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☆ Bollywood and Indian politics: Influence of Modi and BJP on world’s largest film industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

And most of these are Hindi films, meaning Bollywood holds an outsized influence on the country’s culture, identity and economy. A screengrab from the 2022 Bollywood film "The Kashmir Files." CNN reached out to several people from the film industry for this story, some of whom declined to be interviewed due to sensitivities around the topic. It encouraged some Bollywood filmmakers to “(lean) into the caricature of the Muslim villain,” he says. These films are growing fast; outside Bollywood, earnings from the South Indian media and entertainment industry have nearly doubled year on year, according to a 2023 report by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Persons: India’s, Narendra Modi, Indranil Mukherjee, ”, Raja Sen, “ It’s, Modi, Tanul Thakur, …, Veer Savarkar, –, ” Adah Sharma, Pandits, Vivek Agnihotri, ” Sudipto Sen, Debashree Mukherjee, it’s, Thakur, Sen, Darab Farooqui, Sonu Mehta, Farooqui, “, she’s, Aamir Khan, ” Farooqui, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mukherjee, Yash Chopra, ” That’s, ” Thakur, ” Sen, “ We’ve, ’, Dharmendra, Noemi Cassanelli, “ Something’s Organizations: India CNN —, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Observers, Hollywood, Republican, Modi’s, Getty, CNN, Ministry of Culture, of, Netflix, Columbia, Social Democratic Party of India, Hindustan Times, Columbia University, Journalists, Confederation of Indian Industry Locations: Mumbai, India, Kerala, Kashmir, Jammu, Columbia University’s, Middle Eastern, South, Jaipur, New Delhi, Pakistan, United States, Tamil Nadu

☆ Modi's strongman rule raises questions about India's 'democratic decline' as he seeks a third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, center, during a campaign rally in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Photographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA decade into power, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to secure a rare third term, with the general elections now underway. Opposition 'witch hunt'Ahead of the elections, India's main opposition — the National Congress party — accused the Modi government of freezing its bank accounts. "This is a criminal action on the Congress party done by the prime minister and the home minister," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a fiery attack. "During Manmohan Singh's time, India was also growing very fast," he added, referring to the economic reforms under the former prime minister in the 1990s.

Persons: Narendra Modi, India's, Modi, Prakash Singh, Asim Ali, Ali, Milan, Modi's, —, Rahul Gandhi, Chietigj Bajpaee, Arvind Kejriwal, consecrating, Ronojoy Sen, Neelanjan Sircar, Manmohan Singh's, Sircar Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, India's, East, CNBC, Dem, Freedom House, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Newsweek, Bharatiya Janata Party, National Congress, South Asia, Chatham House, Aam Aadmi Party, Modi's BJP, BJP, Institute of South Asian Studies, Centre for Policy Research Locations: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, East Asia, New Delhi, Sweden, U.S, Milan Vaishnav, South Asia, Gujarat, Ali, Delhi, Lok, Ayodhya, Ayodhya —, BJP

☆ Melinda French Gates to resign from Gates Foundation, will pursue own philanthropy with $12.5 billion grant
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on July 01, 2021. Melinda French Gates, the former wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, announced on Monday she would resign as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation next month. Bill Gates in a separate statement said, "I am sorry to see Melinda leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work." French Gates has also devoted significant amounts of time and money towards gender equality initiatives worldwide. In 2015, she founded Pivotal Ventures, a separate entity from the Gates Foundation, which focused on removing barriers to access and opportunity for minorities and women in the U.S.

Persons: Melinda Gates, Melinda French Gates, Bill Gates, French Gates, Gates, Melinda Organizations: Microsoft, Melinda Gates Foundation, Ventures, Gates Foundation Locations: Paris, France, French, Africa, South Asia, U.S

☆ A 19-year-old called 911 in a crisis and ended up dead. For advocates, it’s a call for a better way of policing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

In New York, a similar but limited pilot program called “B-Heard” dispatches EMTs and trained mental health responders to some emergency calls. 2 minutes, 4 gunshots, and a young life cut shortRozario was in the throes of an apparent mental health crisis when he called 911 on March 27. Another vision for crisis interventionRozario wasn’t the first New Yorker to die at the hands of police while experiencing a mental health crisis. Community Access, a non-profit supporting people with mental health concerns in New York, says at least 26 New Yorkers experiencing mental health crises have been shot and killed by police since 2007. “No mother should have to go through the pain I’m going through,” Rozario’s mother said.

