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"If prices keep increasing, rural consumers will move towards smaller pack sizes since there's a strain on wallets," said Alok Shah, a consumer analyst at India's Ambit Capital. Shah said poorer rural consumers could move to cheaper locally-made products instead of those produced by Unilever. HUL, the biggest consumer company in India by sales, said last January that demand in rural India - where average incomes are lower than urban areas - had begun to slow as prices rose. Unilever did not respond to questions on how much of its revenues come from rural consumers. HUL Chief Executive Sanjiv Mehta said, however, the company had begun seeing signs of a pick up in rural sales as inflation eases and farm incomes rise again.

☆ Exclusive: WHO investigating links between cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The deaths of children from acute kidney injury began in July 2022 in Gambia, followed by cases in Indonesia and Uzbekistan. The WHO has said the deaths are linked to over-the-counter cough syrups the children took for common illnesses and which contained a known toxin, either diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. The WHO, working with Indonesia’s drugs regulator, also issued an alert in October about cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers and sold domestically. The manufacturers are: PT Yarindo Farmatama, PT Universal Pharmaceutical, PT Konimex, PT AFI Farma. PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries’ lawyer, Hermansyah Hutagalung, said it had pulled from the market all cough syrups deemed dangerous.

☆ Air India says pilot's licence suspension over passenger incident 'excessive'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Tata Group's Air India said on Tuesday the recent suspension of a pilot's licence by the aviation regulator was "excessive" after a passenger behaved in an unruly manner onboard one of its flights. The regulator also suspended the licence of the pilot-in-command on the New York-New Delhi flight for three months. Air India said the matter should have been classified and reported as unruly behaviour by a passenger, but the flight crew and ground staff did not report it as such. "Air India wishes to acknowledge the good faith efforts made by crew to handle the situation effectively in real time, when not all facts were available," it said in a statement, adding that it deemed "the licence suspension of the commander excessive and will be assisting him with an appeal". ($1 = 81.5780 Indian rupees)Reporting by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Krishna N. DasOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Ruma PaulCOX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Mohammed Ismail says four of his relatives were killed by gunmen at the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh between April and October last year. The group has fought against Myanmar's security forces and some Rohingya say it has been recruiting fighters, often through coercion, in the Bangladesh camps. Ismail, who lives with his parents, wife and brother, says he fears for his life and understands why some Rohingya are fleeing Bangladesh. A FRAUGHT CHOICEReuters spoke with several refugees who returned to the Bangladesh camps after abandoning journeys to Malaysia, via Myanmar, out of trepidation. "People are risking their lives on sea journeys as there is no future here and criminal activities are rising," Aziz said.

☆ Apple targets raising India production share to up to 25% - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) wants India to account for up to 25% of its production from about 5%-7% now, the trade minister told a conference on Monday, as the iPhone maker continues to move its manufacturing away from China. "Apple, another success story," Piyush Goyal said, pitching India as a competitive manufacturing destination. Goyal did not say when Apple wants to meet the target. Foxconn plans to quadruple the workforce at its iPhone factory in India over two years, sources told Reuters late last year. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Indian's electronics and information technology minister, tweeted on Monday that Apple's exports from India had hit $1 billion in December.

Bangladesh Bank has accused RCBC and several others, including top executives, of conspiring to steal its money. The New York Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 13 that, contrary to Rizal bank's argument, it does have jurisdiction over the case, and dismissed Rizal bank's motion against Bangladesh Bank. In the same ruling, the court ordered the Bangladesh central bank and RCRC to initiate mediation. In response to the ruling, Rizal bank said it would continue to fight the case. Bangladesh Bank has welcomed the court ruling, saying in a statement this week that it clears the way for the matter to progress in court in New York as needed.

☆ As India debates demographics, small mountain state wants more babies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters GraphicsThose calls come as India's population gains slow. India's total fertility rate (TFR) - children per woman - fell to 2 in the latest assessment period, for 2019-2021, from 3.4 in 1992-93, according to a government report issued in October. Quraishi, the country's former chief election commissioner who has written a book titled: "The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India". "India as a whole country will take at least 25 years." Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Krishna N. Das and Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ No issue with crypto in India if laws are followed - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - India's junior IT minister on Thursday said there was no issue with cryptocurrencies in India if all laws are followed, in remarks that contradicted the central bank's view advising investors to stay away from crypto. India has been trying to come up with regulation for cryptocurrencies, with a central bank deputy governor even calling for them to be banned, but the government has not been able to formulate legislation yet. In Febraury, a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), T. Rabi Sankar, said cryptocurrencies were akin to Ponzi schemes or worse and banning them was the most sensible option for India. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das also said in February that cryptocurrencies lacked the underlying value of even a tulip. Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; editing by Jason Neely and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

COLOMBO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - India has told the International Monetary Fund that it strongly supports Sri Lanka's debt restructuring plan as the island nation seeks a $2.9 billion loan from the global lender, according to a letter seen by Reuters. "We hereby confirm our strong support for Sri Lanka's prospective (loan) program and commit to supporting Sri Lanka with financing/debt relief consistent with restoring Sri Lanka's public debt sustainability," Indian finance ministry official Rajat Kumar Mishra told the IMF chief in a letter dated Jan. 16. Sri Lanka owes India around $1 billion that will come under the debt restructuring plan, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this week. New Delhi separately provided Sri Lanka with about $4 billion in rapid assistance between January and July last year, including credit lines, a currency swap arrangement and deferred import payments. Sri Lanka owed Chinese lenders $7.4 billion - nearly a fifth of its public external debt - by the end of last year, according to calculations by the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI).

