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☆ India Train Crash Live Updates: Relatives Identify Crash Victims as Modi Visits Derailment Site
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Sameer Yasir | Mujib Mashal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

The other passenger train was a Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast Express train, running from a commuter hub in Bangalore to Kolkata, the capital of the eastern state of West Bengal. India’s railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that he had ordered an investigation into the cause and that those affected by the crash would receive compensation. Site of the train crash An initial government report said that the Coromandel Express passenger train derailed while traveling at full speed. In 2016, 14 train cars derailed in India’s northeast in the middle of the night, killing more than 140 passengers and injuring 200 others. Within hours of Friday’s disaster, some opposition politicians were already calling for the resignation of Mr. Vaishnaw, India’s railway minister.

Persons: Ashwini Vaishnaw, Derailments, Jitendra Prakash, Narendra Modi, Modi, Modi’s, Amit Dave, Suresh Prabhu, Mr, Vaishnaw, Mujib Mashal Organizations: Chennai Coromandel Express, South Eastern Railway, Express, Coromandel, INDIA, Economic, Disaster Management, Reuters Rail Locations: India, Balasore, Odisha State, Shalimar, Chennai Coromandel, India’s, Howrah, Bangalore, Kolkata, West Bengal, Bahanaga Bazar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s, Odisha, Bihar, Pukhrayan, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad

Two passenger trains and a goods train collided in an accident in the city of Balasore in Odisha state, according to a video statement by state chief secretary Pradeep Jena. Press Trust of India/APA view of a damaged compartment, following the deadly train collision in Balasore, India June 2, 2023. The train travels through India’s east coast, between West Bengal’s capital Kolkata to the South Indian city of Chennai. “Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. The following November, at least 39 people died and 50 others were seriously injured in a train derailment in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Persons: Pradeep Jena, “, ”, Mamata Banerjee, Narendra Modi Organizations: CNN, News18, ”, Jena, Twitter, Press Trust of, Indian, Local, AP India’s, Railways, Communications, Electronics, Information Technology, National Crime Records Locations: India, Balasore, Odisha, Balarore, Press Trust of India, Shalimar, Chennai Coromandel, West Bengal, India’s, West Bengal’s, Kolkata, Indian, Chennai, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh

☆ At least 50 dead, 350 injured in train crash in eastern India, media report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BHUBANESWAR/KOLKATA June 2 (Reuters) - At least 50 people were killed and 350 injured when two passenger trains collided in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Friday, Indian media reported. The Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, collided with another passenger train, the Howrah Superfast Express, railway officials said. The Howrah Superfast Express derailed and became entangled with the Coromandel Express, South Eastern Railway authorities said in a statement. Media reports had earlier said that the crash was between the Coromandel Express and a goods train. Media reports said at least 50 people had died.

Persons: Pradeep Jena, Naveen Patnaik, Narendra Modi, Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, Abinaya, Jatindra, Nag Choudhury, Shubhendu Satish Deshmukh, Andrew Heavens, David Holmes, Frances Kerry Organizations: Eastern Railway, Media, Coromandel, Reuters, REUTERS, Railways, Force, Thomson Locations: BHUBANESWAR, KOLKATA, Odisha, Kolkata, Chennai, Howrah, Balasore district, Balasore, India, Odisha's Bhubaneswar, West Bengal, Bengaluru

☆ Passenger trains derail in India, killing at least 50, trapping many others
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Rescuers work at the site of passenger trains that derailed in Balasore district, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, Friday, June 2, 2023. Two passenger trains derailed Friday in India, killing at least 50 people and trapping hundreds of others inside more than a dozen damaged rail cars, officials said. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, and up to three coaches of the second train also derailed, Sharma said. In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in the worst train accident in India's history. More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track.

Persons: Amitabh Sharma, Sharma, Kaleda, Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde, Pradeep Jena, Shinde, Narendra Modi, Modi Organizations: The Press Trust of India, New Delhi Television, Press Trust, Rescuers, The Press Trust, Indian Locations: Balasore district, Orissa, India, Kolkata, Balasore, Howrah, West Bengal, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, New Delhi

☆ Column: India's pledge to stop new coal power plants to hit key states
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

IN CONSTRUCTIONThe new proposals make clear that whatever coal capacity is already under construction in India will proceed. A total of 32,000 megawatts of new coal power is currently being built in India, according to the Global Energy Monitor (GEM). India coal capacity under constructionOnce completed, that would boost current operating capacity by close to 14%, and lift total Indian coal capacity to beyond 266,000 MW, GEM data shows. Alongside the widespread swell in coal capacity is even faster growth in renewables energy supply capacity across India. Proponents of immediate cuts to coal power use may be disappointed that several new coal projects will still emerge.