Persons: CNN —, ” Notan Eva Costa, “, ” Costa, ”, general’s, Win Rozario, Rozario, EMTs, Loyda Colón, Utsho, “ Tell, Colón, ” Colón, Michael Alcazar, Kawaski Trawick, Deborah Danner, Mohamed Bah, Jeremy Gates, Evan Thompkins, ” Arvind Sooknanan, Sooknanan, Ken Zimmerman, Fountain, they’ve Organizations: CNN, New, New York City, Rozario, NYPD, Justice, John Jay College of Criminal, Eugene Police Department, White Bird Clinic, “, STAR, Fountain House Locations: Queens, New York, New York City, Eugene , Oregon, Denver , Colorado, South Dakota, Rozario, Alcazar, Eugene, Springfield , Oregon, Colorado, Denver, Fountain

☆ How a Novelist Became a Pop Star
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Emily Lordi | Philip Cheung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“I hope you fall in love, I hope it breaks your heart” is the refrain (in English translation) of “Pasoori,” Ali Sethi’s 2022 global hit. The song, performed as a duet with the Pakistani singer Shae Gill, defies such simple classifications — it’s a pop banger sung in Urdu and Punjabi, punctuated with flamenco handclaps and driven by a reggaeton beat. It’s now been viewed some 850 million times on YouTube, including by countless Indian fans. Sethi, 39, is a master of microtonal singing, gliding between the notes of the Western tempered scale. In 2009, he published “The Wish Maker,” a semiautobiographical coming-of-age novel set in his home city.

Persons: ” Ali, Shae Gill, Sethi, —, ” Sethi, It’s, He’s, Ustad Saami, Farida Khanum, “, ”, Jane Austen, Zadie Smith, Indiana Jones, Mariah Carey, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Organizations: Pakistani, YouTube, Harvard Locations: Pakistani, Manhattan’s East, Lahore

☆ India’s time zone: Why the world’s most populous country has a unique one
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

India’s half-hour zone dates back to colonial rule of India and the era when ever-faster steamships and trains were shrinking the world. The start of the 20th century saw some push from scientific associations to calibrate India’s time to GMT. That recommendation was rejected by the colonial government, which opted for a unified time that sat squarely in the middle: five and a half hours ahead of GMT. In 2015, North Korea moved out of sync with South Korea by creating “Pyongyang Time,” putting the country eight and a half hours ahead of GMT instead of nine. India’s colonial-era time zone decision making, however, reflected a chorus of political, scientific and commercial voices both from within the government and outside of it, Gordon says.

Persons: Hulton, ”, Geoff Gordon, Gordon, “, it’s, Wong Maye, Hugo Chávez, Nicolas Maduro, Terry Gilliam, Rube Goldberg, Maulik Jagnani, Jagnani Organizations: CNN, East India Company, Hulton Deutsch, University of Amsterdam, Madras, Washington D.C, Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Observatory, Meridian, Royal Society, Prime Meridian, Physical Laboratory, Tufts University, NPL Locations: New York, London, Tokyo, Iran, Myanmar, Australia, India, British, Madras, Chennai, “, Bombay, Kolkata, Washington, London ., Greenwich, North Korea, South Korea, Korea, Pyongyang, Brazil, ”, Greenwich , London, China, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat

Two of three speakers at the engineering school’s ceremony disappeared abruptly from the school’s graduation website. A self-described “fourth-generation Trojan” from Pasadena, Ms. Blain, who has spent much of her life imagining her own U.S.C. Pro-Palestinian students tried to set up an encampment on campus days later, and university officials summoned the Los Angeles police. At the engineering school, where Ms. Tabassum, the valedictorian, will be graduating, professors were trying to resurrect her chance to speak. A university committee had picked Ms. Tabassum, who is Muslim and of South Asian ancestry, from about 100 undergraduates with near 4.0 grade point averages.

