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☆ India's construction sector levels up as housing demand spurs economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

That helped India expand at a forecast-beating 7.6%, making it one of the world's fastest-growing major economies. It has been driven by rising incomes for many Indians, a severe housing shortage in big cities and strong population growth. Builders are bullish long-term with many saying the boom could last two to three years and some even more optimistic. "The housing market could continue to perform well for another three to four years," Sanjeev Jain, managing director at Parsvnath Developers, a leading real estate company, noting that India is in the initial stages of a housing growth cycle. The government is also trying to boost the availability of affordable housing by providing subsidies, which is encouraging construction in India's smaller towns and cities.

Persons: Nifty, Sunil Sinha, Sanjeev Jain, Prashant Thakur, Jayesh Rathod, Narendra Modi's, Manoj Kumar, Nigam, Ira Dugal, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: DELHI, Fitch, Builders, Parsvnath Developers, Reuters, Graphics, Advisory, Prestige Estates, DLF, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: India, China, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, rocketed, Thane, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat

To be sure, China is still Walmart's biggest country for importing goods. "We want the best prices," Andrea Albright, Walmart's executive vice president of sourcing said in an interview. Walmart has been accelerating growth in India since 2018, when it bought a 77% stake in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart. Its rapidly growing workforce and technological advancement were a draw for Walmart, Albright said. The rising cost of shipping goods from China has also contributed to the switch to India, supply chain experts say.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, Andrea Albright, we're, Albright, Doug McMillon, Narendra Modi, Modi, McMillon, Rajesh Kharabanda, Chris Rogers, Shekhar Gupta, Devgiri, Richa Naidu, Siddharth Cavale, Casey Hall, Manoj Kumar, Matthew Scuffham, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Walmart, REUTERS, Companies Walmart, Reuters, Flipkart, Walmart Global Tech India, Indian, Amazon, Freewill, P, Thomson Locations: Teterboro , New Jersey, U.S, India, China, United States, Washington, Beijing, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangalore, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mundra Port, Gujarat

☆ Collapsed Indian tunnel had no safety exit, was built through geological fault - panel member
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Rahul Grover Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A tunnel which collapsed, trapping 41 workers in the Indian Himalayas this month, did not have an emergency exit and was built through a geological fault, a member of a panel of experts investigating the disaster said on Friday. Rescuers are still struggling to reach the construction workers 12 days after the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel caved in. Preliminary findings indicated the collapse may have been caused by a geological fault, known as a "shear zone", a member of the panel told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to the media. "Once the rescue operations are over, we will conduct detailed investigations to find out loopholes in the construction," the panel member said. The tunnel was being built by the state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation which is under India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Persons: Rahul Grover, Vishal Chauhan, Narendra Modi's, Hemant Dhyani, Manoj Kumar, YP Rajesh, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Media, REUTERS, Highways, Infrastructure Development Corporation, India's Ministry of Road Transport, National Highways Authority of India, Supreme, Reuters, YP, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, DELHI

☆ Amazon eyes $20 bln exports by 2025 from India, says company official
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Smartphone with Amazon logo is seen in front of displayed Indian flag in this illustration taken, July 30, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) is targeting merchandise exports worth $20 billion from India by 2025 by adding thousands of small sellers to its e-commerce platform, a company official said on Friday. Launched in 2015 with a handful of sellers, Amazon Global Trade, the business to consumers (B2C) exports platform of the e-commerce giant, is gaining traction in India. "Some of the sellers are first time exporters, including those who left their corporate jobs to start e-commerce exports," he said. On the e-commerce platform, the highest growth was seen in categories like beauty, apparels, home, kitchen, furniture, and toys.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Wakankar, Manoj Kumar, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon, Reuters, Amazon Global Trade, Amazon Prime, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany

☆ Reeling under toxic air, India's capital shuts schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People and vehicles are seen on a road amidst the morning smog in New Delhi, India, November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Reeling under hazardous air quality levels, India's capital New Delhi shut down all schools for an extended period on Wednesday, the latest in a series of measures to protect residents from growing air pollution. Air quality levels in the city were over 320 on the air quality index, a level categorised as 'hazardous' by Swiss group IQAir, although it was not as bad as the 400 range hit earlier this week. Schools in the capital city would remain closed from Thursday until Nov. 18 on a winter break, which was originally scheduled for January, the Delhi government said in a notification. Primary schools in the city had already been shut, as part of measures to protect young children against smog and growing air pollution.

