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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

☆ More Than 200 Dead and 900 Injured in Train Crash in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Dan Bilefsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Video footage of the scene of the crash showed stunned onlookers, and Indian news reports said more than 50 ambulances had arrived to the area, along with teams of doctors to tend to the injured. Ashok Samal, a shopkeeper, told The Hindustan Times that he was ending his day near the railway track in his village of Bahanaga on Friday when he heard a deafening noise, ran to the track on the main line between Kolkata and Chennai, and saw a pile of mangled train cars. “There were loud shrieks and blood all over,” he told the newspaper, adding that he saw people trapped under coaches and people wailing for help. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways, said on Twitter that the National Disaster Response Force had been mobilized, along with rescue workers from the air force. Dozens of trains were canceled.

Persons: Ashok Samal, ”, Ashwini Vaishnaw Organizations: Hindustan Times, Twitter, Force Locations: Bahanaga, Kolkata, Chennai

☆ 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

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

☆ Borrell urges EU to crack down on imports of Indian fuels made with Russian oil -FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

India has emerged in the past year as a top buyer of Russian oil following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft (ROSN.MM) and top Indian refiner Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS) have also signed a term deal to substantially increase and diversify oil grades delivered to India. According to ship-tracking data from Kpler, Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) and Nayara Energy were the key exporters of refined fuels and buyers of Russian oil. However, that has increased to 200,000 bpd after the EU banned Russian oil products imports from Feb. 5 this year, data from Kpler shows. Any mechanism to stem the flow of Russian oil would need to be implemented by the national authorities, Borrell told the FT, suggesting that the EU could target buyers of Indian refined fuels which it believes are derived from Russian crude.

☆ Swarm of bees delays a Delta flight by three hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Marnie Hunter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A swarm of bees touched down on a parked Delta Air Lines aircraft Wednesday, delaying a flight from Houston to Atlanta for about three hours. Delta apologized to customers on the delayed flight. My flight leaving Houston is delayed because bees have congregated on the tip of one of the wings. A swarm of bees delayed an Air India flight in 2019. The airport involved in Wednesday’s bee-related delay hasn’t joined in airport beekeeping efforts – yet.

☆ Travel news: Underwater metro routes and marine discoveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Get the latest news in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. CNN —Incredible Italian home makeovers, jaw-dropping marine discoveries and ritzy new trains in Scotland and Taiwan: We’ve got all this and more in our latest roundup of news and features from CNN Travel. Massachusetts couple Doug and Leah Johnson renovated a 14th-century apartment in the town of Vasanello in Lazio that they bought for less than $14,000. Life on the railsAustralia and India are celebrating milestones in underwater travel. And on April 12, Kolkata’s new underwater metro route completed its maiden run, ahead of opening to the public in November.

So how did India’s population get so big, and how long will it last? The rise in population despite a drop in the fertility rate can be explained by “demographic momentum.”“When the fertility rate drops, the population continues to grow for several decades. So, even with a replacement or sub-replacement fertility rate, India’s population will continue to grow slowly because of the considerable number of women entering their reproductive years. India’s population growth is slowing downIndia may have overtaken China in total population, but UN data also shows that its growth rate has slowed. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, is home to 17% of India’s population but has only 9% of its industrial jobs.

☆ Kochi, Kerala: Indian city reveals fleet of 'water metro' ferries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The “water metro” will connect Kochi, in Kerala state, with 10 nearby islands in the Arabian Sea. Upgrading roads, railways, and metro systems has been a big initiative for the prime minister ahead of the G20, which India will host in September. As it becomes the most populous country in the world, India has made no secret of its tourism ambitions. Kochi’s water metro system is just the latest in a string of big infrastructure and travel announcements in India. Then, Kolkata’s metro system – the oldest in the country – revealed its first ever underwater line, which travels under the Hooghly River.

☆ Reinvented Rahane showcasing his range with Chennai
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rahane, who stands 1.68 metres tall, is not trying to emulate the muscular, power-hitting batters in the Twenty20 competition. According to the cricinfo website, Rahane is hitting a six every 9.54 balls this season, compared to his previous best of almost 32 balls in 2019. For me, it's all about timing the ball and playing proper cricket shots," he said. "For me, it's all about being Ajinkya Rahane and just backing my game in the middle. ($1 = 82.09 Indian rupees)Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How to exercise when you have a chronic condition or a disability
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Melanie Radzicki Mcmanus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Add in a disability, chronic condition or injury, and it can be even more challenging to incorporate exercise into a weekly routine. Regular exercise can also help manage the symptoms associated with some disabilities. Exercises to consider if you have limited mobilityWhich types of exercise are appropriate and helpful will depend upon your specific health situation. Examples of seated workouts include using a hand cycle and performing chair exercises with or without weights. Isometric exercises help maintain muscle strength while preventing further muscle deterioration.

☆ The Essential (and at Times, Elusive) Power of Mustard Oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Priya Krishna | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When the chef Asma Khan was growing up in Kolkata, India, she learned that there was very little mustard oil couldn’t do. A dab of the oil could cure them all. “You feel it coming through your nose,” said Ms. Khan, the owner of the Indian restaurant Darjeeling Express in London. It is all coming from the mustard oil. It is like a living oil.”

☆ Deadly heat waves fueled by climate change are threatening India's development, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Deadly heat waves fueled by climate change are threatening India’s development and risk reversing its progress on poverty alleviation, health and economic growth, a new study has found. Since 1992, more than 24,000 people have died because of heat waves in India, the study said. And the impacts are expected to get worse as heat waves become more frequent, intense and lethal due to the climate crisis. More than 90% of the country could be severely impacted by heat waves, falling into an extreme heat “danger” zone, according to the heat index, the study found. The heat index is how hot it feels and considers both air temperature and humidity to assess the heat’s impact on the population.

