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☆ Religious Spectacle to Mark Opening of Ram Temple by India's Modi
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

It is also being seen as the virtual launch of the deeply religious strongman Modi’s re-election campaign for general elections due by May. India's majority Hindus say the site is the birthplace of Lord Ram, and was holy to them long before Muslim Mughals razed a temple at the spot and built the Babri Masjid or mosque there in 1528. Some of India’s top business leaders, movie actors and sportspersons have also been invited for the consecration, organisers said. The inauguration has also sparked a political controversy with major opposition parties, including the main opposition Congress, declining invitations to attend saying it had been converted into a political, Modi event. “The construction of the temple is going on as per the direction of the Supreme Court, so we welcome it.

Persons: Saurabh Sharma, Rajesh AYODHYA, Lord Ram, Narendra Modi, Modi’s, Modi, ” Modi, “, ”, Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi, Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, Shivam Patel, YP Rajesh, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Supreme Court, Krea University, Islamic, Foundation, YP Locations: India, Ayodhya

☆ New Mosque Construction in India's Ayodhya to Begin in May, Muslim Group Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The dispute had scarred relations between the communities for decades and the destruction of the mosque sparked nationwide riots that killed 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. India's top court said in 2019 that the razing of the mosque was unlawful, but ruled that evidence showed there was a non-Islamic structure beneath it. It ordered that the site be given to Hindu groups to build a temple and Muslim community leaders be given land elsewhere in the city for constructing a mosque. While construction of the $180 million temple began within months and the first phase is set to open on Monday, Muslim groups have struggled to raise funds and begin work at a desolate site about 25 km (15 miles) away. A crowd-funding website is expected to be launched in the coming weeks, said Shaikh, who is also a BJP leader.

Persons: Shivam Patel, Haji Arfat Shaikh, Ram, Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, Narendra Modi's, Athar Hussain, Shaikh, Muhammed bin Abdullah, Prophet Mohammad, Babur, YP Rajesh, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: DELHI, Islamic Cultural Foundation, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, YP Locations: Indian, Ayodhya, India's, India, Babri

☆ Indian Navy Rescues Crew After Attack on Ship off Coast of Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The Houthi movement said its missiles had made a "direct hit" on the bulk carrier. U.S. officials said the move was aimed at cutting off funding and weapons the movement has used to attack or hijack ships. On Monday, Houthi forces had struck the U.S.-owned and operated dry bulk ship Gibraltar Eagle with an anti-ship ballistic missile. The alternative shipping route around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope can add 10-14 days to a journey compared to passage via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Freight rates have more than doubled since early December, according to maritime consultancy Drewry's world container index, while insurance sources say war risk premiums for shipments through the Red Sea are also rising.

Persons: Krishn Kaushik, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart NEW, Yemen's, Houthi, Denmark's, Shivam Patel, Simon Lewis, Pavel Polityuk, James Davey, Terje Solsvik, Keith Weir, Catherine Evans Organizations: Indian Navy, U.S, U.S . Navy, Shipping, Genco, Wednesday, Pepco, Denmark's Maersk, Maersk Locations: Phil Stewart NEW DELHI, WASHINGTON, U.S, Gulf, Aden, Genco Picardy, Iran, Asia, Europe, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, India, Picardy, States, Yemen, South Africa's, Suez, Ukraine, Africa

☆ Pakistan court overturns ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's graft conviction - lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses supporters upon his arrival from a self-imposed exile in London, ahead of the 2024 Pakistani general election, in Lahore, Pakistan October 21, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsISLAMABAD, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A Pakistan court overturned the conviction of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a corruption case on Wednesday, his lawyer said. The Islamabad High Court announced its decision after the national anti-graft body did not contest Sharif's appeal for his acquittal, lawyer Azam Nazeer Tarar said. "I had left it to the mercy of God," the former premier said in comments broadcast live on local TV after he left the court. Sharif had been out on bail pending the appeal and had always denied any wrongdoing, saying the charges were politically motivated.