Persons: Anushree, SAFAR, Shivam Patel, Manoj Kumar, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Swiss, Delhi, Farmers, Punjab, Haryana

☆ Indian farmers carry on burning stubble despite cost to health
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But for him, the only alternative to burning crop residues is to join the queue to hire machines to clear his field, which would cost him about $100 for his four-acre farm. More than 85% of Indian farmers are categorised as small, meaning that, like Sharma, they own about four acres or fewer. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has typically accounted for 30% to 40% of Delhi's October-November pollution, according to government air-quality monitoring agency SAFAR. POLITICAL WILL LACKINGAjay Singh Rana, a Haryana farm official, said the number of farms burning stubble in Karnal had dropped to 96 so far this year from 270 last year. ($1 = 83.1750 Indian rupees)Reporting by Manoj Kumar, additional reporting by Anushree Fadnavis; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anushree, Aashish Sharma, Sharma, SAFAR, Dharamvir Singh, Ajay Singh Rana, Sharma's, Mukhi Ram Sharma, Bajinder Pal Punia, Manoj Kumar, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Central Pollution Control, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Karnal district, Haryana, India, New Delhi, Sharma's, Karnal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Samalkha

NEW DELHI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - India's capital New Delhi was wrapped in a thick layer of toxic haze on Friday and some schools were ordered closed as the air quality index (AQI) plummeted to the "severe" category. In India, the annual average concentration of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) in the air is the highest in northern regions. Officials said they saw no immediate improvement in the air quality. Delhi hosts a World Cup match on Monday between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Poor air quality also caused respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes and restlessness in pet animals.

Persons: Aheed Khan, Ashwani Kumar, Prabhat Gangwar, Tanvi Mehta, Rajesh, Blassy Boben, Manoj Kumar, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: joggers, Residents, Officials, Control Committee, Farmers, Health, Friendicoes, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Swiss, Pakistani, Lahore, Delhi, India, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

India is by far Canada's largest source of global students in the country's fast-growing international education business, making up for roughly 40% of study permit holders. International students contribute over C$20 billion ($14.6 billion) to the Canadian economy each year. Reuters spoke to more than a dozen universities and consultants in Canada and India who said they were taking measures to reassure students. Last week, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller described international students "an asset that is very lucrative". In Punjab's Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple, one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, over 5,000 students moved to Canada last year.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, We've, Joseph Wong, Ashok Kumar Bhatia, John Tibbits, Tibbits, Marc Miller, Rhonda Lenton, Jiwan Sharma, Melanie Joly, Gurbakhshish Singh, Nivedita Balu, Wa, Manoj Kumar, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: Canada's, Canadian, Reuters, University of Toronto, Reuters Graphics, Association of Consultants, Overseas Studies, Conestoga, York, Taxi, Thomson Locations: India's, Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, TORONTO, AMRITSAR, India, New Delhi, British Columbia, Kitchener , Ontario, Punjab, Punjab's Amritsar, Ottawa, Amritsar, Wa Lone, Toronto

☆ Sikh group protests outside Golden Temple over killing in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A sign outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple is seen after the killing on its grounds in June 2023 of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Sikh activists on Friday staged a demonstration outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, demanding punishment for the killers of a Sikh separatist in Canada. Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told parliament that there may be a link between New Delhi and the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June in British Columbia. Holding posters of Nijjar, the protesters outside the holiest of Sikh shrines shouted slogans asking New Delhi to stop extrajudicial operations against separatists seeking Punjab as an independent state. Nijjar, who worked as a plumber, left the north Indian state of Punjab a quarter-century ago and became a Canadian citizen.

