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☆ India to Replace Troops in Maldives With Civilians by May
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The roughly 80 soldiers stationed in the Indian Ocean archipelago will be replaced by civilians, officials from both countries said. As global powers jostle for influence in the Indo-Pacific region, India and China have wooed the Maldives, which has traditionally been close to neighbour India. New Delhi's ties with Male have under strain since Mohamed Muizzu was elected president of the Maldives last year, pledging to end the country's "India First" policy. The Indian troops manage those operations. The next bilateral meeting will be in Male in the last week of February, the Maldives foreign ministry said.

Persons: Krishn Kaushik, Mohamed Junayd NEW, Mohamed Muizzu, Mohamed Junayd, William Mallard Organizations: May, Maldivian Foreign Ministry, Dornier Locations: Mohamed Junayd NEW DELHI, India, Maldives, China, New Delhi, Delhi

☆ Modi's Party Set to Bring Contentious Common Civil Laws in India Through States
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Framing a national common law has been one of the three core, decades-old promises of Modi's Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). The northern state of Uttarakhand, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, is expected to unveil a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill next week, officials said. A committee set up in Uttarakhand in 2022 to draft the code will submit its work to the state government on Friday. "Several state governments across India are looking at whether a uniform civil code could be implemented," Nalin Kohli, a national BJP spokesperson said. Personal laws can be legislated by both federal and state governments, and other BJP-ruled states have said they could use the Uttarakhand UCC draft as a template.

Persons: Krishn Kaushik, Rupam Jain, Saurabh Sharma, Narendra Modi's, Modi's, Asaduddin Owaisi, Nalin Kohli, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Ram, Biswa Sarma, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Sumit Khanna, Jatindra, Lincoln Organizations: Saurabh Sharma NEW DELHI, Janta Party, BJP, UCC, Kashmir, Uttarakhand UCC, Reuters Locations: Indian, Jammu, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, India, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar

☆ Temple Tourism Set to Soar Under India's Modi
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

In comparison, about 9 million people visit Vatican City in a year and about 20 million Mecca. Since Modi inaugurated the Hindu pilgrimage site of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor on the banks of the Ganges in 2021 in his constituency of Varanasi, more than 130 million tourists have visited the area, according to government data. With nearly $200 billion in revenue, tourism contributes about 7% of India's economy, which is below most large emerging and developed economies by up to 5 percentage points. The new temple and renovations of many others are likely to greatly boost the electoral prospects of the Hindu nationalist party of Modi, who is widely expected to win a rare third straight term in general elections due by May. Muslims account for about 14% of India's population of 1.42 billion, most of them Hindus.

Persons: Krishna, Narendra Modi, Modi, Lord Ram, Monday's, Modi's, Sandeep Shastri, Krishn Kaushik, Ed Osmond Organizations: Das NEW, Indian, Monday, Jefferies, Analysts, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Ministry Locations: Das NEW DELHI, Ayodhya, Vatican, Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi, India's, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi

☆ Factbox-What Are the Contentious Events Behind India's New Ram Temple?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead a ceremony on Monday to consecrate a grand new temple to the Hindu god-king Ram, delivering on a campaign promise his political party made more than three decades ago. Legal battles ended in 2019 with the Supreme Court deciding to allow a Hindu temple to be built there, on condition that Muslims received another plot to build a mosque. In Dec. 1949, authorities seized the mosque after Hindu activists placed idols of Ram inside the disputed structure. Hindu and Muslim groups tried unsuccessfully to resolve the dispute through talks, before Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a nationwide campaign in 1990 to build the temple. He rode to the office of prime minister in 2014 on a Hindu nationalist platform that included the promise to build the temple.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Ram, Modi, Modi's, Nripendra Misra, Lord Vishnu, Babur, India's, Lal Krishna Advani, Krishn Kaushik, Krishna Das, YP Rajesh, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Reuters, Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, YP Locations: India, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, Gujarat

☆ Indian Navy Rescues Crew After Attack on Ship off Coast of Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The Houthi movement said its missiles had made a "direct hit" on the bulk carrier. U.S. officials said the move was aimed at cutting off funding and weapons the movement has used to attack or hijack ships. On Monday, Houthi forces had struck the U.S.-owned and operated dry bulk ship Gibraltar Eagle with an anti-ship ballistic missile. The alternative shipping route around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope can add 10-14 days to a journey compared to passage via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Freight rates have more than doubled since early December, according to maritime consultancy Drewry's world container index, while insurance sources say war risk premiums for shipments through the Red Sea are also rising.

