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☆ India's monsoon rains cover entire country, still lower than average
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, July 2 (Reuters) - India's annual monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, six days earlier than usual, the state-run weather office said, but rain totals are 10% below average so far this season. The monsoon, the lifeblood of India's $3 trillion economy, delivers much needed water to farms and restocks reservoirs and aquifers. In a typical year, rains usually lash Kerala state, on India's southwest coast, from around June 1 and move northwards to cover the entire country by July 8. However, the monsoon made quick progress this week and has now covered the entire country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Bountiful monsoon rains in July would ease concerns about the output of summer crops, promising higher incomes in the countryside where most Indians live.

Persons: Rajendra Jadhav, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: India Meteorological Department, El, IMD, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Kerala, India's, India

☆ Monsoon rains to cover all of India earlier than usual, accelerate crop sowing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, June 27 (Reuters) - India's monsoon season rains were set to cover the whole country by the weekend, according to meteorological department officials, allowing farmers in northern states to begin planting of summer-sown crops a week earlier than normal. The monsoon, the lifeblood of India's $3 trillion economy, delivers nearly 70% of the rain needed to water its farms and recharge reservoirs and aquifers. This year, the formation of severe cyclone Biparjoy in the Arabian Sea delayed the onset of monsoon rains and stalled their progress, with just a third of the country covered until last week. "By this weekend, the monsoon will cover the remaining parts as well," he said. Many north-eastern, central and northern states are likely to receive heavy rainfall this week, which would bring the deficit below 20%, a second IMD official said.

Persons: El, Rajendra Jadhav, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: India Meteorological Department, IMD, Reuters, El Nino, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Kerala, India's, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, El Nino, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, Nino

☆ How 150,000 people are fed during Onam in Kerala, India
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( David Valerio | Nicole Raucheisen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Onam is a 10-day harvest festival celebrated in Kerala, India. It marks the first month of the Malayalam calendar and commemorates the return of the mythical King Mahabali from the underworld to his home in Kerala. Mahabali's return and the harvest are celebrated with floral artwork, traditional dances, boat races, and a traditional feast known as the Onam sadya. While the traditions of Onam are rooted in Hinduism, Keralites across the state, regardless of religion or caste, enjoy the festivities and a traditional meal. We visited Vinayaka Caterers in Kerala, India, to see how it prepares sadyas for 150,000 people.

Persons: King Mahabali, Mahabali's Organizations: Caterers Locations: Kerala, India

☆ Severe cyclone likely to hit India's west coast, south Pakistan on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, June 12 (Reuters) - A storm off India's west coast has strengthened to become a powerful cyclone and could hit India's western state of Gujarat and southern parts of Pakistan this week, the weather department said. India's weather office has advised fishing communities to halt operations and the evacuation of people from the coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat. Officials from the Sindh provincial government also said they are preparing to evacuate people from three districts likely to be affected. A 1998 cyclone killed at least 4,000 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in Gujarat. Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav, writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bhupendra Patel, Biparjoy, Rajendra Jadhav, Sakshi Dayal, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: India Meteorological Department, Reliance Industries, Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited, Force, State, National Disaster Management Authority, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Gujarat, Pakistan, Mandvi, Karachi, Saurashtra, Kutch, India, Gulf, Saurashtra ., Gujarat Pipavav Port, Sindh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu

☆ Cyclone likely to hit India's west coast, south Pakistan on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] A lifeguard patrols Juhu beach, during a red flag alert due to rough seas caused by cyclone Biparjoy, in Mumbai, India, June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasMUMBAI, June 12 (Reuters) - A storm off India's west coast has strengthened to become a powerful cyclone and could hit India's western state of Gujarat and southern parts of Pakistan this week, the Indian weather department said on Monday. "Rescue and relief teams of the Coast Guard, Army and Navy along with ships and aircraft have been kept ready on standby," it said. In neighbouring Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority said instructions were being given to take precautionary measures in southern and southeastern parts that may be affected. A 1998 cyclone killed at least 4,000 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in Gujarat.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas MUMBAI, Biparjoy, Rajendra Jadhav, Asif Shahzad, Sumit Khanna, Sakshi Dayal, Shivam Patel, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Philippa Fletcher, Jonathan Oatis, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, India Meteorological Department, Adani, Indian Coast Guard, Key Singapore, Oil, Gas, Vedanta Ltd, Response Force, Coast Guard, Army, Navy, National Disaster Management Authority, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Gujarat, Pakistan, Mandvi, Karachi, Fishermen, Mundra, Tuna, Kandla, Key, Dubai, Gujarat Pipavav, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu

☆ India puts coastal states on alert amid warning of strengthening cyclonic storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Sumit Khanna And Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AHMEDABAD,India/NEW DELHI June 10 (Reuters) - India's western states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and other coastal regions are on alert after meteorologists warned that a cyclonic storm over the Arabian sea would intensify over the next 24 hours. It warned of heavy rainfall at isolated places in the state of Kerala and coastal Karnataka region in next three days. In Gujarat, the 13 coastal districts of South Gujarat, Saurashtra peninsula and Kutch have been put on alert. "We are fully prepared to deal with any situation," Kamal Dayani, additional chief secretary in the state revenue department, told Reuters. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the districts likely to be affected by the storm.

