Newspaper Summary 270326

 Based on the sources, here is the full content of the article regarding Iran’s decision to allow specific nations access to the Strait of Hormuz:

Iran allows 5 nations, including India, passage via Strait of Hormuz

Iran has permitted India and several other “friendly nations,” including China and Russia, to use the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. This decision follows a surge in global oil and gas prices after Iran virtually blocked the strategic waterway, which typically handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

Key Details of the Passage:

• Permitted Countries: Along with India, China, and Russia, Iran has granted transit rights to Iraq and Pakistan.
• Exclusions: Minister Araghchi made it clear that ships linked to Iran’s adversaries and their allies will not be allowed to transit the waterway, stating, “We are in a state of war. The region is a war zone”.
• Stance on Negotiations: Araghchi noted that while various messages have been exchanged through intermediaries, no direct negotiations with the U.S. are currently underway. He added that “international guarantees are not 100 per cent reliable” and that Iran has created its own "inherent guarantee" to deter future conflict.

Economic and Regional Implications:

• Energy Security: The Strait is a vital corridor for India’s energy procurement. The government has recently asserted that India’s energy supply remains secure, with sufficient crude oil stocks and secured LPG cargoes to last for the coming months.
• Transit Fees: Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has accused Iran of charging fees for ships to safely transit the strait. Al-Budaiwi, who oversees the bloc including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, is the first top official to make such an accusation publicly.
• Global Impact: The effective closure of the Strait for many nations has caused what is described as the "worst energy shock in history," impacting businesses worldwide from airlines to supermarkets. In response to the crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to interact with state Chief Ministers to review national preparedness.

Based on the sources, here is the article regarding the sponsorship announcement for the upcoming IPL season:

JioStar announces 27 sponsors for IPL 2026

Vallari Sanzgiri – Mumbai

JioStar, the official broadcaster for TATA Indian Premier League (IPL), has announced 27 sponsors for 2026, with Google, Campa, and Havells & Lloyd serving as the co-presenting sponsors. This follows the exit of real-money gaming brands like Dream11 and My11Circle in August 2025; since then, the league has engaged with new entities including Google Search AI Mode and Campa Energy.

AI as a Category Google’s entry into the lineup marks AI as a specific category in Indian cricket advertising. Joining the co-presenting sponsors at the co-powered tier are Birla Opus, Hero MotoCorp, and Amazon.in.

JioStar also announced an extensive list of associate sponsors, which includes:

• AMFI, Asian Paints, Vimal Elaichi, SuperMoney, and MRF.
• Flipkart Minutes, Gillette, Vida, Rupay, and Mondelez.
• Mother Dairy, Groww, Rapido, Muthoot Finance, and Sunfeast YiPPee!.
• Google Pay, TVS EV, Angel One, and Campa Sure.

Additionally, Amul will be presenting the Cricket Live show, while Google Search AI mode is presenting the Match Centre Live show.

Anup Govindan, Head of Sales – Sports at JioStar, noted that the IPL remains an "incredibly compelling proposition" for brands. He stated, “What’s particularly encouraging is that this confidence has held firm even against a challenging global macroeconomic backdrop; the commitment our partners have shown is a powerful testament to the unmatched value the TATA IPL on JioStar network delivers.”

As AI demand rises, IT turns to strategic, high-value deals

Sanjana B – Bengaluru

Indian IT firms are pivoting toward larger, strategic acquisitions as mergers and acquisitions (M&A) rebounded in 2025. Companies such as Infosys are using these deals to reposition growth and build next-generation capabilities, specifically in response to rising enterprise demand for AI-driven transformation and a slowdown in traditional services.

Market Data and Deal Breakdown: According to data from UnearthInsight, IT M&As reached a total of $5 billion across 21 deals in 2025:

• Tier 1 Firms: Contributed $2.32 billion, primarily led by cloud and data (27 per cent), followed by AI and analytics (18 per cent).
• Tier 2 Firms: Slightly surpassed Tier 1 at $2.43 billion, with 40 per cent of deals focused on AI, analytics, and enterprise platforms.
• Tier 3 Firms: Remained marginal at $0.31 billion, driven largely by domain-led engineering (80 per cent).

By volume, the deal mix was dominated by cloud, data, digital engineering, and ER&D (Engineering Research & Development), which accounted for six transactions each. Enterprise platforms saw three deals, while AI and advanced analytics recorded two.

Strategic Drivers: Gaurav Vasu, CEO & Founder of UnearthInsight, explained that Indian IT firms are choosing M&A as a faster route to build next-gen capabilities rather than developing them organically. This shift is driven by the need for relevance rather than just scale. Sidhant Rastogi, President at Zinnov, noted that the organic growth engine has been under pressure for nearly three years, leading to a natural M&A window created by cash-rich balance sheets on the buyer side and compressed valuations for sellers.

Client Demand for Deployment: As clients move from mere AI experimentation to full enterprise deployment, they require partners capable of delivering an integrated stack of data, cloud, and AI engineering. While building this stack organically can take three to four years, acquiring it takes only three to four months. Ultimately, these firms are using M&A to rebalance their portfolios toward transformation-led work and gain access to high-value talent in key global markets.

