India elects first president from tribal community
Mumbai, IndiaReuters Lawmakers chose India’s first president from the country’s tribal communities on Thursday, which could boost the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party among marginalised groups ahead of the 2024 general election. Droupadi Murmu, a 64-year-old teacher turned politician, will be the second woman to hold the largely ceremonial role as head of […]
Protests by Indian Muslims continue, as lawyers condemn state response
Kolkata, IndiaReuters Thousands of Muslims marched in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on Tuesday in a second week of protests, while six prominent former judges said a state government had acted illegally by demolishing the house of a Muslim activist. Muslims have taken to the streets across India to protest against anti-Islamic comments made […]
India’s defence chief to be laid to rest with full military honours
New Delhi, IndiaReuters The bodies of India’s defence chief and 12 others who died in a helicopter crash will be brought to New Delhi on Thursday, where the top general will be laid to rest with full military honours, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 defence personnel were en […]
Updated: India’s Modi backs down on farm reforms in surprise victory for protesters
Updated: 5.30pm (AEDT)New Delhi, IndiaReuters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he would repeal controversial farm laws that farmers have protested for more than a year, a significant climbdown for the combative leader. The sudden concession on the three laws comes ahead of elections early next year in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous […]
Floods death toll rises in India and Nepal
New Delhi, IndiaReuters Floods unleashed by days of unseasonal heavy rain have wrecked crops, blocked roads and washed away bridges in northern India, killing at least 46 people, officials said on Wednesday, as they mounted rescue efforts for those stranded. Aerial images gave glimpses of engorged rivers and partially submerged villages in affected areas in […]
Indian farmers aim for nationwide protests against reforms on Monday
New Delhi, IndiaReuters Indian farmers opposed to reforms they say threaten their livelihoods aim to renew their push against the changes with nationwide protests on Monday, a year after laws on the liberalisation of the sector were introduced. For 10 months, tens of thousands of farmers have camped out on major highways around the capital, […]
Explainer: How Indian farmers’ protest turned into a country-wide movement
New Delhi, IndiaReuters A group of influential farmer leaders ratcheted up pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to roll back three new farm laws by organising a mammoth rally in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh last week. After the successful mass meeting – the biggest rally yet in a months-long series of demonstrations […]
Landslides kill at last 30 in Mumbai after heavy rain
Reuters At least 30 people died in three Mumbai suburbs after several houses collapsed when heavy rain triggered landslides, officials said on Sunday, and forecasts of further downpours could force authorities to relocate people living in danger zones. Rescuers resorted to using their hands to dig up the ground in an attempt to find survivors, local television […]
India’s most populous state seeks to promote two-child policy
New Delhi, IndiaReuters India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has proposed legislation that aims to discourage couples from having more than two children, becoming the second state ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party to make such a proposal. If Uttar Pradesh were a country, its 240 million people would make it the world’s fifth […]
Farmer protests: India clamps down on free speech
SHEIKH SAALIQ and KRUTIKA PATHI, of Associated Press, report claims Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has escalated a crackdown on free speech, detaining journalists and freezing Twitter accounts….