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☆ Indian energy company ONGC Videsh secures 3-yr extension to explore South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Amit Dave/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMUMBAI, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Indian energy company ONGC Videsh has secured a three-year extension from Vietnam to explore 'Block 128' in the South China Sea, it said in a post on social messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Conflicting territorial claims over South China Sea stretch back many decades but have intensified in recent years as China and its rivals have reinforced their positions on the rocks and reefs they hold. "India's strategic commitment stays strong as ONGC Videsh continues its exploration journey with its 8th extension till 15 June 2026," the company said in its post. ONGC Videsh is the overseas investment arm of India's top oil explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS). China claims virtually the entire mineral-rich South China Sea and has stepped up its military presence there.

Persons: Amit Dave, Videsh, Swati Bhat, Jane Merriman Organizations: Gas, REUTERS, Rights, Twitter, Natural Gas Corp, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, Vietnam, South China, China, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan

☆ GQG Partners buys additional stake in Adani Ports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Traffic moves past the logo of the Adani Group installed at a roundabout on the ring road in Ahmedabad, India, February 2, 2023. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 19 (Reuters) - Investment firm GQG Partners raised its stake in Adani Ports And Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSE.NS) on Aug. 17 to 5.03% after buying more shares, GQG said in a disclosure on Saturday. GQG Partners, which held a 4.93% stake in Adani Ports, acquired another 0.10% or 2.2 million shares of the company through a bulk deal, the disclosure made late on Saturday said. The investment comes after Deloitte quit as auditor for Adani Ports, in the first such move after U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research's critical report on the Adani group that was published in January. Reuters reported last Wednesday that GQG partners bought an 8.1% stake in Adani Power for $1.1 billion via block deal.

Persons: Amit Dave, GQG, Hindenburg, Jose Joseph, Tomasz Janowski, Toby Chopra, Jane Merriman Organizations: Adani, REUTERS, GQG Partners, Deloitte, Adani Ports, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, Adani Ports, Power, Bengaluru

☆ Exclusive: India faces record low August rains, threatening summer crops
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

August rainfall, expected to be the lowest since records began in 1901, could dent yields of summer-sown crops, from rice to soybeans, boosting prices and overall food inflation, which jumped in July to the highest since January 2020. India received just 90.7 mm (3.6 inches) in the first 17 days of August, nearly 40% lower than the normal. "Normally, we experience a dry spell of five to seven days in August," said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. "However, this year the dry spell has been unusually prolonged in southern India. This monsoon has been uneven, with June rains 10% below average but July rains rebounding to 13% above average.

Persons: Amit Dave, El, Harish Galipelli, Rajendra Jadhav, Tony Munroe, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, India Meteorological Department, IMD, El Nino, Commodities India, Ltd, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, El, Pacific, Kerala

☆ Column: India's coal emissions set for new highs on low-grade imports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Roughly 80% of India's thermal coal imports over the first half of 2023 came from Indonesia, South Africa and Russia, known for primarily exporting low-quality thermal coal which emits CO2 and sulphur dioxide when burned in power stations. India thermal coal imports from key supplierAround 7% of India's thermal imports came from Australia, supplier of some of the cleanest-burning coal on world markets. IMPORT SWINGSIndonesia has long been India's dominant supplier of energy coal, providing an average of 60% of the country's total thermal coal imports from 2017 through 2020, data from Kpler shows. That resulted in a rebound in India's total coal imports over the opening half of 2023 from the latter months of 2022. However, cost-sensitive power producers in India have prioritised ensuring coal supply over lowering coal-fired emissions, resulting in a deterioration in India's coal-fired power sector efficiency and a continuing climb in emissions.