☆ 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.

CNN —Flowers, a coconut and a round of cheers were part of the celebrations following the inaugural test run through India’s first underwater metro tunnel on Wednesday. “This is a historic moment for Metro Railway,” Kausik Mitra, chief public relations officer for the Kolkata metro system, said in a statement. Once open, Howrah Maidan will be the deepest metro station in India. The full metro line through Howrah Maidan will be 4.8 km (three miles) long. Kolkata was the first city in India to have a metro system.

☆ India avalanche kills six, injures 30 and traps many more - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rescue team members search for survivors after an avalanche in the northeastern state of Sikkim, India, April 4, 2023. Indian Ministry of Defence/Handout via REUTERSGUWAHATI, India, April 4 (Reuters) - An avalanche in India's northeastern state of Sikkim on Tuesday killed at least six people, injured 30 and trapped many more, local officials said. All six dead were tourists and at least 70 people were feared trapped in the snow, rescue officials said. Rescue operations were on at the site, Reuters partner ANI reported on Twitter. An ANI video showed rescue workers and local residents crowding at the site of the accident.

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's rural women are 'bearing the brunt' of climate shocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

India's rural women are bearing the brunt of climate related shocks like severe drought and extreme weather events, Universal Images Group | Getty ImagesIndia's rural women are bearing the brunt of climate related shocks like severe drought and extreme weather events, which are drastically affecting their daily livelihoods. The climate fund will allow women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education, said Clinton. Having access to clean water makes a huge difference in tackling the overall health issues for rural women, she added. In the latest economic survey released in February, the government said rural women were increasingly participating in economic activity. Government schemes and policies have helped rural women, said Akanksha Khullar, a visiting fellow with the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

☆ Indian shares set for subdued start on U.S. rate hike fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Bharath Rajeswaran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The data heightened fears among investors that the Fed might have to keep rates higher for longer to tackle inflation. Indian equities logged their worst week in over eight months on Friday amid fears of aggressive interest rate hikes by global central banks and a fall in liquidity. STOCKS TO WATCH** Power Grid (PGRD.NS): Co accords multiple investment approvals worth 8.04 bln rupees. ** IRB Infrastructure (IRBI.NS): Co gets Letter of Award from National Highways Authority of India for projects worth 21.32 bln rupees. ** Phoenix Mills (PHOE.NS): Co's unit completes acquisition of a prime land parcel in Kolkata for 4.13 bln rupees.

☆ Adani's fall reignites scrutiny of billionaire's close ties with Modi
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ashok Swain Uppsala UniversityHindenburg's report has further sharpened the focus on the billionaire mogul's close ties with Modi. After Modi became prime minister, Adani continued to benefit from the relationship but on a much larger scale, said Swain. In his address to parliament last week, the prime minister seemed unfazed by the opposition's criticism and made no mention of Adani. "And you can never breach this safety shield with the weapons of abuse and lies," he said, as opposition lawmakers chanted "Adani, Adani." "Prime Minister Modi and I are from the same state.

☆ Alibaba sells out of India's Paytm - ANI
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A QR code of Paytm is seen at a mobile repairing shop in Kolkata, India, November 9, 2021. REUTERS/Rupak De ChowdhuriBENGALURU, Feb 10 (Reuters) - China's Alibaba Group (9988.HK) has sold its remaining stake in Indian digital payments firm Paytm (PAYT.NS) through a block deal, India's ANI reportedon Friday, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. Paytm and Alibaba did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. In January, Alibaba sold a 3.1% stake in the company through a block deal worth $125 million, a source with direct knowledge of the matter had told Reuters. Before that, the Chinese firm had a 6.26% stake in Paytm.

Adani Transmission (ADAI.NS), Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS), Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS), Adani Power (ADAN.NS) and Adani Wilmar (ADAW.NS) fell between 5% and 20% on Monday. It stayed well below the offer price of the issue, which if successful will be largest such share offering ever in India. Adani Enterprises' $2.5 billion secondary share sale closed its second day amid weak investor sentiment. The stock closed at 2,892.85 rupees, 7% below the 3,112 rupees lower end of the offer price band. "While there is a risk that the share sale does not go through, it will be crucial today to wait and see how institutional investors participate."

☆ Analysis: India's rising home prices, rentals a new inflation threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Housing rentals and ancillary costs have a 10.07% weightage in India's consumer price inflation basket and are near three-year highs, posing a fresh worry for the central bank that had to contend with rising food prices for most of last year. Urban housing inflation rose to 4.47% year-on-year in December 2022, versus 3.61% in the same period a year ago and 3.21% in December 2020, data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation showed. "Core inflation has continued to remain sticky and hence an increase in housing inflation poses a significant risk to the overall inflation outlook," said Aditi Gupta, an economist at Bank of Baroda. While housing prices are not part of the consumer price inflation basket, their effect is captured through construction and raw material prices, and analysts do not expect a slowdown any time soon. Analysts said rising house prices would also feed into higher demand for services like electricity and repairs, ultimately working their way into the overall inflation basket.

Lower imports by the world's second-biggest consumer of the precious metal could limit gains in global prices trading near their highest in eight months. The drop in imports could help in bringing down India's trade deficit and support the rupee . In value terms, December imports plunged to $1.18 billion from $4.73 billion a year ago, he said. The country's gold imports in 2022 dropped to 706 tonnes from 1,068 tonnes a year ago, another government official said. Local gold prices hit a high of 55,365 rupees ($677.72) per 10 grams in December, not far from the all-time peak of 56,191 rupees hit in August 2020.

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