Morning Digest: Parliament passes Waqf Amendment Bill 2025; Canada imposes 25% tariff on some U.S. auto imports, and more

Here is a select list of stories to start your day.

Parliament clears Waqf Amendment Bill

Parliament in the wee hours of Friday (April 4, 2025) morning cleared the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025, after nearly 14-hour debate in Rajya Sabha by 128 members voting in favour and 95 against. 

Canada imposes 25% tariff on some U.S. auto imports

Canada said it would impose a 25% tariff on tens of thousands of vehicles imported from the United States, retaliating against U.S. President Donald Trump's levies that came into effect on Thursday (April 3, 2025). Prime Minister Mark Carney announced "25% tariffs on all vehicles imported from the United States that are not compliant with CUSMA," using the Canadian acronym for an existing North American free trade agreement.

Rajya Sabha confirms imposition of President’s rule in Manipur; next meeting of Manipur’s two warring communities to be held in Delhi soon, says Home Minister in Rajya Sabha

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday (April 4, 2025) that both the communities in Manipur should understand that dialogue is the only way forward and the Union government is not in favour of continuing President’s Rule in the State even for a single day. 

Eight people enter well to clean it, die after inhaling toxic gas in M.P.’s Khandwa

At least eight people lost their lives on Thursday (April 3, 2025) allegedly from inhaling a toxic gas when they entered a well to clean it in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district, police said. According to the Police, the incident took place at around 4 p.m. in Kondavat village under Chaigaon Makhan police station limits when three men had entered a well on the outskirts of the village, in view of the ongoing Gangour festival and idol immersion which was to take place on Friday. 

‘Absolutely necessary’: SC confirms complete ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed the ban on sale, production, and manufacture of firecrackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) as “absolutely necessary”. A Bench by Justices A.S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed applications filed by traders to reconsider the ban on crackers or reduce the prohibition to three or four months a year.

AAP attacks Delhi govt. over ‘frequent’ power cuts; all outages planned, says Minister; data show otherwise

The tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the issue of power cuts continued on Thursday, with the Opposition party alleging that the Capital has witnessed several instances of frequent and prolonged power outages since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in February.

Bengaluru special court refuses to discharge Prajwal Revanna in sexual assault case

A special court in Bengaluru has declined to discharge former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna in an alleged sexual assault case while pointing that there are enough material to frame charges against him.

Israeli strikes on Gaza overnight leaves more than 50 Palestinians dead

Overnight strikes by Israel killed at least 55 people across the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Thursday (April 2, 2025), a day after senior government officials said Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and establish a new security corridor across the Palestinian territory.

BJP trying to sow seeds of conflict through Waqf bill, urge govt to withdraw it, says Kharge

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday (April 3, 2025) said the government is trying to sow the seeds of conflict by suppressing Muslims through the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and appealed to the ruling party not to disturb peace and harmony in the country.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal have received no funds under Samagra Shiksha for FY2024-25 

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal have received zero funds from the Centre’s share under the Ministry of Education’s flagship Samagra Shiksha scheme (SSA) for the financial year 2024-25 as of March 27, 2025, according to a reply given by Minister of State for Education Jayant Choudhary in the Rajya Sabha. The Minister was responding to a question raised by CPI(M) MP John Brittas.

IPL 2025, KKR vs SRH: Knight Riders carry out a demolition job at the Eden 

Following an ignominious defeat to Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders bounced back emphatically to outplay Sunrisers Hyderabad by 80 runs and record its second win in IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday. KKR rode on Venkatesh Iyer and Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s brilliant half-centuries to score 200 for six after being put in. The defending champion then relied on Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy’s three-wicket hauls to bundle out a strong SRH for 120 for a morale-boosting victory.

Registration for lifetime smart cards for free bus travel for women to begin soon 

The Delhi government will soon launch the registration process for ‘smart cards’ that would allow women to travel for free on buses, an official said. While the department is yet to iron out the details of the scheme, it has been confirmed that the cards will have a “lifetime” validity and will be applicable only to bona fide residents of Delhi.

Published - April 04, 2025 06:23 am IST