Persons: Amit Dave, Ember, Gavin Maguire, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Indian, Ahmedabad, LITTLETON , Colorado, Indonesia, South Africa, Russia, India, Australia, China, Ukraine, New Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, South Asia

☆ England's Stokes comes out of ODI retirement ahead of World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Stokes retired from ODIs last July, two months after being named England's test captain, and the reversal opens the door for him to play in their 50-overs World Cup title defence in October and November. "I am certain that every fan will enjoy seeing (Stokes) back in an England ODI shirt again," national selector Luke Wright said in a statement. He also hit a match-winning unbeaten 52 to lead England to the Twenty20 World Cup title last year, with victory over Pakistan in the final in Melbourne. White-ball coach Matthew Mott had said earlier that Stokes would be welcomed back into the ODI squad with open arms. England will play four T20s against New Zealand starting on Aug. 30, followed by a four-match ODI series from Sept. 8-15They face New Zealand in their World Cup opener on Oct. 5 in Ahmedabad, India.

Persons: Ben Stokes, Australia's Pat Cummins, England's Moeen, Andrew Boyers, Stokes, Luke Wright, Matthew Mott, Gus Atkinson, Atkinson, Josh Tongue, John Turner, Hritika Sharma, Simon Jennings, Peter Rutherford Organizations: England, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, New, Zealand, Thomson Locations: Australia, London, Britain, England, Pakistan, Melbourne, Surrey, New Zealand, Ahmedabad, India, Hyderabad

☆ India's Adani group stocks hit by first auditor quitting over Hindenburg report
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Traffic moves past the logo of the Adani Group installed at a roundabout on the ring road in Ahmedabad, India, February 2, 2023. Adani Ports said Deloitte, which does not audit any of the other six listed Adani group companies, had all the necessary information and its reason to quit was "not convincing." "The spotlight is back on Adani Group stocks and this time the auditor has raised concerns and resigned. The flagship Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS) dropped 5.5%, while Adani Power (ADAN.NS), Adani Energy Solutions (ADAI.NS), Adani Wilmar (ADAW.NS), Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS) and Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS) declined between 3% and 5%. "In the near term, the Adani group stocks will likely remain under pressure and any re-rating will happen gradually when the water settles down."

Persons: Amit Dave, Hindenburg, Gautam Adani, Prashant Tapse, Adani, Avinash Gorakshakar, Rama Venkat, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Adani, REUTERS, Deloitte, Reuters, Adani Ports, Mehta, Adani Enterprises, Adani Energy Solutions, Energy, Profitmart Securities, Associates, BDO International, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, BENGALURU, Bengaluru

☆ Adani Enterprises weighs exiting $6 bln Wilmar venture - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Workers transport tins of edible oil inside a storeroom of Adani Wilmar Ltd at Mundra, 375 km (233 miles) from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, June 10, 2009. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File PhotoAug 8 (Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS) is exploring selling its stake in its consumer-staple joint venture with Wilmar International (WLIL.SI), Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Deliberations are at an early stage and Adani Enterprises may decide to keep its stake, the report said. Adani Enterprises and Wilmar did not respond to Reuters requests for comment, while Adani Wilmar said it would not like to comment on the report. Last week, Adani Wilmar reported loss in the first quarter, hurt by a steep decline in edible oil prices.

Persons: Wilmar, Amit Dave, Adani, Gautam Adani, Adani Wilmar, Shubhendu Deshmukh, Shounak Dasgupta, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: REUTERS, Adani Enterprises, Wilmar, Bloomberg, Adani, Hindenburg, Thomson Locations: Mundra, Indian, Ahmedabad, India, Bengaluru

☆ AI Scams, Spam, Hacking, Are Ruining the Internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Shubham Agarwal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

A report from Europol expects a mind-blowing 90% of internet content to be AI-generated in a few years. A report from Europol, the European Union's law-enforcement agency, expects a mind-blowing 90% of internet content to be AI-generated in a few years. And while AI bots have telltale signs now, experts indicate that they will soon get better at mimicking humans and evading the detection systems developed by Menczer and social networks. While misinformation has long been a problem with the internet, AI is going to blow our old problems out of the water. But security researchers have discovered that the AI bots in your apps and devices might steal sensitive information for the hackers.

