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SRINAGAR, India (AFP) – by Parvaiz BUKHARI A police paramilitary commander was shot dead in Kashmir’s main city while at least two suspected separatist militants were killed in gun-battles Monday as violence flared in the disputed Himalayan region on Indian Independence Day. The unnamed commander was critically injured in an ambush and died in hospital, a senior officer of India’s Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) confirmed to AFP, adding that two other members of the […]
DEHRADUN, India (AFP) — Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain in a mountainous part of north India killed at least eight people on Friday and 30 more are missing, a disaster control official said. Piyush Rautela said the toll from the disaster in the scenic Himalayan state of Uttarakhand could rise, with many believed buried in the mud and debris that barreled down slopes into homes. “So far eight bodies have been recovered and […]
by Trudy HARRIS GANGNAULI, India (AFP) — As large swathes of drought-devastated India desperately wait for the monsoon rains to arrive, one village in the dry, hot north is flush with water. But this farming area’s bountiful water supplies are feared contaminated with heavy metals, underscoring the profound challenges facing the world’s second most populous nation. From toxic pollution of rivers and lakes to contamination of groundwater supplies, together with chronic shortages in drought-hit districts, […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — At least 67 people have been killed by lightning in India over the past two days, disaster management officials said Wednesday, as the annual monsoon rains sweep the country. Lightning strikes are relatively common in India during the June-October monsoon, which hit the southern coast earlier this month, but this week’s toll is particularly high. An overnight storm in the eastern state of Bihar killed at least 47 people and […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s transport ministry admitted Thursday it has so far failed to improve road safety but said it was pushing for stricter laws, as new figures revealed 17 people die in traffic accidents every hour. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari acknowledged an urgent need to improve road infrastructure as the numbers showed traffic accidents were one of the single biggest causes of death in India. The report found 146,133 people died in […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — More than 2,000 Indians contracted HIV over a 17-month period after receiving blood transfusions, data from the national AIDS body showed Wednesday. In response to a Right to Information request filed by Mumbai-based activist Chetan Kothari, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) said 2,234 people had been infected between October 2014 and March 2016. The reply, which was shared with AFP Wednesday, was sent to Kothari last month after he […]
JUNAGADH, GUJARAT, India (Reuters) — Over two dozen bus passengers had a miraculous escape in India on Sunday (May 22) when a bridge they were crossing collapsed, leaving their vehicle dangling over the edge. While part of the bridge fell into the ravine below, in Junagadh town in western Gujarat state, the passengers were able to evacuate the bus safely. They blamed the local authorities for the poor state of the road and said the […]
by Jalees Andrabi KOLLAM, India (AFP) — A massive explosion and blaze apparently sparked by a stray firework during an unauthorised display killed over 100 people and injured scores more at a temple in southern India Sunday. Thousands had packed overnight into the Hindu temple complex in Kerala state where the firework is thought to have landed on a stockpile of others, triggering a huge blast that tore through concrete buildings. “It came like a […]
KOLKATA, India (AFP) — Indian police have arrested three employees of the construction firm building a flyover which collapsed in the eastern city of Kolkata, as the death toll rose to 26, a senior officer said Saturday. The arrests were made late Friday after police sealed the Kolkata office of IVRCL, the contractor behind the ill-fated construction project in West Bengal state. Five other staff were detained for questioning over the tragedy that unfolded after a […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Countries and mega-cities across Asia are highly exposed to natural hazards ranging from cyclones to earthquakes, but people in sub-Saharan Africa are more vulnerable, according to a report released Wednesday. Nearly 1.4 billion people in South Asia — India, Bangladesh, Pakistan — face at least one major threat from Nature, especially flooding, severe storms boosted by rising seas, and quakes. In the case of Bangladesh, 100 percent of its population is […]
New Delhi, India (AFP)—Asia is “the world’s most dynamic region” but structural reforms are key given its increasing importance to the global economy, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said in New Delhi on Saturday. Asia already accounts for 40 percent of the world economy and stands to deliver nearly two-thirds of global growth over the next four years, Lagarde, the IMF managing director, told the Advancing Asia conference in the Indian capital. “Given this vital […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Indian police said Wednesday they had arrested two students wanted in a sedition case that has sparked major protests after the pair gave themselves up following nearly two weeks on the run. Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya surrendered to police at midnight on Tuesday after a court refused to grant them protection from arrest over a rally at their university where a group allegedly shouted anti-India slogans. Student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar was […]
