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☆ Delhi's air a 'crime against humanity', spurs calls to close schools
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Delhi's 20 million residents were effectively breathing smoke on Thursday as the air quality index (AQI) breached the "severe" and "hazardous" categories in nearly all monitoring stations of the Indian capital, raising calls to close schools. The AQI exceeded 450 at many places early in the day, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. The index was over 800 in some pockets of the city, according to data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. "What is happening with air pollution in Delhi is nothing short of a crime against humanity!" "I know children don’t vote for you, but still, requesting all the chief ministers of Delhi (capital region) to immediately SHUTDOWN all the schools," environmental activist Vimlendu Jha wrote on Twitter.

☆ Delhi's air branded 'hazardous', spurs calls to close schools
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Delhi's 20 million residents were effectively breathing smoke on Thursday as the air quality index (AQI) breached the "severe" and "hazardous" categories in nearly all monitoring stations of the Indian capital, spurring calls to close schools. The AQI exceeded 450 in many places early in the day, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. The index exceeded 800 in some pockets of the city, according Delhi Pollution Control Committee findings. Alarmed by abnormally high levels of air pollution in Delhi, India's federal pollution control board on Thursday evening banned the entry of diesel trucks carrying non-essential goods into the capital. "What is happening with air pollution in Delhi is nothing short of a crime against humanity!"

There was a lot of bleeding," Fawad Chaudhry, a spokesperson for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told Reuters. "I heard a burst of bullet shots after which I saw Imran Khan and his aides fall down on the truck," witness Qazzafi Butt told Reuters. "Later, a gunman shot a single shot but was grabbed by an activist of Khan's party." [1/7] Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is helped after he was shot in the shin in Wazirabad, Pakistan November 3, 2022 in this still image obtained from video. Her father and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged in the same city in 1979 after being deposed in a military coup.

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

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

☆ Farm fires big culprit as Delhi air quality worsens
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The share of farm fires affecting Delhi's pollution has surged to more than 20% since the weekend, higher than the levels a year ago, government data showed on Tuesday as the Indian capital's air quality turned "severe" at many places. Delhi on Sunday suspended most construction and demolition activities, predicting a worsening of its air quality from Tuesday because of calmer winds and other meteorological conditions. Smoke from farm fires contributed to up to 26% of the tiny PM 2.5 lung-damaging pollutants in the city's air - the highest in the past two years during the period of mid-October to early November, according to data from the Ministry of Earth Science. Delhi's air quality index crossed the "severe" level of 400 at most of its monitoring stations on Tuesday as visibility dropped. "You don't need to add any filter on Instagram for Delhi sky photos.

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

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

☆ Britain prioritising India trade deal but can't give timeline, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Krishna N. Das | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly speaks during an interview with Reuters at the residence of British High Commissioner in New Delhi, India, October 29, 2022. And it's incredibly important that we remember that an extensive free trade agreement like the one we're negotiating, it's never going to be simple, but it's an incredibly important vehicle to build on our already strong relationship and to make it really future-focused." Previous sticking points included a steep import duty on British whiskey for sale in India. India and Russia have close defence ties and India has become a big buyer of Russian oil since the Ukraine war started. "I don't think it would be right for me as a British politician to dictate policy to another country," he said.

☆ After Musk takeover, India says it expects Twitter to comply with local rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Krishna N. Das | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter will not change India's expectation that it will comply with the country's rules for such companies, a government minister told Reuters on Friday, adding that India's new IT rules would be out in days. Twitter in July asked an Indian court to overturn some government orders to remove content from the platform. "Our rules and laws for intermediaries remain the same regardless of who owns the platforms," said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India’s minister of state for electronics and information technology. "So, the expectation of compliance with Indian laws and rules remains." Ranaut, an ardent supporter of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also shared requests from users who appealed to Musk to restore her Twitter account.

☆ Sunak will do his best for Britain, billionaire father-in-law says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rishi Sunak, his wife Akshata Murthy and his daughters Anoushka and Krishna attend a Conservative Party leadership campaign event in Grantham, Britain, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Rishi Sunak will do his best for Britain when he takes over as prime minister on Tuesday, said his father-in-law, Indian billionaire N.R. The 42-year-old, a practising Hindu who traces his roots to India, will be Britain's first prime minister of colour and its youngest leader in modern times. Sunak's rise to the position on Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, has delighted Indians, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped the two countries' ties would improve further. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"Congratulations to Rishi," Murthy, valued by Forbes at $4.5 billion, said in a statement.