Persons: HBO Max, haven't, ChatGPT, Christian Selig, Reddit, Martijn Pieters, He'd, NewsGuard, Gordon Crovitz, NewsGuard's, Filippo Menczer, NewsGuard's Crovitz, Christopher Cowell, Cowell, John Licato, Bing, Florian Tramèr, Toby Walsh, Walsh, Shubham Agarwal Organizations: HBO, Europol, Market, Indiana University's Observatory, Social Media, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, University of South, ETH Zürich, University of New, University of Oxford, Wired, Company Locations: Cambridge, Europol, Portland , Oregon, Etsy, University of South Florida, University of New South Wales, Ahmedabad, India

☆ Robust rains accelerate rice planting in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Mayank Bhardwaj | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Higher rice planting in India, the world's second-biggest producer of the grain, will ease concerns about lower output of the staple. Farmers typically start planting rice, corn, cotton, soybeans, sugarcane and peanuts, among other crops, from June 1, when monsoon rains are expected to begin drenching India. For June and July together, India's monsoon rains were 5% above average, falling 10% below normal in June but rebounding to 13% above average in July. Farmers planted 17.9 million hectares (44.2 million acres) with oilseeds, including soybeans, 2.2% more than a year earlier. Corn was planted on 7.6 million hectares (18.8 million acres), up from 7.5 million hectares a year earlier.

Persons: Amit Dave, Mayank Bhardwaj, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Farmers, Thomson Locations: Indian, Ahmedabad, India, Farmers, drenching India, Punjab, Haryana

☆ Japanese vice minister quits as PM Kishida's ratings slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tokyo prosecutors raided the office of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto on suspicion that he took bribes amounting to tens of millions of yen, according to public broadcaster NHK. The foreign ministry later announced that Akimoto had stepped down from his post as a vice minister. The resignation comes after Kishida's approval rating slid to its lowest since he took office in 2021. Errors that have recently come to light with the card have included health insurance information linked to the wrong social security account and welfare payments made to the wrong person. State broadcaster NHK and other media have reported that Tokyo prosecutors suspect Japan Wind Development Co paid bribes to Akimoto.

Persons: Masatoshi Akimoto, Amit Dave, Fumio Kishida, Akimoto, Hirokazu Matsuno, Sakura Murakami, Robert Birsel Organizations: Land, Transport, Speed, Kalupur, REUTERS, Liberal Democratic Party, NHK, Yomiuri, State, Development, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Infrastructure, Tourism, Ahmedabad, Mumbai Ahmedabad, India, TOKYO, Tokyo, The Tokyo

☆ S&P sees Indian economy growing by average 6.7% to 2031 amid short-term challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Amit Dave/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Aug 3 (Reuters) - S&P Global on Thursday projected the Indian economy to grow by an average annual rate of 6.7% to March 2031, driven by manufacturing and services exports and consumer demand, despite short-term challenges from rate hikes and a global slowdown. S&P retained its earlier forecast of 6% growth for the current fiscal year ending March 2024, noting even at this rate, India will be the fastest growing economy in the G20. S&P Global expects the size of the economy to reach $6.7 trillion from $3.4 trillion in fiscal 2023, which could see per capita GDP rise to about $4,500. If realised, India would overtake Japan and China to become the third largest economy in the world. "India's ability to become a major global manufacturing hub will be a paramount test for its economic future."

Persons: Shah, Amit Dave, Manoj Kumar, Toby Chopra Organizations: Manubhai, Shah LLP, REUTERS, Global, International Monetary Fund, P Global, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, Delhi, Japan, China

A view shows Ambuja Cement bags, to be carried to a construction site, in a load carrier in Ahmedabad, India, July 29, 2022. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Aug 1 (Reuters) - India's Ambuja Cements (ABUJ.NS) has reached a deal to acquire a majority stake in operations of Sanghi Industries (SNGI.NS), two sources with direct knowledge said, a transaction that will add heft to cement operations of billionaire Gautam Adani's firm. The deal by Ambuja is likely to be announced as soon as Wednesday, the sources said, declining to be named because the decision is not public. One of the sources said the deal was done by considering Sanghi's enterprise value at 60 billion rupees ($729 million). Sanghi Cement declined to comment.