☆ India's Eris Lifesciences to buy some dermatology brands from Glenmark Pharma
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Indian drugmaker Eris Lifesciences Ltd (ERIS.NS) said on Tuesday it would acquire a portfolio of dermatology brands from Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GLEN.NS) for 3.4 billion rupees ($41.63 million) to deepen its presence in the anti-fungal and anti-psoriasis segments. The deal, through Eris' dermatology focused unit, is for the purchase of nine brands, including Onabet, Halobate, Sorvate, and Demelan for India and Nepal, Eris said. Glenmark said, post divestiture of the brands, it will further consolidate its position in the core therapeutic areas of cardiometabolic, respiratory, dermatology, and oncology segments. Separately, Eris on Tuesday reported a consolidated net profit of 1.02 billion rupees in its third quarter, from 1.01 billion rupees a year earlier. ($1 = 81.6740 Indian rupees)Reporting by Yagnoseni Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India tells IMF it backs Sri Lanka's debt restructuring plan, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A medical worker talks to a vendor selling household goods and food for patients and their family members, outside Apeksha Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 11, 2022. Sri Lanka's finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sri Lanka owes India around $1 billion that will come under the debt restructuring plan, the source said. "Talks with bilateral lenders including India and China to restructure Sri Lanka's debt are progressing well and we are hopeful of finalising support from the IMF in the first quarter of 2023," Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesperson, Bandula Gunawardana, told reporters on Tuesday. The IMF has stressed the importance of joint talks involving three of Sri Lanka's main bilateral creditors - China, Japan and India.

☆ India's Adani partners with Leyland, Ballard to make hydrogen fueled electric truck
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The project led by Adani, will have Ballard supply the fuel cell engine, while Indian truck maker Ashok Leyland will provide vehicle and technical support for the project. If the devices that do that, electrolysers, are powered by renewable energy, the product is called green hydrogen. The Indian government had recently approved an incentive plan of 174.9 billion rupees ($2.11 billion) to promote green hydrogen and had set green hydrogen consumption targets for some industries earlier this month. Indian companies such as Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), Indian Oil (IOC.NS), NTPC (NTPC.NS), Adani, JSW Energy (JSWE.NS), ReNew Power (RENE.BO) and Acme Solar (ACMO.NS) have big plans for green hydrogen. Adani has a tie-up with French energy company TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) as part of a deal to form a new green hydrogen project in India.

☆ Factbox: Deadly aircraft crashes common in mountainous Nepal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 15 (Reuters) - Mountainous Nepal, where at least 40 people were killed on Sunday when a plane crashed in the tourist town of Pokhara, has a history of deadly air crashes. FEB. 27, 2019A helicopter crashed in bad weather in eastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the tourism minister. FEB. 26, 2016Two people were feared dead after a small plane crashed in western Nepal's Kalikot district. DEC. 16, 2010A small plane crashed in the Himalayan foothills of remote east Nepal, killing all 22 people onboard. JULY 27, 2000A Twin Otter passenger plane crashed in western Nepal on Thursday, killing all 25 people on board.

☆ India's coal imports directive to power plants a precautionary step, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - India's recent coal imports directive to power plants was a precautionary measure as the country is expecting high electricity demand to continue in the coming months, a top government official said on Thursday. India this week asked all power plants to import and blend 6% of their coal requirement as domestic coal availability is expected to fall short due to high consumption. "It is a matter of abundance caution," Coal Secretary Amrit Lal Meena told reporters on Thursday. Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh, writing by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Krishna N. DasOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pakistan seeks $8 bln in three years for flood recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres attend a summit on climate resilience in Pakistan, months after deadly floods in the country, at the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseJan 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan needs $8 billion from its international partners over the next three years to rebuild the country that is reeling from last year's devastating floods, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in Geneva on Monday. The floods, blamed on climate change, dealt a severe blow to Pakistan's strained economy while displacing some 8 million people and killing at least 1,700. Rebuilding efforts are now estimated to cost more than $16 billion. Reporting by Gibran Peshimam and Asif Shahzad, writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Krishna N. DasOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Fall in India nominal GDP growth in FY24 to challenge fiscal math
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Ira Dugal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

At least four leading economists expect nominal GDP growth to come in between 8% and 11% as inflation slows and real GDP growth eases from an estimated 7% this year, when pandemic-related distortions and pent-up demand pushed up growth rates. Das said he expects nominal GDP growth of 8%-9% in FY24, with inflation and real GDP growth seen declining. A growth of 8-9% would bring that number close to the 7.6% nominal growth seen in 2019/20, before the Covid crisis hit. State Bank of India and rating agency ICRA estimate the nominal GDP growth at around 10% for next financial year. "Higher-than-budgeted nominal GDP growth,(will help) to keep fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP at 6.4%, with downside risks," it said.

