U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday (August 30, 2026) he will encourage G20 members to re-examine terms of trade with China to shrink global imbalances and press Beijing to rebalance its economy away from exports and toward domestic consumption.U.S
Step inside Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth's first home in Chennai: 18th-floor gem that blends vintage and modern styles Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 14:10:07 IST By Krishna Pallavi Priya Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A look inside Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth's first home in Chennai
Goa nightclub fire case: SC upholds HC order cancelling bail of club ownersGoa nightclub fire case: SC upholds HC order cancelling bail of club owners Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 14:03:27 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link New Delhi
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Add a little shine and sparkle to your lips with these 5 glitter lipsticksIf you are bored of your regular lipsticks then its time to switch to glitter lipsticks
Techie lands in Bengaluru from US via Amsterdam, calls out Delta, KLM over missing bagA techie landed in Bengaluru from the US via Amsterdam, only to discover his checked baggage was missing. Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 12:10:34 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A techie
Daughter takes mother to movie theatre for the first time with her own earnings: ‘This is priceless’A daughter used her own earnings to give her mother her first movie theatre experience. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 13:36:14 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A daughter
The government has notified the scheme with an outlay of Rs 1.27 lakh crore to boost the in the country.The scheme has been divided into six segments covering designing of chips by Indian firms, setting up units for capital equipment required for chip production, semiconductor fabs, chip assembly
Anti-conversion bill won’t be tabled in Goa assembly: BJP lawmakerRuling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Michael Lobo said the government acted in haste in having the bill cleared in the Cabinet Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 14:06:30 IST By Gerard de Souza Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy
Donald Trump says he is ‘very close’ to India, PM Modi

Donald Trump says he is ‘very close’ to India, PM Modi
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (September 18, 2025) said he is “very close” to India and shares a strong personal rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, the British PM's countryside residence, Mr. Trump said he has a “very good relationship” with Mr. Modi and also wished him on his 75th birthday — a gesture reciprocated by the Indian leader with a “beautiful” statement.
“I'm very close to India. I'm very close to the Prime Minister of India. I spoke to him the other day to wish him a Happy Birthday,” Mr. Trump told reporters.
“We have a very good relationship, and he put out a beautiful statement too. But I sanctioned them,” he said, in response to a question about his plans on dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Trump's call on Tuesday (September 16, 2025), a day before Mr. Modi turned 75, is being seen as a significant gesture as part of the US' efforts to reset ties with India amid strain over tariff issues.
The Trump administration doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50%, including a 25% additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil.
Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
“Very simply, if the price of oil comes down, Mr. Putin is going to drop out. He's going to have no choice. He's going to drop out of that war,” Mr. Trump said, adding that he was forced to sanction European nations and China too for buying oil from Russia.
“China is paying a very large tariff right now to the United States, but I'm willing to do other things, but not when the people that I'm fighting for are buying oil from Russia. If the oil price comes down, very simply, Russia will settle; and the oil price is way down, we got it way down,” he claimed.
During the press conference, Mr. Trump noted that Mr. Putin had been his “biggest disappointment" over the ongoing conflict with Ukraine and went on to repeat his claim about intervening in the India-Pakistan face-off earlier this year.
“We did seven (conflicts) and most of them were not thought to be settleable. We did India, and we did Pakistan. That's two nuclear (countries),” he said.
“That was purely for trade. You [India and Pakistan] want to trade with us, you're going to have to get along. And they [India and Pakistan] were going at it hot and heavy,” he said.
In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor in retaliation of the Pakistan-backed terrorist strike in Pahalgam in April, Mr. Trump had taken to on social media to proclaim that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire and repeatedly claimed that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America will do a "lot of trade" with them if they stopped the conflict.
India has consistently denied any third-party intervention, maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.
Mr. Trump and wife Melania, who were in the UK on a two-day State Visit at the invitation of King Charles III, departed from Chequers to board Air Force One back to Washington soon after the press interaction.
Published - September 19, 2025 08:53 am IST
India-United States / Donald Trump / Prime Minister Narendra Modi / trade agreements
Source: The Hindu
Related Posts: 7 Flats, one tax claim — Dept said no, Tribunal said yes Pakistan PM Shehbaz to travel to Washington to meet President Trump on Thursday IMD forecasts heavy rain across Odisha on Thursday Packers face backlash for Charlie Kirk tribute before Thursday game Bodoland Lottery Sambad Result Today 1-1-2026 Assam State Thursday Lucky Draw Did Patanjali Foods Shares Really Crash 67% On Thursday Samsung Electronics set to face major strike on Thursday after union talks collapse Assam to vote in high-stakes polls on Thursday Will the wet spell continue after Thursday’s heavy showers Mediators Push For US-Iran Talks By Thursday As Regional Pressures Mount
The rupee fell 13 paise to trade at 95.56 per U.S. dollar on Monday (August 31, 2026) morning pressured by rising crude oil prices and geopolitical strain. Forex traders said market participants have raised the probability of a September Fed rate hike, pushing U.S
4 hours ago
An FIR was filed against Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on a purification ritual. The Congress party criticized the Uttarakhand government for this action. They questioned why no case was filed against those who performed the ritual. The Congress stated they would respond through democratic and legal
4 hours ago
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a case against Dehradun gym owner Deepak Kumar, who had opposed the harassment of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper by alleged Bajrang Dal members in January, Live Law reported. The bench also stayed the Uttarakhand High Court’s March order restraining Kumar from
