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☆ Indian State's Polygamy Ban Divides Some Muslim Women
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

For others like Jafar, Muslim politicians and Islamic scholars, it is an unwelcome stunt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party. A 2013 survey found 91.7% of Muslim women nationwide saying a Muslim man should not be allowed to have another wife while married to the first. The Supreme Court in 2017 found the Islamic instant divorce unconstitutional, but the order did not ban polygamy or some other practices that critics say violate equal rights for women. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board called the code impractical and a direct threat to a multi-religious Indian society. "Banning polygamy makes little sense because data shows very few Muslim men have more than one wife in India," said board official S.Q.R.

Persons: Bano, Sadaf Jafar, Jafar, Narendra Modi's, Modi's, Ilyas, Rupam Jain, William Mallard Organizations: DELHI, Reuters, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, SOCIETY BJP, Islam Locations: Islam, Uttarakhand, India's, India, Uttar Pradesh

☆ Violent Protests in Indian City Kills Two, More Than 80 Injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two people were killed and more than 80 injured in violent protests in India's northern city of Haldwani following a government demolition drive against what it calls illegal encroachments, officials said on Friday. "I can confirm two have lost their lives and three people are serious (injured)," said senior police official Prahlad Narayan Meena. "Over 80 suffered injuries due to stone pelting, including some police and reporters." He said locals of the area, including Muslim clerics, should have been taken into confidence before starting the drive. "Every rioter who indulged in arson and stone pelting is being identified.

Persons: Prahlad Narayan Meena, Sumit, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Saurabh Sharma, Rupam Jain, Michael Perry Organizations: Police Locations: DELHI, India's, Haldwani, Uttarakhand, Nainital, New 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

"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's ruling BJP, opposition Congress in tight race to win state elections-exit polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Three of the five states in contention have witnessed a tough battle between Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party. BJP has been in power in one of the states, Congress in two, and regional parties in the remaining two. At least nine exit polls predicted Congress party's victory in mineral-rich Chattisgarh and Telangana state. A regional party was set to win again in the northeastern state of Mizoram, according to two exit polls. Politicians and analysts also note that state elections do not always influence the outcome of the general elections or indicate national voter mood.

Persons: Stringer, Narendra Modi's, Rupam, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, India Today, Thomson Locations: Rajasthan, Ajmer, India, DELHI, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram

☆ Three Bangladeshi tourists die in houseboat fire in India's Kashmir
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SRINAGAR, India Nov 11 (Reuters) - Three Bangladeshi tourists died in India's Kashmir region when some of the houseboats stationed in the picturesque Dal lake caught fire on Saturday, a police official said. "Three tourists Bangladeshi nationals were killed in one of the five houseboats destroyed due to fire," the police official said, adding that seven others were injured. Government figures show the Jammu and Kashmir region received over 16.2 million tourists in 2022, a record high since British colonial rule ended in 1947. The area is known for its snow-topped Himalayan mountains, fast-flowing rivers, meadows and wooden houseboats around beautiful lakes. Hindu-majority India has been fighting a decades-long separatist Islamist insurgency in Kashmir, which is also claimed by neighbouring Pakistan.

Persons: Narendra Modi's, Fayaz Bukhari, Rupam Jain, Christina Fincher Organizations: Police, Thomson Locations: SRINAGAR, India, India's Kashmir, Dal, Jammu, Kashmir, Pakistan

☆ How India’s Hindu nationalist BJP seeks Muslim vote in 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Specifics of the BJP's Muslim outreach strategy, such as the messaging it is using to target voters in these seats, have not been previously reported. The campaign is part of a larger push to woo India's 200 million Muslims, with whom the BJP and Modi have a long and fraught history. ECONOMY-FIRST AND MUSLIM VOTERSThe BJP's website states that secularism in India has become "minority appeasement ... at the cost of majority". They shared details of internal party strategy on condition of anonymity. BJP leaders such as Islam, a former India head of Deutsche bank, said the opposition has taken Muslim votes for granted and neglected their welfare.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Nafis Ansari, Ansari, Jamal Siddiqui, Modi Mitrs, Syed Zafar Islam, Siddiqui, doesn't, Hilal Ahmed, Yasser Jilani, Ujir Hossain, Mohammed, Hossain, Hossain Dada, Qasim, Amana Begam Ansari, Critics, Ahmed, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Tiwari, Rupam Jain, Katerina Ang Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rivals, Analysts, Indian, Reuters, Centre, Congress, Deutsche, Samajwadi Party, Thomson Locations: Balasinore, Indian, Ahmedabad, Madhya Pradesh, India, Delhi, West Bengal, BJP

