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☆ Why Farmers Are Marching Toward Delhi Again
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Alex Travelli | Suhasini Raj | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Once again, India’s capital is bracing itself for a siege. Not by a foreign army but by an army of Indian farmers, streaming toward New Delhi from nearby states to protest government policies. The farmers’ march has turned the city’s main points of entry into choke points, as the federal and local police go into overdrive: barricading highways by pouring concrete and stacking shipping containers to halt the advancing tractors. The authorities have blocked the social media accounts of some protest leaders and even used drones that were once billed as an agricultural innovation to drop tear-gas grenades on the demonstrators. The scenes hark back to North India’s biggest protests of 2020 and 2021, when hundreds of thousands of farmers, mostly from the states of Punjab and Haryana, forced the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to abandon three bills meant to overhaul India’s agricultural economy.

Persons: Narendra Modi Locations: Delhi, Punjab, Haryana

The near-absence of laws criminalizing the practice of fertility fraud until recently means no doctors have yet been criminally charged for the behavior. In 2019, Indiana became the second state, more than 20 years after California, to pass a statute making fertility fraud a felony. He added some of his biological children have “expressed gratitude for their existence” to him and even sent him photos of their own children. Cline’s case spurred lawmakers to pass legislation that outlawed fertility fraud but wasn’t retroactive, meaning he was never prosecuted for it. “In fertility fraud, no parent is saying that – no parent is saying I would have gotten an abortion,” she said.

Persons: Hill, –, Burton Caldwell, “, ” Hill, we’ve, ”, Jody Madeira, Laura Oliverio, wasn’t, Eve Wiley, Marvin Yussman, Yussman, Victoria Hill, ” Yussman, Dr, Donald Cline, general’s, Cline, Stephanie Bice, Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Democrat –, Kelly Wilkinson, Katherine L, Kraschel, Julia T, Woodward, Laura High, we’re, ’ Let’s, it’s, let’s, OBGYN Narendra Tohan, isn’t, Tohan, ‘, Janine Pierson, Doreen Pierson, Caldwell –, Doreen, Alyssa Denniston, Caldwell, Pierson, ” Pierson, she’d, doesn’t, texted, Jamie LeRose, Maralee Hill, Victoria, Sean Tipton, Tipton, Caldwell “, didn’t Organizations: CNN, Indiana University, Savin Rock, CNN CNN, Netflix, Oklahoma Republican, New, New Jersey Democrat, Indianapolis Star, DC, Northeastern University, Duke University Health System, CNN Fertility, United, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Seagulls Locations: Connecticut, Savin Rock Beach, West Haven , Connecticut, Indiana, California, Kentucky, Wethersfield , Connecticut, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Indianapolis, Wethersfield, New Britain, Madeira, Yale, Victoria, Hartford , Connecticut, Victoria Hill's, Norwalk, Norway, Germany, United States, Cheshire, New Haven

☆ Indian nationals released after being detained in Qatar on reported spy charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Eight Indian nationals who were detained and sentenced to death in Qatar on reported espionage charges have been released, according to Indian authorities. “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. They had been working for Dahra Global Technologies, a defense services provider based in Qatar, according to CNN News18. Qatar has not publicly addressed the arrest, sentencing and subsequent release of the eight Indian citizens. CNN affiliate CNN-News18 reported at the time that the eight Indians had been detained in August 2022 on spying charges.

Persons: ”, “, Amir, it’s, Narendra Modi’s, Jairam Ramesh, Modi Organizations: CNN, Eight, Dahra Global, External Affairs, Indian Navy, Twitter, Dahra Global Technologies, CNN News18, United Nations Locations: Qatar, India, State

☆ 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

☆ India’s Gautam Adani rebounds from Hindenburg attack with return to the $100 billion club
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hindenburg Research published a blistering report in January 2023, accusing Gautam Adani, then Asia’s richest man, of engaging in fraud over decades. “The group has done exceptionally well on various fronts since the Hindenburg report,” said Manish Chowdhury, head of research at brokerage StoxBox. On Thursday, his wealth once again crossed the $100 billion threshold, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. An ‘attack’ on IndiaHindenburg Research, named after the 1937 airship disaster, had accused the Adani Group of “brazen stock manipulation” and it questioned the “sky-high” valuations of Adani firms. However, since the Hindenburg report, the group has worked on reducing its borrowing.

