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☆ Analysis: India's opposition Congress gains key foothold with state election win
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

At the same time, they cautioned that Congress' victory on Saturday in Karnataka state, home to the booming tech hub of Bengaluru, was largely due to local factors. The party has won just one state election since December 2018, crumbling under the onslaught of the BJP's Hindu nationalism, the government's generous social spending, Modi's popularity, and its own leadership vacuum. "This is an amazing beginning," said Rajeev Gowda, the head of research at Congress and a former federal lawmaker. "We need to adapt these learnings to every election-going state in 2023 and more importantly to parliamentary elections next year," he said. Asked by the India Today-Axis poll how they would vote if the Karnataka election had been a national election instead, 10% of the respondents shifted to Modi, enough to overturn the result.

☆ India's opposition Congress gains key foothold with state election win
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Indian court orders YouTube to remove fake news on Bachchan grandchild
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File PhotoNEW DELHI, April 20 (Reuters) - The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered YouTube to remove fake news videos about the grand-daughter of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, in response to her petition to stop circulation of false rumours about her health, lawyers said. Judge C. Hari Shankar ordered YouTube to ensure the videos about Aaradhya Bachchan, 11, were taken down immediately. Three lawyers representing Aaradhya said in a statement that it was a landmark judgment as the court has upheld the privacy of a child. Aaradhya is the daughter of actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and is frequently photographed accompanying them at public events. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a former Miss World and a brand ambassador for L'Oreal (OREP.PA).

☆ Former Indian lawmaker slain live on TV while in police custody, state restricts gatherings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Police officers escort Atiq Ahmed, a former lawmaker in India's parliament, accused in several criminal cases, outside a court in Prayagraj, India, April 13, 2023. A gunman is seen reaching over the shoulders of police to point a pistol at the temple of the former lawmaker, Atiq Ahmed, whose turban is blown off as the gun discharges. Fearing the possibility of violent unrest in the wake of the killings, the Uttar Pradesh government barred gatherings of more than four people across the entire state. He had been wanted in connection to a murder case that was being investigated as part of a wider crackdown into a land mafia operating in Uttar Pradesh. Police in Uttar Pradesh have killed more than 180 suspected criminals during encounters over past six years.

☆ Dalai Lama 'unfairly labelled' over tongue video - Tibet govt-in-exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Patron of Children in Crossfire, speaks during a press conference in Londonderry, Northern Ireland September 11, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File PhotoNEW DELHI, April 13 (Reuters) - The head of Tibet's government-in-exile on Thursday defended the Dalai Lama over footage of him asking a boy to suck his tongue, saying the incident had demonstrated the country's spiritual leader's innocent and affectionate side. Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong (political leader) of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration, said the Dalai Lama had been "unfairly labelled with all kinds of names that really hurt the sentiment of all his followers". The video clip, filmed in February and circulated this month, has been viewed over one million times on Twitter. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet.

All agreed there was a marked increase in awareness among Indian Muslims about birth control and family planning. The 2021 census has been delayed but the United Nations has projected India's population will touch 1.42 billion this month. "There is a misconception among Muslims that Islam doesn’t allow the use of birth control measures," said Maulana Khalid Rasheed, the imam of the Lucknow Eidgah in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. [1/5] FILE PHOTO-Members of a Muslim family sit down for a meal in an old quarter of Delhi, India March 3, 2023. Experts say the public health system is now unable to keep up with the demand for birth control services from people who are aware about their usefulness, also called an unmet need.

☆ Ukraine wants tighter ties with India, visit by Modi
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

India holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 this year and hosts a leaders summit in September. Dzhaparova, who is on a four-day visit to New Delhi, told the broadcaster: "We believe India should be engaged and involved in the Ukraine issue to a great extent". India has sought a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, while Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin in September that now is "not an era of war". India has also boosted its purchases of Russian oil, taking advantage of the deep discounts following a European ban on Russian oil imports. Dzhaparova will meet India's deputy national security adviser and a junior foreign minister during her visit and address a world affairs think tank.

☆ India has not suspended trade talks with UK, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW DELHI, April 10 (Reuters) - Trade talks between India and Britain have not been suspended and will continue this year, three officials said on Monday, responding to a British newspaper report that said India had "disengaged" from the talks after London failed to condemn Sikh separatists. An official in India's foreign ministry said progress in the trade talks and New Delhi's concerns around Sikh separatist activities in Britain should not be interlinked. A diplomatic official in the British High Commission in New Delhi said trade talks will continue in a scheduled manner and security officials in London were addressing India's concerns about Sikh separatist activities in Britain. "Both the UK and India are committed to delivering an ambitious and mutually beneficial FTA and concluded the latest round of trade talks last month," a spokesperson for Britain's Department for Business and Trade said. A second Indian foreign ministry source said that trade talks with Britain had not been suspended, and described the media report to be "baseless".

