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☆ 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

Ajay Bisaria, India's ambassador to Canada from 2020 to 2022, said the relationship is in a "de-escalation phase" following "quiet diplomacy". "This is not a thaw," an Indian foreign ministry official told Reuters. 'MODEST DE-ESCALATION'Officials in India and Canada spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak on the subject. The Indian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Canada's foreign ministry pointed to comments made by Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie on Oct. 30.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Justin Trudeau, Evan Vucci, Michael Kugelman, Ajay Bisaria, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India's, Ottawa’s, Melanie Jolie, Jolie, Modi, Kugelman, Michael Bociurkiw, Krishn Kaushik, Steve Scherer, YP Rajesh, William Mallard Organizations: Indian, Canada, Bharat, DELHI, Mutual, South Asia Institute, Wilson Center, Reuters, Canadian, Foreign, Atlantic Council, YP, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Canada, OTTAWA, Punjab, Delhi, Ottawa, Washington, China, Vancouver, Hardeep, Vienna

☆ Deadly earthquakes in Nepal since 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NOV 3, 2023At least 128 people were killed and dozens injured when a strong earthquake struck the western area of Jajarkot. OCT 3, 2023Two earthquakes rocked western Nepal, injuring 17 people, damaging homes and triggering a landslide that blocked a major highway. NOV 12, 2022An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 struck Nepal, shaking houses in the Himalayan country and India. SEPT 16, 2020An earthquake measuring magnitude 6 struck Nepal and tremors caused by the quake were felt in the capital, Kathmandu. The previous deadliest earthquake to strike the country, in 1934, killed at least 8,519 in Nepal, as well as thousands more in India.

Persons: Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, German Research Centre, Geosciences, U.S . Geological Survey, YP Rajesh, Thomson Locations: Jajarkot, Nepal, China, India, New Delhi, U.S, Bajhang, Kathmandu

☆ Rescuers struggle to find Nepal quake survivors, deaths at 137
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A damaged building is seen after an earthquake in Jajarkot, Nepal, November 4, 2023. Officials said 99 people were killed in Jajarkot and 38 in neighbouring Rukum West district, both in Karnali province. At least 85 people were injured in Rukum West and 55 in Jajarkot, an official in the prime minister's office said. Thousands of residents spent the entire night in cold, open grounds because they were too scared to go in into the cracked houses as aftershocks struck," Sharma said. Local TV channels showed rescuers digging through the rubble with their bare hands looking for survivors in the debris of collapsed houses.

Persons: Harish Chandra Sharma, Sharma, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Krishna Bhandari, Narendra Modi, Gopal Sharma, Saurabh Sharma, YP Rajesh, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Seismological, German Research Centre, Geosciences, U.S . Geological, Reuters, Authorities, Indian, YP, Thomson Locations: Jajarkot, Nepal, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Rukum West, Karnali province, Ramidanda, Surkhet, Chaurjahari, Rukum, India, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, LUCKNOW

☆ India's aviation watchdog proposes less work, more rest for pilots - draft
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 4 (Reuters) - India's air safety watchdog proposes reduced night work hours and more rest for pilots, among measures to address rising complaints of pilot fatigue, according to draft regulations seen by Reuters on Saturday. The proposal from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation come more than two months after it decided to conduct a review of pilot fatigue data collected during spot checks and surveillance of airlines. The review was launched after an IndiGo (INGL.NS) pilot collapsed and died in August before his flight. Changes would include cutting the maximum flight duty period to 10 hours from 13 hours for pilots operating at night, and increasing the minimum weekly rest period to 48 hours from 36 hours. IndiGo, India's biggest airline, has said the pilot who died had a 27-hour break before duty and was in good health.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Aditi Shah, YP Rajesh, William Mallard Organizations: IndiGo, REUTERS, Reuters, Civil Aviation, Tata, Air, India's, YP, Thomson Locations: Chhatrapati Shivaji International, Mumbai, India, DELHI, Air India

☆ Rescuers Struggle to Find Nepal Quake Survivors, Deaths at 137
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

"The number of injured could be in the hundreds and the deaths could go up as well," Jajarkot district official Harish Chandra Sharma told Reuters by phone. Officials said 99 people were killed in Jajarkot and 38 in neighbouring Rukum West district, both in Karnali province. At least 85 people were injured in Rukum West and 55 in Jajarkot, an official in the prime minister's office said. Thousands of residents spent the entire night in cold, open grounds because they were too scared to go in into the cracked houses as aftershocks struck," Sharma said. Local TV channels showed rescuers digging through the rubble with their bare hands looking for survivors in the debris of collapsed houses.

