Guwahati, India | AFP | Thousands in northeastern India protested Monday against a proposal to grant citizenship to religious minorities in the region, except Muslims, with critics attacking the bill as prejudiced and a sop to Hindus before elections. Protesters burned copies of the legislation in angry marches across Assam …
Read More »Clashes after women enter flashpoint Indian temple
Thiruvananthapuram, India | AFP | Violence erupted in southern India on Wednesday after two women defied traditionalists to enter one of Hinduism’s holiest temples for the first time since a landmark court ruling. Police fired tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon as protests and clashes between rival groups erupted …
Read More »Indian woman chops off stalker’s penis
Mumbai, India | AFP | An Indian woman cut off the penis of a man who had been stalking her, before rushing him to hospital to save his life, police said Thursday. The 47-year-old woman and two men lured her neighbour to an isolated spot in Mumbai before hacking off …
Read More »Don’t fall in love on Facebook, jailed Indian warns
Mumbai, India | AFP | An Indian man released last week after being jailed for six years in Pakistan issued advice on Friday not to follow his example and fall in love on Facebook. Hamid Nehal Ansari illegally entered Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 to meet a woman he had …
Read More »Indian journalist jailed after Modi Facebook post
New Delhi, India | AFP | An Indian journalist has been jailed for a year after he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook, in the latest example of what critics claim is a clampdown on free speech. Kishorechandra Wangkhem was arrested last month in the remote northeastern state of …
Read More »Fire at Mumbai hospital kills six, injures over 100
Mumbai, India | AFP | At least six people were killed and more than 100 injured when a fire engulfed a hospital in Mumbai on Monday, officials said, in the latest disaster to raise concerns about fire safety in India. The blaze broke out around 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) on …
Read More »Eleven die after eating ‘toxic’ rice at Indian temple
New Delhi, India | AFP | Eleven people have died after eating rice that had likely been contaminated with a toxic substance at a Hindu temple ceremony, a health official said Saturday. Another 29 people were critically ill and undergoing emergency treatment across various hospitals in Mysore, a city in …
Read More »Supreme Court backs Modi over Rafale jet deal
New Delhi, India | AFP | India’s Supreme Court dismissed Friday calls for an investigation into a controversial French fighter jet deal, in a move seen as a boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 2016 multi-billion dollar deal between the Indian government and French aircraft manufacturer Dassault has become …
Read More »Ghana Gandhi statue removed after student protest
Accra, Ghana | AFP | A statue of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi has been removed from Ghana’s most prestigious university after complaints that he was racist against black Africans. India’s former president Pranab Mukherjee unveiled the statue to the global peace icon at the University of Ghana in Accra …
Read More »Beyonce, Bollywood, Hillary as India’s richest daughter weds
Mumbai, India | AFP | Topping anything in hit film “Crazy Rich Asians”, the only daughter of India’s richest man ties the knot Wednesday after days of lavish celebrations that included a Beyonce concert in a lakeside palace. Isha Ambani, whose father is tycoon Mukesh Ambani, was set to wed …
Read More »