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Mohsin Raza, Sharif, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Asif Shahzad, Shivam Patel, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamabad High Court, Thomson Locations: London, Lahore, Pakistan, Rights ISLAMABAD, Islamabad

The flags of the United States and India are displayed on the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 29 (Reuters) - India will formally investigate security concerns aired by the United States in a warning to New Delhi about its links to a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The Financial Times newspaper on Nov. 22 first reported the thwarted plot against Pannun in the United States. The White House said it was treating the issue with "utmost seriousness" and had raised it with India at the "seniormost levels". The foiled plot and the U.S. concerns were reported two months after Canada said it was looking at credible allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, in a Vancouver suburb.

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Gurpatwant Singh, Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Narendra Modi's, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Sanjay Verma, India’s, Verma, Krishn Kaushik, Shivam Patel, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Eisenhower, White, REUTERS, White House, Financial Times, U.S, Indian, Reuters, Defence, CTV, Thomson Locations: United States, India, Washington , U.S, DELHI, New Delhi, China, Delhi, U.S, Canada, Vancouver, . New Delhi, Canadian, Ottawa

Prosecutors did not name the Indian official or the target, although they did describe the latter as a U.S. citizen of Indian origin. The Indian official is described in the related indictment as a "senior field officer" with responsibilities in "security management" and "intelligence" employed by the Indian government who "directed the plot from India." It was a "matter of concern" that an Indian government official was linked to the plot, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday, adding, "This is also contrary to government policy." 'WE HAVE SO MANY TARGETS'According to U.S. prosecutors, the Indian official recruited Gupta in May 2023 to orchestrate the assassination. The groups have kept alive the movement for Khalistan, or the demand for an independent Sikh state to be carved out of India.

Persons: Nikhil Gupta, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Gupta, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Damian Williams, Biden, Bill Burns, Narendra Modi, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Arindam Bagchi, Bagchi, Adrienne Watson, credibly, Pannun, Nijjar, Luc Cohen, Krishn Kaushik, Shivam Patel, Jeff Mason, David Brunnstrom, Heather Timmons, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, Indian, U.S . Justice, New, New York City, Prosecutors, Biden, National, National Intelligence, White House National Security Council, Reuters, Administration, Air, Air India Boeing, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, New York, India, United States, Canada, Czech, Vancouver, New Delhi, China, Air India, Washington

☆ India tunnel workers could face PTSD after rescue from ordeal - doctor
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A concrete block is carried into the tunnel where rescue operations are underway to rescue trapped workers, after a tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 28, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The 41 Indian construction workers trapped in a collapsed highway tunnel for 17 days will need long-term support after their rescue, including monitoring for post-traumatic stress disorder, officials said on Tuesday. Rescuers drilled through rocks and debris to finally reach the men on Tuesday in the Himalayan tunnel where they have been trapped since it collapsed on Nov. 12. Ambulances were waiting at the mouth of the tunnel on Tuesday afternoon to take the men to hospital and R.C.S. "All 41 would experience some post traumatic symptoms like insomnia, recurrent bad dreams, recurrent reliving of the tunnel collapse, anxiety," he said.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Dinakaran D, Dinakaran, Shivam Patel, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, National, of Mental Health, Neurosciences, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, DELHI, Uttarkashi district, New Delhi

[1/4] Ambulances move inside a tunnel where rescue operations are underway to rescue trapped workers, after the tunnel collapsed, in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 28, 2023. While augur machines managed to horizontally drill through nearly three-quarters of the debris, it fell on half a dozen miners adept at burrowing in tight spaces to reach the trapped workers on Tuesday. Some of the miners involved in the rescue operation said they were not involved in coal mining and got their training in Delhi. The pits are sized just enough for the workers, often children, to descend using ropes or ladders to extract coal - often without safety measures and proper ventilation. The practice became illegal in the 1970s, when India nationalised coal mines and gave state-run Coal India a monopoly.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Qureshi, Nasir Hussain, Saurabh Sharma, Shivam Patel, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rescuers, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, Meghalaya, Delhi, Silkyara, New Delhi