Persons: Amit Dave, Gautam Adani's, Ambuja, Adani, Aditya Kalra, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Sanghi Industries, Economic, Sanghi, UltraTech, ACC Ltd, Adani Group, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, Gujarat

[1/6] Police officers detain demonstrators during a protest against the alleged sexual assault of two tribal women in the eastern state of Manipur, in Ahmedabad, India, July 23, 2023. REUTERS/Amit DaveWASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - The United States said on Sunday it was deeply concerned by reports of viral videos showing two women paraded naked in India's northeastern state of Manipur, a sexual assault case that enraged the country. A U.S. State Department spokesperson called the incident "brutal" and "terrible" and said the United States conveyed its sympathies to the victims. At least 125 people have been killed and more than 40,000 have fled their homes since the violence erupted in Manipur. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condemned the assault as "shameful" and promised tough action.

Persons: Amit Dave WASHINGTON, Narendra Modi, Kanishka Singh, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Police, REUTERS, United, U.S . State Department, State Department, Indian, Thomson Locations: Manipur, Ahmedabad, India, United States, U.S, New Delhi, Washington

☆ India's Gujarat in talks with Foxconn for its semiconductor plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Sumit Khanna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AHMEDABAD, India July 12 (Reuters) - India's Gujarat state is holding talks with Foxconn over a semiconductor plant, a top government official told Reuters, days after the Taiwanese giant broke off a $19.5 billion joint-venture plan with India's Vedanta. "We are in touch with multiple prospective investors, including Foxconn ... Gujarat is uniquely positioned to attract top chipmakers," said Vijay Nehra, secretary of the science and technology department in Gujarat. Foxconn (2317.TW) this week exited its project with Vedanta (VDAN.NS), which was also planned for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, citing issues such as slow progress. The breakup of the JV was a setback for Modi's vision to establish India as a semiconductor manufacturing hub. Its talks with Gujarat come weeks after Micron Technology (MU.O) said it will invest up to $825 million in a semiconductor testing and packaging facility in the state.

Persons: Vijay Nehra, Narendra Modi's, Foxconn, Modi, Lee, Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Vedanta, JV, IGSS Ventures, ISMC, LinkedIn, Micron Technology, Thomson Locations: AHMEDABAD, India, Gujarat, ., Foxconn, Singapore

Reuters GraphicsIndia is among the world's top exporters of services, doubling its share in global services trade to over 4% from 2% in 2005, according to WTO estimates. Sunil Talati, president of government-aided Services Export Promotion Council, said total services exports could overtake goods exports in the next five years to $750 billion. A report by Knight Frank consultancy last week said demand for office space has risen sharply in smaller cities, driven by expanding operations of global accounting and multinationals, pushing up rents by up to 10%. Domestic accounting firms are also moving to smaller towns and raising wages. "With the Big Four and other global firms coming to our cities, we are going even deeper to open offices in smaller cities."

Persons: Ernst & Young, Diksha Mehta, Debasish Mishra, PwC, Padmaja Alaganandan, Narendra Modi, Sunil Talati, Swagatika Parmanik, Knight Frank, Kshitij Patel, Shah, Manoj Kumar, Kripa Jayaram, Sam Holmes Organizations: Business, Diksha, Reuters Graphics India, Deloitte, KPMG, Export Promotion Council, Reuters, PwC, IBM, Manubhai, Shah LLP, Thomson Locations: BHUBANESWAR, India, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Vadodara, Kochi, Chandigarh, Patiala, Australian, Europe, New Delhi, Asia, Odisha, Bhubaneswar, Gujarat, Ahmedabad