☆ UK's Rishi Sunak becomes richest ever occupant of Number 10
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The wealth of Sunak's family puts him above the previous richest prime minister, who according to the Guineas Book of World Records was Edward Stanley. "Rishi Sunak's words will do nothing to reassure struggling people worried sick about the winter ahead," leader of the pro-EU Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said, calling Sunak "out-of touch". The couple faced criticism and public anger in April over Murthy's "non-domiciled" tax status which meant she did not pay tax in Britain on her earnings abroad. "This is the same Rishi Sunak who as Chancellor failed to grow the economy, failed to get a grip on inflation, and failed to help families with the Tory cost of living crisis," Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said in statement on Monday. "And it's the same Rishi Sunak whose family avoided paying tax in this country before he put up taxes on everyone else."

☆ Indians pinning their hopes on Rishi Sunak on Diwali
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Krishna N. Das | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Many Indians are delighted at the prospect of Rishi Sunak becoming the first person of Indian origin to become British prime minister on Monday, just as Hindus across the world celebrate Diwali. "Rishi Sunak took oath as an MP on (Hindu holy book) Bhagavad Gita. Former British finance minister Sunak, 42, is a practising Hindu and is known to celebrate the festival of lights. Some Indians are hoping for closer British-Indian ties if Sunak does become prime minister. "@RishiSunak becoming the British PM will be a great Diwali gift for UK, & a reason for celebration in India," former Indian diplomat Rajiv Dogra wrote on Twitter.

☆ Delhi residents defy Diwali firecracker ban, pollution spikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Krishna N. Das | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Many residents of New Delhi defied a firecracker ban on Diwali on Monday as political parties traded blame on who was responsible for the Indian capital's foul air. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's government said last week that people who let off firecrackers during Diwali would face up to six months in jail, under a broader ban introduced to help combat extreme winter pollution. "Kejriwal's minister had threatened to put those burning firecrackers in jail," said Amit Malviya, who runs the BJP's national information and technology department, posting a video of firecrackers lighting up the Delhi night sky. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal posted two graphics on Twitter showing that Delhi's air quality had improved in the last three years. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's Modi promises 1 mln government jobs as elections loom
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Modi's office said the 75,000 new recruits would join 38 ministries or departments of the federal government at various levels of seniority. It was not immediately clear if it meant there were 1 million vacancies in government departments, or if some jobs would be created. The aim is to fill up the posts by September next year, Modi said in June on Twitter. India's unemployment peaked at 23.5% in 2020 in the first full year of COVID-19, then fell back as restrictions eased. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UN wants India to mobilise G20 to help debt-stressed countries
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 19 (Reuters) - U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday sought India's support in mobilising G20 nations to help out developing countries saddled with debt, with three of India's neighbours already seeking IMF loans as their economies struggle. India takes over the G20 presidency from Indonesia for a year from Dec 1. "I count on India’s support in mobilising G20 countries around debt relief," Guterres told the students and faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. "Many developing countries are at or near debt distress and require multilateral action, including the expansion and extension of the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative." He said G20 countries were responsible for 80% of global emissions and must take the lead in cutting those.

India's foreign minister followed up last week at the U.N. Security Council, describing the trajectory of the Ukraine war as "very concerning" and the risk of a nuclear escalation as of "particular anxiety". Moreover, India is worried the war is pushing Russia closer to China, which has fraught relations with New Delhi, the analysts said. "This is countering a narrative that India and China are both doing the same thing – that China is supporting Russia and India, by sitting on the fence, is also supporting Russia," Raghavan told Reuters. India and Russia have had deep relations for decades: Russia accounted for $5.51 billion of the $12.4 billion that India spent between 2018 and 2021 on arms imports. "As the Ukraine conflict continues to rage, we are often asked whose side are we on," he said, again without mentioning Russia.

☆ India bans Islamic group PFI, accuses it of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Krishna N. Das | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A man walks past the old office of Popular Front of India (PFI) Islamic group, in New Delhi, India, September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Anushree FadnavisSummary Bans imposed on PFI, eight affiliates for five yearsGovernment says PFI involved in 'terrorism'PFI dissolves itself - statementPFI student wing CFI decries 'vendetta'NEW DELHI, Sept 28 (Reuters) - India declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) Islamic group and its affiliates unlawful on Wednesday, accusing them of involvement in terrorism and banning them for five years, after authorities detained more than 100 PFI members this month. The PFI's now-banned student wing, the Campus Front of India (CFI), called the government action a political vendetta and propaganda. The government said in a notification it had banned the PFI and affiliates CFI, Rehab India Foundation, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation, National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala. The PFI came together in late 2006 and was launched formally the next year with the merger of three organisations based in south India.

