At least 13 people have been killed by a massive gas leak at a chemical plant in southern India, with 800 others taken to hospital. The leak from the LG Polymers plant in the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state came as people slept. Doctors say patients have been …
Read More »Eight Indian soldiers die in gunbattles amid major Kashmir offensive
Three Indian soldiers were killed in a gunbattle with militants in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Monday, a day after a similar incident in which five were killed. Juniad Khan, a senior paramilitary force officer, told Reuters that militants attacked the men from the Central Reserve Police Force …
Read More »India lockdown extended for two more weeks
The national coronavirus lockdown in India has been extended beyond 4 May for another two weeks. New guidelines, outlined on Friday, update the country’s designated red, green, and orange zoning system. Red zones are considered hotspots, while considerable relaxations will be permitted in areas considered less dangerous. India has been …
Read More »India records highest daily jump in coronavirus deaths
India has seen its highest jump in deaths related to the novel coronavirus in a 24-hour period following its highest daily increase, the Health Ministry says. A total of 73 people affected by the virus had died since Tuesday morning, taking the country-wide toll to 1,007. The Wednesday daily increase …
Read More »Indian Cops dress as ‘Coronavirus Zombies’, adding fun spin to awareness drive – Videos
Over 1.37 billion Indians have entered the 33rd day of what is being called the world’s largest lockdown as a precaution against the further spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As total COVID-19 cases have exceeded the 29,000 marks, a lockdown extension after 3 May has been demanded by state chiefs, …
Read More »Multiple civilians wounded as grenade left by earlier clashes goes off in Kashmir
Several civilians, some of them children, have been injured in an explosion in India’s state of Jammu and Kashmir, where security forces have been clashing with militants. The blast took place on Monday while local residents were clearing debris left by heavy fighting earlier in the day, local media reported, …
Read More »India & Pakistan ease coronavirus restrictions for some small businesses; South Asia updates
India allowed shops in residential areas to reopen from Saturday, more than a month after the country went into lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, federal and state officials said. The federal home ministry said late on Friday that retailers could resume operations with the staff numbers reduced …
Read More »Over 70 Iraqis Stuck in India Call for Help to Return Home
Over 70 Iraqi nationals are stuck in India amid the flight restrictions as part of the measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Iraqi media reports said the Iraqis visited India for medical reasons before the Iraqi government suspended all international flights. The Iraqis spoke to Media and said …
Read More »Two Muslim students face ‘bogus’ charges of inciting Delhi riots
Lawyers say pair were peacefully protesting against Indian citizenship act Delhi police have been accused of slapping two Muslim student activists with “bogus” charges of conspiring to incite the recent riots, the worst religious violence in India’s capital for decades, and in which the police were accused of being complicit. …
Read More »5.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes at India-Myanmar Border
An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale has shaken the Myanmar-Indian border region, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The epicenter of the seismic activity was registered 35 kilometers southeast of Myanmar and 168 kilometers southeast of Aizawl in India, according to the EMSC. M5.8 #earthquake (#भूकंप) strikes 160 …
Read More »India Extends Nationwide Lockdown Until May 3
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the country’s nationwide lockdown until May 3 in a bid to contain the continued spread of the coronavirus, but said that some states which have avoided outbreaks may be allowed to resume “important activities.” Speaking in a televised address on Tuesday, Modi said …
Read More »India to extend nationwide lockdown, state minister says
India has decided to extend a strict nationwide lockdown imposed last month to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a top official says. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with state ministers, and many of them urged the government to prolong the measure. Delhi’s chief minister …
Read More »India ‘corona-car’ aims to accelerate awareness
A man in Hyderabad has manufactured a single-seater vehicle shaped like the coronavirus under the microscope to spread awareness about COVID-19 among Indians. “I’ll take this on the road and show the people the dangers of the coronavirus,” says Sudhakar Yadav.
Read More »India lifts export ban on coronavirus drug after Trump threat
It was considered by some a key plank in India’s battle against coronavirus: on Saturday, the government there announced it was banning the export of various drugs which could potentially help patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Stockpiles of medicines, including hydroxychloroquine – an anti-malaria drug being tested as an unlikely but …
Read More »India curbs diagnostic testing kit exports as virus spreads; South Asia updates
India is restricting the export of most diagnostic testing kits, as coronavirus cases in the South Asian nation topped 3,350 on Sunday despite a three-week nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the respiratory disease. India, which in recent weeks already banned the export of certain drugs, along with ventilators, …
Read More »Indian officials warn of lockdown extensions as COVID-19 cases in South Asia near 6,000
The number of confirmed new coronavirus cases in South Asia neared 6,000 on Saturday, even as authorities in some cities tightened restrictions on movement and warned lockdowns could be extended in a bid to rein in the pandemic. “If people don’t obey the rules seriously and cases continue to rise, …
Read More »Coronavirus latest: India’s 1.3bn people under 21-day lockdown
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces a “stringent and strict” curfew across the country from midnight tonight for the next 21 days to save the country from the coronavirus. “This 21 days’ time is needed to break the cycle of coronavirus transmission,” he says in a televised address.
Read More »Millions in India under coronavirus lockdown
Millions of people across India have been placed under lockdown until the end of the month as efforts to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country intensified. Residents living in 75 districts across the country, including in major cities such as the capital New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, …
Read More »India summons Iran envoy over a tweet against anti-Muslim violence
India has summoned the Iranian ambassador to New Delhi to protest a tweet by Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in condemnation of the recent wave of deadly violence against Muslims in India. Indian media cited unnamed official sources as saying that Ambassador Ali Chegini had been summoned on Tuesday …
Read More »Kashmir fighting kills two rebels, one Indian soldier
Two suspected rebels and an Indian paramilitary soldier were killed in brief fighting in disputed Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said. Indian forces detained a suspected rebel after the fighting. Paramilitary officer Pankaj Singh said three rebels arrived on a motorbike and fired at a patrol on the outskirts of Kashmir’s …
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