Persons: David, Gautam Adani, Hindenburg, Adani, ”, Manish Chowdhury, ” Adani, Jeff Bezos, Mukesh Ambani, John D Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Narendra Modi, Chowdhury, “ Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Hindenburg Research, Bloomberg, India Hindenburg Research, Adani, GQG Partners, “, America’s, Adani Enterprises, Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party Locations: New Delhi, India, ’, ”, Times

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella urged in a speech to more than a thousand Indian computer code developers on Thursday that they use the company's artificial intelligence tools being deployed across its products. Nadella said Microsoft Corp. expects that use of AI can help achieve 10%, or $500 billion, of India’s GDP target for 2025. Microsoft is building its fourth data center in India near the city of Hyderabad, where Nadella grew up. Nadella boasted in a speech in Mumbai on Wednesday that his company is still ahead on most benchmarks. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Nadella during a visit to the U.S. last June.

Persons: Satya Nadella, ” Nadella, Nadella, ”, “ We’re, It’ll, Narendra Modi, ___ O'Brien Organizations: Microsoft Corp, Microsoft, Hyderabad, OpenAI, Google, Nadella, Apple Inc, Microsoft's, Indian, U.S Locations: BENGALURU, India, Bengaluru, Silicon, United States, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nadella, Microsoft's India, Providence , Rhode Island

☆ India is the new Asia growth story. Here’s why investors are bullish on the outlook
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

As China's property market and deflation woes continue to rattle investors, India's growth outlook appears all the more impressive. Last year's annual report attributed strong revenue growth partially to expansion in the Middle East, India, and Asia, Krishna wrote. "More than revenue, India is an important area for sourcing talent" as well, Krishna wrote. Growth potential For investors looking to gain exposure to the domestic stock market, Indian equities themselves aren't especially cheap though. "You're paying for the growth potential in India, certainly.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Chetan Ahya, Ahya, Bernstein, —, Narendra Modi, Bill Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick, Quincy Krosby, Venu Krishna, Aecom, Krishna, Tim Long, Long, Simon Coles, Krosby, Jeffrey Gundlach, Gundlach, CNBC's, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Investment, Logan Capital Management, Modi, Infrastructure Pipeline, Aecom, Barclays, Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, India —, Semiconductor, Micron Technology, Qualcomm, Logan Capital Locations: India, China, Asia, Philadelphia, South Carolina . U.S, Dallas, East, Asia Pacific, Japan, Coles , U.S, U.S, IShares

☆ Modi’s ‘divine India’ vision threatens to marginalize millions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“(Today) is the beginning of a new time cycle,” Modi said at the new temple honoring Hindu deity Lord Ram. “After centuries of waiting, our Ram has arrived.”Modi’s vision of a “divine India” is a far cry from the ideas of the modern country’s founding fathers. “India becomes a de facto Hindu nation, where the task of building national Hindu religious symbols falls to the state. And he reiterated his party’s desire to build the Ram Temple on the contested holy site. Hindu groups have for decades claimed the Mughals destroyed Hindu temples, building mosques and other monuments in their place.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, ” Modi, Lord Ram, “, Ram, ”, Gilles Verniers, officiates, ‘, Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Modi’s, ” Modi fasted, ” Narendra Modi, Prakash Singh, Pratishtha ”, –, Sunita Viswanath, “ Modi, tramples what’s, Ravi Agrawal, it’s, Babar, Douglas E, Curran, ” Agrawal, Ritesh Shukla, Aurangzeb, “ Aurangzeb, Policy’s Agrawal, Gilles Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Centre for Policy Research, Bloomberg, Getty, Indian, Human Rights, India’s, Ram Locations: Ayodhya, “, India, New Delhi, Babri, Delhi, India’s, Jammu, Kashmir, South Asia, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Varanasi

☆ India's moment has arrived — but many hurdles remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Spriha Srivastava | Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

India's economy is expected to expand by 6.5% this year, according to IMF forecasts. The world's most populous nation was keen to talk up its prospects at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Advertisement"India has seized the moment," proclaimed housing minister Hardeep Singh Puri with confidence during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. The 10-strong group of emerging market nations now accounts for 45% of the world's population and 28% of global GDP. AdvertisementSome economists have criticized the government's narrative as a "false growth story," highlighting discrepancies in the data and criticizing the methods used to calculate economic growth.