REUTERS/Amit Dave/File PhotoNEW DELHI, July 8 (Reuters) - An Indian court rejected PepsiCo Inc's appeal against an order that revoked a patent for a potato variety grown exclusively for the New York-based company's popular Lay's potato chips. The authority removed PepsiCo's patent cover after Kavitha Kuruganti, a farmers' rights activist, argued that the company cannot claim a patent over a seed variety. PepsiCo petitioned the Delhi High Court against the revocation of the patent cover. In its order dated July 5, Delhi High Court judge Navin Chawla dismissed PepsiCo's appeal against the authority's decision. In 2019, PepsiCo sued some Indian farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, accusing growers of infringing its patent.

Persons: Amit Dave, Kavitha Kuruganti, Navin Chawla, Kuruganti, Mayank Bhardwaj, Sumit Khanna, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, PepsiCo, New, ' Rights, Authority, Court, Monsanto, drugmaker Bayer AG, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, DELHI, New York, Delhi, PepsiCo India, U.S

☆ Airbus books record India orders, confirms higher deliveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off as an IndiGo Airlines aircraft waits for clearance at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. Picture taken July 7, 2017./File PhotoPARIS, July 7 (Reuters) - Record demand from India sharply increased Airbus (AIR.PA) orders in June to leave the European planemaker with 1,044 net orders in the first half of the year, data showed on Friday. In a bulletin, Airbus officially booked orders for 500 jets from budget carrier IndiGo (INGL.NS) and 250 from Air India that were announced or finalised at last month's Paris Airshow. Airbus gross orders before cancellations stood at 1,080 aircraft in the first half. By comparison, Airbus won 442 orders or a net total of 259 after cancellations in the first half of 2022.

Persons: Vallabhbhai, Tim Hepher, Jason Neely Organizations: An Air, An Air India Airbus, IndiGo Airlines, Airbus, Air, Boeing, Air India, Paris Airshow, Aerospace, Thomson Locations: An Air India, Ahmedabad, India, Air India

REUTERS/Amit Dave/File PhotoPARIS/DELHI, June 28 (Reuters) - Indian aerospace suppliers see record jet orders by the country's top two carriers boosting domestic parts manufacturing and aircraft repairs, but argue the government must do more to support production. Rising traffic, a search for alternative sourcing to China and orders this month from Air India and IndiGo for nearly 1,000 jets combined have made India a key market for aerospace. "We deserve a piece of that pie," added Sardessai, whose company makes engine and plane interior parts. While he could not estimate how much small suppliers will benefit, any subsidy or incentive could be helpful. AEROSPACE INCENTIVESSome suppliers like Sardessai and Aravind Melligeri, CEO of aerospace-parts producer Aequs, said India should create a production-linked incentive scheme for aerospace as it has done with other sectors.

Persons: Vallabhbhai, Amit Dave, Shekhar Sardessai, Safran, Alaric Diniz, Aravind Melligeri, Aequs, Narendra Modi's, Japan's Suzuki, Sachin Agarwal, Agarwal, Sardessai, Ankit Patel, Patel, Allison Lampert, Aditi Shah, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: An Air, An Air India Airbus, International Airport, REUTERS, Air, IndiGo, Reuters, Kineco Group, Deloitte, Indian, Apple, Japan's, Hyundai, PTC Industries, PTC, Electric, Airbus, Boeing, Thomson Locations: An Air India, Ahmedabad, India, PARIS, DELHI, Indian, China, Air India, Paris, Goa, KS, Uttar Pradesh, Russian, Bengaluru, Europe, Delhi