Persons: Kevin Feige, Liza Colón, Zayas, Tina, “, ”, Jaren Lewison, they’re, Ella Blain, Blain, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Biden, U.S.C, Asna Tabassum, Jon M, Chu, Marcia McNutt, Blain’s, Annette Ricchiazzi, Carol Folt, Missives, Sean Penn, —, Goodwin Liu, Merrill Balassone, Phil Chan, Pam Zhang, Safiya Umoja Noble, Lewison, Jane Coaston, Tabassum, Yannis C, Folt, Kevin Crawford Knight, Didi Global, Zohreh, Khademi, Knight, ” Hossein Hashemi, Hashemi, Dustin Jeffords Organizations: University of Southern, Angeles, Marvel Studios, Hollywood, Netflix, Dornsife, of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles Memorial, School of Dramatic Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor , Indiana University, Bloomington, Northeastern University, United Nations, University, Vermont’s, Columbia University, National Academy of Sciences, Los Angeles police, Community, Dodger, California Supreme, MacArthur, Rossier School, Education, Jewish, commencements, New York Times, Microsoft, Media, “ Locations: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Coast, Aude, Pasadena, Gaza, Ann Arbor ,, Boston, U.S, Israel, U.S.C, California, San Bernardino County

☆ Asia heatwave: Record temperatures cancel classes, widening learning gaps across Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Heather Chen | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

His class of 43 students pass around mini hand-held fans during lessons on most days to keep cool. More than 33 million children were impacted as a result of the heatwave, according to groups like Save the Children and UNICEF. The worst hit were poor children in rural areas whose families couldn’t afford devices like laptops and tablets to facilitate remote learning, UNICEF says. “We don’t allow children outside when temperatures get too hot,” said Bong Samreth, who teaches at a public school in Phnom Penh. Loose, lightweight and light colored clothing was also advised for students to protect them from sunburns and heat exposure.

Persons: Seila, ”, “, —, Sheldon Yett, ” Yett, Bong Samreth, Ezra Acayan, Benjo Basas, Basas, Mirasol, Hang Chuon Naron, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Chaideer Mahyuddin, it’s, Joy Reyes Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Children, UNICEF, UN, ”, Volunteers, Getty, Governments Locations: Hong Kong, Cambodia, Phnom Penh, South, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Philippines, Tondo, Manila, Pangasinan, Philippine, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, AFP

☆ We asked a parasite expert about RFK Jr.'s claim that a worm ate his brain. Here's what they said.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Geoff Weiss | Paul Squire | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. His campaign's press secretary confirmed that Kennedy was infected with a parasite 10 years ago and said it was resolved. His campaign told Business Insider that Kennedy is in "robust physical and mental health" and said questioning his fitness is a "hilarious suggestion, given his competition." One medical expert told Business Insider that Kennedy's version of events doesn't quite add up. But there's no way the larvae could have consumed Kennedy's brain tissue.

Persons: —, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, — Kennedy, Kennedy, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Janina Caira, Caira, Peter Hotez, Hotez Organizations: Service, The New York Times, The Times, Business, Times, University of Connecticut, New York Times, Baylor College of Medicine, National, Tropical Medicine Locations: The, South Asia, Texas

☆ A passenger had their flight ticket canceled after trying to smuggle a bag of snakes in their pants past TSA
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A passenger was caught with a bag of snakes in their pants at Miami International Airport. AdvertisementA passenger was caught trying to smuggle a bag of snakes onto a plane at Miami International Airport last month. Transportation Security Agency officials said officers detected the small bag "hidden in a passenger's pants" on April 26. Officers at @iflymia detected this bag of snakes hidden in a passenger’s pants at a checkpoint on Fri, April 26. pic.twitter.com/CggJob8IT8 — TSA_Gulf (@TSA_Gulf) April 30, 2024Upon discovering the reptiles at a security checkpoint, the TSA called in the police and Customs and Border Protection.