Persons: —, Hardeep Singh, Smriti Irani, BI's Spriha Srivastava, that's, Narendra Modi's, Cash, Modi, SAJJAD HUSSAIN, I've, Andy Baldwin, EY, Narendra Modi, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Dan Kitwood, Getty, ISRO Goldman Sachs, Ashoka Mody, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Vladimir Putin, Singh Organizations: Economic, Service, BI, IMF, Business, Apple, ISRO, Princeton University, World Bank, US, of, Hindustan Times, Harvard Business Locations: Davos, India, China, Japan, Brazil, China India, India's, Ukraine

MALE, Maldives (AP) — The Maldives government says it has asked for clarification of why Indian coast guard personnel boarded three Maldivian fishing vessels operating within its economic zone earlier this week without consultation. The Maldives military also found that Indian coast guard personnel had boarded two more boats, the statement said without explaining what they did on the boats . Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu was part of an “India Out” campaign as an opposition politician, demanding the removal of Indian military personnel stationed in some islands. The largest number of tourists visiting the Maldives come from India, making up 11% of the total last year. It is said there are at least 75 Indian military personnel in the Maldives and their known activities include transporting patients from remote islands and rescuing people at sea.

Persons: Mohamed Muizzu, Muizzu, Narendra Modi, Modi Organizations: —, Indian, Maldives ., Maldives Locations: Maldives, India, Maldivian, Dhivehi, China, Lakshadweep, New Delhi

☆ Lights! Camera! Modi! It’s a One-Man Show on Indian Television.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Mujib Mashal | Hari Kumar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The people streaming into the holy town came on an intimate quest: to be among the first to seek the blessings of a beloved god they said was returning home after 500 years. These Hindu devotees took leaves of absence from work. They ate with fellow pilgrims, slept in the cold and sipped tea at roadside joints as they waited to see the dazzling new temple devoted to the deity Ram. Early in the morning, as a soft devotional melody played from speakers strung to electric poles, they took purifying dips in a river. But it was another, smaller group, camped on the riverbank in Ayodhya, that made sure the moment was as much about India’s powerful prime minister, Narendra Modi, as it was about Lord Ram.

Persons: Ram, Narendra Modi, Lord Ram Locations: Ayodhya

☆ Pigeon suspected of spying for China released in India after PETA intervention, group says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Heather Chen | Sania Farooqui | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A pigeon suspected of spying for China and held for eight months was released by Indian officials this week after intervention from animal rights organization PETA, the group said in a statement. “After learning that a pigeon was held at the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals (BSDPHA) in Parel as case property for an astonishing eight months, PETA India sprang into action to secure the bird’s freedom from captivity,” PETA said. The animal’s ordeal began in May last year, when it was captured near a port in Mumbai. There was a message written on the pigeon’s wings in words that appeared to be Chinese, PETA added. B. Kulkarni, Chief Medical Superintendent of the BSDPHA,” PETA said.

Persons: Dinshaw, ”, Mumbai’s, Narendra Modi, B, Kulkarni, Bombay SPCA, Hvaldimir Organizations: CNN, Indian, PETA, Hospital for Animals, ” PETA, ” CNN, Bombay Society for Locations: China, Parel, PETA India, Mumbai, Bombay, Russian

☆ India set to clock up to 8% GDP growth as it boosts manufacturing capacity, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Workers assemble mobile phones at a Dixon Technologies factory in Noida, India, on Jan. 28, 2021. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesIndia could clock up to 8% annual GDP growth for several years as it focuses on boosting its manufacturing capabilities, a key government minister told CNBC on Thursday. watch nowHe spoke extensively about the country's mobile manufacturing ecosystem, claiming that 99% of the phones used in India were made within the country. The country exported $11 billion mobile phones last year, and they are likely to rise to between $13 billion and $15 billion in 2024, Vaishnaw said. Apple 's presence in India has grown exponentially since it first started manufacturing in the country in 2017.