Persons: Krishn Kaushik, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart NEW, Yemen's, Houthi, Denmark's, Shivam Patel, Simon Lewis, Pavel Polityuk, James Davey, Terje Solsvik, Keith Weir, Catherine Evans Organizations: Indian Navy, U.S, U.S . Navy, Shipping, Genco, Wednesday, Pepco, Denmark's Maersk, Maersk Locations: Phil Stewart NEW DELHI, WASHINGTON, U.S, Gulf, Aden, Genco Picardy, Iran, Asia, Europe, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, India, Picardy, States, Yemen, South Africa's, Suez, Ukraine, Africa

☆ Indian, Chinese Troops Clashed Twice in 2022 Even as Peace Talks Were On
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

At least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed in clashes in the area two years previously, in mid-2020. Details of the new clashes emerged after the Indian Army awarded gallantry medals to some of its soldiers, who it said challenged Chinese troops trying to enter Indian territory in at least two incidents in 2022. During physical jostling, an Indian soldier wounded at least four Chinese troops and snatched their rifles, “forcing them to go back”, it said. In the second incident in November, 2022, Indian troops pushed back “a group of 40 to 50 soldiers of (PLA)” who were trying to enter Indian territory. A unit of Indian soldiers attacked and injured them, “thus foiling the enemy’s plan to capture the post”, another citation said.

Persons: Krishn Kaushik, ”, “, YP Rajesh, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Krishn Kaushik NEW DELHI, Indian Army, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, YP Locations: New Delhi, Beijing, India's Ladakh, Ladakh, India, China

"After these results, it looks like there is no stopping Modi," said Yashwant Deshmukh, poll expert with C-Voter agency, adding that stopping Modi would be a "herculean task". The BJP won the regional votes in three of four major states, including central Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which were ruled by Congress. One of the challenges facing the opposition are the factious ties within the INDIA alliance. Congress refused to share seats in state polls with key regional ally the Samajwadi Party. "The future of the alliance is good if the Congress party works on it with full commitment," he said.

Persons: India's, Narendra Modi, of Home Affairs Amit Shah, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Yashwant Deshmukh, Rahul Gandhi, Manish Tewari, Manoj Kaka, Gandhi, Baijayant Panda, Saurabh Sharma, Miral Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian, Union, of Home Affairs, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, Voter, Congress, Reuters, Samajwadi Party, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, DELHI, Britain, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, INDIA, Lucknow

"We always said we will win the heartland states," BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda told Reuters. However, a 28-party opposition alliance led by the Congress party has come together to jointly fight BJP, posing a new challenge. But the alliance did not feature in the state polls due to internal rivalries and it was a direct contest between BJP and Congress. Politicians and analysts say state elections do not always influence the outcome of the general elections or accurately indicate national voter mood. Results of the last round of state elections before national elections have been misleading in the past.

Persons: Stringer, Narendra Modi, Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Gandhi, Supriya Shrinate, Gurmeet Chadha, Ira Dugal, Lincoln, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Telangana, Reuters, Developmental, Congress, Thomson Locations: Madhya Pradesh, Indore, India, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Karnataka, Mizoram, Mumbai

☆ India agrees to withdraw soldiers from Maldives - President Muizzu
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mohamed Muizzu, the newly elected president of Maldives speaks during his inauguration ceremony in Male, Maldives November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Nishan Ali/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Dec 3 (Reuters) - India's government has agreed to withdraw its soldiers from the Maldives, the Indian Ocean archipelago's President Mohamed Muizzu said on Sunday. "In the discussions we had, the Indian government has agreed to remove Indian soldiers," Muizzu told reporters. India provides certain military equipment to the Maldives, assists in disaster response and has been helping build a naval dockyard there. Most of the Indian military personnel were in the Maldives to operate and manage two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft given to the Maldives by India.