☆ How Modi's BJP seeks Muslim vote in India's 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

☆ Indian states vote in key test for Modi and rivals ahead of 2024 general election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends an Innovation conference with Israeli and Indian CEOs in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 6, 2017. Modi and leaders of the main opposition Congress party headed by Rahul Gandhi have criss-crossed the five states, addressing campaign rallies and promising cash doles, farm loan waivers, subsidies and insurance covers, among others, to woo voters. But surveys suggest Modi remains popular after a decade in power and will likely win a third term. Votes in all five states will be counted on Dec. 3 and results expected the same day. The elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram states are mainly a contest between BJP and Congress.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Oded, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Gandhi, Raman Singh, Singh, Sachin, YP Rajesh, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Indian, REUTERS, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, Developmental Inclusive, BJP, Congress, Reuters, YP, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, DELHI, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Mizoram

☆ Indian States Vote in Key Test for Modi and Rivals Ahead of 2024 General Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Rupam JainNEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two of five Indian states due to elect new legislatures this month began voting on Tuesday, a big test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chances of winning a third term in a national election due by May. Modi and leaders of the main opposition Congress party headed by Rahul Gandhi have criss-crossed the five states, addressing campaign rallies and promising cash doles, farm loan waivers, subsidies and insurance covers, among others, to woo voters. But surveys suggest Modi remains popular after a decade in power and will likely win a third term. Votes in all five states will be counted on Dec. 3 and results expected the same day. The elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram states are mainly a contest between BJP and Congress.

Persons: Narendra Modi's, Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Gandhi, Raman Singh, Singh, Sachin, YP Rajesh, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: DELHI, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, Developmental Inclusive, BJP, Congress, Reuters, YP Locations: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Mizoram

☆ India Probing IPhone Hacking Complaints by Opposition Politicians - Minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's cyber security agency is investigating complaints of mobile phone hacking by senior opposition politicians who reported receiving warning messages from Apple, Information Technology Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw said. A senior minister from Modi's government also said he had received the same notification on his phone. Apple said it did not attribute the threat notifications to "any specific state-sponsored attacker", adding that "it's possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected". In 2021, India was rocked by reports that the government had used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to snoop on scores of journalists, activists and politicians, including Gandhi. The government has declined to reply to questions about whether India or any of its state agencies had purchased Pegasus spyware for surveillance.

Persons: Ashwani Vaishnaw, Vaishnaw, Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi's, Apple, Gandhi, Rupam Jain, Munsif, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Apple, Information Technology, Indian Express, Reuters, Pegasus Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, India

☆ India probing iPhone hacking complaints by opposition politicians - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of India's main opposition Congress party, addresses the media in New Delhi, India, August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 2 (Reuters) - India's cyber security agency is investigating complaints of mobile phone hacking by senior opposition politicians who reported receiving warning messages from Apple (AAPL.O), Information Technology Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw said. A senior minister from Modi's government also said he had received the same notification on his phone. Apple said it did not attribute the threat notifications to "any specific state-sponsored attacker", adding that "it's possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected". The government has declined to reply to questions about whether India or any of its state agencies had purchased Pegasus spyware for surveillance.

