EU-India trade agreements: towards a reduction in car tariffs to 40%

Today's headlines: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's approval rating falls ahead of elections; South Korea pressures Canada over the sale of its submarines; Israel makes the reopening of the Rafah crossing conditional on the return of the body of the last hostage; Heavy snowfall also claims victims in Russia.

INDIA – EU

India plans to reduce tariffs on cars imported from the European Union from 110% to 40%, according to Reuters sources commenting on talks to reach a free trade agreement that could be signed as early as tomorrow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has agreed to immediately reduce tariffs on a limited number of cars with an import price of more than €15,000, but the rate could be lowered to 10% at a later date.

JAPAN

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's approval rating has fallen since the announcement of early elections, according to a Nikkei Asia poll, which found that her approval rating has dropped from 75% to 67%. A separate poll of Kyodo voters showed approval falling from 68% to 63%, while a Mainichi newspaper poll showed it falling ten percentage points to 57%. According to Nikkei, the disapproval rating rose by 8 percentage points to 26%.

SOUTH KOREA

Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to President Lee Jae Myung, left for Canada this morning in the hope that Ottawa will choose Hanwha Ocean for the Canadian submarine programme, which is in the running after being selected as one of two finalists alongside Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. ‘Through this visit, we will meet with senior Canadian officials to explain the advanced capabilities of Korean submarines and convey the government's commitment to expanding security and industrial cooperation between the two countries,’ Kang explained.

MALAYSIA

Despite the efforts of the Malaysian government, spring tides continued to hit the coast of Penang Island, and several trees were felled due to coastal erosion. In December, a project was approved that aims to reduce coastal erosion and ensure that beaches remain safe because they are important for attracting tourism. Some hotel operators have said that erosion is compromising the guest experience and the image of the island.

ISRAEL – GAZA

Israel will reopen the Rafah crossing with Egypt for the passage of people only after the operation to locate the body of the last Israeli hostage remaining in the enclave has been completed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said last night. So far, all the bodies of the deceased hostages have been returned, except for that of police officer Ran Gvil. Also yesterday, the Israeli army said it had launched a “targeted operation” in northern Gaza to recover his remains.

RUSSIA

In the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia, a 10-year-old girl died in a snowdrift where she had fallen while playing in the street in front of her house, digging a tunnel in the huge pile after the exceptional snowfall of recent days, and the snow collapsed on top of her. Investigators have filed a case for manslaughter caused by negligence, and several similar cases have occurred in other nearby areas, with people hospitalised for serious injuries.

GEORGIA

The Tbilisi court examined several cases of administrative offences related to the new rules prohibiting standing still on the pavement as a gesture of participation in protests near the parliament building on Rustaveli Street, arresting five activists and verbally warning two girls, while activist Sandro Magrelišvili was sentenced to a week in solitary confinement for “disturbing public order with unauthorised acts”.