☆ Micron signs preliminary agreement for India chip facility
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AHMEDABAD, June 28 (Reuters) - U.S. memory chip firm Micron Technology (MU.O) on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian government to build a semiconductor plant, its first factory in the country. Micron said last week it will invest up to $825 million in the facility. With support from the Indian central government and the state of Gujarat, the total investment will be $2.75 billion, it added. The facility will be constructed in Sanand, near the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Reporting by Sumit Khanna; Writing by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sumit Khanna, Tanvi Mehta, Jan Harvey Organizations: Micron Technology, Wednesday, Micron, Thomson Locations: AHMEDABAD, Gujarat, Sanand, Ahmedabad

☆ Factbox: Flurry of US-India deals on AI, defense as Biden, Modi meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The following is a roundup of the major announcements:VISASThe Biden administration will make it easier for Indians to live and work in the United States. The United States intends to open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. India is opening a new consulate in Seattle this year and will soon announce two new consulates in the United States. The MQ-9Bs will be assembled in India, a joint statement said, and U.S. manufacturer General Atomics will also establish new facility in India. ADVANCED COMPUTINGIndia and the United States established a Joint Indo-U.S. Quantum Coordination Mechanism to facilitate joint research between the public and private sectors across both countries.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Biden, Katherine Tai, Vikram Solar, Electric's, General Atomics, Atomics, Jarrett Renshaw, Heather Timmons, Grant McCool Organizations: Indian, U.S, The State Department, United, INDIA, Micron Technology, Micron, United States Trade, World Trade Organization, Minerals Security Partnership, European Union, India’s Epsilon Carbon, VSK Energy, JETS, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Indian Air Force, GE Aerospace's, Tejas, GE, Reuters, SPACE, Artemis Accords, NASA, International Space Station, Thomson Locations: Washington, United States, U.S, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, India, Seattle, Gujarat, US, Colorado, China, SPACE India

CNN —Welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House this week for a state visit – the most elevated form of American diplomacy – will require President Joe Biden to make certain trade-offs. Yet Modi and India, the world’s largest democracy, also represent a lynchpin in Biden’s strategy in Asia. That, according to officials, was the rationale behind inviting Modi for a state visit, only the third of Biden’s presidency so far. The two leaders will hold a joint news conference – something virtually every state visit over the past two decades has featured – but that was only agreed upon after lengthy, delicate negotiations between the two sides. “We’re just grateful that Prime Minister Modi is going to be participating in a press event at the end of the visit.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Modi, He’s, India’s, Biden, “ We’re, John Kirby, Jake Sullivan, New Delhi’s, ” Sullivan, “, Barack Obama, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Howdy Modi, Emmanuel Macron, Rahul Gandhi, Modi’s, he’s, Pramila, Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Jayapal, ” Modi, Rashida, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio, Sullivan, ”, It’s, Russia can’t, Xi, ” Biden Organizations: CNN, Indian, White, Office, National Security, Indian Embassy, White House, Trump, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rep, Democrat, Maryland Democrat, Reps, State Department Locations: India, Asia, China, Beijing, Ukraine, New, United States, America, Houston, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Washington, Maryland, Alexandria, Cortez, Russia

☆ Coastal areas of India's Gujarat state return to normalcy after cyclone
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Sumit Khanna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AHMEDABAD, June 17 (Reuters) - Some 1,500 villages were still without electricity in India's western state of Gujarat, officials said on Saturday, as coastal areas recovered from the impact of this week's cyclone Biparjoy. In many villages, power had been cut off as a precautionary measure to avert any dangerous incidents during the storm, Gujarat Energy Secretary Mamta Verma told Reuters. A drone view shows dark clouds over Mandvi beach before the arrival of cyclone Biparjoy in the western state of Gujarat, India, June 15, 2023. More than 700 homes in the eight coastal districts of Gujarat suffered full or partial damage, according to the state government. Authorities in India and neighbouring Pakistan evacuated more than 180,000 people from vulnerable areas as the cyclone approached.