☆ Afghan embassy in India shuts down citing lack of support, Taliban pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People are seen outside the Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi, India, September 29, 2023. An embassy statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday said that period in limbo was over, and the embassy was shutting and the keys had been given to the host government. "Given the constant pressure from both the Taliban and the Indian government to relinquish control, the embassy faced a difficult choice," the statement added. Afghan diplomats in India appointed by Ghani's government have reached third countries and there are none remaining in India, the embassy statement said. "The only individuals present in India are diplomats affiliated with the Taliban, visibly attending their regular online meetings," the statement said.

Persons: Anushree, Farid Mamundzay, Mamundzay, Shivam Patel, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Taliban, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, New Delhi, India, DELHI, Europe, U.S, Mumbai

☆ U.S. thwarts plot to kill Sikh separatist, issues warning to India - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns the government in New Delhi was involved, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The Financial Times said that the sources did not say if the protest to India resulted in the plot being abandoned by the plotters, or if it was foiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Apart from the diplomatic warning to India, U.S. federal prosecutors have also filed a sealed indictment against at least one suspect in a New York district court, the FT report said. Pannun, like Nijjar, is a proponent of a decades-long, but now a fringe demand to carve out an independent Sikh homeland from India named Khalistan. The Financial Times report mentioned that the U.S. shared details of the thwarted plot with a wider group of allies after Canada's public accusation.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Pannun, Shivam Patel, Krishn Kaushik, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, Financial Times, U.S, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indian, Khalistan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, DELHI, United States, India, New Delhi, Canada, Vancouver suburb, U.S, New York, Canadian

☆ Indian rescuers drill halfway towards workers trapped in tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Heavy machinery moves outside a tunnel where 40 road workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Shankar Prasad Nautiyal/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSILKYARA, India, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Rescuers have drilled about halfway through fallen debris to reach 41 workers trapped for ten days inside a collapsed tunnel in the Indian Himalayas, an official said on Wednesday. First images emerged on Tuesday from within the tunnel, showing workers in white and yellow hardhats standing in the confined space and communicating with rescuers, after a medical endoscopy camera was pushed through a smaller pipeline. Authorities have not said what caused the tunnel collapse, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods. Reporting by Saurabh Sharma in Silkyara; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shankar Prasad, Deepak Patil, Saurabh Sharma, Shivam Patel, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON/NEW DELHI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The United States is treating a reported plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil with utmost seriousness and has raised the issue with the Indian government "at the senior-most levels," the White House said on Wednesday. The Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources, that U.S. authorities thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns the government in New Delhi was involved. It stated he threatened in video messages to not let Air India operate anywhere in the world. The case comes against the historical backdrop of a bombing in 1985 of an Air India aircraft flying from Canada to India that killed 329, and for which Sikh militants were blamed. Pannun told Reuters on Tuesday that his message was to "boycott Air India not bomb."

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Pannun, Adrienne Watson, Biden, Arindam Bagchi, Bagchi, Hardeep Singh, Shivam Patel, Krishn Kaushik, Jeff Mason, David Brunnstrom, Andrew Goudsward, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson, Alistair Bell Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Financial Times, Air India, Indian, Washington, FBI, U.S . Justice, India's National Investigation Agency, Sikh, Reuters, Air, Justice, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, DELHI, United States, India, New Delhi, Canada, Vancouver, U.S, New York, Air India

☆ Indian capital resumes some activities despite hazardous air, river foam
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Kanjyik Ghosh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - India's capital Delhi re-opened schools and some building sites on Monday amid signs of receding air pollution, although it remained classified as hazardous, while a toxic foam besmirched stretches of the Yamuna river flowing through the city. The world's most polluted capital resumed its annual battle on pollution this month, despite government pledges to improve. Monday's air quality index (AQI) of 336 was down from Thursday's level of 509, but still "hazardous", Swiss group IQAir said. Delhi's air pollution gets worse in winter, when wind speeds drop and cooling air traps pollutants spewed by vehicles, industry and farmers burning agricultural waste in surrounding states to prepare for new planting. PM2.5 levels remained above 128 micrograms per cubic meter of air since Sunday in the National Capital Region, according to the federal pollution control board.

