Morning Brief: Railways To Work On New Bullet Train Corridors; India's Stand On Indus Water Treaty Dispute Gets A Boost; Trump's 10 Per Cent Tariff Plan For China Still On The Table

Catch up on the day’s must-read stories with Swarajya's roundup of the morning's headlines.

Railways To Work On New Bullet Train Corridors In North, East And South

The Indian Railways is set to expand its high-speed train network with plans for new bullet train corridors in the North, East, and South, as promised in the BJP’s manifesto.

These new corridors would align with the golden quadrilateral highway network, connecting key regions of the country. The government also intends to manufacture these high-speed trains domestically, with technical collaboration from Japan, which is already involved in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail project.

Detailed project reports (DPRs) for four high-speed corridors—Delhi-Varanasi, Delhi-Ahmedabad, Nagpur-Mumbai, and Mumbai-Hyderabad—were submitted by 2023-24, with one more (Delhi-Amritsar) submitted in July 2024, and two more (Chennai-Mysore and Varanasi-Howrah) expected in 2024-25.

India's Stand On Indus Water Treaty Dispute Gets A Boost

Pakistan has embarrassed itself once again. A World Bank-appointed neutral expert has supported India’s position on disputes with Pakistan over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). India welcomed the expert’s decision, which upholds its view that the expert, not the Court of Arbitration, should resolve the issues. The Ministry of External Affairs stressed that the disputes are within the expert’s competence and rejected Pakistan’s move for parallel proceedings.

India is constructing the Kishenganga and Ratle projects, which Pakistan opposes. In 2015, Pakistan requested a Neutral Expert but later withdrew the request in favor of arbitration, which India views as a violation of the treaty’s dispute resolution process. India continues to seek a review of the treaty under its provisions.

Trump's 10 Per Cent Tariff Plan For China Still On The Table

It seems the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) managed to dodge a bullet—at least for now—when President Donald Trump temporarily left them off his list of tariff targets. However, Trump made it clear that the 10 per cent tariff on all Chinese imports is still very much on the table, with no signs of reprieve. He cited China's role in sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada as justification for the move.

During his campaign, Trump promised sweeping tariffs, including a bold 60 per cent on Chinese goods. Now, post-election, he’s bringing back the threat of 10 per cent tariffs on China, alongside 25 per cent levies on southern and norther neighbours Mexico and Canada, all in the name of border security and fighting drug trafficking.

Other Developments

India Reaches New Milestone In Hypersonic Missile Development

India has achieved a critical milestone in its hypersonic weapons program by successfully conducting a 120-second ground test of an Active Cooled Scramjet Combustor. This marks a major advancement for India in long-duration Scramjet propulsion technology.

Hypersonic missiles, capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (over 5,400 km/hr), are designed to penetrate advanced air defence systems and deliver high-speed precision strikes. At such velocities, these missiles can cover vast distances rapidly, significantly reducing the time available for enemy defense systems to react. Their combination of speed and manoeuvrability allows them to evade traditional air defence systems, enabling them to deliver precision strikes with minimal risk of interception.

US President Donald Trump’s Day One immigration crackdown has sparked concerns in New Delhi, despite its focus on the southern border with Mexico. While Indians dominate H-1B visa approvals and account for 300,000 students in the US, the fate of over 20,000 undocumented Indians remains uncertain. As of November 2024, 20,407 Indians face "final removal orders" or are detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Among them, 17,940 are living with "final removal orders," while 2,467 are currently in ICE detention under its Enforcement and Removal Operations. If deportations proceed, these individuals could be among the first affected.

First Quad Meeting Held Just Hours After Trump's Inauguration

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in the first Quad ministerial under the new Trump administration on January 21, 2025. He also held separate bilateral talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. The Quad meeting, Rubio’s first multilateral engagement as Secretary of State, included Jaishankar, Penny Wong of Australia, and Japan’s Iwaya Takeshi. Jaishankar noted the meeting’s timing, just hours after the administration's inauguration, as a reflection of its significance in member states' foreign policy. Discussions focused on fostering a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific region, he said—a reference to China’s growing assertiveness in the area.

22 States Sue To Block Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order

Attorneys General from 22 US states have filed a lawsuit to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. The order, issued Monday, aims to halt the century-old practice of granting citizenship to US-born children regardless of their parents’ status. Democratic Attorneys General and immigrant rights groups argue that birthright citizenship is settled law under the 14th Amendment, which cannot be overturned by executive action. New Jersey Attorney General said the president cannot unilaterally rewrite constitutional rights. The White House dismissed the lawsuits as political resistance and expressed readiness for a legal battle.

Trump Sets The Stage For Elon Musk To Buy TikTok

Donald Trump expressed openness to Elon Musk buying TikTok, stating he would support the move "if he [Musk] wanted to [buy TikTok]." This comes as TikTok faces a potential US ban following a Supreme Court ruling requiring it to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Trump suggested Musk could buy TikTok and split ownership with the US government, offering half to America in exchange for a permit. He described his idea as "reasonable," claiming that TikTok's value would increase with the US as a partner. Meanwhile, Trump extended TikTok's deadline to find an American investor by 75 days, warning of potential tariffs on China if a deal isn't reached.

From The States

Rahul Gandhi’s Bihar Survey Comment Embarrasses Cong, RJD

Rahul Gandhi's recent comments criticising the Bihar caste survey have caused embarrassment to the Congress-RJD alliance ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. At a Congress event in Patna, Gandhi dismissed the Bihar caste survey as a tactic to "fool people," suggesting that the Congress would conduct a new one.

This statement has put the Congress in an awkward position, as the Mahagathbandhan government, led by the JD(U) with Congress and RJD as allies, was responsible for the survey. The RJD, already facing strained relations with Congress, defended Gandhi by clarifying that he was questioning the exclusion of Bihar's quota expansion from the Ninth Schedule, which would protect it from legal challenges. The remark, however, has given the BJP and the JD(U) a chance to criticise the alliance.

Bengal Moves HC For Death Penalty In RG Kar Rape-Murder Case

The West Bengal government has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, convicted of raping and murdering a doctor at RG Kar Medical College. This follows a sessions court’s decision to sentence Roy to life imprisonment. The state has filed an appeal challenging the verdict, citing the inadequacy of the punishment for such a heinous crime. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the judgment and questioned the meaning of a life sentence in cases where parole is possible. She called for stricter punishment to ensure justice.

Follow along for more updates throughout the day.