☆ U.S. pushes for 'constructive' India-Pakistan relations
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks after his meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at the State Department in Washington, U.S., September 26, 2022. "In our discussions today, we talked about the importance of managing a responsible relationship with India," Blinken said after meeting Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, without elaborating. "The relationship we have with India stands on its own; the relationship we have with Pakistan stands on its own," Price told a news conference. "We also want to do everything we can to see to it that these neighbours have relations with one another that are as constructive as can be possible." Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought three wars, mainly over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir.

☆ Sri Lanka to unveil debt restructuring plan to creditors
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe looks on during an interview with Reuters at Presidential Secretariat, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka August 18, 2022. The government has already held preliminary restructuring talks with neighbour India and diplomats based in Colombo. "Sri Lanka is focused on trying to get the IMF deal finalised by December or early next year." Sri Lanka's foreign currency debt was $47.3 billion as of end-2021 and local-currency debt at $53.6 billion, according to an update from the Ministry of Finance in August. The foreign currency debt includes $13 billion in international sovereign bonds held largely by private creditors, such as asset managers BlackRock (BLK.N) and Ashmore (ASHM.L).

☆ India says Ukraine conflict trajectory, outlook very concerning
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Krishna N. Das | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Stefani Reynolds/Pool via REUTERSNEW DELHI, Sept 22 (Reuters) - India told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that the trajectory of the Ukraine conflict was very concerning and that the outlook was more so, as New Delhi sharpened its calls for peace. As long-term trade and defence partners, India and Russia have sided with each other for years. India has stepped up purchases of oil and coal from Russia since the Ukraine war began in February. loadingPutin ordered Russia's first wartime mobilisation since World War Two on Wednesday and threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend his country. The United States has been trying to wean India off its decades-old heavy reliance on Russia for military equipment.

☆ U.S. welcomes Modi telling Putin now is 'not an era of war'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a bilateral meeting alongside the Quad Summit at Kantei Palace in Tokyo, Japan, May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The United States has welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment to Russian President Vladimir Putin that now was not the time for war, New Delhi's sharpest public response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Modi had spoken regularly to Putin since the war began in February, seeking dialogue and peace talks, but without publicly condemning the war. On the sidelines of a conference in Uzbekistan on Friday, Modi had told Putin, "Today's era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this," and added that democracy, diplomacy and dialogue kept the world together. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India starts debt-restructuring talks with Sri Lanka
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterfFILE PHOTO: A Navy officer stands in front of India's and Sri Lanka's national flags as Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Shoor is in the Colombo port during its visit in Colombo, Sri Lanka April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Dinuka LiyanawatteNEW DELHI, Sept 20 (Reuters) - India said on Tuesday it had started bilateral discussions with Sri Lanka on restructuring the crisis-hit neighbour's debt. The first round was held on Sept. 16 "in a cordial atmosphere" that showed India's support for an early conclusion and approval of an International Monetary Fund loan programme for Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Writing by Krishna N. Das Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India starts debt-restructuring talks with Sri Lanka, vows support
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man travels in a train as the Colombo harbour is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 20, 2022. "The discussions held in a cordial atmosphere symbolise India's support to early conclusion and approval of a suitable IMF programme for Sri Lanka," the High Commission said. Reuters reported last week, citing sources, that India did not plan to provide fresh financial support to Sri Lanka, as the island's battered economy had begun to stabilise. read moreThe High Commission said India had ongoing development projects worth about $3.5 billion in Sri Lanka, whose president earlier this month asked his officials to resolve obstacles to projects backed by India. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said Sri Lanka will turn a free trade agreement with India into a comprehensive economic and technological partnership.

The Indian government last year gave a $6 billion contract to state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HIAE.NS) for 83 of the locally produced Tejas jets for delivery starting around 2023 - four decades after it was first approved in 1983. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, keen to reduce India's reliance on foreign defence equipment, has also been making diplomatic efforts to export the jets. Britain said in April it would support India’s goal of building its own fighter jets. India currently has a mix of Russian, British and French fighter jets. read moreIndia is looking to ground all its Soviet-era Russian fighter jets, the MiG-21, by 2025, following a number of fatal crashes, the Times of India daily reported last month.

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