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Tata Group, which regained control of Air India last year after decades of public ownership, put out just six paragraphs. "Air India negotiated hard and the team is very sharp despite having no prior aviation experience. A second person who watched the billions fall into place said the Air India negotiators were "methodical, tough and very sophisticated". Plans for announcements on the anniversary of Tata's Air India takeover slipped as engine talks wore on. Analysts caution many obstacles remain to Air India's plans.

☆ In a first for India, transgender couple become biological parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A transgender couple are the first in India to become parents biologically, after one of the partners gave birth on Wednesday in Kerala state. The birth of the baby is a milestone for the South Asian nation, where transgender people continue to face discrimination and stigma despite being officially recognised as a "third gender" since 2014. Both Ziya Paval, who was born a man, and her partner, Zahad, who was female by birth, were going through hormonal therapy to change their sex when they conceived. Zahad gave birth at a government hospital on Wednesday and, along with the newborn, is currently under observation in the hospital's intensive care unit. Today is the day I got to hold my baby," Paval told Reuters partner ANI, smiling widely.

☆ India's Kalyan Jewellers Q3 profit rises on strong festive demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Kalyan Jewellers India Ltd (KALN.NS)reported a near 11% rise in quarterly profit on improved demand during the festive season and said the ongoing wedding season is pushing sales higher. Demand picked up in the quarter during the festive season when Indians spend heavily on big-ticket items such as cars, electronic appliances, and jewellery. The Indian jeweller's consolidated net profit rose to 1.49 billion rupees ($18.02 million) for the third quarter that ended Dec. 31 from 1.35 billion rupees ($16.33 million) a year earlier. Revenue increased 13% to 38.84 billion rupees, boosted by sales at newly opened showrooms. Kalyan's earnings outshine its Tata Group-owned larger rival Titan Co Ltd (TITN.NS), which last week reported a surprise fall in profit.

On Tuesday, the Adani group appeared to have fought back the attack by the New York-based short-seller Hindenburg and rallied investors behind the $2.5 billion share issue of flagship firm Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS). It was a rare defeat for a man who has seemed unstoppable in recent years. In recent years, the $220 billion Adani Group empire has attracted foreign investment - France's TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), for example, partnered with Adani last year to develop the world's biggest green hydrogen ecosystem. On Wednesday, Adani said his company felt it wasn't "morally correct" to proceed with the share sale following the volatility in the market. But he said in a statement to the exchange the company was financial stable and that the withdrawal of the share issue will not impact its future plans.

Adani, whose home state is Gujarat in western India, built his business empire from scratch after starting as a commodities trader. Adani's business empire grew rapidly and his wealth ballooned. In recent years, the $220 billion Adani Group empire has attracted foreign investment - France's TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), for example, partnered with Adani last year to develop the world's biggest green hydrogen ecosystem. It is not known what was discussed and Adani Group did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. Adani Group's consolidated gross debt stands at $23.34 billion, Jefferies says.

☆ Indian university warns against screening of BBC documentary on Modi
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A top Indian university has warned its students' union of strict disciplinary action if it goes ahead with a planned screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, saying it might disturb peace and harmony of the campus. Modi was chief minister of Gujarat during the violence in which more than 2,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. The university administration said on its website it had not given permission for the documentary to be shown. "This is to emphasise that such an unauthorised activity may disturb peace and harmony of the university campus," the university said. The documentary is also scheduled to be screened at various campuses in the southern state of Kerala on Tuesday.

☆ 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.

Companies Chevron Corp FollowHOUSTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp's (CVX.N) first cargo of Venezuelan crude under a U.S. license received in November has departed from a ship-to-ship transfer hub near Aruba to its Pascagoula, Mississippi refinery, according to shipping data seen by Reuters on Tuesday. State-run oil company PDVSA allocated Chevron the first crude cargo this month, which was loaded at Venezuela's Jose terminal last week, according to shipping data and documents. Chevron's tanker Caribbean Voyager this week transferred the 500,000-barrel cargo of Hamaca heavy crude it had loaded in Venezuela to Malta-flagged vessel Sealeo at a ship-to-ship hub near the Caribbean island of Aruba, Refinitiv Eikon tanker monitoring data showed. The Sealeo is scheduled to arrive in Chevron's Pascagoula refinery on Jan. 15, according to the Eikon data. A separate Venezuelan crude cargo chartered by Chevron on tanker Kerala was on Tuesday at Maracaibo Lake's navigation channel, where lack of dredging and a stranded vessel are creating limitations for ship transit.

