Scores die in northern India as heat wave scorches region
Lucknow, India Reuters At least 54 people died in a district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh over the last few days, the Times of India newspaper reported on Monday, as authorities probed if the loss of lives was due to the heat wave in the region. Another 45 people died in neighbouring […]
Protests against India’s new military recruitment system turn violent
Lucknow, India Reuters Police in northern India fired shots in the air on Thursday to push back stone-throwing crowds and authorities shut off mobile internet in at least one district to forestall further chaos, as protests widened against a new military recruitment system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government this week announced an overhaul of recruitment […]
StrangeSights: Fat Bear Week; wrapping the Arc; and, a drowning girl in Bilbao…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
No jobs, passports for ‘anti-national’ social media posts in India
Thomson Reuters Foundation At least three Indian states are denying passports and government jobs to people because of their social media posts or participation in protests, human rights activists said. In a move that could jeopardise the futures of tens of thousands of vocal young Indians, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar and Uttarakhand have […]
In Indian state election, former migrant worker pledges jobs for the poorest
Mumbai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation In an Indian state election that has drawn huge rallies and promises from major parties including free COVID-19 vaccines, one former migrant worker is going door-to-door seeking votes from villagers by championing job creation and higher wages. Standing as an independent candidate in eastern Bihar state, Sanjay Sahni has won support […]
“I was determined”, says girl who cycled injured dad across India
Lucknow, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation A 15-year-old girl who won praise for carrying her injured father hundreds of miles across India by bike said on Wednesday she never thought of giving up after promising her mother she would get him home safely. Jyoti Kumari’s gruelling journey from the outskirts of New Delhi to their village 1,200 […]
India’s tourist magnet starts to clean child labour “blot”
Jaipur, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation In a small windowless room in the heart of Indian tourist magnet Jaipur, Parveena shows a school uniform and tiny shoes to prove that the little boy sitting on the floor, sticking beads on a bangle goes to school and is not a child slave. Parveena, who would only give her […]
CHILD LABOUR: WITH NEW DATA, INDIA LOOKS TO FIGHT EXPLOITATION IN MICA MINES
ROLI SRIVASTAVA reports for the Thomson Reuters Foundation…
Indian PM speaks out against “menace” of mob attacks for first time
World Watch Monitor India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has for the first time condemned violence against minorities, saying that everyone has a duty to fight the “menace” of mob lynchings. But his critics say that, after four years in power at the head of a Hindu nationalist government, the comments have come too late. Attacks on […]