Persons: Anushree, IQAir, Ankit Srivastava, Gopal Rai, Kanjyik Ghosh, Shivam Patel, Clarence Fernandez, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Delhi's, Vehicles, National Capital, World Health Organization, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Delhi, Mumbai

☆ Rescuers drill to send more food to trapped workers in Indian tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Rescuers move machines past a tunnel where workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 19, 2023. REUTERS/Saurabh Sharma Acquire Licensing RightsSILKYARA, India, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Rescuers are trying to send cooked food and set up a phone connection to 41 workers trapped for eight days in a collapsed tunnel in the Indian Himalayas as they explore fresh rescue plans after previous attempts stalled, officials said on Monday. The men have been stuck in the highway tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12 and are safe, authorities said. They have access to light and supplies of oxygen, dry food, water and medicines are being sent via a pipe. "Our priority is to save 41 lives who are trapped inside the tunnel.

Persons: Saurabh Sharma, Bhaskar Khulbe, Nitin Gadkari, Gadkari, R.C.S, Panwar, Jasvant Kapoor, Shivam Patel, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Transport, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Indian scientists hope cloud seeding can clean Delhi's toxic air
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Air quality dips in Delhi ahead of winter every year, when cold air traps pollutants from a variety of sources including vehicles, industries, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning. The project, estimated to cost 10 million rupees ($120,000) for 100 square kilometres (38.6 square miles), would involve spraying into clouds a mix of salts that include silver iodine, Agrawal said. "We don't expect that big a cloud that will cover entire Delhi, but a few hundred kilometres would be good," he told Reuters. The air quality index in the city was 506 early on Thursday, which is categorised as "hazardous" by Swiss group IQAir. Several countries have used cloud seeding to produce rain, improve air quality and water crops in time of drought, including Mexico, the United States, China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Persons: Anushree, Manindra Agrawal, Agrawal, Gufran Beig, SAFAR, Beig, Shivam Patel, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Indian Institute of Technology, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Delhi, Kanpur, Punjab, Haryana, Mexico, United States, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Mexico

☆ Reeling under toxic air, India's capital shuts schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People and vehicles are seen on a road amidst the morning smog in New Delhi, India, November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Reeling under hazardous air quality levels, India's capital New Delhi shut down all schools for an extended period on Wednesday, the latest in a series of measures to protect residents from growing air pollution. Air quality levels in the city were over 320 on the air quality index, a level categorised as 'hazardous' by Swiss group IQAir, although it was not as bad as the 400 range hit earlier this week. Schools in the capital city would remain closed from Thursday until Nov. 18 on a winter break, which was originally scheduled for January, the Delhi government said in a notification. Primary schools in the city had already been shut, as part of measures to protect young children against smog and growing air pollution.

Persons: Anushree, SAFAR, Shivam Patel, Manoj Kumar, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Swiss, Delhi, Farmers, Punjab, Haryana

☆ India's top court tells states to stop crop burning as New Delhi's air turns hazardous
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Air quality dips every year ahead of winter, when calm and cold winds trap pollutants from sources including vehicles, industries, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning. Delhi has stopped local construction, closed primary schools till Nov. 10 and will impose restrictions on use of vehicles next week to fight pollution, but it wants its neighbouring states to control crop residue burning. At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the real time air quality index stood at 306, a level categorised as 'hazardous' by Swiss group IQAir. "We direct the state government of Punjab and adjacent states to Delhi - Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh - to ensure that crop (residue) burning is stopped forthwith," Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana usually burn crop stubble left behind after rice is harvested in late October or early November to quickly clear their fields before planting wheat crops.

