NEW DELHI (Reuters) – An India state will give gold worth about $530 to every bride from a poor family, the latest budget giveaway ahead of a general election that must be held by May.FILE PHOTO: People walk inside the premises of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi, India, December 11, 2018. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo The… Read more »
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to announce investments in energy and infrastructure during a visit to India and Pakistan in coming days as part of his efforts to wean the Saudi economy off oil exports. He is also expected to visit China, Malaysia and Indonesia during a tour that will be his… Read more »
GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – Protesters in northeast India claimed victory on Wednesday after a bill that the government says will help Hindus in neighboring countries settle in India lapsed before it could be ratified by parliament. The Citizenship Amendment Bill is aimed at helping Hindus and members of other non-Muslim minority communities in neighboring Muslim countries move to India. But… Read more »
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan has dismissed 12 election officials amid an investigation into corruption following problems with the organization of a general election last year, with fears growing that the purge could delay a July presidential election. President Ashraf Ghani’s government agreed to an amendment of the election law to improve transparency following meetings with political, civil society groups and… Read more »
GENEVA (Reuters) – Iran can only lose by negotiating with the United States and must be careful to limit any dealings with some “untrustworthy” European states, the Islamic Republic’s top leader said on Wednesday. Tensions ramped up between the United States and Iran after President Donald Trump withdrew from a multilateral nuclear deal last year and reimposed sanctions. The U.S…. Read more »
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – An India state will give gold worth about $530 to every bride from a poor family, the latest budget giveaway ahead of a general election that must be held by May. The northeastern state of Assam is run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is facing a battle for re-election… Read more »
PRAYAGRAJ, India (Reuters) – At the world’s biggest religious festival, the Hindu Kumbh Mela in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, the spiritual message for the faithful is deep and profound. The political message for voters isn’t far behind. As many as 150 million people are expected to come to the festival city of Prayagraj to bathe at the confluence of… Read more »
MUMBAI (Reuters) – Facebook Inc is expanding its fact-checking network in India to curb the spread of misinformation as the world’s largest democracy prepares for a general election that must be held by May, the U.S.-based social media giant said on Monday. “We are committed to fighting the spread of false news on Facebook, especially ahead of the 2019 General… Read more »
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – More than 100 people died in two Indian states after drinking bootleg alcohol, police and media said on Monday, in the worst such case in years. Many of those who died in Haridwar in Uttarkhand state and two districts in neighboring Uttar Pradesh complained of stomach pains and respiratory problems, relatives and officials said. Police have… Read more »
On Saturday, dozens of members of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority marched towards a sprawling Keppapulavu army camp in the country’s northern Mullaitivu district, determined to breach its perimeter and reclaim their homes. Keppapulavu’s residents fled their houses in 2008 during the bloody last phase of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war, which was fought between the government and the Liberation Tigers… Read more »