Persons: Biparjoy, Kamal Dayani, Manoj Kumar, Mike Harrison Organizations: Authorities, Cyclone, Indian Meteorological Department, IMD, Reuters, Force, Thomson Locations: AHMEDABAD, India, DELHI, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kutch, Mumbai, Kerala, Karnataka, South Gujarat, Saurashtra

☆ India monsoon reaches Kerala after longest delay in 7 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Sivaram V./File PhotoMUMBAI, June 8 (Reuters) - Monsoon rains reached India's southernmost Kerala coast on Thursday, offering relief to farmers after a delay of more than a week, marking their latest arrival in seven years. The monsoon, the lifeblood of the country's $3 trillion economy, delivers nearly 70% of the rain India needs to water farms and recharge reservoirs and aquifers. "Southwest Monsoon has set in over Kerala today, the 8th June, 2023, against the normal date of 1st June," the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement. The IMD confirms the monsoon has begun after taking into account rainfall measured at weather stations in the southern state of Kerala and westerly wind speeds. Conditions are favourable for the monsoon to further advance into the central Arabian Sea and some parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states, the IMD said.

Persons: Rajendra Jadhav, Mayank Bhardwaj, Tom Hogue, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, India Meteorological Department, IMD, Thomson Locations: Indian, Kochi, MUMBAI, Kerala, India, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

☆ Opinion: Ambitious, tech-savvy and jobless. Why India’s young people could reshape the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Opinion Snigdha Poonam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Her book, “Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing Their World,” was longlisted in 2019 for the PEN America Literary Awards. Unlike China, which leveraged its demographic dividend through large-scale factory employment, India’s economic growth does not rely on young workers manufacturing goods. Catering to a market of 750 million smartphone users, India’s fast-growing gig economy is attracting young workers in great numbers. As incidents of abuse and exploitation pile up, many of India’s gig workers are questioning their career choice. Feeding the social media monsterThere are other ways in which India’s young people are shaping the future of technology.

Persons: ”, Raju Rai, Rai, “, ” Rai, Dhiraj Singh, Mithun Kumar, Kumar, hyperlocal, Jewel Samad, Mohit Yadav, Monu Manesar Organizations: PEN, CNN, Delhi CNN, Facebook, Catering, Bloomberg, Getty, YouTube, Big Tech, Twitter, New York Times Locations: Delhi, India, Thailand, Indian, Varanasi, Bangkok, Myanmar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Southeast Asia, Europe, China, Mumbai, Bihar, Covid, AFP

☆ India monsoon advances after stalling for 11 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, May 30 (Reuters) - India's monsoon rains advanced into some more parts of southwest Bay of Bengal after stalling for the past 11 days at a far-flung island, weather department said on Tuesday. The monsoon, the lifeblood of the country's $3 trillion economy, delivers nearly 70% of the rain that India needs to water farms and recharge reservoirs and aquifers. Monsoon rains arrived over the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 19, but then didn't make any progress until May 30, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. This year, the onset of the monsoon over Kerala is likely to be slightly delayed. The onset of monsoon rains over the southern Indian state is likely to be on June 4, with a model error of plus/minus 4 days.

☆ How a deadly bat virus found new ways to infect people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

Scientists found bats with Nipah virus roosting near Sabith’s home. A search of the neighborhood led to a colony, near their house, of flying foxes, a common fruit bat. NETTING NIPAH: Researchers in Bangladesh use nets to catch bats and collect samples to find the Nipah virus in the wild. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainWhether Sabith ate contaminated fruit or somehow came into direct contact with a bat, the virus entered his cells. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainA year later, Chua’s team found the same strain of Nipah virus in flying foxes.

