Tag: India

India, China begin implementing new border pact, ending Himalayan face-off

By Krishn Kaushik and Mei Mei Chu NEW DELHI/BEIJING (Reuters) -India and China have begun implementing an agreement to end a military standoff on their disputed Himalayan border, the two sides said on Friday, in the biggest thaw between the Asian giants since deadly clashes between their armies four years ago. Troops who were eyeball-to-eyeball at two points on the frontier in India’s Ladakh region in the western Himalayas had begun pulling back, an Indian […]

Quad group expands maritime security cooperation at Biden’s farewell summit

By Trevor Hunnicutt and David Brunnstrom CLAYMONT, Delaware (Reuters) -Leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States expanded joint security steps in Asia’s trade-rich waters as outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden hosted counterparts from the Quad grouping established due to shared concerns about China. Biden, meeting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese near his Delaware hometown on Saturday, stressed the importance of maintaining the […]

Biden, ‘Quad’ leaders to talk maritime security as China tensions grow

By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Tensions brewing in Asia’s trade-rich waters top the agenda as U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes leaders from Australia, India and Japan to his Delaware hometown for a diplomatic push to counter China in the waning months of his presidency. Biden headed to Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday ahead of the Quad Leaders Summit, where the leaders are expected to speak about conflict between Beijing and its neighbors in the South China […]

India braces for another month of above-average rainfall in September

By Rajendra Jadhav MUMBAI (Reuters) – India is forecast to receive above-average rainfall in September after surplus rains in August, the weather department said on Saturday. The rainfall in September is likely to be more than 109% of a 50-year average, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general of the India Meteorological Department, told a virtual news conference. Above-normal rainfall could damage summer-sown crops, such as rice, cotton, soybean, corn, and pulses, which are typically harvested from mid-September. Crop […]

Thousands evacuated, schools shut as India, Pakistan brace for rare August cyclone

By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam and Sumit Khanna   KARACHI/AHMEDABAD (Reuters) -Coastal towns and cities in India and Pakistan braced for a rare August cyclone on Friday, as heavy rains and winds forced authorities to close schools and evacuate thousands. India’s weather office said a deep depression had formed over land and was likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Friday evening, moving north-westwards over the Arabian Sea in the next two days. Schools in […]

Floods, landslides in India’s Tripura displace tens of thousands

By Tora Agarwala, Ruma Paul GUWAHATI/DHAKA (Reuters) -Soldiers in lifeboats ferried people to safety in India’s northeastern state of Tripura on Friday after heavy rain triggered floods and landslides, forcing more than 65,000 people from their homes and killing 23, authorities said. Television images showed army personnel manning the rescue craft, while cars and buses were marooned in streets of knee-deep water, and disaster management officials said four days of incessant rain had swelled rivers. […]

Death toll from India landslides rises to 151, search on for missing

By Chris Thomas, Munsif Vengattil and Jose Devasia KOCHI, India (Reuters) – By Chris Thomas and Jose Devasia CHOORALMALA, India (Reuters) – Rescue workers began looking for people trapped under debris early on Wednesday, a day after landslides caused havoc in the Wayanad district of India’s Kerala state, with at least 151 people dead and many still missing. Heavy rain in one of India’s most attractive tourist destinations collapsed hillsides and triggered torrents of mud, […]

Nearly 100 killed in stampede at India religious gathering

LUCKNOW, India, July 2, 2024 (AFP) – Nearly 100 people were crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India on Tuesday, with many others injured, a senior government official said. A large crowd had gathered near the city of Hathras for a sermon by a popular preacher but a fierce dust storm sparked panic as people were leaving. Many were crushed or trampled, falling on top of each other, with some collapsing […]

Power demand peaks in northern India heatwave

By Bhuvan BAGGA NEW DELHI, June 18, 2024 (AFP) – Searing heatwave temperatures in northern India pushed power demand to a record high, the government said Tuesday, with residents of the capital New Delhi also struggling with water shortages. Much of northern India has been gripped by a brutal month-long heatwave, with temperatures regularly soaring above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). Northern India has “been experiencing high demand conditions due to a prevailing heat […]

India’s Modi sworn in as prime minister

By Peter MARTELL NEW DELHI, June 9, 2024 (AFP) – India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in on Sunday for a third term after worse-than-expected election results left him reliant on coalition partners to govern. Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled outright for the past decade but failed to repeat its previous two landslide wins this time around, defying analysts’ expectations and exit polls. He was instead forced into quick-fire talks with the […]

Modi celebrates victory in India vote, but falls short of landslide

By Abhaya SRIVASTAVA NEW DELHI, June 4, 2024 (AFP) – India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed election victory for his party and its allies on Tuesday, but the opposition said they had “punished” the ruling party to confound predictions and reduce their parliamentary majority. Commentators and exit polls had projected an overwhelming victory for Modi, whose campaign wooed the Hindu majority to the worry of the country’s 200-million-plus Muslim community, deepening concerns over […]

India court urges heatwave emergency declaration as deaths rise

NEW DELHI, May 31, 2024 (AFP) – An Indian court has urged the government to declare a national emergency over the country’s ongoing heatwave, saying that hundreds of people had died during weeks of extreme weather. India is enduring a crushing heatwave with temperatures in several cities sizzling well above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). It has not published nationwide figures for deaths attributed to the current heatwave but the eastern state of Bihar […]