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Islamabad and New Delhi CNN —Tens of thousands of people are being evacuated as India and Pakistan brace for the impact of Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to make landfall in densely populated areas across the subcontinent Thursday, putting millions of lives at risk. Mass evacuations have started in Pakistan’s Sindh province, with about 60,000 people sent to temporary shelters, according to local authorities. Residents evacuate from a coastal area of Keti Bandar before the expected arrival of Cyclone Biparjoy in Pakistan's Sindh province on June 13. In India’s Gujarat state, about 21,000 people have been evacuated from coastal areas, according to the state’s relief commissioner, Alok Kumar Pandey. People gather near the shore before the arrival of Cyclone Biparjoy at Clifton Beach in Karachi, Pakistan, on June 13.

Persons: Biparjoy, ”, Leela Ram Kohli, Alok Kumar Pandey, Rashmi, Sherry Rehman, Cyclone, Akhtar Soomro, Tauktae Organizations: New Delhi CNN, India Meteorological Department, Cyclone, AFP, Getty, PIA, Livestock, CNN, Authorities, Twitter, Shenzhen Institute of Meteorological, Chinese University of Hong, World Meteorological Organization Locations: Islamabad, New Delhi, India, Pakistan, Pakistan’s Sindh, Karachi – Pakistan’s, Keti Bandar, Pakistan's Sindh, Sindh, Badin, India’s Gujarat, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Balochistan, People, Clifton Beach, Karachi, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Asia, India’s

[1/2] A lifeguard patrols Juhu beach, during a red flag alert due to rough seas caused by cyclone Biparjoy, in Mumbai, India, June 12, 2023. Eight districts in coastal Gujarat are expected to be affected, the state government said. Gujarat is home to many offshore oil installations and major ports in the country and most have been forced to suspend operations. Two of India's largest ports - Kandla and Mundra - located in Gujarat, have suspended operations, the state government said. Other ports including Bedi, Navlakhi, Porbandar, Okha, Pipavav and Bhavnagar have also closed due to the cyclone, according to shipping sources.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Kamal Dayani, Bedi, Navlakhi, Jamnagar, Sumit Khanna, Rajendra Jadhav, Mohi Narayan, Sudipto Ganguly, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, India Meteorological Department, Force, Reliance Industries, Adani, Indian Coast Guard, Key Singapore, Oil, Gas, Vedanta Ltd, National Disaster Management Authority, Rajendra, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Francis Mascarenhas AHMEDABAD, MUMBAI, Gujarat, Pakistan, Mandvi, India's Gujarat, Karachi, Kutch, Rajkot, Pipavav, Bhavnagar, Mundra, Tuna, Kandla, Key, Dubai, Ahmedabad

☆ India's Tata Group signs $1.6 bln EV battery plant deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sumit Khanna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AHMEDABAD, June 2 (Reuters) - India's Tata Group signed an outline deal on Friday on building a lithium-ion cell factory, based on investment of about 130 billion rupees ($1.58 billion), as part of the nation's efforts to create its own electric vehicle supply chain. Compared to the size of its population, India's car market is tiny. Tata Motors dominates its electric vehicle (EV) sales, which made up just 1% of India's total car sales of about 3.8 million last year. "The plant will go a long way in contributing to the development of the EV ecosystem in Gujarat and India," Vijay Nehra, an official in the Gujarat state government told Reuters. ($1 = 82.3373 Indian rupees)Reporting by Sumit Khanna and Tanvi Mehta; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vijay Nehra, Sumit Khanna, Tanvi Mehta, Barbara Lewis Organizations: India's Tata Group, Tata Motors, Solutions, Reuters, Thomson Locations: AHMEDABAD, Gujarat, Sanand, India

Climate change drove heat in the city to a record-breaking 48C (118F) in 2016. While traditional insurance can take months to pay, with so-called "parametric" insurance there is no need to prove losses. At annual climate talks in Egypt last year, nonprofits urged richer nations to help finance parametric insurance as a way of compensating victims of worsening weather extremes. At the moment, insurance schemes in the developing world are largely subsidized by nonprofit groups, national governments, or wealthy countries. Insurance payouts allow them to buy things like gloves to protect their hands from scorching hot metal tools, or fans to stay cool and avoid heat exhaustion.