[1/2] Oil tanker Kerala, chartered by Chevron, is loaded in the Bajo Grande oil terminal at Maracaibo Lake, in the municipality of San Francisco, Venezuela, January 5, 2023. To back up its license application, Chevron last year signed an oil-for-debt swap with Venezuela's state-run PDVSA. The initial exports have rapidly drained the ventures' oil inventories, which had built up for years. Chevron plans to continue pushing up heavy crude output mainly at oilfields in eastern and western Venezuela belonging to its Petropiar and Petroboscan projects, according to the sources. GOLDEN TICKETChevron's license broke a four-year U.S. prohibition on Venezuelan oil exports to the United States designed to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

☆ Bollywood film on Islamic State recruits sparks debate in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Shilpa Jamkhandikar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, May 9 (Reuters) - A low-budget Bollywood film about young women recruited by the Islamic State has stirred up passionate debate, helping to make it an instant box-office hit in India. "The Kerala Story," set in the coastal southern state of the same name, follows three women who are indoctrinated, converted and sent to IS camps. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the film by director Sudipto Sen, saying it showed the consequences of terrorism. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, two states ruled by his Bharatiya Janata Party, have exempted the film from state taxes, making tickets cheaper. However, the Kerala High Court has refused to impose a ban in the state where the film is set, saying it was "inspired by true events."

☆ At Least 22 Dead After Tourist Boat Capsizes in Southern India
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Sameer Yasir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At least 22 people, many of them children, were killed after a double-decker tourist boat capsized in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Sunday evening. Rescuers had found eight people with injuries by the next morning, with four of them in critical condition. The boat was carrying more than 40 sightseers, according to survivors, when it capsized at around 7 p.m.“The boat was overcrowded,” said Abdul Nazar, a local police officer. Local media reported that the vessel also lacked a required safety certificate, and was not permitted to operate that late in the day. Five passengers swam ashore and were being treated at a nearby hospital, according to V. Abdurahiman, a local legislator, who is overseeing the rescue operation.

☆ Kerala, India: 22 killed after boat ferrying tourists capsizes in Malappuram
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Manveena Suri | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New Delhi CNN —At least 22 people, including women and children, have died after a boat capsized in India’s southern Kerala state on Sunday, fire officials said, as search and rescue operations enter a second day. The boat, which was ferrying tourists, capsized near Tuvalthiram beach in Malappuram around 7:30 p.m. local time, the district’s fire department told CNN. Rescuers carry out search operations on Monday, May 8, after a tourist boat capsized in Malappuram, Kerala, India. “Pained by the loss of lives due to the boat mishap in Malappuram, Kerala,” a tweet from Modi’s office said Sunday. Kerala, known for its lush forests, beaches and backwaters, is a popular tourist destination for many Indians and foreigners alike.

☆ At least 16 drown after boat capsizes in India's Kerala
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 7 (Reuters) - At least 16 people drowned after a boat capsized in the Malappuram district of India's southern state of Kerala, the state's minister for fisheries and harbour development, V. Abdurahiman, said on Sunday. Twelve bodies have been identified, he told reporters at the accident site, adding that the death toll was likely to rise as the boat was stuck in the mud and was being lifted and broken to rescue people trapped inside. "Pained by the loss of lives due to the boat mishap in Malappuram, Kerala," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. loadingReporting by Jyoti Narayan and Jose Devasia; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The off-balance sheet borrowings incurred after fiscal year 2021 will continue to be adjusted over the next three financial years, said one of the sources. However, from here on, any new off-balance sheet borrowings will be adjusted in the same year or the year after they have been incurred, the source added. In one year, the adjustment from borrowing requirements will not be more than 0.25% of gross state domestic product, said a the second source. Reuters GraphicsLower market borrowing by state governments was one factor that helped keep federal government bond yields in check in 2022-2023. State governments also had high cash balances at the start of the previous year, which helped bring down borrowings, said ICRA.

So how did India’s population get so big, and how long will it last? The rise in population despite a drop in the fertility rate can be explained by “demographic momentum.”“When the fertility rate drops, the population continues to grow for several decades. So, even with a replacement or sub-replacement fertility rate, India’s population will continue to grow slowly because of the considerable number of women entering their reproductive years. India’s population growth is slowing downIndia may have overtaken China in total population, but UN data also shows that its growth rate has slowed. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, is home to 17% of India’s population but has only 9% of its industrial jobs.

☆ Kochi, Kerala: Indian city reveals fleet of 'water metro' ferries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The “water metro” will connect Kochi, in Kerala state, with 10 nearby islands in the Arabian Sea. Upgrading roads, railways, and metro systems has been a big initiative for the prime minister ahead of the G20, which India will host in September. As it becomes the most populous country in the world, India has made no secret of its tourism ambitions. Kochi’s water metro system is just the latest in a string of big infrastructure and travel announcements in India. Then, Kolkata’s metro system – the oldest in the country – revealed its first ever underwater line, which travels under the Hooghly River.