Persons: —, Oakley, @TSA, Kanitha, frontliners Organizations: Miami International Airport, Daily Mail, Service, Transportation Security Agency, Miami - Dade Police, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, TSA, Customs, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Guardian, Airlines, Protection Locations: Asia, Miami, Thailand, Southeast Asia, South Asia

☆ India’s economy and Modi, Ambani, Adani: The three men shaping the next economic superpower
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Fellow billionaire Gautam Adani, founder of the Adani group, was also invited. Reliance Industries and the Adani Group are sprawling conglomerates worth over $200 billion each, with established businesses in sectors ranging from fossil fuels and clean energy to media and technology. As a result, these three men — Modi, Ambani and Adani — are playing a fundamental role in shaping the economic superpower India will become in the coming decades. Both Adani and Ambani have become key allies as the country embarks on this revolution. “India cannot grow rich before it becomes old on the back of a few big firms like Adani or Ambani,” he said.

Persons: Mukesh Ambani, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump, popstar Rihanna, David Blaine, Ambani, Gautam Adani, Jeff Bezos, ”, Rohit Lamba, Narendra Modi, — Modi, Adani, Noemi Cassanelli, ’, John D Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, James Crabtree, Modi, Guido Cozzi, Cozzi, Ambani’s, Dhirubhai, helms, Cantor Fitzgerald, Cantor, ’ Ambani, Amit Dave, Hindenburg’s, ferociously, ” Cantor, Modi’s, Prasanna Tantri, Crabtree, Lamba Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN —, Reliance Industries, Pennsylvania State University, Investors, Adani, CNN, Adani Realty, Frick, Astor, Carnegie, Samsung, Hyundai, World Bank . Coal, University of St, Adani Group, Reliance, Reliance Industry, Adani Enterprises, AEL “, Tata Group, Modi, India’s, Hindenburg, GQG Partners, Indian School of Business Locations: New Delhi, Gujarat, Davos, Coachella, Silicon Valley, India, China, Mumbai, Antilia, America, Asia, Britain, South Korea, Worth, United Kingdom, University of St Gallen, Switzerland, American

☆ ‘But What Will People Say?,’ Sahaj Kohli explores the challenges that children of immigrants commonly face
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

"But What Will People Say?," a memoir and self-help book from writer and therapist Sahaj Kaur Kohli, published on May 7. In “But What Will People Say?,” which published May 7, Kohli explores that fear of judgment, along with other challenges that children of immigrants commonly face: shame, self-sabotaging behaviors and the loss of cultural identity among them. In "But What Will People Say?," Kohli examines the dissonance between Western conversations around mental health and family dynamics in immigrant households. So many of us will feel guilt and all of a sudden be like, “I’m doing something wrong. Do you feel guilt because your parents are subscribing to a different set of values that don’t align with yours?

Persons: Sahaj Kaur Kohli, Kohli, ’, ” Kohli, I’m, Beowulf Sheehan, it’s, What’s, “, don’t, “ I’m, Abir Bhattacharya, you’re Organizations: CNN, Mental, Penguin, Brown Locations: White, Virginia, Indian

☆ Inside Rep. Rob Menendez's fight to be more than a 'nepo baby'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

"I don't have the capacity to think through, well, what if, what if, what if," Menendez told me. Mayor Bhalla told me that he began contemplating his primary challenge shortly after the elder Menendez was first indicted in September. AdvertisementSitting in his recently opened campaign office, the mayor told me that the most important facet of his candidacy was his fight against New Jersey's party boss-driven political culture. "Everything here is a headline or a deadline driving the process," Councilman Paul Presinzano said of Mayor Bhalla. Menendez looks on as Bhalla's opening remarks at a Jersey City candidate forum are filmed by a cameraman.