Persons: Gopal Sharma, Harish Chandra Sharma, Sharma, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Krishna Bhandari, Narendra Modi, Saurabh Sharma, YP Rajesh, William Mallard Organizations: Seismological, German Research Centre, Geosciences, U.S . Geological, Reuters, Authorities, Indian, YP Locations: Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU, Nepal, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Jajarkot, Rukum West, Karnali province, Ramidanda, Surkhet, Chaurjahari, Rukum, India, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, LUCKNOW

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

☆ Canada cuts some consular services in India amid murder row
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man on a bicycle passes by the Canadian High-Commision in New Delhi, India, September 20, 2023. The announcements affecting consulates in Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Mumbai came hours after Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Canada has withdrawn 41 diplomats from India. Despite the dispute, two senior Indian government sources told Reuters the uproar would not spill into a trade dispute or impact investment, with imports from Canada continuing to flow. India has dismissed as absurd Trudeau's suspicions that its agents were linked to the murder of Nijjar, 45, a Canadian citizen whom New Delhi had labelled a terrorist. The Indian foreign ministry defended its downsizing of Canada's diplomatic presence and rejected Joly's statement that it violated the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations.

Persons: Anushree, Melanie Joly, Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh, Nijjar, YP Rajesh, Neha Arora, Nikunj, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Canadian, REUTERS, Reuters, Canada, Canadian High Commission, Immigration, Citizenship Canada, YP, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Canada, British Columbia, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Ottawa, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian, Vienna

☆ India's top court declines to legalise same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A writer and member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT community) holds the pride flag while waiting to hear the judgement on same-sex marriage by the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India, October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - India's top court on Tuesday said it cannot legalise same-sex marriages, with the chief justice of the country saying making such a law is the domain of parliament. Chandrachud said there was a degree of "agreement and disagreement on how far we have to go" on same-sex marriages as he began reading his order. Two of the other four judges agreed with Chandrachud on the court not legalising same-sex marriages, making it a majority. The court ruling comes five years after a historic 2018 judgement when the Supreme Court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex.

Persons: Anushree, Chandrachud, Narendra Modi's, Arpan Chaturvedi, Shilpa Jamkhandikar Organizations: REUTERS, Supreme, Rajesh, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Taiwan, Nepal, Asia

A view of damaged vehicles after flash floods, caused by a lake burst in Singtam, Sikkim, India, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsRANGPO, India, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The death toll from flash floods unleashed by a glacial lake bursting its banks in India's Himalayas climbed to 74 on Monday with 101 people still missing days after the calamity struck, according to provincial officials. He said 101 people were still missing in the latest of a series of natural disasters caused by extreme weather events in the Himalayas. Fourteen army personnel were among the missing, a defence ministry statement said. Parveen Shama, the top district official of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, said 41 bodies were found in the district.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Vijay Bhushan Pathak, Parveen Shama, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar, Baiju Sharma, Sharma, Subrata Nag Choudhury, Mayank Bhardwaj, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Residents, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Singtam, Sikkim, India, Lohnak, Gangtok, Sikkim's, West Bengal, Jalpaiguri, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Rangpo, Kolkata

A man walks past a logo of Xiaomi, a Chinese manufacturer of consumer electronics, outside a shop in Mumbai, India, May 11, 2022. A Xiaomi India spokesperson strongly denied the accusation. A spokesperson from Vivo did not respond immediately to repeated requests for comment, nor did the NewsClick news portal, which has denied all wrongdoing in the past. “It is further learnt that big Chinese Telecom companies like Xiaomi, Vivo, etc. NewsClick said this week it does not publish any news or information at the behest of any Chinese entity or authority.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Prabir Purkayastha, NewsClick's Purkayastha, Xiaomi, NewsClick, Munsif, YP Rajesh, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Xiaomi, Vivo Mobile, Vivo, Media, Chinese Telecom, YP, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, DELHI, NewsClick, NewsClick's, Delhi, China, Court, New Delhi, Bengaluru

The Lhonak Lake in the mountainous northeastern state of Sikkim overflowed on Wednesday after a cloudburst triggered torrential rains and an apparent avalanche, causing major flooding in the Teesta river. Sikkim officials had put the death toll at 18 on Thursday evening. Officials in the neighbouring downstream state of West Bengal told Reuters that emergency teams recovered another 22 bodies that had been washed away. Relief teams are unable to reach the affected areas there," Tseten Bhutia, a state official, told Reuters by telephone. All bridges downstream of an NHPC (NHPC.NS) hydropower station Teesta-V have either been submerged or washed away, the Indian government said.