Persons: Vaishnaw, Narendra Modi's, Nirmala Sitharaman, CNBC's, Apple, OnePoll, Joe Biden, India's Modi, Narendra Modi, Modi, Mandel Ngan Organizations: Dixon Technologies, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Union, Railways, Communications, Electronics, Technology, CNBC's Sri, Deloitte, India, Apple, Samsung, Micron, U.S, India's, White, Afp Locations: Noida, India, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, China, Washington ,

☆ A pigeon detained for 8 months on suspicion of spying for China has finally been set free
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A pigeon detained in India for eight months was released on Tuesday after police cleared it of suspicions that it was a spy bird for China, the news agency Press Trust of India reported. It was taken to the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals because police suspected it was used for spying, per the outlet. Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsPETA contacted police and obtained a certificate for the bird's release, the organization said. The pigeon was later discovered to be a racing bird from Taiwan that escaped and flew to India, according to the AP. Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsIndian authorities have detained other pigeons on similar suspicions before.

Persons: Dinshaw, Narendra Modi Organizations: Press Trust of, Associated Press, Hospital for Animals, People, Animals, PETA, Bombay Society for, AP, Pigeon Racing, Taiwan News Locations: India, China, Press Trust of India, Mumbai, Taiwan, Taipei, Kashmir, Pakistan

☆ India's finance minister touts unlikely export growth in a world of uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses the media after the interim budget on February 1, 2024 in New Delhi, India. So a lot of new people are accessing India," Sitharaman said, while touting that India was able to showcase its digital public infrastructure at the G20 summit it hosted in New Delhi last year. Sitharaman, when asked about what economic issues will define the vote, said "if economic issues are to dominate the election, it would be the recipients of the beneficiaries themselves coming out to say, 'I'm empowered now'." "If anything, for us it will be performance on the economic issues, good performance, inclusive growth that we've offered." The interim budget is typically a stop-gap financial plan during an election year, aimed at meeting immediate financial needs before a new government is formed.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Sitharaman, CNBC's, CNBC's Sri Jegarajah, Narendra Modi's, Pranjul Bhandari, Bhandari, Anantha Nageswaran Organizations: Hindustan Times, Getty, India's, CNBC's Sri, Mar, CNBC, India's Finance Locations: New Delhi, India, Europe, America, Brazil, Africa, Indonesia

☆ Paytm was once India’s hottest startup. Its shares have crashed 36% in two days
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Shares of the hugely popular digital payments company have crashed by the daily maximum allowed in Mumbai for two days in a row, even though India’s stock markets have been touching new all-time highs. It also landed in hot water with regulators — two years ago, the central bank barred its banking arm from signing up new customers. Paytm stock is now trading at just 487 rupees (around $6) a share. The latest plunge came after India’s central bank cracked down further on its business. Paytm launched its payments bank in 2017 as a joint venture with founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

Persons: New Delhi CNN — Paytm, Paytm, ”, Manish Chowdhury, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Sharma, Narendra Modi, ” Sharma Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Paytm Payments Bank, Indian, CNN Locations: New Delhi, Mumbai, India

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s finance minister unveiled on Thursday a short-term budget to meet government expenditures until national elections are held by May, saying it will boost spending on infrastructure projects, build homes for poor villagers and cut the fiscal deficit by reducing subsidies. The short-term budget is mostly free of big-spending new programs. The short-term budget must be approved by Parliament. The government allocated $145 billion for infrastructure projects in the short-term budget. The Modi government’s budget last year totaled $550 billion and focused on ramping up capital spending to spur economic growth.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Modi’s, giveaways, Modi, Sitharaman, Sibi Arasu Organizations: DELHI, —, Parliament, Monetary Fund Locations: India, United Kingdom, Bengaluru

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police cleared a suspected Chinese spy pigeon after eight months' detention and released it into the wild Tuesday, news agency Press Trust of India reported. Police suspected it was involved in espionage and took it in, later sending it to Mumbai's Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals. Eventually, it turned out the pigeon was an open-water racing bird from Taiwan that had escaped and made its way to India. It is not the first time a bird has come under police suspicion in India. In 2016, another pigeon was taken into custody after it was found with a note that threatened Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Persons: Mumbai's Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw, Narendra Modi Organizations: DELHI, Press Trust of, Police, Hospital for Animals, Bombay Society for, Indian Locations: Press Trust of India, Mumbai, Taiwan, India, Kashmir