Persons: Mohamed Muizzu, Nishan Ali, Muizzu, India's, Kiren, Mohamed Junayd, Krishn Kaushik, Aditya Kalra, Bernadette Baum, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Indian, Dornier, Thomson Locations: Maldives, Male, India, New Delhi, China

The official told Gupta - who the prosecutors described as an Indian national involved in drugs and weapons trafficking - about a "target" in New York. The official wanted Gupta to orchestrate the target's murder, in exchange for getting criminal charges against him in India dropped. While prosecutors have not identified the alleged victim, a senior administration official told Reuters it was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based lawyer who leads a separatist group called Sikhs for Justice. U.S. prosecutors did not name the Indian official, who they described as a government employee responsible for intelligence and security matters. "We are all counting on you," Gupta told the purported hitman in a video call on June 12.

Persons: Nikhil Gupta, Gupta, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Pannun, Narendra Modi's, Gupta's, Jake Sullivan, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Nijjar, Modi, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Luc Cohen, Krishn Kaushik, Trevor Hunnicut, Heather Timmons Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, Indian, Reuters, Justice, Administration, Manhattan, National Security, U.S, White, Canadian, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, DELHI, Indian, New York, India, India's Gujarat, United States, Washington, New Delhi, Vancouver, Prague, Delhi

U.S. officials, after learning about the plot in late July, demanded that India investigate, a senior administration official said. High-level meetings and pledges of closer cooperation have continued, with Biden's secretaries of state and defense visiting Delhi this month. A senior U.S. administration official called the assassination plot a "serious matter" and said Washington expects India to stop such activities, even as the Biden administration pursues "an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation" with India. Biden has made a priority of nurturing ties with India, hoping to counter China’s ambitions in Asia while drawing India away from Russia as the U.S. seeks to isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. "Both the U.S. and India realize that they need each other, perhaps the U.S. a bit more than India."

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Nikhil Gupta, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Biden, Modi, Lisa Curtis, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada’s, Happymon Jacob, Richard Rossow, Ashley Tellis, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Krishn Kaushik, Jonathan Landay, Trevor Hunnicutt, Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Eisenhower, White, REUTERS, Rights, Federal, New, New York City, Indian, White House, CIA, Washington, South, National Security Council, Canada, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Biden Administration, Carnegie Endowment, International, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, India, Washington , U.S, U.S, China, Manhattan, New York, New Delhi, Delhi, The U.S, Central Asia, Asia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, York, Canada, Vancouver suburb, Gujarat

The flags of the United States and India are displayed on the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 29 (Reuters) - India will formally investigate security concerns aired by the United States in a warning to New Delhi about its links to a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The Financial Times newspaper on Nov. 22 first reported the thwarted plot against Pannun in the United States. The White House said it was treating the issue with "utmost seriousness" and had raised it with India at the "seniormost levels". The foiled plot and the U.S. concerns were reported two months after Canada said it was looking at credible allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, in a Vancouver suburb.

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Gurpatwant Singh, Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Narendra Modi's, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Sanjay Verma, India’s, Verma, Krishn Kaushik, Shivam Patel, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Eisenhower, White, REUTERS, White House, Financial Times, U.S, Indian, Reuters, Defence, CTV, Thomson Locations: United States, India, Washington , U.S, DELHI, New Delhi, China, Delhi, U.S, Canada, Vancouver, . New Delhi, Canadian, Ottawa

Prosecutors did not name the Indian official or the target, although they did describe the latter as a U.S. citizen of Indian origin. The Indian official is described in the related indictment as a "senior field officer" with responsibilities in "security management" and "intelligence" employed by the Indian government who "directed the plot from India." It was a "matter of concern" that an Indian government official was linked to the plot, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday, adding, "This is also contrary to government policy." 'WE HAVE SO MANY TARGETS'According to U.S. prosecutors, the Indian official recruited Gupta in May 2023 to orchestrate the assassination. The groups have kept alive the movement for Khalistan, or the demand for an independent Sikh state to be carved out of India.