Persons: Bhutia, Pradeep Kumar Barma, Jatindra, Shivam Patel, YP Rajesh, Michael Perry Organizations: Indian Army, India Army, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Mobile, Private, Military, India Meteorological Department, YP, Thomson Locations: Sikkim, KOLKATA, DELHI, Asia's, West Bengal, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Siliguri, Bhubaneswar

Lhonak Lake in Sikkim state overflowed on Wednesday, causing major flooding that authorities said had impacted the lives of 22,000 people. The latest flooding was exacerbated by water released from state-run NHPC's Teesta V dam, local officials said. As of Thursday evening, 98 people were missing, 17 of whom were army personnel, state chief secretary V.B. "Due to bad weather conditions we cannot have air service towards the northern part of the state," Rai told Reuters. [1/4]An area affected by the flood is seen in this undated handout image released on October 4, 2023, in Sikkim, India.

Persons: V.B, Pathak, Prabhakar Rai, Rai, G.T, Dhungel, Subrata Nag Choudhury, Jatindra, Tanvi Mehta, Krishn Kaushik, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Ruma Paul, Rajendra Jadhav, YP Rajesh, Robert Birsel, Michael Perry, Kim Coghill, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: NEW, Authorities, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Disaster Management Authority, Reuters, India Army, REUTERS Acquire, Army, National Disaster Management Agency, Nature Communications, YP, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, KOLKATA, India, Sikkim, Asia's, Bangladesh, Chungthang, Mangan, Gangtok, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Siliguri, West Bengal, Pakistan, Peru, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, New Delhi

☆ India-Canada ties fray in dispute over Sikh separatist killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in a Vancouver suburb. * Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed strong concerns about Sikh separatist protests in Canada to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of a G20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 10. * Canada postponed a trade mission to India planned for October led by Trade Minister Mary Ng, a spokesperson for the minister said on Sept. 15. * India suspended issuing new visas for Canadians on Sept. 22 and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in India. * India's steel secretary told reporters on Sept. 28 that Indian exports to Canada were marginal and have not been affected by the diplomatic row.

Persons: Nanak, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau, Narendra Modi, Mary Ng, Trudeau, Nijjar, Shivam Patel, YP Rajesh, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Financial Times, Canadian, Trade, Reuters, JSW Steel, Teck Resources, YP, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, India, Vancouver suburb, New Delhi, Canadian, U.S, Australia, Britain, Teck, Ottawa

☆ 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

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: 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

☆ 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

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

☆ 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

☆ India's Opposition Congress Dismisses Canada's Suspicions on Sikh Leader's Murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By YP RajeshNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's main opposition Congress party backed on Wednesday the government's rejection of Canada's suspicions that New Delhi's agents had links to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, and urged a stand against threats to the country's sovereignty. Congress spokespersons backed what they called India's "fight against terrorism" and criticised Trudeau. Khalistan is the name of an independent Sikh state whose creation was the goal of a bloody Sikh insurgency in the 1980s and 1990s in India's northern state of Punjab during which tens of thousands were killed. "The Indian National Congress has always believed that our country's fight against terrorism has to be uncompromising, especially when terrorism threatens India's sovereignty, unity and integrity." Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside the Indian state of Punjab, with about 770,000 people reporting Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.

Persons: YP Rajesh NEW DELHI, Justin Trudeau's, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Trudeau, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Jairam Ramesh, Indira Gandhi, Beant Singh, FRANK, YP Rajesh, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: YP Rajesh NEW, Twitter, Indian National Congress, Research, Economic Times, Press Trust of India, Indian Express, YP Locations: India, British Columbia, Delhi, India's, Punjab, New Delhi, Australia, Britain, Canada, United States, Ottawa, Indian

☆ India's opposition Congress dismisses Canada's suspicions on Sikh leader's murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Congress spokespersons backed what they called India's "fight against terrorism" and criticised Trudeau. Khalistan is the name of an independent Sikh state whose creation was the goal of a bloody Sikh insurgency in the 1980s and 1990s in India's northern state of Punjab during which tens of thousands were killed. "The Indian National Congress has always believed that our country's fight against terrorism has to be uncompromising, especially when terrorism threatens India's sovereignty, unity and integrity." New Delhi, which urged Ottawa to act against anti-Indian elements, has long been unhappy over Sikh separatist activity in Canada. Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside the Indian state of Punjab, with about 770,000 people reporting Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.