Persons: Nanak, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau, Paramjit Singh Mand, Dal, Kanwar Pal, Sunil Kataria, Mayank Bhardwaj, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Canadian, Dal Khalsa, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, Golden, Amritsar, Punjab, New Delhi, India, Canadian, Sikh

☆ Punjab's Sikhs Fear Canada-India Row Threatens Them at Home, Abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Outside of Punjab, the greatest number of Sikhs live in Canada, the site of many protests that have irked India. Still, though, the elder Nijjar said he is worried about deteriorating diplomatic relations with Canada and declining economic prospects in Punjab. The once-prosperous breadbasket of India, Punjab has been overtaken by states that focussed on manufacturing, services and technology in the last two decades. Modi's government has created "an atmosphere of fear", especially for young people, said Sandeep Singh, 31, from Nijjar's village. At the same time, the party says no one has done as much for the Sikhs as Modi.

Persons: Manoj Kumar BHARSINGHPURA, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Justin Trudeau, Himmat Singh Nijjar, Trudeau, Narendra Modi's, Nijjar, Gursimran Singh, Indira Gandhi, Modi's, Modi, Sandeep Singh, wouldn’t, Kanwar Pal, Manoj Kumar, YP Rajesh, William Mallard Organizations: Canadian, Ottawa, DREAM, CANADA, Hindu, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Dal Khalsa, Reuters, YP Locations: India, Canada, Punjab, North America, Canadian, Vancouver, Bharsinghpura, Amritsar, Nijjar's

☆ Punjab's Sikhs fear Canada-India row threatens them at home, abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Persons: Himmat Singh Nijjar, Hardeep Singh, Adnan Abidi, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Justin Trudeau, Trudeau, Narendra Modi's, Nijjar, Gursimran Singh, Indira Gandhi, Modi's, Modi, Sandeep Singh, wouldn’t, Kanwar Pal, Manoj Kumar, YP Rajesh, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Canadian, Ottawa, DREAM, CANADA, Hindu, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Dal Khalsa, YP, Thomson Locations: Jalandhar district, Punjab, India, Canada, North America, Canadian, Vancouver, Bharsinghpura, Amritsar, Nijjar's

☆ India-Canada relations: how could trade be affected as tensions rise?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On Tuesday, New Delhi dismissed the allegations as "absurd", and asked Canada instead to crack down on anti-India elements operating in its territory. Here is what is at stake for both countries:HOW ARE TRADE TALKS AFFECTED? Steady growth has seen goods trade rising to $8 billion in 2022, with Indian exports to Canada touching $4 billion and imports from Canada also worth $4 billion. Pharmaceutical products, worth about $418 million, made up the bulk of Indian exports last year, followed by iron and steel products worth about $328 million and machinery, nuclear reactors and boilers worth about $287 million. India's growing demand for imported lentils has benefited Canadian farmers, while Indian pharmaceutical and software companies have expanded their presence in the Canadian market.

Persons: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Nanak, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau, Canpotex, Manoj Kumar, Arpan Varghese, Jaiveer, Clarence Fernandez, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Trading Economics, UN, Canpotex, Pharmaceutical, Caisse, Ontario Teachers, Bombardier, SNC Lavalin, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Canadian Bureau of International Education, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, India, New Delhi, India's, Punjab, Bengaluru

☆ India-Canada row: What is at stake?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here is what is at stake for both countries:HOW ARE TRADE TALKS AFFECTED? Steady growth has seen goods trade rising to $8 billion in 2022, with Indian exports to Canada touching $4 billion and imports from Canada also worth $4 billion. India's growing demand for imported lentils has benefited Canadian farmers, while Indian pharmaceutical and software companies have expanded their presence in the Canadian market. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF INDIAN STUDENTS IN CANADA? Since 2018, India has been the largest source country for international students in Canada.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Manoj Kumar, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Bombardier, SNC Lavalin, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Canadian Bureau of International Education, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Canada, New Delhi, India's, Punjab

