India takes the U.S. to task over tariffs
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India takes the U.S. to task over tariffs. Hello, this is the Marketplace Morning Report and we're live from the BBC World Service. I'm Leanna Byrne. Good morning.

So India has formally taken the US to the World Trade Organisation, challenging Washington's sweeping global tariffs on cars. Last year, India's auto exports to the US came to $2.8 billion. The move adds tension to the ongoing trade talks between the two countries as they race to strike a deal before President Trump's 90-day pause on new tariffs runs out in July. The BBC's Archana Shukla is following this from Mumbai. Archana Shukla,

What is India hoping to get out of this? Largely a waiver or a preferential treatment when it comes to tariffs on auto. Auto components are a big segment of exports for the Indian component makers who supply to the US companies. And they have taken the US to the WTO asking for a consultation.

Now, this is not the first time India has done this. Last month, they wrote a similar letter to the WTO asking consultation with the United States on tariffs that related to aluminium and steel. These challenges taken to the WTO can put some pressure on the trade negotiations that India and the United States are having right now, trying to close it.

before the end of this month. Yeah, it is a funny thing to put this through when there is ongoing trade negotiations between India and the US. So you think it's to put the pressure on?

Initially, when the Trump tariffs came into picture, India had signalled that it won't take a tit-for-tat approach on tariffs. But since last month, we've seen a hardening of stance. And in the last case on the aluminium and metal tariffs, when the US has refused a consultation, India has threatened that they would go ahead and impose retaliatory tariffs on some other US imports into India. But how...

effective is this part of its stance going to be because WTO trade disputes take a long time to resolve? Well, it does, partly because dispute settlements have somewhere been paralysed because of the lack of adequate number of judges on the appellate board. And the reason behind that is over the past few years, the US has blocked those appointments.

And India, in fact, on its part, has been wanting to bring that dispute settlement back, to bring that power to the WTO back. And in fact, just a day ago, India's trade minister made a statement that we've written and we are asking all the bodies and all the member countries to contribute in trying to bring WTO back to its powers. OK, the BBC's Archana Shukla, thank you so much for joining us on Marketplace. Thank you, Leanna. Now, let's do the numbers.

European markets are up as investors await an expected interest rate cut from the ECB later today. Shares in the fintech company Wise jumped 10% on plans to move its listing from the UK to the US, another blow for London's stock exchange. Meanwhile, the shoemaker Dr Martin surged 18% after pledging to scale back US discounting and forecasting a return to profit growth.

Now, Estonia says it's teaming up with Lithuania and Latvia to crack down on Russia's so-called shadow fleet, oil tankers used to dodge Western sanctions and fund its war in Ukraine. The Baltic nations say they're exploring new ways to block the ships from passing through their waters. Here's the BBC's Frank Gardner. Government officials in Estonia say they are increasingly concerned at how to choke off this trade which is helping to fuel Russia's war in Ukraine.

Last month, the UK government sanctioned up to 100 tankers belonging to Russia's so-called Shadow Fleet. But in the same month, when the Estonian Coast Guard tried to detain one of those sanctioned tankers, it found itself being buzzed by a Russian warplane, which then flew for up to a minute through NATO airspace. The Baltic states are now working on new protocols for how to detain suspect tankers. Amid concerns more of them may soon be given a Russian military escort.

Frank Gardner reporting. Meanwhile, students at the University of Havana are boycotting classes over a sharp hike in mobile internet fees. They're also protesting a new requirement to pay top-ups in US dollars, something many say they simply cannot afford. The BBC's Leonardo Rocha reports. In a rare protest against Cuba's communist government, the Students' Union called for a total boycott of classes until the situation is addressed.

The state telecom company Etexa announced last week that tariffs would increase more than tenfold for those who exceed their monthly data limits. The Students' Union said the new prices would be too expensive for most Cubans. The top-up package for those using more than six gigabytes of data per month now costs $25, which is half of Cuba's average monthly salary.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel said he was looking into options for the most vulnerable students. Leonardo Rocha there. Now, the Nintendo Switch has launched worldwide. Fans queuing at midnight to snap up the long-awaited console. And the BBC caught up with some shoppers in London's Oxford Street.

It's just an exciting moment. I mean, it's the first time Nintendo's released anything in, I think, seven years. Honestly, it just feels like something historic, because who knows when we'll get another one. I've had every console since the very first one that I got when I was eight years old. Having a new console, it's really exciting. It's such a big name behind it. Everyone loves Nintendo. I don't know a single person that you go, I've got Mario Kart, do you want to play? No one's going to go, no. Even your nan's going to say, yeah, go on, let's play Mario Kart.

But the launch hasn't been without challenges. Keza MacDonald, author of the upcoming book Super Nintendo, says tariffs had had an impact. It has certainly had an impact already. The launch strategy for the Switch had to completely change because of American tariff situations.

The pricing wasn't announced until very late in the day. We've also seen the PlayStation 5 have to raise prices. Games in general are costing more. It is definitely having an effect. But in terms of the supply chain, I think there's going to be a lot of consoles in production. So people should be able to get their hands on one in the next few months.

That was gaming author Kezia McDonald. And finally, food delivery group Deliveroo, which last month agreed to a $4 billion takeover by DoorDash, is trialling a drone delivery service in my hometown Dublin in Ireland. Better go home and place my order. I'm Leanna Byrne with the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service.

Really quick before you go, please complete a short anonymous survey by going to marketplace.org forward slash survey. It should only take about 10 minutes. And as a token of our appreciation, you can enter your name to win a $75 gift card when you've completed the survey. You do all of us at Marketplace a huge favor by filling it out.