Persons: Nikhil Gupta, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Gupta, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Damian Williams, Biden, Bill Burns, Narendra Modi, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Arindam Bagchi, Bagchi, Adrienne Watson, credibly, Pannun, Nijjar, Luc Cohen, Krishn Kaushik, Shivam Patel, Jeff Mason, David Brunnstrom, Heather Timmons, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, Indian, U.S . Justice, New, New York City, Prosecutors, Biden, National, National Intelligence, White House National Security Council, Reuters, Administration, Air, Air India Boeing, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, New York, India, United States, Canada, Czech, Vancouver, New Delhi, China, Air India, Washington

☆ India markets regulator to oversee online platforms offering fraction real estate assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Jayshree P Upadhyay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man walks past the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsMUMBAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The board of India's markets regulator on Saturday said it will regulate online platforms offering fractional ownership of real estate assets, and such platforms will be registered under a framework for small and medium real estate investment trusts. In a statement after its quarterly board meeting, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) also said that fresh investments by alternative investment funds would be stored electronically from Sept. 2024. But Buch said the rise in equity derivatives trading did not pose any systemic concerns. Concerns regarding SEBI's plan to allow same-day settlement of equity market trades to help retail investors were "exaggerated”, Buch said.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Madhabi Puri Buch, Buch, SEBI, Jayshree, Krishn Kaushik, Alexandra Hudson, Christina Fincher Organizations: Securities and Exchange Board of India, REUTERS, Rights, National Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Rights MUMBAI

REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCOLOMBO, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka will likely approve on Monday a proposal from Chinese state refiner Sinopec to build a $4.5-billion-dollar refinery, the South Asian island nation's energy minister said on Saturday. Sri Lanka, trying to recover from its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years, is hungry for new investment and local fuel supplies. The investment will add to Sinopec's recently started fuel retailing business, the third international company with a foothold in Sri Lanka, with a license to operates 150 petrol stations. Sinopec's fuel oil division, which runs the retail business there, began in 2019 supplying marine bunker fuel at Hambantota, another Sinopec official said. Sri Lanka's refinery at Sapugaskanda, commissioned in 1969, can process 38,000 barrels of oil a day.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Kanchana Wijesekera, Wijesekera, Vitol, Uditha Jayasinghe, Chen Aizhu, Krishn Kaushik, William Mallard Organizations: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, and Energy, Reuters, Sri, China Merchant Port Holdings, Initiative, China Merchants, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Sri Lanka, China's, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Colombo, Sinopec, Hambantota, Europe, Asia, Lanka's, Sapugaskanda

☆ India announces phased introduction of biogas blending for domestic use
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Biogas, methane collected from dairy farms, is piped into a cleaning facility at the Calgren facility in Pixley, California, U.S., October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - India will start blending compressed biogas with natural gas to boost domestic demand and cut reliance on natural gas imports, the government said in a statement on Saturday. The mandatory phased introduction will start at 1% for use in automobiles and households from April 2025, it said. The government also aims to have 1% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in aircraft turbine fuel by 2027, doubling to 2% in 2028. The SAF targets will initially apply to international flights, the statement said.

Persons: Mike Blake, Nidhi Verma, Krishn Kaushik, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, SAF, Thomson Locations: Pixley , California, U.S, DELHI, India

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON/NEW DELHI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The United States is treating a reported plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil with utmost seriousness and has raised the issue with the Indian government "at the senior-most levels," the White House said on Wednesday. The Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources, that U.S. authorities thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns the government in New Delhi was involved. It stated he threatened in video messages to not let Air India operate anywhere in the world. The case comes against the historical backdrop of a bombing in 1985 of an Air India aircraft flying from Canada to India that killed 329, and for which Sikh militants were blamed. Pannun told Reuters on Tuesday that his message was to "boycott Air India not bomb."

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Pannun, Adrienne Watson, Biden, Arindam Bagchi, Bagchi, Hardeep Singh, Shivam Patel, Krishn Kaushik, Jeff Mason, David Brunnstrom, Andrew Goudsward, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson, Alistair Bell Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Financial Times, Air India, Indian, Washington, FBI, U.S . Justice, India's National Investigation Agency, Sikh, Reuters, Air, Justice, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, DELHI, United States, India, New Delhi, Canada, Vancouver, U.S, New York, Air India