☆ Afghan Students Urge India to Extend Visas and Restart Scholarships
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

India has in the past offered scholarships to thousands of overseas students from countries such as Afghanistan to pursue undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. "The students are neither getting scholarships nor permission to work in India," he said. The ICCR has previously offered study grants to nearly 1,000 Afghan nationals to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies in India. These grants consisted of a monthly stipend of between 25,000 rupees ($301) and 28,500 rupees to Afghan students, on top of subsidised tuition fees and travel expenses. "I want to continue my studies in India, but the government has not released our stipends," said Parwana Hussaini, who came to India in 2016 for higher studies.

Persons: Manoj Kumar, Mayank Bhardwaj, Kumar Tuhin, ICCR, Parwana Hussaini, David Holmes Organizations: Mayank Bhardwaj NEW DELHI, Afghanistan Students ' Association, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, External Affairs, External Affairs Ministry Locations: India, New Delhi, Afghanistan

Police stand on a road outside 'Bharat Mandapam', the main venue of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, September 3, 2023. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 10 (Reuters) - India's strong leadership made it possible for G20 leaders to reach consensus in intense discussions on a summit message urging nations to shun use of force in territorial disputes, a senior European Union official said on Sunday. "Without India's leadership it would not have been possible," he added, referring to the summit declaration. The EU official, however, said there was not a single word on the Black Sea grain deal from Russia, which finds itself more isolated after the summit. The official said, "The European Union leadership made the points very strongly during the session.

Persons: Bharat Mandapam, Altaf Hussain, Putin, Manoj Kumar, Swati Bhat, Sudipto Ganguly, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Group, EU, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia

[1/5] U.S. President Joe Biden visits the Raj Ghat memorial with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and other G20 leaders, Sept. 10, 2023, in New Delhi. "Everything was reflected in a balanced form," Svetlana Lukash, the Russian G20 sherpa, or government negotiator, was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Interfax. "All members of the G20 have agreed to act as one in the interests of peace, security and conflict resolution around the world." The summit also admitted the African Union which includes 55 member states, as a permanent member of the G20. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has left tens of thousands dead, displaced millions and sown economic turmoil across the world.

Persons: Joe Biden, India Narendra Modi, Kenny Holston, Jake Sullivan, White, Biden, Russia's Lavrov, Li, Svetlana Lukash, Olaf Scholz, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Fumio Kishida, Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi, Sergei Lavrov, Li Qiang, Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Krishn Kaushik, Sanjeev Miglani, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, White, Russian G20, House, British, Russian, European Union, Thomson Locations: India, New Delhi, Vietnam, DELHI, Russia, U.S, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Germany, Britain, Brazil, South Africa

[1/3] A general view of the venue for the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, September 9, 2023. According to a draft of the summit declaration reviewed by Reuters, negotiators were unable to resolve disagreements over the wording on the war in Ukraine, leaving it to the leaders to reach a compromise if possible. According to another senior source in one of the G20 countries, the paragraph on the war on Ukraine had been agreed by Western countries and sent to Russia for its views. The official said Russia had the option to accept Western countries' views and give its dissent as part of the statement. The two-day summit is expected to be dominated by the West and its allies.

