Morning Digest: U.S. immigration officials arrest a second pro-Palestine protester at Columbia; Mark Carney sworn in as Canada’s new Prime Minister, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on March 15, 2025

Immigration officials have arrested a second person who participated in Pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, and have revoked the visa of another student, they announced Friday (March 14, 2025). Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by immigration officers for overstaying her student visa, the Department of Homeland Security said.

In its final full budget before the 2026 Assembly elections, the M.K. Stalin-led government sought to strike a balance by catering to its core voter base—women and government employees—while addressing key sectors of the economy. While the State’s overall debt burden is expected to rise to ₹9,29,959.3 crore, the Debt to GSDP ratio remains within the prescribed limits at 26.07%.

Former central banker Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s new Prime Minister on Friday (March 14, 2025), and will now try to steer his country through a trade war brought by U.S. President Donald Trump, a threat of annexation and an expected federal election. Mr. Carney, 59, replaces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader. Mr. Carney is widely expected to trigger a general election in the coming days or weeks.

“Three persons were killed and one was injured after a massive fire broke out in a 12-storey residential building in Gujarat’s Rajkot city on Friday (March 14, 2025) morning,” officials said.“ About 40 residents stuck in the tower located in the 150 feet ring road area were rescued,” they said.

Jana Sena Party president and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, while referring to the ongoing tussle over the language and South-North issues, said on Friday that India needed multiple languages. Mr. Pawan Kalyan kickstarted his address at the JSP’s 12th anniversary by greeting his supporters who turned up from various States in Telugu, Tamil, Maratha and Kannada.

A man wielding an iron rod went on an indiscriminate rampage on Friday here at the Golden Temple, injuring two ‘sewadars’ (volunteer) and three devotees, police said. The man was seen in the Guru Ramdas Niwas, also called Guru Ramdas Sarai, of the Golden Temple.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has expressed solidarity with the Tamil Nadu government’s efforts to unite non-Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States on a common platform to resist any move by the Union government for arbitrary delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, which contravenes the Constitution’s federalist principles and allegedly seeks to favour the ruling coalition at the Centre.