☆ U.S. thwarts plot to kill Sikh separatist, issues warning to India - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns the government in New Delhi was involved, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The Financial Times said that the sources did not say if the protest to India resulted in the plot being abandoned by the plotters, or if it was foiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Apart from the diplomatic warning to India, U.S. federal prosecutors have also filed a sealed indictment against at least one suspect in a New York district court, the FT report said. Pannun, like Nijjar, is a proponent of a decades-long, but now a fringe demand to carve out an independent Sikh homeland from India named Khalistan. The Financial Times report mentioned that the U.S. shared details of the thwarted plot with a wider group of allies after Canada's public accusation.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Pannun, Shivam Patel, Krishn Kaushik, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, Financial Times, U.S, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indian, Khalistan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, DELHI, United States, India, New Delhi, Canada, Vancouver suburb, U.S, New York, Canadian

☆ Safety of Defence Personnel 'Utmost Priority', Australia Says After China Warship Incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The safety and wellbeing of Australian defence personnel is Canberra's "utmost priority" and Australia expects all countries to operate militaries in a safe and professional manner, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday. Wong's comments came a week after an incident involving a Chinese warship and an Australian navy vessel in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in which an Australian military diver was injured. HMAS Toowoomba - a long-range frigate - was conducting a diving operation on Nov. 14 to clear fishing nets from its propellers when the Chinese warship acted in a dangerous manner, Australia has said. India's relations with China have deteriorated since a 2020 border clash between their militaries in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed. Australia, she added, "will cooperate where we can, we will disagree where we must, and we will engage in our national interest".

Persons: Penny Wong, Wong's, Anthony Albanese's, Wong, Subrahmanyam, Richard Marles, YP Rajesh, Krishn Kaushik, Sharon Singleton Organizations: PLA Navy, Liberation Army Navy, PLA, Defence, Indian, YP Locations: DELHI, Australian, Japan's, New Delhi, Toowoomba, Australia, Beijing, Canberra, Ningbo, China, India

☆ Maldives New President Asks India to Withdraw Its Military
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MALE (Reuters) - Maldives new President Mohamed Muizzu, who campaigned on altering the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago's "India first" policy, has requested India withdraw its military from the country. Muizzu won the presidential election in September, ousting Ibrahim Solih in a runoff after promising to remove a small Indian military presence of some 75 personnel. At his inauguration on Friday, Muizzu said, "I will ensure that this country has no foreign military presence on its soil." Muizzu made the request to Kiren Rijiju, India's minister for earth sciences, who was representing India at the president's inauguration, it said. (Reporting by Krishn Kaushik in New Delhi and Mohamed Junayd in Male; Writing by Munsif Vengattil; Editing by William Mallard)

Persons: Mohamed Muizzu, Muizzu, Ibrahim Solih, Kiren, Krishn Kaushik, Mohamed Junayd, Munsif Vengattil, William Mallard Organizations: Indian Locations: Maldives, India, China, New Delhi

☆ Maldives new president asks India to withdraw its military
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mohamed Muizzu, Maldives presidential candidate of the opposition party, People's National Congress speaks with the media personnel during the second round of a presidential election in Male, Maldives September 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dhahau Naseem /File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMALE, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Maldives new President Mohamed Muizzu, who campaigned on altering the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago's "India first" policy, has requested India withdraw its military from the country. Muizzu won the presidential election in September, ousting Ibrahim Solih in a runoff after promising to remove a small Indian military presence of some 75 personnel. At his inauguration on Friday, Muizzu said, "I will ensure that this country has no foreign military presence on its soil." Muizzu made the request to Kiren Rijiju, India's minister for earth sciences, who was representing India at the president's inauguration, it said.

Persons: Mohamed Muizzu, Dhahau Naseem, Muizzu, Ibrahim Solih, Kiren, Krishn Kaushik, Mohamed Junayd, Munsif Vengattil, William Mallard Organizations: People's, REUTERS, Indian, Thomson Locations: Maldives, Male, India, China, New Delhi

☆ With drones and dawn assault, Myanmar's Chin rebels open new front
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The ethnic Chin fighters said they used drones to drop bombs on the military bases, and junta soldiers fought back - especially fiercely at Khawmawi - occasionally firing mortars. At least nine Chin fighters were killed in the assault, along with six junta soldiers, two Chin rebels said, asking not to be named. Suan and Lawma's account of the battle, which was corroborated by a rebel commander and six residents who witnessed some of the fighting, provides a rare ground-level insight into a widening assault against Myanmar's military junta. After the two military camps were overrun, 43 junta soldiers crossed over to India seeking shelter and most were subsequently flown back to Myanmar. On the other side stood armed Chin rebels, under a billowing Chin flag.