Persons: Amit Dave, Joe Biden, Biden, Sergei Lavrov, Creon Butler, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman, Japan's Fumio, Narendra Modi's, Manoj Kumar, Katya Golubkova, Krishn Kaushik, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Sanjeev Miglani, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Bharat, Reuters, White, Foreign, West, British, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, India's, Ukraine, Delhi, Russia, Western, EU, Saudi, China, Moscow

NEW DELHI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The European Union castigated Russia on Saturday for its "cynicism" in pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal, saying the offer of a million tons of grain to African countries was a "parody of generosity". "And what cynicism ... you did not accept this," Michel said in comments on the grain deal he directed at the Russian summit representative, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "Not only have you decided to pull out of this agreement on the Black Sea, but at the same time you are attacking the port infrastructure," he said. "You are blocking the ports that give access to the Black Sea, and even to the Danube." "What cynicism and contempt for African countries," he said, adding that the Black Sea deal had delivered exports of more than 30 million tons so far, chiefly to the most vulnerable nations.

Persons: Charles Michel, Michel, Sergei Lavrov, Tayyip Erdogan, Fumio Kishida, Erdogan's, Shivangi Acharya, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Mayank Bhardwaj, Manoj Kumar, Ekaterina Golubkova, Clarence Fernandez, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: European Union, Russia, European Council, Moscow's, United, Japanese, Reuters, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Africa, Russia, Russian, United Nations, Turkey, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, Japan, Kyiv

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Leaders' Declaration had been adopted on the first day of the weekend G20 summit in New Delhi. "On the back of the hard work of all the teams, we have received consensus on the G20 Leaders Summit Declaration. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the declaration had "very strong language about Russia's illegal war in Ukraine". The declaration also called for the implementation of the Black Sea initiative for the safe flow of grain, food and fertiliser from Ukraine and Russia. Despite the compromise over the Leaders' Declaration, the summit had been expected to be dominated by the West and its allies.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Evan Vucci, Germany's Scholz, Modi, Olaf Scholz, Rishi Sunak, Sergei Lavrov, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's, Biden, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Scholz, Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman, Japan's Fumio, Jon, Manoj Kumar, Katya Golubkova, Krishn Kaushik, Mayank Bhardwaj, Michel Rose, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Sanjeev Miglani, Jacqueline Wong, Kim Coghill, Alexander Smith Organizations: Indian, REUTERS Acquire, British, Foreign, INDIA, India's sherpa, Bharat, African Union, West, United Arab, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Ukraine, Russia, DELHI, Ukrainian, Moscow, CHINA, China, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Saudi, U.S, Delhi, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, United Arab Emirates

☆ EU's Michel says hard to predict if G20 can agree on declaration
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] European Council President Charles Michel attends a press briefing ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Amit Dave Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 8 (Reuters) - It is difficult to predict if leaders of the G20 grouping gathering for a summit in New Delhi this weekend can reach consensus on a declaration, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday. "It's difficult to predict if it will be possible to have an agreement on the declaration," Michel told a press conference in the Indian capital. He added, "I don't intend to say something that will make the efforts more difficult. Reporting by Manoj Kumar, Chris Thomas; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Charles Michel, Amit Dave, Michel, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergei Lavrov, Li Qiang, Manoj Kumar, Chris Thomas, Shivam Patel, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: European, REUTERS, Beijing, European Union, EU, UN, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Ukraine, Russia, China, Moscow, Russian

☆ G20 members struggle for consensus on Ukraine as India gears up for summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] A model of G20 is pictured outside ITC Maurya hotel ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, September 8, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping is skipping the meeting and sending Premier Li Qiang instead, while Russia's Vladimir Putin will also be absent. The most important thing that can be done to support global economic growth is for Russia to end its brutal war in Ukraine, she said. The IMF has forecast lower growth for most G20 nations this year than in 2022. It is difficult to predict whether leaders will reach a consensus on a declaration but EU will support efforts made by India for a final communique, Michel told reporters in New Delhi.

