As the 30-day clock begins, markets, policymakers and refiners will watch closely for the first determinations by the US Trade Representative and any signals from the White House on implementation.
The EPA, which enforces federal environmental laws, said it would stop estimating the economic value of health benefits from reducing ozone and fine particulate matter, even though it acknowledges that they contribute to pulmonary disease, heart attacks, and premature deaths.
Trump’s message also came with a warning: any retaliatory tariff by Bangladesh would be matched with further US tariff increases. “Whatever the number you choose to raise them by will be added onto the 35 per cent that we charge,” he stated.
Retrenchment is the dominant theme on both sides. However much the West and China may wish to compete for the Global South’s affections, the constraints of their respective political economies limit their offer.
Trump’s crackdown on international drug pricing is poised to have far-reaching consequences for developing nations, where access to affordable medicines has historically relied on such price disparities.
According to the latest forecast from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Bangladesh is expected to import 7.8 million bales of raw cotton in the current fiscal year, up from 7.5 million bales the previous year.
South Asia’s lead crisis is not inevitable. Experience elsewhere demonstrates that decisive regulation, industrial formalisation and community-level interventions can sharply reduce exposure.
Experts at UNEP say that the Emissions Gap Report 2026 does not abandon the 1.5°C goal. Instead it reframes the challenge: minimise the height and length of the overshoot and chart a credible return path.
South Asia’s lead crisis is not inevitable. Experience elsewhere demonstrates that decisive regulation, industrial formalisation and community-level interventions can sharply reduce exposure.