☆ Indian court denies Rahul Gandhi's appeal to stay defamation conviction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Sumit Khanna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AHMEDABAD, India, April 20 (Reuters) - A court in India's western state of Gujarat on Thursday rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's petition seeking a stay of conviction in a defamation case, fuelling uncertainty over whether he will be able to contest an election due next year. "The Surat district court has not granted a stay on Rahul Gandhi's conviction," Naishadh Desai, a local Congress leader and lawyer, told reporters outside the court room. While Thursday's ruling was a setback for Gandhi, his jail sentence remained suspended until he exhausts all legal challenges. Senior Congress leader and Supreme Court lawyer Jairam Ramesh said the party would use every legal option to overturn Gandhi's conviction. The defamation case against Gandhi was brought by Purnesh Modi, a BJP legislator in the Gujarat state assembly.

☆ Adani Group suspends work on $4.2 bln project in India's Gujarat - PTI
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 19 (Reuters) - Adani Group has suspended work on a 349 billion rupee ($4.2 billion) petrochemical project at Mundra in India's western Gujarat state as it focuses on consolidating operations and addressing investor concerns after the Hindenburg shortseller report, according to the Press Trust of India. Adani Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for a comment. On Jan. 24, Hindenburg Research alleged stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens, and flagged concerns over debt levels at the company, which Adani has denied. India's top court has since asked market regulator SEBI to investigate Adani Group for any lapses related to public shareholding norms or regulatory disclosures. read more($1 = 82.5200 Indian rupees)Reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indian tax officers search BBC offices for second day, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Police officers stand outside a building having BBC offices, where income tax officials are conducting a search, in New Delhi, India, February 14, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree FadnavisNEW DELHI, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Indian tax officers searched the BBC's offices in New Delhi and Mumbai for a second day on Wednesday, two sources said, as controversy swirled over a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in deadly riots two decades ago. India's Income Tax Department has declined to comment on the reason for the search. The government says the documentary, "India: The Modi Question", aims to push what it calls a discredited narrative, arguing that it is "biased, lacked objectivity" and showed a "continuing colonial mindset". It said on Tuesday it was cooperating with Indian tax officials, and hoped to have the situation "resolved as soon as possible".

☆ India to use emergency law to maximise coal power output -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Sarita Chaganti Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (Reuters) - India plans to use an emergency law next month to force power plants that run on imported coal to maximise output, two government sources told Reuters on Monday, in preparation for expected record consumption this summer. Federal power ministry officials will work with those involved in debt restructuring of financially stressed power plants to make them functional, the sources said. India expects its power plants to burn about 8% more coal in the financial year ending March 2024, with increased economic activity and erratic weather to continue boost growth in demand for power. India's industrial western states Maharashtra and Gujarat, which have registered a steep rise in power demand in recent months, demanded invocation of the law, the sources said. Writing by Sudarshan Varadhan Editing by Toby Chopra and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India says BBC documentary on India PM Modi is "propaganda"
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to his supporters as he arrives to cast his vote during the second and last phase of Gujarat state assembly elections in Ahmedabad, India, December 5, 2022. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - India's foreign ministry on Thursday dismissed a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi which questioned his leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots as "propaganda". Accused of failing to stop the rioting, Modi denied the accusations and was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry by India's top court. Terming the BBC documentary a "propaganda piece" meant to push a "discredited narrative", foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said a "bias", "lack of objectivity", and "continuing colonial mindset" is "blatantly visible" in it. "We offered the Indian Government a right to reply to the matters raised in the series – it declined to respond," a BBC spokesperson said.

☆ Gujarat elections: BJP wins in sweeping victory for Modi
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Swati Gupta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The BJP took 156 of 182 total seats in the Gujarat state assembly following voting earlier this month, marking the party’s best-ever performance in the state, a longtime BJP stronghold. In a comment posted to Twitter Thursday evening, the Prime Minister thanked the people of Gujarat and said he was “overcome with a lot of emotions” to see the results. The BJP won 25 seats and three went to independent candidates, with results from the state of around 6 million also announced Thursday. He campaigned extensively in the lead-up to the election in Gujarat, where the BJP has ruled for more than a quarter century. Modi led the state as chief minister for more than a decade before coming to power as Prime Minister in 2014.