Persons: Rahul Gandhi, India's, Altaf Hussain, Ashwani Vaishnaw, Vaishnaw, Narendra Modi's, Apple, Gandhi, Rupam Jain, Munsif, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Apple, Information Technology, Indian Express, Reuters, Pegasus, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI

☆ India opposition accuses govt of trying to hack lawmakers' iPhones
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of India's main opposition Congress party, gestures as he addresses the media at Congress' headquarters in New Delhi, India, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI Oct 31 (Reuters) - Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of trying to hack into senior opposition politicians' mobile phones, after they reported receiving warning messages from Apple (AAPL.O). "Hack us all you want," Gandhi told a news conference in New Delhi, in reference to Modi. In 2021, India was rocked by reports that the government had used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to snoop on scores of journalists, activists and politicians, including Gandhi. The government has declined to reply to questions whether India or any of its state agencies had purchased Pegasus spyware for surveillance.

Persons: Rahul Gandhi, India's, Anushree, Narendra Modi's, Apple, Gandhi, Modi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jairam Ramesh, Shivam Patel, Rupam, John Stonestreet Organizations: Congress, REUTERS, Apple, Information Technology, Pegasus, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI

☆ Indian deputy IT minister investigated over social media post after attack on Jehovah's Witnesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Jose Devasia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People stand outside the Zamra International Convention and Exhibition Centre where multiple blasts occurred during a religious gathering of Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian group, in Kochi, India, October 29, 2023. REUTERS/Sivaram V/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India Oct 31 (Reuters) - Police in Kerala opened an investigation against India's deputy minister of Information Technology on Tuesday for allegedly stirring religious hatred on social media after bomb blasts at a Jehovah's Witnesses convention in the southern state. More than 2,000 people were attending the convention in the state, where the Jehovah's Witnesses have a strong presence. Police arrested a man after he posted a video claiming responsibility for the attack, accusing the religious group of being anti-national. Chandrashekhar's aide told Reuters the criminal case filed by the Kerala police would be addressed by the minister's lawyer.

Persons: Sivaram, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Narendra Modi's, Kerala's, Chandrashekhar, Hillary Clinton's, Khaled Mashal, Pinarayi Vijayan, Vijayan, Israel, Rupam Jain, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Exhibition, REUTERS, Rights, Police, Information Technology, Communist, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Zamra, Kochi, India, Rights THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala, Gaza

☆ Nipah virus outbreak in India renews calls to protect bat roosts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Sreekanth Sivadasan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +15 min

Because spillover risk is concentrated in lower income countries in the tropical south, the cost of preventing another pandemic falls squarely on nations that can least afford it. To that end, federal and state officials say they are talking about ways to protect bat habitats in areas where spillover risk is high. Investigators still don’t know precisely how the virus jumped from bats to people in each of the four Kerala outbreaks dating back to 2018. BAT MAGNETS: Bananas and areca nuts grow on land that was home to the first patient who died in a recent Nipah outbreak in Kerala, India. The state would need to act to protect trees and bat roosts, they said.

Persons: Subrat Mohapatra, ” Mohapatra, coronaviruses, Bhupender Yadav, Veena George, ”, Nigel Sizer, Biden, Sizer, Pamela Hamamoto, Muhammad Ali, Pinarayi Vijayan, Sreehari Raman, “ I've, ” Raman, Kerala Agricultural University Dean P.O, Nameer, Sajith Kizhakkayil, “, ” Vijayan, Unni Vengeri, Francisco Pérez, Sreekanth Sivadasan, Rupam Jain, Deborah J, Nelson, Ryan McNeill, Allison Martell, Sam Hart, Simon Newman, Janet Roberts, Feilding Organizations: World Health Organization, Reuters, WHO, Bank, Fund, European, European Union, BAT, Kerala Agricultural University, Research, United, Coalition, European Commission Locations: INDIA, India’s Kerala, India’s, Asia, Kerala, Kozhikode, Geneva, U.S, European, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, United Nations, Maruthonkara, Changaroth, Kerala’s midland, Berlin

☆ Indian rescuers struggle to reach flood-hit areas where over 100 are missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People walk along a street as a jeep is buried in the mud due to the flood at Teesta Bazaar in Kalimpong District, West Bengal, India October 4, 2023. "We are waiting for weather conditions to improve as only then air force and other rescue teams could venture into the flood-hit areas," said V.B.Pathak, the state's chief secretary. Hundreds of search and rescue personnel have been deployed across Sikkim and in the northern parts of the neighbouring West Bengal state. A key highway that linked Sikkim with Siliguri in West Bengal also collapsed due to the floods. Local lawmakers were looking at whether trekking routes could be used to reach disaster-hit areas, said Bandana Chettri, a spokeswoman for the state's tourism ministry.