4 hours ago
OpenAI said on Friday that it plans to end its agreement providing AI models to Cursor, the coding-tool company now owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. OpenAI said it was not confident that SpaceX would use its technology “within our terms of service
4 hours ago
Bhagwat defended Gen Z protesters, then Modi branded them 'dimaagi naxal': Dipke“I have been saying from the beginning that BJP leaders need to start heeding Mohan Bhagwat’s advice,” the CJP founder said. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:14:26 IST By Faisal Malik Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy
7 hours ago
Did Brawadis get back with his ex-girlfriend Jasmine? Here's all we knowBrawadis said that he and Jasmine had experienced "down moments" but chose to work through them instead of ending the relationship permanently. Published on: Aug 31, 2026
7 hours ago
Sensex and Nifty start lower after previous week's reboundBSE Sensex was at 76,978.61, 0.37 per cent or 285.90 points down in opening trade on Monday while Nifty was trading at 24,117.55 - 0.24 per cent down. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 09:21:24 IST By HT Business Desk Prefer HTon Google Share via
7 hours ago
The toll in the flash flood and mudslide in Nepal and China, which occurred on Wednesday, rose to 919 on Monday. Of these, 903 deaths were reported in Nepal and 16 on the Chinese side of the border. More than 4,200 persons were missing in Nepal. This included 275 Indians
7 hours ago
Google Maps has changed the name of “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” for U.S. users to reflect President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the lake, according to a Google statement. Mr. Trump announced on Thursday (August 27, 2026) that he was changing the name of the smallest
7 hours ago
Designer Sandeep Khosla responds to Urvashi Rautela's 'gandi copy' of Gigi Hadid saree from 2023 NMACC opening in Mumbai Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:16:09 IST By Sanya Panwar Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Sandeep Khosla reacts to Urvashi Rautela's Cannes 2026 look
7 hours ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.ASUS Jelly75 keyboard KD201 review: A prebuilt keyboard I didn't feel like modifyingThe Asus Jelly75 combines a striking translucent design, smooth typing and versatile connectivity
7 hours ago
‘You didn’t get robbed, you got outworked’: Man in US hits back at ‘Indians steal jobs’ claimA man in the US hit back at claims that Indians “steal jobs”, saying they earned opportunities through hard work. Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:51:35 IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Prefer HTon
7 hours ago
Grand Canyon flash flood: National Park to close hotels, enforce water restrictions – 5 things to knowFlash floods damaged the Transcanyon Waterline, forcing Grand Canyon National Park to halt overnight hotel stays, introduce strict Stage 4 water restrictions. Published on: Aug 31, 2026
7 hours ago
Can too much exercise be dangerous? Neurologist explains when intense workouts may harm the heart Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:13:37 IST By Anukriti Srivastava Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Can pushing your body too hard during exercise cause a heart attack? (Unsplash) From heart attacks
7 hours ago
When Sonia Gandhi became president of India's main opposition Congress party in 1998, she was an unlikely and largely enigmatic political leader. Italian-born and the widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, she had spent years avoiding the political spotlight before taking charge of a party
7 hours ago
Meta's Vice President and Head for India and South East Asia, Sandhya Devanathan, is leaving the social media giant after more than a decade and is all set to join OpenAI as Vice President for South East Asia and Australia. In this newly-created role
7 hours ago
Woman reveals how she makes ₹8.8 lakh a month from user generated content: ‘No outreach’A woman turned user-generated content into a ₹8.8 lakh monthly income in just five months. Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:58:19 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A woman
7 hours ago
August 31, 2026, Birthday Horoscope: You may find yourself looking beyond your current circumstances this yearYour birthday falls on August 31, 2026 here’s what your year ahead looks like, as per Tarot. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 11:00:15 IST By Kishori Sud Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
7 hours ago
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Sunday (August 30, 2026) reached Turkiye for a trilateral defence pact meeting, which also includes Saudi Arabia. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the trilateral defence agreement
7 hours ago
A woman who was heading to an airport to catch an early-morning flight was saved from a potential cab fare scam thanks to her calm and composed approach. She claimed that the driver tried to charge her nearly 40% more than the fare shown on the ride-hailing app
7 hours ago
An employee’s Reddit post about being pulled up by HR for arriving 15-20 minutes late has sparked a debate over workplace expectations. The employee claimed they had regularly worked overtime and weekends, but were still questioned about occasional delays during quieter days
7 hours ago
A first information report was registered against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly promoting enmity between groups and deliberately outraging religious feelings, PTI reported on Sunday. This came a day after Gandhi demanded that an FIR be filed against those who carried out a
7 hours ago
August 31 is the deadline for taxpayers filing ITR Forms 3, 4. 5 & 7. These taxpayers must file their ITR on or before the deadline to complete their tax duties and avoid penalties and notices. ITR filing deadline for August 31, 2026: The deadline for filing the income tax return for FY 2025- 26 is
7 hours ago
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 show why it rules Android’s smartwatchesWith a key Qualcomm chip change, Samsung’s refining the formula for experience and on-device AI, which intertwines with a broadened health and fitness suite Updated on: Aug 31, 2026
7 hours ago
The US Department of State has confirmed that a January 2026 pause on immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries is no longer in effect, following a court order in the case CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al. The State Department updated its guidance on August 28
7 hours ago
The dramatic footage was almost impossible to miss. A torrent of water tearing through Gyirong Port, one of the main border crossings between Nepal and Tibet, sweeping away all in its path as hundreds of people fled for their lives. The scenes, captured by CCTV cameras
7 hours ago
‘Could only think about how we were going to escape’: Nepal flood evacueesPilgrims, who traveled to Kathmandu for a religious retreat, faced dangers from floods before safely returning to India. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 11:04:16 IST By Pradip Kumar Maitra Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
7 hours ago