‘India-China discord blown up by those who hope to profit from it’

Amiti Sen – New Delhi

China’s Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, stated that differences between India and China are being deliberately amplified by individuals who "hype up" a "China-threat" narrative to profit from the discord., Speaking at the 4th China-India Youth Dialogue, the Ambassador emphasized that as neighbors that "cannot be moved apart," the two nations should choose to be "good neighborly friends and partners" who support each other's success.,

Key points from the Ambassador’s address:

• Eastern Wisdom vs. Law of the Jungle: He called for both nations to apply "Eastern wisdom" regarding peaceful coexistence and mutual learning to prevent the world from "reverting to the law of the jungle."
• A "Dig" at Global Alliances: The Ambassador’s remarks are interpreted as a critique of the United States and the Quad alliance, which have been working to "balance" China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Championing the Global South: Cautioning that the world may be slipping into "lawlessness," Feihong urged for stronger communication and coordination between India and China to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South.
• Improving Relations: He noted that following meetings between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan and Tianjin, bilateral relations have shown "positive progress" in cooperation across various fields.
• Technology and Innovation: Feihong highlighted China's global leadership in innovation—ranging from humanoid robots to AI video models—and acknowledged that India has made artificial intelligence a national priority through its India AI mission.

The Ambassador concluded by encouraging young people to think independently and "step out of the information cocoon" amidst a complex and rapidly changing global landscape.

Tax on mobile data usage isn’t a good idea

By Mohan R Lavi

The government is reportedly examining a new levy on mobile data consumption—a flat charge of ₹1 per GB—and has tasked the Department of Telecommunications with submitting a feasibility report by September 2026. While the proposal serves the dual purpose of augmenting telecom revenues and curbing digital addiction among children, these objectives do not justify the tax, which appears Constitutionally vulnerable and practically unworkable.

The Revenue Rationale and Double Taxation The projected revenue from this levy is significant; based on the approximately 229 billion GB of mobile data consumed in FY25, a ₹1 per GB charge would generate around ₹22,900 crore. However, this constitutes double taxation because consumers already pay an 18 per cent GST on every mobile recharge. Introducing a usage-based levy outside the existing GST architecture raises questions about which power Parliament would use to enact it, as a flat charge with no regulatory quid pro quo fits neither the description of a service tax nor a fee.

A Blunt Tool for Behavioral Concerns Using taxation to reduce screen time among children is a problematic approach. Taxation is a blunt tool that falls with equal and indiscriminate force on everyone, regardless of usage. If digital addiction is the concern, appropriate instruments would be regulatory, such as age verification mechanisms, content restrictions, or parental controls mandated under the Information Technology Act. Levying a general tax on the entire population to address the behavior of a subset is disproportionate and could be challenged under Article 14 of the Constitution.

Reversing Digital Democratisation This proposal threatens India's significant digital achievements. Over the last decade, India has built a widely envied ecosystem of affordable data and deep network penetration. A consumption tax would effectively reverse this "data democratisation" by pricing out marginal users for whom digital access is still aspirational.

Policy Contradictions and Global Context There is also a notable policy anomaly: while this tax would discourage consumption, Budget 2026 offers a tax holiday until 2047 to foreign cloud companies to position India as a global digital hub. Furthermore, most other countries targeting the digital economy for revenue focus on the earnings of large technology platforms—like Google and Meta—rather than taxing the consumption of ordinary citizens.

Better Alternatives Rather than creating new and legally fragile imposts, a better course would be to rationalise the existing levy structure on telecom operators, such as spectrum usage charges and license fees. If digital addiction is a genuine public health concern, Parliament already has the tools within the existing statutory framework to address it without innovating new methods of taxation.

The writer is a chartered accountant.

Based on the sources, the following text is found under the "OTHER VOICES" section:

The Social-Media Shakedown Begins

A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday held Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube liable for a 20-year-old woman’s personal troubles. The schadenfreude will be overwhelming—nail the billionaires! But using a novel product liability theory to shake down companies won’t help young people and isn’t a good way to make law. The $6 million verdict against the two companies is the first of more.

Tablet PC market up 2% with Samsung leading the chart, Apple supplies drop

Press Trust of India – New Delhi

India’s tablet PC market grew by 2 per cent year-on-year in 2025, with Samsung leading the segment while Apple and Acer recorded a dip in shipments, according to a Counterpoint Research report.

Shift Toward Premiumisation Counterpoint Research principal analyst Anshika Jain noted a clear shift towards premiumisation in the Indian market, driven by strategic product refreshes. The ₹30,000-₹40,000 price band emerged as the fastest-growing segment, with shipments rising nearly seven times as consumers increasingly preferred higher-performance devices.