Persons: Brihat, Bandana Chettri, Subrata Nag Choudhury, Rupam Jain, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Kalimpong District, West Bengal, India, KOLKATA, Sikkim, Gangtok, NHPC, Siliguri, Asia's, Nepal, Bhutan, China

"Indefinite curfew had to be implemented in Imphal and in some other districts," L. Kailun, a senior police official based in the state capital, told Reuters. He added that the situation was "extremely tense" after armed mobs vandalised an office of the ruling political party and hurled petrol bombs at two police sites. More than half the state's population of 3.2 million belongs to the Meitei community, while the Kuki community, who make up about 43%, live mostly in the hills. Protests re-ignited over the alleged kidnapping and killing of two students of the Meitei community who had gone missing in July, after their bodies were found this week. Leaders of the opposition Congress party have accused the Modi government of failing to control the violence in a state governed by his nationalist party.

Persons: Stringer, Biren Singh, Narendra Modi's, Kuki, Modi, Rupam Jain, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Riot, REUTERS, Reuters, Mobile, Thomson Locations: Imphal, Manipur, India, DELHI, Myanmar, Kuki

Demonstrators hold placards next to a banner as they attend a protest against the sharing of Cauvery river water with neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, in Bengaluru, India, September 26, 2023. Schools and colleges were shut in the capital of the southern state of Karnataka, home to more than 3,500 tech companies. "I can shed my blood but I don't want to give water to Tamil Nadu," said one protester, Ravi Mallikarjuna. The delay provoked small demonstrations near a railway station in Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery river originates in the Karnataka region of Talakaveri, flowing through Tamil Nadu into the Bay of Bengal.

Persons: Dhanya, Santosh Babu, Ravi Mallikarjuna, Shivakumar, Ramachandra, Rupam Jain, Miral Fahmy, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Inc, Walmart, Police, Farmers, Google, Schools, Supreme, Tamil, Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Thomson Locations: Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru, India, BENGALURU, India's, Karnataka, Farmers, Bengal

☆ India's BJP, the world's biggest party, plots election drive of epic scale
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/5] FILE PHOTO-Partha Chaudhury, 39, a worker of India's ruling Bharatiya Janarta Party (BJP), speaks with Reuters during the party's outreach program in Kolkata, India, May 30, 2023. "We want people to remember that the BJP knocked on their doors much before any opposition party worker did." "The BJP's challenge as the dominant national party is to manage voter fatigue and to sustain the enthusiasm among its cadres after two terms in power," Mehta added. "This time, the world's biggest party has launched the biggest-ever outreach to win the world's biggest elections." The BJP was beaten by a regional opposition party four years ago, even though it had strong support there, winning roughly 600,000 of the total 1.5 million votes cast.

Persons: Partha Chaudhury, India's, Avijit Ghosh, PM Modi, Chaudhury, Narendra Modi, It's, Tamoghna Ghosh, Modi, J.P, Nadda, Nalin Mehta, Mehta, isn't, Moitra, Mallikarjun Kharge, Long, Rupam Jain, Pravin Organizations: Bharatiya Janarta Party, BJP, Reuters, REUTERS, Party, PM, Bharatiya Janata Party, archrival Congress, UPES School of Modern Media, Trinamool, Krishnanagar, Pravin Char, Thomson Locations: Kolkata, India, KOLKATA, West Bengal, New Delhi, Uttarakhand, INDIA, India's, Calcutta

☆ India Stops New Visas for Canadians, Asks Ottawa to Downsize Missions as Spat Worsens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

A blanket suspension of new visas by India for a Western country is unheard of and marks the lowest point of India-Canada relations. But Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Ottawa had been asked to reduce numbers at its diplomatic missions in India to bring parity between the missions of the two countries. Bagchi said India suspended issuing new visas to Canadian citizens due to "security threats" to its staff in its consulates in Canada. "You are aware of the security threats being faced by our high commission and consulates in Canada. Industry estimates show the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Canada and India could boost two-way trade by as much as $6.5 billion.