Persons: Suan, Chin, Min Tun, Sui Khar, Zaw Min Tun, Krishn Kaushik, Devjyot, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Arakan Army, Brotherhood Alliance, Chin, Thomson Locations: Khawmawi, India, Myanmar, Zokhawthar, Champhai district, India's, Mizoram, Chin State, Rihkhawdar, India's Champhai, Shan State, Myanmar's, China, Rakhine State, Kayah State, Thailand

☆ After battle with junta, Myanmar rebels take control of border point with India
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ZOKHAWTHAR, India, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Two days after rebel forces in Myanmar’s Chin state overran the junta’s two military bases close to the border with India, they have taken control of a border crossing point between the two countries across the tiny hilly Indian state of Mizoram. Most of the nearly 5,000 Myanmar nationals who had fled to India to escape intense fighting between the rebels and Myanmar military since early Monday morning had returned home as the situation calmed down, local leaders said. Rebel forces intend to take control of part of the porous border with India. Surrounded by lush green hills, the Chin flag was hoisted on a gate that welcomed visitors to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar at the Zokhawthar border crossing. Among those fleeing the attacks near Zokhawthar on Monday were 43 Myanmar soldiers who escaped the surprise attack by the rebels and entered India.

Persons: ”, Ramtharnghaka, Chanchinmawia, Krishn Kaushik, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Union of Myanmar, Assam Rifle, Chinland Defence Force, People’s Defence Force, Chin National Army, Young Mizo Association, Thomson Locations: ZOKHAWTHAR, India, Myanmar’s Chin, Mizoram, Myanmar, China, Shan State, Rakhine, Chin, India’s Zokhawthar, Republic of, Union, Zokhawthar

☆ After Battle With Junta, Myanmar Rebels Take Control of Border Point With India
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Most of the nearly 5,000 Myanmar nationals who had fled to India to escape intense fighting between the rebels and Myanmar military since early Monday morning had returned home as the situation calmed down, local leaders said. Rebel forces intend to take control of part of the porous border with India. Surrounded by lush green hills, the Chin flag was hoisted on a gate that welcomed visitors to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar at the Zokhawthar border crossing. Among those fleeing the attacks near Zokhawthar on Monday were 43 Myanmar soldiers who escaped the surprise attack by the rebels and entered India. The Indian authorities eventually sent most of them back by flying them to another border crossing point a few hundred km east.

Persons: Chanchinmawia, ”, Ramtharnghaka, Krishn Kaushik, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Union of Myanmar, Assam Rifle, Chinland Defence Force, People’s Defence Force, Chin National Army, Young Mizo Association Locations: Chanchinmawia ZOKHAWTHAR, India, Myanmar’s Chin, Mizoram, Myanmar, China, Shan State, Rakhine, Chin, India’s Zokhawthar, Republic of, Union, Zokhawthar

☆ Myanmar rebels seek to control border with India after early wins
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Dozens of rebels battled the Myanmar military from dawn to dusk on Monday to overrun two camps abutting India's Mizoram state, as part of a widening offensive against the junta-led administration, Chin National Front (CNF) Vice Chairman Sui Khar said. Following the battle, 43 Myanmar soldiers surrendered to Indian police and are currently sheltering in Mizoram, local police official Lalmalsawma Hnamte said. "Whether they will be pushed back or not, we are waiting for further instructions from the central government," he told Reuters. Chin rebels will now look to consolidate their control along the India-Myanmar border, where the Myanmar military has two more camps, Sui Khar said. A Rathedaung resident told Reuters on Tuesday the area came under artillery fire overnight and that military soldiers had entered the town.

Persons: Sui Khar, Kyaw Naing, Lalmalsawma Hnamte, Chin, Nobel, Aung, Suu Kyi, Krishn Kaushik, Kanupriya Kapoor, Devjyot, Michael Perry, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Chin, Myanmar's, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Reuters, Human Rights Organization, Myanmar, Arakan Army, Artillery, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, India, Farkawn, Mizoram, Myanmar's Shan, Kayah, Rakhine, Chin, Rakhine's, Myanmar's Chin, India's Mizoram, China, Shan State, Sittwe, Rathedaung, Minbya, Suu, MIZORAM, DELHI

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