Persons: Rob Menendez —, Sen, Bob Menendez —, Ravi Bhalla, Menendez, —, Rob Menendez, Bob Menendez, who's, that's, frat bro, I've, Stephen Chernin, he's, father's, Phil Murphy, Bhalla, Pete Buttigieg, outraise Menendez, Ted Shaffrey Bhalla, Menendez —, there's, They're, Andy Kim, Tammy Murphy, James Solomon, you've, hasn't, bossism, Anna Moneymaker, deriding, didn't, I'm, wasn't, we're, It's, Sam Bankman, rZ6H2IB4N0, — Rob Menendez, @RobMenendez4NJ, Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, Kim, Fisher, Paul Presinzano, Union City —, Donald Trump, Bryan Metzger, Rob's, Tammy Murphy's, He's, Cory Booker, Rob Menendez Bhalla, Steve Fulop —, corruptly Organizations: Hoboken, Service, Nike Air Force, Gov, Port Authority of New, New Jersey ., Sikh American, Congress, South, AP, New, Democratic Rep, First, Jersey City, Getty, Lipton Tea Company, House Transportation, Infrastructure, Union City, Homeland Security, Democratic, House Democratic, Facebook Locations: New Jersey, Manhattan, Jersey, Hoboken, Port Authority of New York, he's, Jersey City, Washington ,, Washington and NJ, Menendez's, Union City

☆ Narendra Modi: On the campaign trail with India’s popular yet divisive leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Will Ripley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Narendra Modi, India’s hugely popular but deeply polarizing prime minister, has landed in the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh as he campaigns for a third consecutive term in power. A Modi supporter at his rally in Aligarh, India, on April 22, 2024. And here in Uttar Pradesh, a sense of pride is evident among the thousands gathered to hear the prime minister speak. Supporters wave the flag of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Aligarh, India, on April 22, 20224. John Mees/CNNModi is expected to remain on the campaign trail until India’s next prime minister is named in early June, traversing the huge country, visiting city after city and delivering his roaring speeches that attract the masses.

Persons: Narendra Modi, India’s, Modi, John Mees, “ Modi, ”, Pramod Charma, ” Modi, he’s, –, Gaurav Mahajan, Modi’s, Narendra Modi's, CNN Modi, Narayan Pachaury, “ Organizations: India CNN, Win, CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP spokespeople, selfies, Modi, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP Locations: Aligarh, India, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, Russia, Gujarat, Rajasthan

☆ Islamophobia and India’s election: Rising Hindu nationalism leaves Muslims fearful in India’s holy city
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Rhea Mogul | Will Ripley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Varanasi, India CNN —The sun glistens on the Ganges as Hindu devotees bathe in the holy river’s waters, and the Muslim call to prayer reverberates through the dusty air. The Gyanvapi mosque, left, and Kashiviswanath Temple on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India, December 12, 2021. He believes Gyanvapi is not a mosque, but a Hindu temple, and wants to see his community worship inside the walls of the building. Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, the priest of a prominent Hindu temple in Varanasi, believes Modi’s stoking of religious tensions is ruining the fabric of Indian society. This is my country.”Read more from CNN’s India election coverage:Billions spent, jungle-trekking poll workers and voting at 15,000 feet.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, Modi, Varanasi John Mees, Sana Sabah, trepidation, “, Modi’s, Rajesh Kumar Singh, John Mees, Syed Mohammad Yaseen, ”, Hinduism John Mees, ’, Dileep Patel, inching, Nasir Ali, Ali, ‘ Jai Shree Sri Ram ’, Vijay Bedi, CNN Ali, Muzamil, Usman, it’s, Jai Shree Ram ”, Manish Swarup, Raja Singh, we’ll, Singh, –, Jaiveer Shergill, spokespeople, haven’t, Shamsher Ali, Emperor Aurangzeb, Lord Shiva, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Pawan Kumar, ” Ali, Yaseen, ” Syed Mohammad Yaseen, turbocharge, ” Modi, Ram, Lucas Vallecillos, Swami Jitendranand Saraswati, Gyanvapi, Swami Saraswati, Amit Pandey, Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, ” Mishra, ” Read, Narendra Modi Organizations: India CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, CNN, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Modi, Bhajanpura Police, United Nations, Human Rights, ” CNN, Modi’s, Hate, AP BJP, T, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Federation for Human Rights, Reuters, Guards, “ Locations: Varanasi, India, Varanasi John, today’s India, “, Hinduism, Jammu, Kashmir, New Delhi, Delhi, Mustafabad, Rajasthan, Jaipur, Gujarat, Washington, BJP, Ali, Kashi, Gyanvapi, John, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh

☆ For the vibrant springtime celebration Vaisakhi, Sikhs from near and far gathered to honor their faith and community
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Nimarta Narang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The April celebration Vaisakhi is a time when Sikhs gather for community worship, meals, and parades. Here I was in America about a century later trying to honor the community he helped build and, by extension, the Sikh faith. Anumeha Sinha for BINow in my late 20s, it's been 11 years since I've lived in a close-knit Sikh community. To feel closer to her community, Kaur said she's now making a personal effort to honor traditions she learned when she was younger. But outside the Sikh community — and increasingly after 9/11, like Singh mentioned — I saw people misunderstand our symbols of faith.

Persons: —, Vaisakhi, Anumeha Sinha, Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh, Singh, Kaur, it's, I've, Harmeet Kaur, Harman Singh, Harmeet, hadn't, Sahib, she's, Kaur's, nishaan sahib, I'm, It's Organizations: Service, New, BI, Khalsa, ., BI Kaur, New York, Darbar Locations: New York City, Richmond Hill, Queens, Punjab, South Asia, Bangkok, America, . Orange, Brooklyn, Kentucky, Pikeville, Lexington , Kentucky, Atlanta and New York, New, Detroit, India, Windsor , Ontario, Bangkok , New York

☆ India’s UPI: How e-payments have taken over, from sari shops to street food stalls
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Amy Gunia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Digital payments are likely to enhance India’s growth by eliminating frictions, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs,” Eswar Prasad, an economics professor at Cornell University, told CNN. Covid-19 further boosted the adoption of digital transactions, as people tried to protect themselves from the virus. In 2023, the number of UPI transactions topped 100 billion. Azeez, a 34-year-old rickshaw driver in Old Delhi, told CNN that he’s too scared of losing money to use e-payments. Sania Farooqui/CNNConvenience aside, India’s digital public infrastructure has helped it achieve an 80% financial inclusion rate.

Persons: Brij Kishore, ”, Agarwal, tuk, India’s, Narendra Modi, Eswar Prasad, Old Delhi Sania Farooqui, Ramesh Kumar's, Sania Farooqui, Ramesh Kumar, he’s, Azeez, Prasad, Kapil Sharma, “ Organizations: Hong Kong / New Delhi CNN, ”, Unified, “, frictions, Cornell University, CNN, “ UPI, India, National Payments Corporation of India, UPI, Sarojini, Finance, Eiffel Locations: Hong Kong / New Delhi, Chandni, India’s Old Delhi, Delhi, India, Old Delhi, Sarojini, Covid

☆ U.S.C. Cancels Its Main Graduation Ceremony, Citing Security Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Stephanie Saul | More About Stephanie Saul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The University of Southern California announced on Thursday that it has canceled its main-stage graduation ceremony for students, a move that follows campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war and a controversy over its selection of a class valedictorian. This week, the university has been rocked by turmoil by pro-Palestinian protesters, resulting in the arrests of more than 90 people. It was the continuation of controversy on the Los Angeles campus that began in early April, when the university selected a Muslim valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, a biomedical engineering major from Chino Hills, Calif. Following complaints from several Jewish organizations that Ms. Tabassum, who is of South Asian descent, had posted a social media link to a pro-Palestinian organization, the university informed her that she would not be delivering the valedictorian speech, which is a tradition.