Persons: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Nanak, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau's, Trudeau, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Jairam Ramesh, Indira Gandhi, Beant Singh, FRANK, YP Rajesh, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Twitter, Indian National Congress, Research, Economic Times, Press Trust of India, Indian Express, YP, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, India, Delhi, India's, Punjab, New Delhi, Australia, Britain, United States, Ottawa, Indian

☆ Hardeep Singh Nijjar: Who was the Sikh leader murdered in Canada?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sakshi Dayal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

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. Here is what is known about Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the man at the centre of the row. - He was initially associated with the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) Sikh separatist group, according to India's counter-terrorist, National Investigation Agency. - For supporters demanding a so-called independent Sikh state of Khalistan, Nijjar was a prominent leader and a strong voice for the cause. - He was elected head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara, a Sikh place of worship, in Surrey, the Vancouver suburb where he lived.

Persons: Nanak, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Chris Helgren, India's, Nijjar, Sakshi Dayal, YP Rajesh, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Khalistan Extremism Monitor, for Conflict Management, Babbar Khalsa International, National Investigation Agency, Pakistan's Inter, Services Intelligence, Khalistan Tiger Force, YP, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, Ottawa, New Delhi, India, Jalandhar district, India's, Punjab, Islamabad, Indian, Vancouver

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

☆ Ram temple built on site of razed Babri mosque in India to open in January
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man touches the place where the idol of Lord Ram will be placed inside the under-construction Hindu Ram Temple in Ayodhya in India, July 9, 2023. The site in the northern town of Ayodhya, where the temple construction is nearing completion, was bitterly contested for decades with both Hindus and Muslims laying claim to it. India's majority Hindus say the site was the birthplace of Lord Ram, and was holy to them long before Muslim Mughals razed a temple at the spot and built the Babri mosque there in 1528. A Hindu mob destroyed the mosque in 1992, triggering riots that killed about 2,000 people across India, most of them Muslims. Building a Ram temple at the site has been a central, campaign theme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for more than three decades.

Persons: Lord Ram, Adnan Abidi, Modi, Narendra Modi's, ”, Nripendra Misra, Misra, Larsen, Toubro, Sakshi Dayal, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Modi’s BJP, Hindu, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Supreme Court, Thomson Locations: Ayodhya, India, DELHI

Although some analysts said the meeting showed few concrete results, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now cashing in on Modi's enhanced image ahead of a series of state elections and national elections due by May 2024. In the run-up to the summit, Modi's face was plastered on G20 hoardings across the country. The BJP plans to highlight the "success of the summit" during fortnight-long celebrations of Modi’s birthday starting on Sunday, a party official said. Modi's contribution to India's rising global stature will be a key theme of a special five-day parliament session beginning next week, the official said. NATIONAL PRIDE"It’s really a fact that India's image has transformed under Prime Minister Modi," BJP vice president Baijayant Jay Panda told Reuters.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Anushree, Modi, Joe Biden, India's, Sanjay Kumar, psephologist, Baijayant Jay Panda, Yashwant Deshmukh, Jairam Ramesh, Ramesh, Manmohan Singh, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: International Media Centre, REUTERS, BJP, Bharatiya Janata Party, New Delhi's, NATIONAL, Reuters, India Today, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Manipur

U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Union Ursula von der Leyen attend the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, September 9, 2023. The summit declaration avoided condemning Russia for the war in Ukraine but highlighted the human suffering the conflict had caused and called on all states not to use force to grab territory. A failure to agree on a summit declaration would have signalled that the G20 was split, perhaps irrevocably, between the West on one side and China and Russia on the other, analysts said. Diplomats have said negotiators from India, Indonesia, Brazil and South Africa drove the consensus in the summit document. Despite the lack of concrete progress, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, India's chief G20 coordinator, said the meeting did take the group forward.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Ursula von der Leyen, Evelyn Hockstein, Michael Froman, Svetlana Lukash, Lukash, Patryk Kugiel, ” Kugiel, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, India's, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Vardhan, ”, Michel Rose, Aftab Ahmed, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Indian, European, REUTERS, Diplomats, African Union, India, Foreign Relations, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Russian G20, Polish Institute of International Affairs, Xinhua, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Ukraine, Russia, York, U.S, China, Beijing, Russian, Warsaw, Delhi, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Britain

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