Morning Digest: Trump’s trade war draws swift retaliation with new tariffs from Mexico, Canada, China; look into parties’ complaints, ECI tells State-level officers, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on March 5, 2025

President Donald Trump launched a trade war Tuesday against America’s three biggest trading partners, drawing immediate retaliation from Mexico, Canada and China and sending financial markets into a tailspin as the U.S. faced the threat of rekindled inflation and paralyzing uncertainty for business. Later in the day, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the U.S. would likely meet Canada and Mexico “in the middle,” with an announcement coming as soon as Wednesday.

Amid complaints of anomalies in voters’ lists, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday asked its State-level officials to hold regular interactions with political parties to resolve any issues within the existing statutory framework.

Europe needs to develop its own “strategic autonomy”, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said on Tuesday, speaking about the United States’ decision to change its course on the Ukraine war. As a result, Belgium will need to build its defence sector, Mr. Prevot said, pushing for cooperation with India.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar began his visit to the U.K. on Tuesday with a series of meetings in London with British government officials. He met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, The Hindu has learnt. Mr. Jaishankar also met with Trade and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to discuss the India-U.K. “free trade” deal (FTA), the Minister said on social media site X.

There seems to be no end in sight to the agonising wait of family members of eight persons trapped under the debris about 14 km inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel from February 22 morning as the debris and mud removal work to trace those trapped is stretching on, despite the conveyor belt becoming functional on Tuesday evening.

At a security review meeting last week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the Manipur administration to restore religious places that had been damaged or vandalised during the May 2023 ethnic violence in the State, a senior government official told The Hindu.

Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi’s remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb triggered a controversy in the Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday, with leaders from the ruling Mahayuti alliance raising slogans demanding that Mr. Azmi be charged with sedition, and suspended. A complaint has been registered against Mr. Azmi at the Marine Drive Police Station.