New Delhi, India | AFP | India said Monday it had agreed with China to end a months-long military stand-off at a strategically important disputed area in the Himalayas and troops were disengaging. The foreign ministry said it had reached an “understanding” after talks with Beijing about the tense confrontation in …
Read More »Sex crimes to sieges: India’s controversial ‘godmen’
New Delhi, India | AFP | India’s self-styled “godmen” have legions of devoted followers but many are dogged by scandal and several have been charged or convicted of crimes. The latest example is Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh — known as the “guru in bling” — who was sentenced Monday to 10 …
Read More »Indian woman wins divorce over lack of toilet
Jaipur, India | AFP | An Indian court has given a woman permission to divorce her husband because their home did not have a toilet, forcing her to seek relief outdoors. The family court in the northwestern state of Rajasthan ruled on Friday in favour of the woman, who argued that …
Read More »Defence firms eye billion-dollar chance for ‘made in India’
New Delhi, India | AFP | India has drawn up a shopping list for tens of billions of dollars of foreign fighter jets, armoured vehicles, submarines and helicopters but it will only sign the cheques if they are made in India. The world’s largest defence importer has announced a new policy …
Read More »India clears $650 mn Boeing army chopper deal: defence sources
New Delhi, India | AFP | India approved a $650 million purchase of six attack choppers Thursday from US aviation giant Boeing, officials said, as it boosts its military might amid border tensions with China and Pakistan. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which approves big-ticket purchases, gave the green light to …
Read More »At least 221 dead in India, Bangladesh, Nepal floods
Saptari, Nepal | AFP | At least 221 people have died and more than 1.5 million been displaced by monsoon flooding across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, officials said Tuesday, as rescuers scoured submerged villages for the missing. In Nepal, severe flooding has left tens of thousands of homes totally underwater in …
Read More »Indian film industry hails chief censor’s exit
Mumbai, India | AFP | India’s film industry on Monday welcomed the departure of the country’s chief film censor, who had stoked controversy by axing James Bond’s kissing scenes and briefly blocking the release of a movie for being too “lady-oriented”. The government said late Friday it was replacing Pahlaj …
Read More »Gandhi brand no longer sells in Indian politics
New Delhi, India | AFP | India’s Congress party and its controlling Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has been synonymous with political power for most of the 70 years since independence, hit a new low with this weekend’s vice-presidential election. The Congress-backed candidate was crushed in Saturday’s parliamentary ballot by the nominee of …
Read More »The force is female: India’s women cops take a stand
The force is female: India’s women cops take a stand Jaipur, India | AFP | All-female police units are shaking up the male-dominated force in conservative northwest India, hitting the streets to combat sex crimes and a pervasive culture of silence around rape. One such squad in Jaipur has …
Read More »Kenyans of Asian origin become 44th official tribe
South Asia heritage Kenyans formally recognised Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya said Saturday it had granted formal recognition to citizens of Indo-Pakistani origin, with President Uhuru Kenyatta making them a 44th tribe. “I do hereby recognize, proclaim and order, 1.that Kenyans of Asian Heritage constitute a Community that is …
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