☆ Modi's party set for landslide election win in India's Gujarat state
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Sumit Khanna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to his supporters as he arrives to cast his vote during the second and last phase of Gujarat state assembly elections in Ahmedabad, India, December 5, 2022. The western industrial state is a bastion of the BJP, which has not lost state assembly elections there since 1995. Modi was Gujarat's chief minister for 13 years before becoming prime minister in 2014. The party was also set to surpass its best results in Gujarat when it won 127 seats in 2002. He is eyeing a third term as prime minister in 2024 and campaigned extensively across the state in the run up to the Gujarat vote.

☆ Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat State Heads to the Polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Shan Li | Krishna Pokharel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

GANDHINAGAR, INDIA—Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi , will vote in state assembly elections starting this week, offering a barometer of the endurance of Mr. Modi’s personal appeal ahead of national elections in 2024 in which he will run for a third term. The Bharatiya Janata Party has ruled in the western coastal state for 27 years, and there is little doubt of another victory, but the party is leaving little to chance after a surprisingly tough challenge from its rival, the Indian National Congress Party, in 2017. Top BJP leaders were also stung by the party’s defeat in West Bengal last year after it poured money and resources into winning state elections there, analysts said.

☆ India's Gujarat state suspends senior local administrator for bridge collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sumit Khanna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The state government has suspended Sandeepsinh Zala, chief officer of Morbi municipality in view of the bridge collapse," Pankaj Joshi, secretary to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, told Reuters. The bridge - 233 metres in length and 1.25 metres wide - was originally built in 1877 and had been closed for six months for repairs until last week. India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hails from the state and was its chief minister for close to 13 years, has called for a detailed and extensive inquiry into the cause of the disaster. The government in the Western Indian state, where legislative elections are due to be held next month, called off the search operation for survivors on Thursday. Local fire brigade, state and national disaster teams will be kept on standby, a government statement said.

[1/2] A man sits at the site of a damaged suspension bridge after it collapsed on Sunday, in Morbi town in the western state of Gujarat, India, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoMORBI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - India's Gujarat state on Thursday said that the search operation following the collapse of a bridge that led to the death of 135 people had been called off. Local fire brigade, state and national disaster teams will be kept on standby, a government statement said. "One person was reportedly missing since the incident, but we have a police report that says no such person is missing. And hence the decision to call off the search operation," GT Pandya, senior administrative official in Morbi told Reuters.

☆ Flags at half-mast as India's Gujarat mourns deadly bridge collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A man sits at the site of a damaged suspension bridge after it collapsed on Sunday, in Morbi town in the western state of Gujarat, India, November 1, 2022. Rescue workers would continue their search for any unaccounted persons for a fourth day, a government control room said, though local officials said on Tuesday that only one person was believed to be missing still. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has appealed to people in his state to pray for the departed souls and their families. A senior police official told Reuters this week that about 200 people were on the bridge when it collapsed. Local municipality officials said tickets for about 400 people had been sold, although not necessarily to be on the bridge at the same time.

☆ Nine arrested after bridge collapses in India, killing 134
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MORBI, India — Police in western India arrested nine people on Monday as they investigated the collapse of a newly repaired 143-year-old suspension bridge in one of the country’s worst accidents in years, officials said. The collapse Sunday evening in Gujarat state plunged hundreds of people into a river, killing at least 134. The same month, Oreva closed the bridge, which spans a wide section of the Machchu river, for repairs. Modi was the top elected official of Gujarat for 12 years before becoming India’s prime minister in 2014. A Gujarat state government election is expected in coming months and opposition parties have demanded a thorough investigation of the accident.

CNN —More than 50 children are among 135 people killed in Sunday’s bridge collapse in India’s Gujarat state, according to a list of victims published by state authorities on Wednesday. Rescue workers conduct search operations after a bridge across the river Machchhu collapsed at Morbi in India's Gujarat state on October 31, 2022. A shoe lies near a damaged suspension bridge in Morbi, India, November 1, 2022. Mourners take part in a funeral procession while carrying the coffins of victims who died after a bridge across the river Machchhu collapsed at Morbi in India's Gujarat state on October 31, 2022. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the deadly bridge collapse in western India on Tuesday.

