to discuss the current state of the US car industry.
The largest exporter of cars to the US is Mexico, followed by Canada, Japan, Germany, and South Korea, according to data from the Department of Commerce.
Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, an agreement that he had threatened to break during the election campaign.
Also during the campaign, Trump made the preservation of the auto industry one of the pillars of his protectionist economic proposals, a promise that allowed him to win in Michigan, where most of the auto industry is concentrated.
Since Trump came to power, the Commerce Department has initiated more than 100 investigations over unfair competition, many of which have ended in the imposition of tariffs.
One such investigation resulted in the Trump administration imposing a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium and a 25 per cent tariff on steel, although he exempted some allies like Argentina, Brazil, Australia and South Korea.
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Air India Express increases flight operations from NE destinations
Guwahati (PTI): Low-cost airline Air India Express has announced an increase in flight operations from three major destinations in the northeast – Guwahati, Agartala and Imphal – as part of its winter schedule.
This is part of the airlines’ expansion of winter services across the country, it said in a statement here.
Air India Express has increased its operations to 106 weekly flights from 63 last winter, from Guwahati.
It provides direct connectivity to eight domestic destinations of Agartala, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur and Kolkata. The airline also provides one-stop connectivity to 18 domestic destinations and six international destinations from Guwahati.
In Imphal, the airline hiked its weekly flights to 34 this season, an addition of 20 over last winter, the statement said.
Since adding Agartala as a station in September 2024, the airline has increased its flights from 14 to 21 weekly, and connects two destinations – Guwahati and Kolkata – directly.
It also offers one-stop connectivity from Agartala to 11 domestic destinations.
“The expansion not only facilitates easier travel for those wishing to explore North East, but also strengthens Guwahati’s role as a vital link with the rest of the country,” Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Ankur Garg said.
“With our fleet now exceeding 90 aircraft and rapidly growing, we are well-positioned to support the evolving needs of emerging Indian cities,” he added.