Persons: Anushree, Boulton, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, SAFAR, Justice Kaul, Kaul, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, NEW, Farmers, Thomson Locations: Karnal district, Haryana, India, NEW DELHI, New Delhi, Delhi, Swiss, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh

☆ India's New Delhi to restrict use of vehicles to curb air pollution - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk on 'Kartavya Path' amidst the morning smog as air pollution levels declined in New Delhi, India, November 6, 2023.REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 6 (Reuters) - India's Delhi city will restrict use of vehicles for a week between Nov. 13 and 20 to curb air pollution, the local government's environment minister said on Monday, as air quality remained in the "severe" category despite mitigation efforts. The rule would allow vehicles with odd number plates to ply on odd dates and similarly vehicles with even registration numbers will be allowed on road on alternate days. Air quality was 'severe' for a third consecutive day in the city on Monday, according to the federal pollution control body, forcing the city government to extend the closure of primary schools until Nov. 10. "There is a possibility that air pollution will rise after the Diwali," Gopal Rai, Delhi's environment minister, said, referring to the Hindu festival on Nov. 12 during which firecrackers, which are banned, are often set on fire, worsening air pollution. Reporting by Shivam Patel; additional reporting by Amlan Chakraborty; editing by Sudipto GangulyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anushree, Gopal Rai, Shivam Patel, Amlan Chakraborty, Sudipto Ganguly Organizations: REUTERS, Sri, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Delhi, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

☆ Nepal earthquake kills at least 69
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Light illuminates a street between the cluster of residential buildings in Kathmandu, Nepal November 8, 2022. "Rescue and search teams have to clear roads blocked by dry landslides due to the earthquake to reach the affected areas," Bhattarai said. At least 20 people were rushed to hospital with injuries, Jajarkot district official Suresh Sunar told Reuters by phone. Nepal's National Seismological Centre said the quake occurred at 11:47 p.m. (1802 GMT) in Jajarkot district of Karnali province. The earthquake shook buildings as far as New Delhi, about 600 km (375 miles) away, according to Reuters witnesses.

Persons: Navesh, Harish Chandra Sharma, Namaraj Bhattarai, Bhattarai, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Jajarkot, Suresh Sunar, Santosh Rokka, Aditya Kalra, Gopal Sharma, Shivam Patel, Gnaneshwar Rajan, Jahnavi, Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis, Cynthia Osterman, David Gregorio, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Seismological Centre, German Research Centre, Geosciences, U.S . Geological Survey, Twitter, Reuters, Nepal's, Thomson Locations: Kathmandu, Nepal, Jajarkot, New Delhi, India, Rukum West, Jajarkot district, Karnali province

☆ India opposition accuses govt of trying to hack lawmakers' iPhones
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of India's main opposition Congress party, gestures as he addresses the media at Congress' headquarters in New Delhi, India, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI Oct 31 (Reuters) - Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of trying to hack into senior opposition politicians' mobile phones, after they reported receiving warning messages from Apple (AAPL.O). "Hack us all you want," Gandhi told a news conference in New Delhi, in reference to Modi. In 2021, India was rocked by reports that the government had used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to snoop on scores of journalists, activists and politicians, including Gandhi. The government has declined to reply to questions whether India or any of its state agencies had purchased Pegasus spyware for surveillance.