Persons: Krishn Kaushik, Rupam Jain, Rajesh NEW DELHI, Justin Trudeau's, Trudeau, Arindam Bagchi, Bagchi, Dominic LeBlanc, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Narendra Modi's, Sakshi Dayal, Shivam Patel, YP Rajesh, Alex Richardson Organizations: Rajesh NEW, Industry, YP Locations: India, Ottawa, New Delhi, Canada, Delhi, British Columbia, United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Washington, London, Canberra, Punjab

☆ India suspends visa services for Canadians as stand-off escalates
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A security personnel stands guard outside the Canadian High-Commision in New Delhi, India, September 19, 2023. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 21 (Reuters) - India on Thursday suspended visa services for Canadian citizens, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, citing security threats to its staff in its consulates in Canada. BLS International(BLSN.NS), an Indian company offering visa facilities, said the notice from the Indian mission in Canada cited "operational reasons" for suspension of visa services "till further notice". Canadian officials have so far declined to say why they believe India could be linked to Nijjar's murder. Industry estimates show the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Canada and India could boost two-way trade by as much as $6.5 billion.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Narendra Modi's, Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Dominic LeBlanc, Sakshi Dayal, Shivam Patel, Rupam Jain, Krishn Kaushik, Shri Navaratnam, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Canadian, REUTERS, BLS, Global Affairs Canada, Canadian Bureau of International Education, Industry, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Canada, Ottawa, British Columbia, Punjab

The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the late 15th century and currently has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikh separatists demand that their homeland Khalistan, meaning "the land of the pure", be created out of Punjab. The Khalistan movement is considered a security threat by the Indian government. In April this year, India arrested a self-styled preacher and Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh for allegedly reviving calls for Khalistan, sparking fears of new violence in Punjab. Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng is postponing a planned trade mission to India.

Persons: Nanak, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau, Indira Gandhi, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Gandhi, Amritpal Singh, Narendra Modi, Trudeau, Mary Ng, Rupam Jain, Shivam Patel, YP Rajesh, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Canadian, Air, Air India Boeing, Indian, India . Canadian Trade, YP, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, India, Punjab, New Delhi, Air India, Britain, Australia, U.S

☆ Indian Lawmakers Bid Farewell to British-Era Parliament Building
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

"Today is an occasion to recollect and reminisce the parliamentary journey of 75 years of India before the proceedings are shifted to the newly inaugurated building," Modi told a special session before Tuesday's move. "It is a very emotional moment to bid farewell to the old parliament building ... Its glory also belongs to us," Modi told lawmakers in the lower house of the old parliament. His speech marked the start of a five-day special session called by the government, but there was no immediate confirmation on bills up for discussion. Indian lawmakers usually meet thrice a year: a budget session, a monsoon session and a winter session. While opposition leaders questioned the significance of the special session, they bid farewell to the old building and looked forward to better logistics, security and technology.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Edwin Lutyens, Herbert Baker, Modi, Tuesday's, Rupam Jain, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: DELHI Locations: India, Central, New Delhi

☆ Indian lawmakers bid farewell to British-era parliament building
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A view shows India's new (L) and old parliament buildings during the first day of the five-day long special session in New Delhi, India, September 18, 2023. "It is a very emotional moment to bid farewell to the old parliament building ... Its glory also belongs to us," Modi told lawmakers in the lower house of the old parliament. His speech marked the start of a five-day special session called by the government, but there was no immediate confirmation on bills up for discussion. Indian lawmakers usually meet thrice a year: a budget session, a monsoon session and a winter session. While opposition leaders questioned the significance of the special session, they bid farewell to the old building and looked forward to better logistics, security and technology.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Narendra Modi, Edwin Lutyens, Herbert Baker, Modi, Tuesday's, Rupam Jain, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Central

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