Brand Performance Breakdown:

• Samsung: Retained its market leadership with a 31 per cent market share in 2025 (up from 27 per cent in 2024). Its supplies grew by 15 per cent year-over-year, anchored by the Galaxy Tab A9 series and its successor, the A11 series, as well as the premium Galaxy Tab S portfolio.
• Apple: Ranked second with a 20 per cent market share, despite a 2 per cent year-on-year decline in supplies. The iPad (2025) 128 GB Wi-Fi variant was a key driver in the premium ₹30,000-₹40,000 band, while the iPad Pro series accelerated OLED penetration in the high-performance segment.
• Lenovo: Captured a 15 per cent market share, clocking 24 per cent growth in supplies.
• Xiaomi: Held an 11 per cent market share following a massive 74 per cent jump in shipments.
• Acer: Saw a significant decline, with supplies dropping by 50 per cent. This led its market share to plummet to 10 per cent in 2025 from 21 per cent in 2024.

CSK’s unlisted shares surge as franchise sales spur demand

Rohan Das – Chennai

The big-ticket buyouts of IPL teams Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have sparked a surge in investor interest in other franchises, leading to significant price hikes in unlisted markets. As the only actively traded IPL stock in the unlisted space following its demerger from India Cements, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has been the primary beneficiary of this sentiment.

Rapid Price Appreciation The Chennai franchise’s share price rose from approximately ₹225–₹240 at the beginning of March to ₹300–335 recently, marking a 25–40 per cent increase in under a month. Data from InCred Money also confirmed monthly growth of 24 per cent, while the price has effectively doubled from its 52-week low of ₹174. Additionally, UnlistedZone reported a sharp spike on March 23, immediately following a large-scale pre-season fan event.

Benchmarking and Market Valuation The increased demand is driven by the record-breaking valuations of its peers:

• Rajasthan Royals is set to be sold for a reported $1.63 billion to a consortium led by Kal Somani.
• RCB was acquired for $1.78 billion by a group including the Aditya Birla Group, the Times Group, and Blackstone.

Krishna Patwari, Managing Director of Wealth Wisdom India, noted that at a market cap of ₹11,000–₹11,500 crore, CSK is trading at a 30 per cent discount to the RCB benchmark. This discount is likely due to the absence of a clean controlling stake and a more dispersed ownership structure. However, the scale of the price movement suggests that the shares are being scooped up not just by retail investors, but also by institutional players and High Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs).

Financial Strength CSK's financial performance remains robust, with the franchise reporting revenues of ₹643 crore and a profit after tax of ₹180 crore in FY25. For comparison, RCB's revenue for the same period was approximately ₹504 crore. This positive sentiment has extended to other companies linked to IPL teams; for instance, Sun TV (Sunrisers Hyderabad) rose 5.4 per cent, while RPSG Ventures (Lucknow Super Giants) hit its upper circuit with a 20 per cent gain.

British Airways adds extra flights to Delhi, Mumbai

Our Bureau – Mumbai

British Airways will operate additional flights from London to Delhi and Mumbai until the end of May. The airline is adding this short-term capacity to meet strong demand and provide customers with greater choice and flexibility for travel between India, the UK, and beyond. These extra services are being introduced amid continued flight disruptions in West Asia.

Flight Schedule Details:

• Delhi to London Heathrow: From April 7 to May 31, the airline will operate a third daily service.
• Mumbai to London Heathrow: A third daily flight will be added between April 14 and May 31.

Lights, camera, action: Kerala set for a star-studded poll battle

V Sajeev Kumar – Kochi

The 2026 Assembly election is set to feature one of the largest line-ups of film and television personalities in recent electoral memory, with actors, anchors, and filmmakers stepping into the fray in Kerala across party lines. From mainstream cinema figures to television celebrities, political parties appear to be betting on recognisable faces to expand outreach beyond their traditional support bases and inject visibility into closely fought constituencies.

New Strategy The entry of figures such as Vivek Gopan reflects a calculated strategy of leveraging familiarity to generate media traction and attract undecided voters. Yet, in a politically aware State such as Kerala, celebrity appeal alone has rarely guaranteed victory; constituency arithmetic, party organisation, and local issues remain the deciding factors. KB Ganesh Kumar, representing Pathanapuram, is once again in the contest, despite facing a phase marked by personal controversies. His candidature underscores the persistence of established personalities who straddle both the entertainment and political spheres.

Television celebrity Akhil Marar has also drawn attention, though translating television fame into votes remains an uncertain exercise. In Ottappalam, Major Ravi is contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. Known for his patriotic films and disciplined public persona shaped by a military background, his candidature aligns with the party's narrative, though he faces a challenge in a space dominated by the LDF and UDF. Anjali Nair, contesting as a candidate of Twenty20 (an ally of the BJP) from Thrippunithura, brings screen familiarity but her prospects may depend heavily on alliance dynamics and organisational grounding.

In Palakkad, Ramesh Pisharody, widely recognised for his comedic roles, is considered one of the more competitive celebrity bids in the State. In the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, Sudheer Karamana is contesting as an independent candidate with support from the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

The Defining Factor Despite the star power, the need for sustained grassroots machinery remains a defining factor. Vivek Gopan, contesting as a BJP candidate from Aruvikkara, represents this strand of celebrity outreach in a district with a history of tightly contested elections dominated by established political forces. While he enjoys popularity among family television viewers, the effectiveness of this appeal at the ballot box remains to be seen.