[1/2] An aerial view shows a storage facility owned by Lukoil company at the Arctic port of Varandei October 22, 2013. Arctic crude exports to India have steadily increased since May, with a record 6.67 million barrels loaded in November and 4.1 million barrels in December, Refinitiv data showed. At least three oil tankers that loaded Arctic crude in Murmansk port are now heading to China, Refinitiv data showed. Refinitiv listed the grades carried by these ships as Arco crude although one Chinese trader said there could be Varandey crude onboard. Oil tankers, carrying Russian Arctic crude, are passing Europe and the Middle East to head to China and IndiaReporting by Nidhi Verma in New Delhi, Muyu Xu and Florence Tan in Singapore; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

But a plan to move heavy oil quickly from inventories at the Petroboscan joint venture with state-run company PDVSA is facing delays because of lack of dredging at Maracaibo Lake's navigation channel, the people said. Petroboscan has instructed vessels since to limit their draft after loading at the Bajo Grande oil terminal. That means about 250,000 barrels of Boscan heavy crude can move at a time through the channel linking Bajo Grande to the Caribbean Sea. In a sign that Chevron expects to expand operations quickly, the oil producer has begun advertising for Venezuelan contract administrators and cargo schedulers. The company wants to assemble a trading team to market oil from Venezuela and expand its role in the four projects.

☆ India could suffer heatwaves that 'break the human survivability limit,' World Bank says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Indian employees already work in "potentially life-threatening temperatures" at times, it said. It was prepared on the occasion of a two-day conference between the government of India's Kerala region and the World Bank, The Independent reported. If India does not curb its carbon emissions, its heatwaves are "likely to last 25 times longer by 2036-65," the World Bank report said, citing a 2021 assessment by the G20. According to the World Bank report, India will need "massive cooling infrastructure across all sectors" in order to protect vulnerable workers. The impact both on labor productivity — and human health — is severe, with many working within "potentially life-threatening temperatures" at times, it said.

[1/2] Police officers stand guard near the barricades during a protest rally by the supporters of the proposed Vizhinjam port project in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 30, 2022. An Adani Group official who declined to be identified said construction would restart on Thursday. The port has strategic importance for both India and Adani, an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man. The Adani Group says the port complies with all laws and has cited studies that show it is not linked to shoreline erosion, which the Kerala government says is due to natural causes. Adani has previously faced protests in Australia, where environmental activists protested against his Carmichael coal mine project in the northeastern state of Queensland.

☆ Indian state will proceed 'no matter what' with protest-hit Adani port-minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Munsif Vengattil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Police officers stand guard near the barricades during a protest rally by the supporters of the proposed Vizhinjam port project in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 30, 2022. The local fishing community, led by Catholic priests, has blocked construction of Vizhinjam port by Adani Group for almost four months, erecting a makeshift shelter at the port's entrance. The protesters say the huge project causes coastal erosion that has undermined their livelihoods, calling for a complete halt on the construction. "We want to complete the port project no matter what. "The possibilities being opened up by Vizhinjam port are unmatched by any other in India," Devarkovil said.

☆ Indian billionaire Adani’s firm wins bid to develop vast Mumbai slum
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The real estate unit of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s Adani Enterprises has won the right to redevelop India’s largest slum, Mumbai’s Dharavi neighborhood, with a 50 billion rupee ($612 million) bid, a state official said on Tuesday. Adani’s winning bid of 50 billion rupees was more than double that of real estate group DLF, which bid 20 billion rupees ($244.87 million), said SVR Srinivas, CEO of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, a government enterprise in the western state of Maharashtra. There have been no major protests to date against the Dharavi redevelopment. The redevelopment of Dharavi will be the fourth project Adani Realty has taken on in Mumbai and the 24th across four cities, according to its website. A spokesperson for the Adani group did not respond to a request for comment on the Dharavi bid.

"We have denied permission to the rally by the Hindu United Front. The port is of strategic importance to both India and billionaire Gautam Adani, Asia's wealthiest man and the world's third-richest. Critics say Adani, who comes from the same state as Modi, has benefited from the policies of the federal government. Earlier, Hindu United Front member C Babu told Reuters they would go ahead with the rally. The Adani Group has said in court filings that the protests have caused "immense loss" and "considerable delay".

Another group project, a $900 million port redevelopment in Kerala state, has been stalled for months by protesters. There have been no major protests to date against the Dharavi redevelopment. The redevelopment of Dharavi will be the fourth project Adani Realty has taken on in Mumbai and the 24th across four cities, according to its website. A spokesperson for the Adani group did not respond to a request for comment on the Dharavi bid. ($1 = 81.6750 Indian rupees)Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar in Mumbai and Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Police in India's Kerala step up security after clashes over Adani port
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jose Devasia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Police officers are deployed as fishermen protest near the entrance of the proposed Vizhinjam Port in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Munsif VengattilKOCHI, India Nov 29 (Reuters) - Police in southern India on Tuesday ramped up security around Vizhinjam port being built by billionaire Gautam Adani's group after scores of people were injured during clashes with protesters from a fishing community over the weekend. Kerala state police were sending reinforcements to the Vizhinjam area to prevent further violence, he added. The Adani Group says the port complies with all laws and cited studies that show it is not linked to shoreline erosion. Five years ago, Australian environmental activists had launched a "Stop Adani" movement to protest his Carmichael coal mine project in Queensland state.