Persons: Asna, Tabassum Organizations: University of Southern California, Los Angeles Locations: Israel, Chino Hills, Calif

☆ India election 2024: Voters battle extreme temperatures as intense heat wave hits region
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New Delhi CNN —Indian voters are battling sweltering conditions to take part in the world’s biggest election as a severe heat wave hits parts of the country and authorities forecast a hotter-than-normal summer for the South Asian nation. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a heat wave will affect parts of south and east India until the end of the week, including four states that are voting on Friday. Climate politicsIndia, the world’s most populous nation with 1.4 billion people, often experiences heat waves during the summer months of May and June. But in recent years, they have arrived earlier and become more prolonged, with scientists linking some of these longer and more intense heat waves to the climate crisis. Last year successive heat waves hit India again, closing schools, damaging crops and putting pressure on energy supplies.

Persons: Gandhi Ray, ”, “, Noemi Cassanelli, Narendra Modi, ” Ray, Commision, Aditya Valiathan Pillai, climatologist Maximiliano Herrera Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN —, South, India Meteorological Department, IMD, CNN, National Disaster Management Authority, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian National Congress, World Meteorological Organization Locations: New Delhi, India, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Baripada, Khammam, Banka district, Maharashtra, Pakistan, Mumbai, Bangladesh, Asia, Thailand, Philippines, Mekong, Vietnam

☆ I quit medicine for an entry-level corporate job. I felt behind but didn't have the passion to become a low-paid doctor.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Salaha Ashraf spent her last few years of medical school feeling stressed and anxious. Ashraf went to medical school in 2014 but pivoted into a corporate career after deciding she didn't want to be a doctor. I felt more passionate about business management after one year compared to four years of medical school. I don't wish I was a doctorI try to look back at medical school in a positive light. If I felt empowered to follow my passion, maybe I would have studied psychology, which I found interesting at school.

Persons: Salaha Ashraf, —, Ashraf, I've, I'd Organizations: Service, NHS, Business Locations: Bolton, England

☆ Tesla’s entry into India’s EV market will be 'good news’ for the country, says MG Motor India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | In Charmainemariajacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"When India as a market gets attention, more and more players and investments will come in. Numbers are still constrained because consumers don't have compelling choices," Chaba told CNBC's Sri Jegarajah in Gurugram, India. India's electric vehicle sector still lacks competition, but entry from international automakers like Tesla will level the playing field, MG Motor India's CEO Emeritus Rajeev Chaba said. Tesla CEO Elon Musk postponed a scheduled trip to India this week where he was to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing "heavy Tesla obligations." It'll be good for the industry, good news for the country, and for serious players like us."

Persons: Tesla, Chaba, EVs, CNBC's, Rajeev Chaba, Elon Musk, Narendra Modi, Maruti Suzuki, It'll, Musk Organizations: Bain & Company, CNBC's Sri, Motor, Reuters, Tesla, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Maruti Locations: India, CNBC's Sri Jegarajah, Gurugram, New Delhi, Mumbai

Israel welcomed a U.S. aid package signed by President Biden on Wednesday that will send about $15 billion in military aid to Israel, increasing American support for its closest Middle East ally despite strains in their relationship over Israel’s prosecution of the war in the Gaza Strip. “Our alliance is ironclad,” Israel Katz, the country’s foreign minister, said in a statement thanking Mr. Biden for signing the legislation. It was part of a long-stalled $95.3 billion in aid that had faced vehement opposition from some Republicans over its support for Ukraine, which is also part of the legislation, as is Taiwan. The aid for Israel includes more than $5 billion to replenish three of the country’s defense systems: Iron Dome, which intercepts rockets that fly in high arcs; David’s Sling, which shoots down drones, missiles and rockets; and Iron Beam, which was designed to use laser beams to destroy incoming projectiles. It also includes $1 billion to enhance the production and development of artillery and munitions and $2.4 billion for American military operations in the U.S. Central Command region, which includes the Middle East as well as parts of South Asia and East Africa.