☆ Bollywood film on Islamic State recruits sparks debate in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Shilpa Jamkhandikar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, May 9 (Reuters) - A low-budget Bollywood film about young women recruited by the Islamic State has stirred up passionate debate, helping to make it an instant box-office hit in India. "The Kerala Story," set in the coastal southern state of the same name, follows three women who are indoctrinated, converted and sent to IS camps. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the film by director Sudipto Sen, saying it showed the consequences of terrorism. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, two states ruled by his Bharatiya Janata Party, have exempted the film from state taxes, making tickets cheaper. However, the Kerala High Court has refused to impose a ban in the state where the film is set, saying it was "inspired by true events."

In Southeast Asia, some countries posted their highest ever recorded temperatures this week, while searing heat in the Indian subcontinent has killed more than a dozen people. Neighboring Myanmar set an April temperature record on Monday as Kalewa, in central Sagaing region, reached 44°C (111°F), Herrera tweeted. April and May are typically the hottest months of the year for South and Southeast Asia as temperatures rise before monsoon rains begin and bring some relief. On Monday, more than 100 weather stations in 12 provinces broke their April temperature record, according to climatologist Jim Yang. Extremely hot temperatures across South and Southeast Asia are expected to continue.

☆ Soaring temperatures bring school closures in parts of India
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KOLKATA, April 18 (Reuters) - Authorities in parts of India have shut schools for a week after they recorded sweltering temperatures of more than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). At least two states, Tripura in the northeast and West Bengal in the east, ordered schools to shut this week, as temperatures rose more than 5 Celsius above normal, state governments said. India is likely to experience heat waves between March and May, the national weather office said in February. Average maximum temperature in February across India was 29.54C 85.1F) the highest since 1901, when the IMD started keeping weather records. Reporting by Subrata Nag Choudhary Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The extrajudicial killing has sparked widespread concern about the state of law and order in Uttar Pradesh as well as fears of retaliation. A decade later, he was elected as a member of Uttar Pradesh’s legislative assembly where he served five times, from 1989 to 2004. Police in Uttar Pradesh have killed more than 180 suspected criminals during encounters over past six years, according to Reuters. “The shoot out that happened is unacceptable.”CNN reached out to Uttar Pradesh police for comment on the situation but did not receive a response prior to publication. A political flashpointFollowing the incident, the Uttar Pradesh state government announced it will form two three-member Special Task Forces (SIT) to investigate the killing of Atiq and his brother.

The opposition has come together after this month's conviction of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party on a charge of defamation and his disqualification from parliament. Opposition politicians say Gandhi's shock disqualification, and possible jail time, is the latest evidence of the Modi government's strongarm tactics and follows investigations and legal troubles faced in recent months by other opposition parties. A day after Gandhi's conviction, 14 political parties jointly petitioned the Supreme Court, saying opposition groups were being selectively targeted by federal investigative agencies. "The Modi government's fascist steps have given a new chance for opposition parties to be united," Trinamool MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, told Reuters. "Anti Modi-ism or anti BJP-ism cannot be the glue that brings together disparate opposition parties with different aspirations and ambitions and positions," said Nalin Kohli, the BJP's national spokesperson.

☆ India, world’s largest democracy, leads global list of internet shutdowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Of 187 internet shutdowns recorded worldwide, 84 took place in India, according to the report published Tuesday by Access Now, a New York based advocacy group that tracks internet freedom. India has the world’s second largest digital population, following China, with more than 800 million internet users. Pradeep Guar/Mint/Getty ImagesIn recent years, the government has repeatedly justified blocking internet access on the grounds of preserving public safety amid widespread fears of mob violence. Rest of the worldLast year saw more internet shutdowns worldwide than ever before, Access Now said, prompting the group to raise fears of “digital authoritarianism” as governments continue the trend. Apart from India, other countries that saw internet shutdowns last year include Ukraine, Iran and Myanmar.

☆ Twitter account of Indian actress Ranaut restored after two-year ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The Twitter account of leading Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has been restored two years after she was banned following a tweet urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to subdue one of his political opponents. Ranaut sent a screen-shot of her Twitter handle @KanganaTeam from her Instagram account on Tuesday and said she was "glad to be back on Twitter". Twitter Inc did not immediately respond to a query from Reuters on the restoration of Ranaut's account. Twitter suspended Ranaut's account in May 2021 for "repeated violations" of its hateful conduct and abusive behaviour policies. She took to Instagram last year to applaud articles about Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter and also shared requests from users who appealed to Musk to restore her Twitter account.

