| Greetings from India! You're reading Meanwhile, Back Home, our daily newsletter specially curated for our overseas readers. While you were asleep, it was a whirlwind of a day here in India. We've got the top highlights lined up for you. Welcome back, readers! Back home, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which the Rajya Sabha approved today, has ignited a political storm. However, once the Bill was passed, the spotlight shifted to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is Wayanad MP as the siblings were conspicuous by their absence. While the former did not speak on the matter in Parliament, his sister was altogether absent. The Congress’ response: Vadra was in the US to visit a critically ill relative and Gandhi’s stance was already clear, and that the Prime Minister, too, had not spoken on the Bill. Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi dubbed the Bill as a “brazen assault” on the Constitution. Spotlight US President Donald Trump’s tariff hike has put several Indian businesses in a tough spot. From IT giants to automakers and pharma firms, the impact is hard hitting. Stocks are tumbling, profit margins are at risk, and companies are scrambling to adapt. π IT sector Indian IT firms make nearly 70% of their export revenue from the US. With higher tariffs, TCS and Infosys fear budget cuts from American clients. Add in inflation concerns and Fed rate uncertainty, and the industry is bracing for a slowdown. πAuto industry Tata Motors’ JLR, which gets 30% of its revenue from the US, faces a 25% tariff on imported cars and auto parts. Bharat Forge, a major component exporter, is also feeling the pinch. On the bright side, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra are mostly unaffected. πPharma’s bitter pill With $8 billion in exports to the US, India’s pharma sector is now on Trump’s radar. Sun Pharma and Cipla stocks are already taking a hit, and any price hike on generics could disrupt the market. πSteel & aluminium Tata Steel and National Aluminium fear price wars as Asian competitors look for alternative markets. Stock prices have already dropped, and more pressure is expected. π Textiles Indian textile firms might gain. US tariffs on Indian garments (27%) are lower than those on China (54%) and Vietnam (46%), giving India a competitive edge. ☕ Spill the Expresso Adieu, Manoj Kumar Manoj Kumar, the legendary actor-filmmaker passed away at the age of 87. He embodied a brand of patriotism far removed from today’s hyper-nationalism. Decades before "Bharat-that-is-India" became a slogan, he was already Mr Bharat, known for films that celebrated the kisan and jawan. Starting with thrillers like Woh Kaun Thi and Gumnaam, he found his true calling in patriotic cinema with Shaheed and Upkar. His Purab Aur Paschim cemented the trope of the “good desi, bad pardesi.” π¨ Must Read Coffee with dead wife For two years, tribal laborer Kurubara Suresh sat in jail, falsely accused of murdering his missing wife, Mallige. The police had identified an unknown skeleton as hers, ignoring his pleas of innocence. But on April 1, Suresh’s friends spotted Mallige, very much alive, casually sipping coffee with her alleged boyfriend. Armed with photos and videos, he alerted the police. Now, the court has summoned the police for negligence. But a bigger mystery remains: if the skeleton wasn’t Mallige, who was the real victim? π° In Other News Trump tariffs penguins? US president Donald Trump’s latest tariff move has left several people perplexed with him imposing a 10% tariff on imports from the Heard and McDonald Islands. The only problem? No one seems to know what these imports are. The remote, glacier-covered Australian territory is home only to penguins, seals, and a US military presence. The islands aren’t the only puzzling targets. Trump has also slapped tariffs on other Australian territories, including Norfolk Island, which exports nothing to the US. Even the British Indian Ocean Territory, home to the strategic Diego Garcia military base, is on the list. That’s all for now. Until next time, Aishwarya Khosla π Welcome to MyExpress on Indian Express! π Imagine a homepage that’s as unique as you are! With MyExpress, you get to curate your very own personalised news hub, tailored to your tastes and interests. Love sports, but can't resist a good political drama? Maybe you're into tech news, but still enjoy the occasional Bollywood buzz? No worries! Just register on the site, pick your favourite sections, and watch as your personalised MyExpress page fills up with all the news that matters most to you. It's like having your very own express lane to the stories you love—no traffic jams, no detours. So why wait? Start personalising your news journey with MyExpress, and let the headlines come to you! ππ° Check it out here and make your news truly yours! If you like this newsletter, read more Indian Express newsletters here. |
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