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Journalism of Courage
It’s been a whirlwind of a night while you were asleep. Shortly before he was to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Donald Trump officially announced reciprocal tariffs on all imports, setting the tone for the talks ahead. The move hardly surprised Modi, who had come armed with concessions of his own to placate the US President.
MAGA meets MIGA: Trump’s protectionist stance is stronger than ever, using tariffs as a bargaining chip. His goal? Push American companies to manufacture locally. Sound familiar? Modi’s been pushing his ‘Make in India’ campaign for years. The similarity wasn’t lost. In their joint press conference, Modi said, “President Trump always keeps the national interest of the US supreme and like him, I also keep the national interest of India at top of everything else.” He even coined the phrase: Make America Great Again (MAGA) + MIGA (Make India Great Again) = ‘mega’ partnership.
Trade talks: Trump called India’s tariffs a “big problem” but said they would work on it. Modi’s goal is to soften Trump’s stance since the US is India’s top export market. Trump, on the other hand, promised more military sales to India and plans to boost oil and gas exports to close the trade gap. Modi also flagged India’s interest in US nuclear energy investments.
Et al: Hot-button issues such as immigration, the extradition of terrorist Tahawwur Rana and China were also on the table. In the rare event that Modi took questions from the press, he answered a question on industrialist Gautam Adani, currently facing charges of bribing US officials.
On that note, here’s what else we have for you today:
There’s no dearth of cricketing talent in India but not everyone makes it to the top. That might be about to change. Aspiring cricketers could make their name in another sport, popular at the Asian Games and Olympics: baseball. Seventeen years ago, the story of two young fast bowlers from Uttar Pradesh airlifted to the US by Major League Baseball talent scouts was made into a sports movie, Million Dollar Arm. The idea is back—this time, with a push from the government.
For peace: On Wednesday, Trump struck a cordial note with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ready to begin peace negotiations. What can India make of this? Well, as Trump restructures the global order, India would want to find common ground with the US, writes our contributing editor C Raja Mohan.
Clamped: Roiled with ethnic violence, Manipur was thrown in further disarray when N Biren Singh stepped down as the chief minister four days ago. The Centre has now imposed President’s rule in the state, which could mark a new chapter for political dialogue between warring factions.
Bow out: The Adani Group has pulled the plug on its ambitious 484 MW wind project in Sri Lanka after the government pushed for a renegotiation. The $1 billion venture, which had already seen $5 million sunk into pre-development, was mired in controversy following President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s vow to clean up “corrupt” deals. The company, however, left the door open for future collaboration.
Hot topic: In an interview with The Indian Express, AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi tore into the NDA government over the Parliamentary panel report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The issue has become yet another flashpoint between the Opposition and the ruling alliance, disrupting Parliament yesterday.
No deal: Talks between Honda Motor and Nissan Motor for a merger had caused a flurry in the auto industry. The potential multi-billion deal, however, was quick to fizzle out. What would have been a deal of un-equals was perhaps doomed from the get-go.
What if I told you that you could have Chandrayaan-3’s landing software fitted into your car to prevent collisions? Or perhaps a highly anti-corrosive space paint protecting your roof? It’s not a sci-fi plot, trust me. The government is working out a way to integrate tech from the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)’s labs into daily lives. Sounds promising, doesn’t it?
🎧 Before you go, don’t forget to tune in to the ‘3 Things’ podcast. Today’s line-up: What counts as ‘obscene’, lab-grown babies, and turning plastic into garden tiles.
That’s all for today, folks! Happy weekend-ing!
Sonal Gupta