Persons: Mamta Verma, Port, Francis Mascarenhas, Kamal Dayani, Swati Bhat, Frances Kerry Organizations: Gujarat Energy, Reuters, REUTERS, Authorities, Thomson Locations: AHMEDABAD, Gujarat, Saurashtra, Kutch, Mundra, India, Pakistan

He warned that contaminated medicines could still be found for several years, because adulterated barrels of an essential ingredient may remain in warehouses. Cough syrups and the ingredient, propylene glycol, both have shelf-lives of around two years. Unscrupulous actors sometimes substitute propylene glycol with toxic alternatives, ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, because they are cheaper, several pharmaceutical manufacturing experts told Reuters. The WHO said it has also offered help to Liberia and Cameroon – which recently signalled that it too may have contaminated cough syrups for sale. The contaminated syrups in Liberia were made by India's Synercare Mumbai, according to the Nigerian regulator.

Persons: Rutendo Kuwana, Kuwana, –, syrups, Naresh Kumar Goyal, QP Pharmachem, India's Synercare, Synercare, It's, Jennifer Rigby, Krishna N.Das, Edward McAllister, Stanley Widianto, Sumit Khanna, Sophie Yu, Sara Ledwith, Michele Gershberg Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, Reuters, Pharmaceutical, Marshall, Indonesian, –, PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries, AFI, Pharmaceuticals, Marion Biotech, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Thomson Locations: LIBERIA, CAMEROON, Liberia, Nigeria, Gambia, Uzbekistan, Micronesia, Indonesian, – Timor Leste, Cambodia, Senegal, Philippines, Cameroon, syrups, Marshall Islands, India's Synercare Mumbai, Nigerian, Liberian, India, Panama, Delhi, Dakar, Jakarta, Ahmedabad, Beijing

☆ Trees uprooted, roofs blown off by cyclone in India's Gujarat
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A man rides a motorcycle through a waterlogged street in Mandvi before the arrival of cyclone Biparjoy in the western state of Gujarat, India, June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasAHMEDABAD, India, June 16 (Reuters) - Roofs were blown off houses and trees and electric poles uprooted in several parts of India's western state of Gujarat as a severe cyclone made landfall overnight and heavy rain continued to lash the coast early on Friday. India's weather department warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Gujarat and the neighbouring state of Rajasthan through Friday. Pakistan's weather department said moderate to heavy rain was expected in the Hyderabad, Nooriabad and Thatta regions. Local television showed visuals of uprooted trees, people sheltering against strong winds and debris lying on roads in the aftermath of the cyclone.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Biparjoy, Mohapatra, Sumit Khanna, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, India Meteorological Department, Thomson Locations: Mandvi, Gujarat, India, Francis Mascarenhas AHMEDABAD, Pakistan, Jakhau, Rajasthan, Hyderabad, Nooriabad, Thatta, Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD, India, June 16 (Reuters) - Early warnings, accurate identification of vulnerable areas and timely evacuations helped India to avert major casualties from cyclone Biparjoy, which battered the west coast near Pakistan late on Thursday, authorities said. India and Pakistan evacuated more than 180,000 people from the coastal areas to safety ahead of the cyclone. In 1998, a major storm in Gujarat killed about 4,000 people, according to local media, while in 2021, close to 100 people died in an 'extremely severe cyclone' named Tauktae. "Early identification of areas that were likely to be impacted by the cyclone and timely evacuation of people living within 10 km of the coasts are the biggest reasons" for low casualties, said Kamal Dayani, a senior Gujarat official. [1/5] A drone view of a broken bridge during the aftermath of Cyclone Biparjoy after it made landfall, along the Naliya-Bhuj highway, in the western state of Gujarat, , India, June 16, 2023.

Persons: Kamal Dayani, Francis Mascarenhas, Atul Karwal, Dayani, Sumit Khanna, Sudipto Ganguly, Kevin Liffey, Conor Humphries Organizations: Biparjoy, REUTERS, Authorities, Force, Thomson Locations: AHMEDABAD, India, Pakistan, Gujarat, Bhuj, Kutch, Ahmedabad, Mumbai

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