[1/5] Policemen are deployed as people from the fishing community protest near the entrance of proposed Vizhinjam Port in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 29, 2022. The port is of strategic importance to both India and Adani, Asia's wealthiest man and the world's third-richest. The Adani Group has said in court filings that the protests have caused "immense loss" and "considerable delay". The Adani Group says the port complies with all laws and has cited studies that show it is not linked to shoreline erosion. Adani has previously faced protests in Australia, where environmental activists had launched a "Stop Adani" movement to protest his Carmichael coal mine project in Queensland state.

[1/2] Police officers are deployed as fishermen protest near the entrance of the proposed Vizhinjam Port in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Munsif VengattilKOCHI, India Nov 28 (Reuters) - As many as 36 police were injured in clashes with protesters in India's southern state of Kerala who were demanding the release of a person arrested during a demonstration against a $900-million port project of the Adani Group, officials said. The location of the port on India's southern tip is seen as key to winning business from ports in Dubai, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Over the weekend, protesters blocked Adani's construction vehicles from entering the port, despite a court order for work to resume, prompting the arrest of many of them. Police attacked the protesters, among whom were some priests, said a clerical official, Eugine H. Pereira, the vicar general of the archdiocese.

[1/2] Police officers are deployed as fishermen protest near the entrance of the proposed Vizhinjam Port in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 9, 2022. "We won't let them in," a protestor was seen screaming at police officers near the port entrance site. The Adani Group has said the project was in full compliance with all laws and that many studies in recent years have rejected allegations linking the project to shoreline erosion. The Kerala state government says erosion has occurred due to natural disasters. A previous attempt by Adani in October to move trucks out of the port also failed.

[1/5] Women from a fishing community attend a protest against the construction of the proposed Vizhinjam Port in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 9, 2022. A $900 million project to build India’s first container transhipment port has been stalled due to protests by the region’s fishing community who believe it will destroy their livelihood. The fishing community erected the shelter after years of failed efforts to get the Kerala government to intervene while watching the coast steadily erode. "This is a matter of providing jobs to the many localities here," said Mukkola G Prabhakaran, a Kerala state council member in Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. Accusing the Kerala state police of being "mute spectators", the Adani conglomerate has also called for federal police to be brought in.

☆ Qatar World Cup: 'Our dreams never came true.' These men helped build Qatar's tournament, now they are struggling to survive.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Aimee Lewis Pramod Acharya Sugam Pokharel | Aimee Lewis | Pramod Acharya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

It will be a historic event, the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, but one also mired in controversy. He had dreamed of watching World Cup matches from the rooftop of the hotel he had helped build. In Qatar, migrant workers can now change jobs freely without permission from their employer. However, a number of European federations have issued a joint statement saying they would campaign at the tournament on human rights and for a migrant workers center and a compensation fund for migrant workers. The motto for Qatar’s bid team in 2010 was ‘Expect Amazing.’ In many ways, this year’s World Cup has replicated that maxim.

☆ Pope Francis thrills small Gulf Catholic community with big Mass
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Pope Francis greets people as he attends a holy mass at Bahrain National Stadium during his apostolic journey, in Riffa, Bahrain, November 5, 2022. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedAWALI, Bahrain, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said Mass for thousands of Catholics in Bahrain on Saturday, thrilling members of the small foreign Catholic community from around the Gulf and urging them to show kindness to their hosts, even if they feel sometimes badly treated. "This is a miracle," said Mary Grace Fortes, 36, a Filipino who works at the reception of a hotel in Bahrain. The prayers of the faithful during the Mass were read in languages spoken by foreign workers including Tagalog, Swahili, Malayalam, Tamil and Konkani. The Mass was attended by one of the sons of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and several government ministers.

But this focus obscures what is happening on the ground, every day: Local and national public health workers and epidemiologists, or “disease detectives,” around the world are stopping outbreaks in their tracks and preventing epidemics. The case studies show what is possible when local, state and national communities mobilize a whole-of-society effort to prevent epidemics. When local efforts are supported by national and local government, we can stop and prevent epidemics. Another lesson is the substantial return on investment we can realize by prioritizing and funding preparedness efforts. Finally, there is a crucial role that coordination among local, state and federal agencies plays in epidemic prevention.

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