☆ Fact Check-Video shows man being hit by a live wire in India, not being electrocuted due to Bluetooth earphones
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video shows a ticket examiner at the Kharagpur railway station in India being electrocuted when a live wire hit him on the head. The video, however, is being shared online alongside an unrelated claim that the electrocution happened due to wearing Bluetooth earphones. The video shows two men talking on a train platform when a long, thin wire comes into frame and lands on the head of the man on the left. He is electrocuted and falls back onto the tracks, while the other man and onlookers run out of frame. The incident seen in the video took place in India, where a ticket examiner was injured by a falling live wire, according to local reports.

Women in West Bengal, India, have been weaving jute into mats for generations. Many Rajbanshi women depend on the craft to make their livelihoods. But mass-produced mats are flooding the market and threatening to put them out of business. Loading Something is loading. But mass-produced mats are flooding the market and threatening to put them out of business.

☆ India antitrust agency raids some steel firms for alleged price collusion-sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, Dec 17 (Reuters) - India's antitrust watchdog is raiding offices of small-scale steel companies for alleged price collusion of steel products used in construction, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters. Among those raided were Rungta Steel and Shyam Steel, the sources said, as officials from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) conducted searches in states of West Bengal, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Indian capital New Delhi on Saturday. In all around eight to nine offices of steel companies were searched, though names of other firms raided were not immediately clear. The CCI does not disclose any details publicly of its raid operations or cases related to alleged price collusion. Shyam Steel is a 30 billion Indian rupees ($362.73 million) group which manufactures several steel products.

☆ Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat State Heads to the Polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Shan Li | Krishna Pokharel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

GANDHINAGAR, INDIA—Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi , will vote in state assembly elections starting this week, offering a barometer of the endurance of Mr. Modi’s personal appeal ahead of national elections in 2024 in which he will run for a third term. The Bharatiya Janata Party has ruled in the western coastal state for 27 years, and there is little doubt of another victory, but the party is leaving little to chance after a surprisingly tough challenge from its rival, the Indian National Congress Party, in 2017. Top BJP leaders were also stung by the party’s defeat in West Bengal last year after it poured money and resources into winning state elections there, analysts said.

☆ India's IFB Industries posts 2% drop in profit as costs climb
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Oct 28 (Reuters) - India's IFB Industries Ltd (IFBI.NS) posted a 2% fall in its second-quarter profit on Friday, as expenses soared and took the shine off higher sales of its home appliances. Consumer goods makers globally have seen their bottomline take a knock from higher commodity prices, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war leading to a rise in input costs. For Kolkata, West Bengal-based IFB, which makes several home appliances including washing machines and air conditioners, total expenses rose 13.3% to 10.85 billion rupees. Net profit fell to 241.2 million rupees ($2.93 million) in the three months ended Sept. 30, from 245.9 million rupees a year ago. However, analysts have said the recent fall in commodity prices would start helping companies from the December quarter onwards.

☆ Cyclone lashes Bangladesh killing nine, flooding low-lying areas
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DHAKA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A cyclone roared into the Bangladesh coast on Tuesday, killing at least 9 people, destroying houses, uprooting trees and disrupting road, power and communication links, officials said. Mass evacuations before Cyclone Sitrang made landfall on the west coast helped save lives but the full extent of the casualties and damage would only be known after communications are restored, they said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPower and telephone links have been largely cut and coastal areas plunged into darkness, officials said. Environmentalists warn that climate change could lead to more disasters, especially in places like densely populated Bangladesh. "When extreme weather events like Cyclone Sitrang strike, communities are left devastated.

☆ India's rice export ban: The Asian countries set to be hit hard — and those that’ll profit
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Rice production in India has fallen by 5.6% year on year as of September in light of below-average monsoon rainfall, which has affected harvest, Nomura said. India, the world's largest rice exporter, has banned shipments of broken rice — a move that will reverberate across Asia, according to Nomura. India accounts for approximately 40% of global rice shipments, exporting to more than 150 countries. But production has decreased by 5.6% year-on-year as of Sept 2. in light of below-average monsoon rainfall, which affected harvest, Nomura said. Big rice-producing India states such as West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are receiving 30% to 40% less rainfall, Varma said.

☆ India's young investors prefer crypto to gold and 'boring' stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-03 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New Delhi CNN Business —Indian businesswoman Swati Daga first bought bitcoin in 2017, when the cryptocurrency was trading well under $3,000. “I find stock markets boring,” she told CNN Business, adding that she enjoys the “thrill” and “recklessness” that comes with investing in volatile currencies. The growth is driven by younger investors — mostly under the age of 35 — and many of them are coming from smaller cities and towns, founders of two of India’s biggest crypto exchanges told CNN Business. WazirX also has over 10 million users, and called 2021 a “phenomenal year” for crypto trading in India. On-again, off-again relationshipThe excitement over crypto is rising in India despite the country’s on-again, off-again relationship with digital currencies.

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