☆ Read Your Way Through Kerala, India
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Abraham Verghese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Read Your Way Around the World is a series exploring the globe through books. If you arrive in Kerala from elsewhere in India, you’ll feel as though you’ve landed in a different country — “God’s own country,” as Keralites like to say. Not surprisingly, the Gulf has shaped Kerala’s culture and literature. The territory sits between the Indian Ocean and the Western Ghats, the mountain range that runs parallel to the coast. I think it’s responsible for the fluid facial movements that allow Malayalis to convey volumes without uttering a word.

Persons: you’ve Locations: Kerala, India, Sri Lanka, Goa, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Persia, Ghats

☆ These organizations are trying to tackle plastic pollution and poverty at the same time
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Katie Brigham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"All the plastic we've ever produced since the inception of the material is still here," said David Katz, CEO of Plastic Bank, a company that's trying to implement plastic recycling systems in developing nations. It's usually because it's not economically feasible to collect, clean and sort plastic waste — at least not in the U.S., where new plastic is cheaper. Asis Wijayanto and his wife Atmawati support themselves and their daughter by collecting plastic with Plastic Bank. Plastic creditsBut only about 20% of Plastic Bank's partners are actually buying recycled plastic for use in new products. The other 80% are buying plastic credits, meant to help offset their new plastic production by funding recycling efforts in the countries where Plastic Bank operates.

Yet he remains at the centre of India's opposition politics and the main target of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu- nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Gandhi entered politics and was first elected to parliament in 2004 from his family borough of Amethi in the northern heartland state of Uttar Pradesh. He repeated that victory in 2009 and 2014 but suffered a shock setback in 2019 when he lost the seat. However, he had also contested a seat in the Kerala state and won there to return to parliament. Outside parliament, he has often reminded his supporters of his family's commitment and sacrifices, talking about the assassinations of his grandmother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and his former prime minister father, Rajiv Gandhi.

☆ Factbox: Why Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi may lose his parliament seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Arpan Chaturvedi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A formal disqualification order will, however, have to be passed by the secretariat of the lower house of parliament of which Gandhi is a member. CAN GANDHI CONTEST ELECTIONS? The law also mandates that a convicted lawmaker cannot contest elections for six years after the end of their jail sentence. To avoid disqualification, a convicted lawmaker has to secure an order from a higher court suspending the conviction, lawyers said. He can secure bail extensions during the appeal period but cannot contest elections until the conviction is stayed or he is acquitted in the case.

☆ Chevron-chartered tanker involved in collision with sanctioned vessel in Venezuela
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Chevron Corp FollowHOUSTON, March 20 (Reuters) - A Liberia-flagged oil tanker chartered by Chevron Corp (CVX.N) had a minor collision with another vessel, the Bueno, in Venezuelan waters on Sunday, according to sources and a shipping report seen by Reuters on Monday. Incidents involving vessels, oil spills, fires and power outages are very frequent in Venezuela as state-run PDVSA's aging oil infrastructure does not receive proper maintenance and needed repairs amid U.S. sanctions on the country. Both were told by the port captain to anchor in specific positions and await inspections, according to a PDVSA shipping report. Tanker Bueno has been working for PDVSA since last year, moving oil and fuel between domestic ports under a time-charter contract. As of Monday, the Kerala had moved away from the collision site while waiting for a loading window at the Bajo Grande terminal, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel monitoring data.

☆ Indian jeweller Joyalukkas withdraws $278 mln IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Indian jeweller Joyalukkas has withdrawn its 23 billion rupee ($277.95 million) initial public offering (IPO), a document on the market regulator's website showed on Tuesday. Joyalukkas did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The jeweller, based in the southern Indian state of Kerala, operates showrooms across roughly 68 cities and is one of the biggest jewellery retailers in the country. The IPO's book runners Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd, Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors Ltd, Haitong Securities India, and SBI Capital Markets Ltd also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ($1 = 82.7620 Indian rupees)Reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Seen Big Ben already? Here's a Londoner's guide to visiting other parts of the city
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Central London's City of Westminster is its political heart, while the City of London is where the capital's financial decisions happen. But be warned: Several paths across Hyde Park are pedestrian-only, and police often fine people who cycle on them. The City of London is a blend of old and new, with St Paul's Cathedral close to skyscrapers as well as Roman ruins. While north London has Hampstead Heath, south of the river is Richmond Park, which dwarfs its northern counterpart in size. There's also a branch in central London's Covent Garden — the flower-filled restaurant The Petersham — that has an sit-down deli and bar.

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