Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance  Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests.  What’s the ongoing story: The United States has placed India in a lower 10 per cent tariff category, after the country was initially considered for a steeper 12.5 per cent rate. The lower rate followed what officials called constructive talks with Washington on labour practices. Key Points to Ponder: — What are tariffs? How do they affect international trade? — What is the difference between tariff and non-tariff barriers? — What is forced labour? How is it defined under international law? —  What are the major international conventions and standards against forced labour? — What is Section 301 of the US Trade Act, 1974? —  How can a country unilaterally impose tariffs under its domestic trade laws? — How do unilateral trade measures differ from the WTO dispute settlement mechanism? What challenges do they pose to the rules-based multilateral trading system? — Why are labour standards increasingly being …