Persons: Rahul Gandhi, India's, Anushree, Narendra Modi's, Apple, Gandhi, Modi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jairam Ramesh, Shivam Patel, Rupam, John Stonestreet Organizations: Congress, REUTERS, Apple, Information Technology, Pegasus, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI

☆ India aims to send astronaut to the moon by 2040
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People watch a live stream of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's landing on the moon, inside an auditorium of Gujarat Science City in Ahmedabad, India, August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - India aims to send an astronaut to the moon by 2040, the government said on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued instructions to the space department that include plans for a space station by 2035. After that success, India launched a rocket to study the sun and is scheduled conduct a test later this week as part of its crewed space mission. "Prime minister directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station' (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to the moon by 2040," the government said in a statement. "To realize this vision, the Department of Space will develop a roadmap for moon exploration," it added.

Persons: Amit Dave, Narendra Modi, Modi, Shivam Patel, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Bharatiya, Department of Space, Thomson Locations: Gujarat Science City, Ahmedabad, India, DELHI

☆ India awaits top court verdict on same-sex marriages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Oct 16 (Reuters) - India's top court will deliver a verdict on Tuesday on granting legal recognition to same-sex marriages, a ruling that has the potential to spark momentous changes in the world's most populous country. The case is seen as a milestone event for LGBTQ rights in India, following a historic 2018 judgement by the Supreme Court that scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice of India heard arguments in the case between April and May and reserved its order on May 11. The Supreme Court website showed late on Monday that the verdict is due to be pronounced on Tuesday. Members of India's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community (LGBTQ) say they face discrimination despite the 2018 judgement, and that the absence of legal backing for same-sex marriages violates their constitutional rights.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Shivam Patel, Arpan Chaturvedi, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Queer Azadi, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, DELHI, Taiwan, Nepal, Asia

☆ India discussing local currency trade with Tanzania
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 9 (Reuters) - India is discussing trade in local currencies with Tanzania, a foreign ministry official said on Monday adding that New Delhi has pushed for trade in rupees. Tanzania has also sought additional lines of credit from India in defence and other sectors, above the $1.1 billion offered by India previously, Dammu Ravi, a secretary at the foreign ministry, told reporters at a briefing on the visit of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to India. Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dammu Ravi, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Shivam Patel, Ed Osmond Organizations: Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Tanzania, Delhi, New Delhi

The Lhonak Lake in the mountainous northeastern state of Sikkim overflowed on Wednesday after a cloudburst triggered torrential rains and an apparent avalanche, causing major flooding in the Teesta river. Sikkim officials had put the death toll at 18 on Thursday evening. Officials in the neighbouring downstream state of West Bengal told Reuters that emergency teams recovered another 22 bodies that had been washed away. Relief teams are unable to reach the affected areas there," Tseten Bhutia, a state official, told Reuters by telephone. All bridges downstream of an NHPC (NHPC.NS) hydropower station Teesta-V have either been submerged or washed away, the Indian government said.

Persons: Bhutia, Pradeep Kumar Barma, Jatindra, Shivam Patel, YP Rajesh, Michael Perry Organizations: Indian Army, India Army, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Mobile, Private, Military, India Meteorological Department, YP, Thomson Locations: Sikkim, KOLKATA, DELHI, Asia's, West Bengal, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Siliguri, Bhubaneswar

NO ARCHIVES Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Early Warning System GmbH FollowNEW DELHI, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Scientists and government authorities were working on an early warning system for glacial floods at a Himalayan lake in northeast India when it broke its banks this week with deadly consequences. If fully operational, the warning system could have given people more time to evacuate, scientists said. One scientist said glacial early warning systems can typically give residents a few minutes to an hour of notice. Details of the Lhonak Lake warning system have not previously been reported. "Such kind of events are so fast that even if we have some kind of early warning system ... we may only gain some minutes, maybe an hour," he said.

Persons: Wang Chen, geoscientist Simon Allen, Kamal Kishore, Farooq Azam, Ali Withers, Gloria Dickie, Shivam Patel, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Adarsh gaon, REUTERS, NEW, Reuters, University of Zurich, Disaster Management Authority, Indian Institute of Technology, Thomson Locations: Teesta, Singtam, Sikkim, India, NEW DELHI, Swiss, Lakes, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Shako Cho, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Delhi

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