Persons: Amit Dave, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman, Japan's Fumio, Rishi Sunak, Narendra Modi, Janet Yellen, saidWashington, Yellen, Charles Michel, Michel, Nikunj Ohri, Manoj Kumar, Krishn Kaushik, Aftab Ahmed, YP Rajesh, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, West, U.S, Financial Times, Treasury, IMF, Reuters, YP, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Ukraine, Saudi, Russia, U.S, Moscow

According to the median forecast (INGDPQ=ECI) in a Reuters poll of economists, India's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 7.7% in the past quarter, up from 6.1% growth in the previous quarter and its fastest expansion since April-June 2022. Reuters GraphicsStrong growth in India's services sector, which makes up more than half of its economic output, has helped Asia's third-largest economy buck the global slowdown that has left many major economies, including China, stuttering. S&P Global India services Purchasing Managers' Index (INPMIS=ECI) has remained firmly above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction for nearly two years, the longest stretch since August 2011. To support growth, Indian government has been front-loading its annual spending on infrastructure. Additionally, slowing global growth and exports and a comparison with higher growth rates a year ago will also weigh on growth in quarters ahead.

Persons: Manoj Kumar, Suvodeep Rakshit, Kaushik Das, Rahul Bajoria, Aftab Ahmed, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, P Global, Deutsche Bank's, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Faridabad, New Delhi, India, China, P Global India

☆ G20 agrees to work on WTO reforms ahead of key meet early next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A man walks past a model of G20 logo outside the finance ministry in New Delhi, India, March 1, 2023. Under President Joe Biden, Washington has resisted calls by WTO members to approve appointments and has instead been leading negotiations on how to reboot the WTO's paralysed dispute mechanism. Proposed reforms would include having a well-functioning Dispute Settlement System accessible to all members by 2024, as per the statement. At the Rajasthan meeting, G20 members also agreed to improve WTO functioning and strengthen trust in the multilateral trading system. The G20 takes in countries conducting over 75% of global trade and is presently functioning under Indian presidency.

Persons: Anushree, Piyush Goyal, Donald Trump's, Joe Biden, Washington, Shivangi Acharya, Manoj Kumar, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, World Trade Organization, WTO, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Abu Dhabi, Rajasthan

☆ Dubai's DP World to invest $510 million in India's Gujarat state
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] General view of a stock yard of DP World's fully automated Terminal 2 at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 27, 2018. REUTERS/ Hamad I Mohammed Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Dubai-owned ports giant DP World [RIC:RIC:DPWRD.UL] will invest around $510 million to build a new container terminal at the Kandla port in the Indian state of Gujarat, its group chairman said on Friday. DP world, which operates in 73 countries, last week reported a nearly 10% fall in first-half profit to $651 million despite a 13.9% year-on-year rise in revenue to more than $9 billion. The new terminal will take the combined capacity to 8.19 million TEUs, a company statement said. DP World’s Indian port and terminal investments are aligned with the country's Vision 2047, which aims to quadruple port handling capacity and develop logistics infrastructure to boost economic growth, the statement said.

Persons: Hamad, Mohammed, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Manoj Kumar, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, DELHI, Deendayal Port Authority, DP, Hindustan Infralog Private, National Investment, Infrastructure Fund, Thomson Locations: Jebel Ali Port, Dubai, United Arab, Indian, Gujarat, India, Deendayal, Hindustan, Mumbai, Mundra, Cochin, Chennai

Burger King's new chicken sandwich "Ch'King" is seen on display in New York, NY, U.S. May 19, 2021. "Even tomatoes need a vacation ... we are unable to add tomatoes to our food," read notices pasted at two Burger King India outlets. The burger chain, one of India's biggest with nearly 400 outlets, joins many McDonald's and Subway stores that have removed tomatoes from menus as India's food inflation this week hit its highest since January 2020. reads a question on the support page of Burger King India's web site. Restaurant Brands Asia (RESR.NS), which operates Burger King in India, did not respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Burger, Aleksandra Michalska, Amnish Aggarwal, Narendra Modi's, Manoj Kumar, Aditya Kalra, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Burger King, Restaurant Brands, Thomson Locations: New York, NY, U.S, DELHI, CHENNAI, Burger King India, Burger, India, India's, Nepal, New Delhi, Chennai

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