US President Donald Trump geared up to unveil sweeping new "Liberation Day" tariffs on Wednesday in a move that threatens to ignite a devastating global trade war. Key US trading partners including the European Union and Britain said they were preparing their responses to Trump's escalation, as nervous markets fell in Europe and America. Trump will unveil the levies in a grand ceremony with his cabinet members in the White House Rose Garden -- just as Wall Street stocks close at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT). "IT'S LIBERATION DAY IN AMERICA!" Trump posted a one-liner on his Truth Social platform early Wednesday. The 78-year-old has promised so-called reciprocal tariffs on friends and foes alike if they target the world's largest economy, saying the levies will stop the United States being "ripped off." But Trump has kept the world guessing until the last minute about the scale and scope, with the White House saying he was still "perfecting"...
Several parts of India grappled with unusually high temperatures this week, forcing schools to close and hospitals to create special units to treat heat-related illnesses, while workers on construction sites were given a "paid holiday" in the afternoon. Here is a look at what caused the unprecedented heat in the country. HOW UNUSUAL HAS THE SITUATION BEEN THIS YEAR? While every year temperatures in India tend to peak in the months of May and June, the number of heatwave days recorded over northwestern and eastern parts of the country this season have been more than double the normal, with eastern India also experiencing its hottest April on record. India declares a heatwave day when the maximum temperature in any given region is 4.5 -6.4 degrees Celsius higher than normal. Parts of the country have touched new highs in terms of the maximum temperature, including Delhi, which recorded the country's highest ever temperature at 52.9 C (127.22 degree F) on Wednesday. Wh...