☆ Delhi fog delays flights, cold wave closes schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Due to dense fog, flight operations at Delhi Airport may get affected," it said on Twitter. It also said power lines could trip in areas with dense fog. Many private schools were to reopen on Monday. The lowest for Sunday was 3.8 degrees Celsius, which the IMD said was 3 degrees below normal for this time of year. A cold wave is declared in the plains of India when the minimum temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius or falls 4.5 degrees below normal to 10 degrees Celsius or below.

Instead, this ketamine clinic feels like an oasis of zen, strewn with twinkle lights, lush greenery and comfy meditation pillows. Chere Scythes, right, listens to guided meditation during a ketamine session at Field Trip Health in New York City. “And so many of these clinics don’t have mental health professionals staffing them. When those mental health concerns pop up, they may not be equipped to respond appropriately.”Ketamine also isn’t a cure-all. “That deep dark depressive cloud started to lift.”In combination with her antidepressants, she has continued the ketamine treatments and now gets one every five weeks.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ NDTV founders resign from board after India's Adani takes control
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A microphone of New Delhi Television (NDTV) is placed on a tripod along a roadside in New Delhi, India, August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - India's New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV.NS) said on Friday its founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy had resigned as directors after billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate took majority control of the media company. Adani Enterprises Ltd (ADEL.NS), through subsidiaries RRPR Holding and Vishvapradhan Commercial, now owns 64.72% of NDTV, which runs three national channels. There are no other material reasons for my resignation," Prannoy Roy, one of India's best-known journalists, said in his letter to the company resigning as executive co-chairperson. Adani Group would "strengthen and invest in the NDTV newsroom to be a multi-faceted multi-media digital platform", the statement added.

The free food programme, however, cost the government around $47 billion, worsened the fiscal deficit and reduced wheat stocks in government warehouses to multi-year lows. The government expects to save nearly $20 billion a year by ending the COVID free food scheme. MODI TRUSTED BY VOTERSSome economists had wanted the food programme gone months ago as COVID curbs eased. Had the trust not been there, and for any other leader, it would have been difficult to end such a food programme ahead of elections." But senior BJP leader and former minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the decision to reduce food aid should not be linked to elections or politics.

☆ India inspects drug factories as Gambia controversy lingers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

India is known as the "pharmacy of the world" and its pharmaceuticals exports have more than doubled over the past decade to $24.5 billion in the past fiscal year. The deaths of at least 70 children in Gambia has dented the industry's image, though India says the drugs made by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd were not at fault. "Joint inspections are being conducted all over the country as per standard operating procedures," the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement. Some health experts say India's drug regulations are lax, especially at the level of states where thousands of factories operate. But India's main drugs officer told the World Health Organization this month that tests of samples from the same batches of syrups that Maiden sent to Gambia were compliant with government specifications.

☆ Nepal's new govt seeks to balance its ties with India, China in growth pursuit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UML's leader and Nepal's former prime minister, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, is believed to be pro-China. Nepal is one of several South Asian countries where India and China seek influence. India has long considered Hindu-majority Nepal, a Himalayan country of 30 million, as a natural ally based on their close historical ties and long open border. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, which is Nepal’s biggest trade and economic partner, was one of the first foreign leaders to wish Prachanda, who has been prime minister twice before. "The unique relationship between India & Nepal is based on deep cultural connect & warm people-to-people ties," Modi said on Twitter.

☆ India finance minister hospitalised but fine - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI, Dec 26 (Reuters) - India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been admitted to the AIIMS hospital in New Delhi, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Monday. She is fine," the source said on the condition of anonymity. It was not immediately clear why she was hospitalised. The finance ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reporting by Nikunj Ohri and Shivam Patel in New Delhi; writing by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Krishna N. DasOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Rohingya refugees rescued by fishermen are seen on a boat behind a patrol boat near the coast of Seunuddon beach in North Aceh, Indonesia, June 24, 2020. In Buddhist-majority Myanmar, most Rohingya are denied citizenship and are seen as illegal immigrants from South Asia. Nearly 200 Rohingya are feared dead or missing at sea this year already. "We hope against hope that the 180 missing are still alive somewhere out there", said UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch. Two boats carrying a total of 230 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, landed on the shores of Indonesia's Aceh province in November, while this month, Sri Lanka's navy rescued 104 Rohingya adrift off the Indian Ocean island's northern coast.

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