☆ India's Gandhi to appeal against defamation conviction on "multiple grounds"
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Sumit Khanna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SURAT, India, April 3 (Reuters) - Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will on Monday lodge an appeal against his conviction for defamation, his lawyer said, hoping to overturn a judgement that resulted in his expulsion from parliament a year before a general election is due. Gandhi, the scion of a dynasty that has given India three prime ministers, was granted bail and a two-year jail sentence was suspended for 30 days allowing him to appeal in a higher court. "Gandhi will challenge the conviction order on multiple grounds," his lawyer, Kirit Panwala, told Reuters in Surat city in the western state of Gujarat where the appeal will be heard. He said the appeal would also highlight what he called procedural lapses in the trial. Writing by Rupam Jain in New Delhi; Editing by YP Rajesh, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rahul Gandhi to appeal jail sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, April 2 (Reuters) - Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will appeal a two-year jail sentence in a defamation case brought against him by lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), local media reported on Sunday. A lower court sentenced Gandhi on March 23 for two years in jail on charges of defamation. The opposition critics accuse Modi government of giving undue favours to a business group led by billionaire tycoon Adani. Shares of Adani group companies plunged after Hindenburg Research on Jan. 24 alleged that the Indian company had engaged in stock manipulation and used tax havens. A day after Gandhi's conviction, 14 political parties jointly petitioned the Supreme Court, saying opposition groups were being selectively targeted by federal investigative agencies.

The opposition has come together after this month's conviction of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party on a charge of defamation and his disqualification from parliament. Opposition politicians say Gandhi's shock disqualification, and possible jail time, is the latest evidence of the Modi government's strongarm tactics and follows investigations and legal troubles faced in recent months by other opposition parties. A day after Gandhi's conviction, 14 political parties jointly petitioned the Supreme Court, saying opposition groups were being selectively targeted by federal investigative agencies. "The Modi government's fascist steps have given a new chance for opposition parties to be united," Trinamool MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, told Reuters. "Anti Modi-ism or anti BJP-ism cannot be the glue that brings together disparate opposition parties with different aspirations and ambitions and positions," said Nalin Kohli, the BJP's national spokesperson.

☆ India's Congress party to launch street protests against Gandhi's conviction
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Supporters of the Youth Congress Party hold placards during a silent protest against the conviction of Rahul Gandhi, President of India's main opposition Congress party, in a 2019 Defamation case by a Surat court, on a street in Mumbai, India, March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasNEW DELHI, March 24 (Reuters) - Members of India's main opposition Congress party will take to the streets on Friday to protest against leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction for defamation, party officials said a day after a magistrate's court sentenced Gandhi to a two-year jail term. Two senior Congress leaders told Reuters that Gandhi will respect the local court's verdict and will not attend parliament. Officials in the Congress party said they are also depending on regional opposition parties to galvanize political support against the verdict. The president's office confirmed that Congress leaders have sought a meeting with President Draupadi Murmu to lodge a protest against the conviction with the top constitutional executive.

☆ Powerful Indian Hindu group backs government's opposition to same-sex marriage recognition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, March 14 (Reuters) - The ideological parent of India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has backed the government position against recognising same-sex marriage, months after raising hopes with supportive comments on gay rights. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP government has opposed recognising same-sex marriage and urged the Supreme Court to reject challenges to the current legal framework lodged by LGBT couples. "Marriage can only take place between persons of opposite genders, we agree with the government's stance on same-sex marriage," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Dattatreya Hosabale, a top official of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as saying. Although Bhagwat had not referred specifically to same-sex marriage, his comments could force the government to reassess its opposition, a junior minister in the federal government and a senior BJP leader had said at the time. The RSS, established in 1925, is a powerful Hindu group estimated to have millions of active members across India and overseas.

[1/5] A man walks past a model of G20 logo outside the finance ministry in New Delhi, India, March 1, 2023. Germany responded saying it would counter Russian "propaganda" at the G20 meeting. The foreign ministers meeting comes days after a meeting of finance chiefs of G20 countries in Bengaluru that was also overshadowed by Russia's war in Ukraine. An EU source separately said the EU delegation would not support a statement at the G20 meeting if it did not include condemnation of the war. The G20 includes the wealthy G7 nations as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia, among other nations.

[1/3] FILE PHOTO-Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a meeting with heads of foreign media outlets in Moscow, Russia, February 15, 2023. Last July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, also in Bali, after the West strongly denounced the war. The G20 bloc includes the wealthy G7 democracies, as well as Russia, China, India, Australia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia among other countries. The foreign ministers' meeting will also be watched for how tensions between Washington and Beijing play out, including over the Ukraine war. "It is unlikely that G20 foreign ministers can agree on common language suggesting ways and mechanisms to deal with the situation in Ukraine," he said.