☆ 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

☆ Religious trips will fuel India’s tourism boom — airlines are gearing up with record aircraft orders
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

India's tourism sector is set for a boom as more travelers take trips around the country for religious purposes. "Religious tourism is still the biggest segment of tourism in India … the creation of a new religious tourist centre (Ayodhya) with improved connectivity and infrastructure can create a meaningfully large economic impact," Jefferies highlighted. Indian media reported that around half a million people visited the Ram temple on its opening day which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The YouTube broadcast of the opening ceremony on Modi's channel alone received more than 11 million views. If it continues develop tourist destination including religious tourism, chances are that more and more people will come to visit India and it will even benefit on the foreign exchange side," said Nilesh Shah, managing director at Kotak Mahindra Asset Management.

Persons: Jefferies, —, Narendra Modi, Nilesh Shah Organizations: YouTube, Mahindra Asset Management Locations: Ayodhya, India, Rome's Vatican, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, Temple, Jammu, Kashmir

☆ U.S. firms prefer India over China for supply chain needs despite risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. firms are increasingly viewing China as a risky bet for their supply chains — neighbor India is set to benefit as companies look elsewhere to set shop. As many as 61% of the 500 executive-level U.S. managers surveyed by UK market research OnePoll said they would pick India over China if both countries could manufacture the same materials, while 56% preferred India to serve their supply chain needs within the next five years over China. The survey showed that 59% of the respondents found it "somewhat risky" or "very risky" to source materials from China, compared with 39% for India. At least a quarter of the executives who participated in the independent, third party survey, commissioned by marketplace India Index in December, do not currently import from either China or India. "Companies are seeing India as a long-term investment strategy as opposed to a short-term pivot to avoid tariffs," said Samir Kapadia, CEO of India Index and managing principal at Vongel Group, in an exclusive interview with CNBC.

Persons: OnePoll, Samir Kapadia, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi Organizations: India Index, Vongel Group, CNBC, U.S, White House Locations: China, India

The Maldives foreign ministry confirmed local media reports that research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 was headed to the Maldives. The ship arrives amid a diplomatic dispute between the Maldives and its giant neighbor India. Pro-China Muizzu was elected to office in November on a platform to evict Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives. At least 75 Indian military personnel are said to be stationed in the Maldives, and Muizzu had accused his predecessor of compromising national sovereignty by allowing Indian personnel on Maldivian islands. The known activities of the Indian military include operating aircraft and assisting in the rescue of people stranded or faced with calamities at sea.

Persons: Xiang Yang Hong, Narendra Modi, Modi, Mohamed Muizzu, Muizzu, China Muizzu Organizations: —, Indian Locations: COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, China, Male, “, Lakshadweep, Asia, Africa, Europe, Maldivian

☆ Photos: Ayodhya Ram Mandir temple inaugurated in consecration ceremony overseen by Modi
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Crowds gather during the opening of a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Ram, in Ayodhya, India, on January 22, 2024. Inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple Monday, Modi presided over the Pran Pratishtha, or consecration ceremony, of an idol of Lord Ram, one of Hinduism’s most revered deities. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plays a leading role in the ceremony consecrating a statue of the god Ram. “Today our Lord Ram has come. A man prays on the banks of Sarayu River on the occasion of Ram temple's consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Lord Ram, Rajesh Kumar Singh, –, Modi, Pran Pratishtha, Ram, Imtiyaz Khan, ” Modi, “ Ram, Money Sharma, Hinduism's Lord Ram, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Anupam Kher, Beckham, ”, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Katrina Kaif, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Alia Bhatt Rajesh Kumar Singh Organizations: CNN, Indian, Anadolu, Getty Locations: Ayodhya, India, India's Uttar Pradesh, Sarayu, Babri

☆ 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

Leading up to the temple’s consecration, public spaces around India were thrumming with excitement. Ram is one of the most revered gods among India’s Hindus, who make up about 80 percent of a total population of 1.4 billion. Islam does not appear in the Ramayana, having arrived in India only 1,000 years ago. But it is cast as the primary villain in the Hindu-nationalist telling of India’s history. Now, with a kind of spiritual and political homecoming for Mr. Modi, the Ram campaigners have the temple they had sought for decades.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Ram, Modi Locations: Indian, Ayodhya, India

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