☆ India's first fully solar village lights up the lives of poor residents
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Sunil Kataria | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Solar panels are installed on the rooftops of residential houses in Modhera, India's first round-the-clock solar-powered village, in the western state of Gujarat, India, October 19, 2022. Now, however, his machine moves on solar power as earlier this month Prajapati's village of around 6,500 residents, consisting mainly of potters, tailors, farmers and shoemakers, was declared India's first village to run entirely on solar energy all the time. The government buys excess energy produced here from residents if they do not use all of the capacity allotted to the households. For Reena Ben, 36, a housewife, who also works as a tailor part time, the solar power has hugely aided her work. "When we got access to solar power, I bought an electric motor worth 2,000 rupees ($24) to attach to the sewing machine.

☆ More Than 130 People Dead in Cable Bridge Collapse in India’s Gujarat State
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Krishna Pokharel | Tripti Lahiri | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The government in the Indian state of Gujarat opened a criminal inquiry into the agency in charge of maintaining a historic cable bridge after the popular attraction collapsed on Sunday under the weight of hundreds of visitors, killing more than 130 people. Harsh Sanghavi, the state’s home minister, told reporters that an inquiry under criminal provisions relating to manslaughter was opened into the local company in charge of maintaining the century-old bridge. The bridge, which was built in the late 19th century, reopened to the public last week after having been closed for months for repairs.

☆ Collapse of Overcrowded Suspension Bridge Kills 68 in India’s Gujarat State
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Krishna Pokharel | Tripti Lahiri | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rescue operations continued Sunday night after the bridge, which had spanned over the Machchhu River for over a century, collapsed earlier in the evening. A suspension bridge collapsed and killed at least 68 people in the western Indian state of Gujarat after the more-than-century-old structure was crowded with hundreds of visitors on Sunday, according to the state disaster management agency. Officers managing emergency operations for the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority said that as of late Sunday night, 68 bodies had been recovered. Some 170 people had been rescued and taken to a local hospital in Morbi district, where the incident occurred. Rescue operations are continuing, the disaster agency said.

☆ Factbox: Century-old India hanging bridge collapses days after repair
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here are some details about the bridge:* It was built in 1877 in the town of Morbi in Gujarat state when the British ruled India. * Local authorities call the bridge an "engineering marvel" that was "built to give a unique identity to Morbi using the latest technology available in those days, in Europe". * Local authorities said the Oreva group, maker of Ajanta clocks and electrical products, was this year awarded a contract to maintain and manage the bridge for 15 years. * The bridge was earlier maintained by the local municipality, which used to limit the number of people on the bridge at one time to 20. Reporting by Sumit Khanna; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Suspension bridge collapses in India, hundreds fall in river - officials
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Sumit Khanna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AHMEDABAD, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people fell into a river when a suspension bridge in India's western Gujarat state collapsed on Sunday and a number of them have been hurt, officials said. More than 400 people were on the bridge in the town of Morbi at the time and were plunged into the Machchu River, local TV channel Zee News said. "People fell in the river and there are casualties. Footage broadcast by the TV channel showed dozens of people clinging onto the cables of the collapsed bridge as emergency teams sought to rescue them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in his home state Gujarat for a three-day visit, said he has directed the state chief minister to mobilise teams urgently for the rescue operation.

Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty ImagesThe recommendation to free the men was made by an advisory panel appointed by the Gujarat government, led by Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Some lawmakers and activists have petitioned the Supreme Court for the men to be rearrested. Some saw the assailants’ release as a deliberate pitch for votes from BJP supporters ahead of the Gujarat state election. The couple want the decision reversed, as do those who have filed petitions with the Supreme Court. “We strongly believe that what happened with Bilkis was wrong and the convicts should be sent back to jail,” he said.

☆ India's main opposition stages rally to mark 1,000 km of its protest march
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BALLARI,India, Oct 15 (Reuters) - India's main opposition Congress party held a huge public rally in the southern Indian state of Karnataka on Saturday, accusing the government of not doing enough to contain inflation and create promised jobs for young people. Tens of thousands of people came to the public meeting, organised to mark 1,000 km (620 miles) of the party's five-month-long protest march named Bharat Jodo Yatra or Unite India rally. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"The Prime Minister used to complain an LPG (cooking gas) cylinder cost 400 rupees. "I hope the Congress can still come back, at least in the state of Karnataka," he said, referring to elections next year. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Manoj Kumar; editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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