India and Russia are discussing a free trade agreement, ministers said on Monday, a move that would further deepen bilateral commercial ties that have flourished since war broke out in Ukraine. India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told an event in New Delhi his government was in “advance agreement” on a …
Read More »India records 10,158 new COVID-19 cases, omicron variant fueling spike
India reported 10,158 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday as coronavirus cases steadily increase in the south-Asian country. Health ministry data showed daily infections climb past the 10,000 mark, reaching a nearly eight-month high, up from 7,830 cases the previous day. There are currently 44,998 active cases from 229,958 COVID-19 tests. …
Read More »India’s Rahul Gandhi appeals defamation conviction with hearing set for April 13
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi appealed against his conviction for defamation on Monday, seeking to overturn a judgment that resulted in his expulsion from parliament a year before a general election is due. Gandhi, 52, was convicted last month in a case brought by a state lawmaker from Prime Minister …
Read More »Rahul Gandhi to appeal jail sentence
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will appeal a two-year jail sentence in a defamation case brought against him by lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), local media reported on Sunday. Gandhi, the 52-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty and leader of the Congress party, was …
Read More »India temple accident: At least 35 killed after falling into underground stepwell
At least 35 people were killed and 16 were injured after the roof of a stepwell in a temple complex collapsed in central India, a local government official said on Friday (March 31). The incident occurred in the central Indian city of Indore after a concrete slab covering the roof …
Read More »India, Iraq discuss launching joint production lines
Iraq’s National Security Advisor, Qasim al-Araji, held talks with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, in New Delhi on Friday to discuss bilateral ties and strategic cooperation between the two countries. According to a statement from al-Araji’s office, the meeting focused on enhancing the friendly relationship and strategic interests between Iraq …
Read More »India’s Rahul Gandhi loses parliament seat after conviction
Top opposition figure Rahul Gandhi was expelled from India’s parliament on Friday, a day after his defamation conviction for a remark seen as an insult against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi’s government has been widely accused of using the law to target and silence critics, and the case in the …
Read More »Opinion | The real reasons why US senators backed India in its border dispute with China
A bipartisan Senate resolution wades into the Sino-Indian conflict to further drive a wedge between two Asian giants Washington is inserting itself into the ongoing Sino-Indian border conflict in an effort to both win political points with India while further skewering China. The recent bi-partisan Senate Resolution introduced in the …
Read More »Japan’s PM Kishida announces $75 bln new plan to counter China in Indo-Pacific
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday announced an expansive new plan for an open and free Indo-Pacific, promising billions of dollars in investment to help economies across the region in everything from industry to disaster prevention. The plan announced in New Delhi is seen as Tokyo’s bid to forge …
Read More »India, Australia Pledge to Consolidate Defense Ties
Australia and India made significant progress in consolidating defense and security ties during talks the leaders of the two countries held Friday in New Delhi. “Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi and I discussed an increasingly uncertain global security environment and committed to strengthening the Australia-India defense and security partnership to address …
Read More »Indian state-owned firm sold artillery barrels to military-ruled Myanmar: Activists
An Indian state-owned arms manufacturer has shipped artillery barrels to military-ruled Myanmar, an activist group said Wednesday, warning they could be used by the junta in its crackdown on dissent. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the generals toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government two years ago, ending a …
Read More »Russia, China block condemnation of Ukraine War at G20 summit
Air raid alerts continued nationwide in Ukraine Saturday, as Russia and China blocked a statement from the G20 condemning the war, amid new saber-rattling from a Putin ally. Finance leaders and central bank chiefs from the world’s largest economies meeting in India strongly condemned Moscow for the invasion a year …
Read More »India arrests defense official for sharing sensitive info with alleged Pakistan spy
A senior Indian defense official working in a missile testing range was arrested on Friday for supposedly sharing classified information with a Pakistani spy. The Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) official shared sensitive defense information for “sexual as well as monetary gratification,” Odisha police were quoted as saying …
Read More »India, China meet in Beijing for consultation over border affairs: New Delhi
India on Wednesday said it held a meeting with China in Beijing for consultation over border affairs and discussed proposals for disengagement. They share a 3,500 km (2,100-mile) border in the Himalayas called the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has been disputed since the 1950s. They went to war …
Read More »Indian police detain students over Modi documentary screenings
The documentary alleges that Modi ordered police to turn a blind eye to deadly riots while he was Gujarat state’s chief minister. Police have detained many students in the Indian capital, New Delhi, over the screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged role during the deadly …
Read More »India accuses BBC of ‘colonial mindset’
The BBC documentary features the findings of a British inquiry into the 2002 deadly riots, which reveals PM Modi failed to stop the violence. India’s foreign ministry on Thursday dismissed a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi that questioned his leadership during the deadly 2002 Gujarat riots as “propaganda”. …
Read More »Google launches new anti-misinformation project in India
Google’s Jigsaw subsidiary is launching a new anti-misinformation project in India, aimed at preventing misleading information that has been blamed for inciting violence, a top executive said. The initiative will use “prebunking” videos – designed to counter false claims before they become widespread – circulated on the company’s YouTube platform …
Read More »Protesters, police clash over Adani port in India’s Kerala; over 80 injured
More than 80 people were wounded in India as villagers protesting to halt construction of the $900-million Vizhinjam port project by India’s Adani Group clashed with police in Kerala state, the latest escalation in a months-long strike. The protests, by a mostly Christian fishing community against the project led by …
Read More »India’s Population Growth Slows as World Reaches 8 Billion
As the global population reaches 8 billion, India, formerly a powerful driver of the number of people on the planet, is experiencing a marked slowdown. Falling fertility rates in the South Asian country have forced at least one state to consider reviewing policies that encouraged families not to go beyond …
Read More »India bridge collapse toll jumps to 134, police detain nine people
The death toll from a foot bridge collapse in India rose to 134 on Monday, including many children, as police detained nine people as part of a criminal investigation into one of the deadliest accidents in the country in the past decade. CCTV footage from just before the collapse showed …
Read More »