☆ Nepal's ruling coalition in turmoil as deputy PM and 3 other ministers quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KATHMANDU, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Nepal's ruling coalition was in turmoil on Saturday after the prime minister said he planned to support a presidential candidate from an opposition party, a decision that prompted the deputy prime minister and three other ministers to resign. But they said the turmoil could lead a new coalition being formed. He did not give a reason for his decision, though the Nepali Congress party is a former ally of Prachanda's Maoist Centre party. On Saturday, Rajendra Lingden, the deputy prime minister who was also minister for energy, water resources and irrigation, resigned in protest, along with the ministers for urban development and legal matters, while a junior minister assisting Lingden also quit. Prachanda's office confirmed the four ministers had resigned but did not say whether the resignations had been accepted.

☆ Germany's Scholz says want to deepen relations with India, meets Modi
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Adnan AbidiNEW DELHI/BERLIN, Feb 25 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday said he wanted to deepen his nation's relationship with India ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. "India and Germany have very good relations and want to deepen them. That will be the topic of our talks and, importantly, peace in the world," Scholz said on Twitter. India has also sharply raised its purchases of oil from Russia, its biggest supplier of defence hardware, although prices have fallen. Scholz is travelling with a business delegation in a hope of growing that number, with a focus on investment in green technology.

NEW DELHI/BERLIN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Germany will pursue a $5.2 billion deal with India to jointly build six conventional submarines in the country during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Feb. 25-26 visit, two Indian and two German sources said. Under the deal, a foreign submarine manufacturer will have to partner with an Indian company to build the submarines in India. The Indian foreign and defence ministries did not respond to requests for comment. An Indian diplomatic source told Reuters that India has asked Germany for an assurance for joint manufacturing for the submarines, not just supply-side support. Another official from the Indian foreign ministry said that “Scholz was determined to reinvigorate trade and defence ties with India”.

☆ Indian tax inspectors examine mobiles, laptops of BBC employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) stand guard outside a building housing BBC offices, where income tax officials are conducting a search for a second day, in New Delhi, India, February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Altaf HussainNEW DELHI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Indian tax officials examined mobile phones and laptops used by some BBC editorial and administrative employees, two sources told Reuters, as an inspection at the British broadcaster's offices in New Delhi and Mumbai entered a third day on Thursday. Tax officials had remained at the BBC's offices, some sleeping there, since the surprise inspection was launched on Tuesday, according to witnesses. A second source gave a similar account. The BBC has stood by its reporting, which investigated one of the worst outbreaks of religious violence in India during the modern era.

[1/5] Police officers stand outside a building having BBC offices, where income tax officials are conducting a search, in New Delhi, India, February 14, 2023. The government last month dismissed the documentary, "India: The Modi Question", as propaganda and blocked its streaming and sharing on social media. The BBC has stood by its reporting for the documentary and said it was cooperating with Indian tax officials. The tax survey relates to transfer pricing rules and alleged diversion of profits. India's Income Tax Department has so far declined to comment on the reason for the search.

☆ 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's income tax department conducts searches at BBC offices - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI, Feb 14 (Reuters) - India's income tax department conducted searches at the BBC's New Delhi and Mumbai offices on Tuesday, two sources told Reuters. The income tax department and the BBC did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The move comes weeks after the government blocked the sharing of clips of a BBC documentary that questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership during deadly riots in 2002 in the western state of Gujarat. Reporting by Rupam Jain and Mohi Narayan; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Two Indian Air Force jets crash - officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI Jan 28 (Reuters) - Two Indian Air Force fighter jets crashed in Madhya Pradesh state and the neighbouring desert state of Rajasthan, local officials said on Saturday. "I can confirm that two aircraft belonging to the Indian Air Force crashed in our jurisdiction," said A. K. Verma, a local administrator in Madhya Pradesh state. The status of the third crew member wasn't immediately clear, while no details were released on the crew of the second plane. Verma said defence ministry officials were heading to the crash site. Officials in the federal defence ministry said they were gathering details from the Rajasthan crash site and a team has been rushed to the location from the nearest Air Force stations.

☆ Sri Lanka economy could shrink by -3.5% to -4%, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COLOMBO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's economy could contract by -3.5 or -4.0% in 2023 after shrinking -11% last year, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday. "From 2024, we will take this economy to positive growth. Speaking at a religious event, he said: "The growth rate of the economy in 2022 was -11% and could be -3.5 or -4.0% this year." "No one can prevent the country from falling into crisis again similar to May and June last year," Wickremesinghe said. Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; writing by Rupam Jain; editing by Jason Neely and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indian university warns students not to screen BBC documentary on Modi
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A top Indian university has threatened strict disciplinary action if its students' union carries out plans on Tuesday to screen a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the move might disturb peace and harmony on campus. The students' union of New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, long seen as a bastion of left-wing politics, said on Twitter it would screen the documentary, "India: The Modi Question", at a cafeteria at 9 p.m. (1530 GMT). "The concerned students/individuals are firmly advised to cancel the proposed programme immediately, failing which a strict disciplinary action may be initiated as per the university rules." She declined to comment on the university's threat of disciplinary action, however. The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the threat of disciplinary action.

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