Persons: Israel, Biden, ” Israel Katz, Mr Organizations: Ukraine, U.S . Central Command Locations: Israel, East, Gaza, Taiwan, South Asia, East Africa

☆ Australian Journalist Says She Was Pushed Out of India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Sameer Yasir | Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A senior journalist with Australia’s national broadcaster says she was effectively pushed out of India after her reporting on Sikh separatism angered the Indian government, accusing the authorities of hindering her from going to events, seeking to have her reporting taken down and refusing for weeks to renew her visa. Avani Dias, the South Asia correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, said on social media that Indian officials told her last month that her application for a resident journalist visa extension would not be approved because a television segment she had produced on accusations that India was responsible for the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada had “crossed the line.”She was eventually granted a temporary visa extension at the last minute after lobbying by the Australian government, less than a day before she was scheduled to leave the country, Ms. Dias said in her podcast, “Looking for Modi.” But she said that she ultimately decided to leave because “it felt too difficult to do my job in India.”“I was struggling to get into public events run by Modi’s party,” Ms. Dias said on the podcast. The Indian government has disputed Ms. Dias’ account and said she was assured by high ranking officials that her visa would be renewed.

Persons: Avani Dias, “, Dias, Modi, ”, Ms, Dias ’ Organizations: Australia’s, South, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Locations: India, South Asia, Canada

☆ Gukesh Dommaraju: Indian teenager becomes youngest challenger for world chess title, will face reigning champion from China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Andrew Mcnicol | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Teenage Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju, better known as Gukesh D, became the youngest player to claim the men’s Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada Sunday. The 17-year-old grandmaster’s win sets up an opportunity to dethrone reigning world champion Ding Liren of China at the 2024 World Chess Championship later this year. Gukesh is set to become the youngest player ever to challenge for a world chess title. China’s Tan Zhongyi won the women’s Challenger category to qualify for a world title match against compatriot and reigning world champion Ju Wenjun – date also unknown. Gukesh is the second Indian to play in a world championship after legendary Indian player Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand.

Persons: Gukesh Dommaraju, Ding Liren, Ding, Garry Kasparov’s, Gukesh, Hikaru Nakamura, “, ” Gukesh, ”, Kasparov, ” Kasparov, Narendra Modi, Gukesh’s, Magnus Carlsen, China’s Tan Zhongyi, Ju, Rameshbabu, Carlsen, “ Pragg, Viswanathan “ Vishy ” Anand, Anand, “ I’m, ” Anand Organizations: CNN, International Chess Federation, FIDE, Indian Locations: Toronto, Canada, China, Russian, Asia, Britain, India, Vaishali

☆ Cricket, a big business in India, brings star power to the U.S. with the country's first world cup
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Laya Neelakandan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

USA Cricket Vice-Captain Aaron Jones poses next to a giant cricket ball, installed at a marketplace to mark 100 days to go for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, in Miami, Florida, on Feb. 22, 2024. But the sport has boomed in India, the world's most populous country, as well as some other former British colonies. And now, the U.S. men's national cricket team will represent the home country in this year's International Cricket Council Men's T20 World Cup. While traditional cricket matches can last as long as five days, a T20 match typically lasts around three hours. The early June world cup matchups will bring some of that star power to the U.S., with a high-profile India-Pakistan competition and culminating in a U.S.-India match.

Persons: Aaron Jones, Chandan Khanna, Peter Della Penna, it's, Disney, Forbes, RedBird, Jay Shah, Della Penna, —, Liam Plunkett, Dwayne Bravo, Mike Stobe, Tasmai Krishnan, Tasmai, he's Organizations: USA Cricket, ICC, Afp, Getty, U.S . Cricket, Major League Cricket, Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle, Seattle Orcas , Texas Super Kings, Washington, team, International Cricket Council, U.S, West, New York —, ESPN, Cricket, Disney Star Network, Indian Premier League, IPL, Rajasthan Royals, Control, NFL, BCCI, Angeles Olympic, Times, Icc, U.S . Locations: Miami , Florida, U.S, England, India, MI New York, Seattle Orcas , Texas, West Indies, —, Texas , Florida, New York, Success, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, New York City

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