NEW DELHI - As India and Singapore explore newer areas of cooperation such as nuclear energy and green initiatives, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said the two Asian partners needed to collaborate even more, given the increasingly "volatile landscape" globally. DPM Gan, who was on an official trip to India earlier this week, visited the financial capital Mumbai on Aug 12 to look at Singapore projects. He then led the Singapore delegation at the third edition of the India-Singapore Minister...Read More
Bengaluru: For millions of people, the sudden, sharp pain of tooth due to sensitivity can turn a sip of cold water into a jolt. Now, researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup Theranautilus, have engineered "CalBots" - magnetic nanobots that can seal the problem at its source.As per IISc, CalBots are 400-nanometre particles loaded with a calcium silicate-based bioceramic formula, designed to travel 500 micrometres deep inside dentin...Read More
NEW DELHI - Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said on Aug 13 that India's electoral system suffers from "serious discrepancies" and he pledged to continue challenging its integrity through public mobilisation and potentially the courts. Mr Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that controls the main opposition Congress party, last week accused authorities of manipulating voter rolls by adding fake names in the 2024 general election and other recent polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bh...Read More
NEW DELHI - New Delhi has put on hold its plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft, according to three Indian officials familiar with the matter, in India's first concrete sign of discontent after tariffs imposed on its exports by President Donald Trump dragged ties to their lowest level in decades. India had been planning to send Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington in the coming weeks for an announcement on some of the purchases, but that trip has been cancelled, two of the people...Read More
NEW DELHI - President Donald Trump's new list of tariffs on half the world's countries sent the United States' trading partners scrambling to understand how their businesses will be affected. India got the bad news a day earlier - its goods face a tariff of 25 per cent or more - but the extra time was hardly enough to adjust to the fresh chaos. Indian negotiators had not expected to conclude a meaningful deal in time to meet Mr Trump's revised deadline of Aug 1. But they did expect to be trea...Read More
MUMBAI - Air India's inspection of the locking feature on the fuel control switches of its existing Boeing 787 aircraft found no issues, an internal communication circulated within the airline said. The switches have come under scrutiny following the June 12 crash of an Air India jet, which killed 260 people, after a preliminary probe by Indian investigators found they flipped from the run position to cutoff shortly after takeoff. India's aviation regulator ordered the country's airlines this ...Read More
NEW DELHI - India's Mr Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident at age 114, his biographer said July 15. Mr Singh, an India-born British national, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on July 14. "My Turbaned Tornado is no more," Mr Singh's biographer, Mr Khushwant Singh, wrote on X. "He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. R...Read More
BEIJING/NEW DELHI - India and China must resolve friction along their border, pull back troops and avoid "restrictive trade measures" to normalise their relationship, India's foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Monday. India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Wang Yi in Beijing during his first trip to the country since 2020, when a deadly border clash between their troops led to a four-year military standoff and damaged ties until a thaw began in October, when they agreed to...Read More
Akola: Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan emphasised that in order to stop cotton imports and initiate exports by 2030, high-density cotton planting techniques will be promoted nationwide. Chauhan highlighted that the Akola pattern of high-density cotton planting, implemented by farmer Dilip Thakre, has received national recognition.Similarly, Dilip Pohane from Wardha, with support from the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), achieved increased productivity through dense ...Read More
DIGHA - Bengalis have always flocked to Digha, a coastal resort town in the Indian state of West Bengal. But a new attraction is now proving to be a hot draw for thousands of visitors. It is Jagannath Dham, an imposing sandstone temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a much-loved deity in Bengal and whose hulking chariot lies at the origin of the English word "juggernaut". Among the thousands of visitors on July 5 was 45-year-old sari-clad Sandhya Dutta, who was busy taking selfies against the te...Read More
NEW DELHI - In India, the land of more than a thousand tongues, few things inflame passions more than language. Touching the hot button comes with political peril. Just ask the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. High-profile brawls have erupted recently over Mr Modi's push for the nationwide adoption of Hindi, the language of his power base in northern India and a symbol of his campaign to unify the country around the ideology of Hindu nationalism. Late in June, the government of Mah...Read More
BENGALURU - The fuel control switch went off within three seconds of take-off, leading both engines to shut down moments before the Air India Boeing 787 London-bound flight crashed in Ahmedabad, said a preliminary report by the Indian government. The 15-page report was released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) late on July 11, detailing findings from its probe into the plane crash on June 12 that killed 260 people - 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 individuals o...Read More
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan received a death threat on social media, his party spokesperson Rajesh Bhatt said on Friday. Bhatt also filed a complaint at the Cyber Police Station in Patna in the matter. As per the written complaint, the death threat was issued by an Instagram user under the name 'Tiger Meraj Idisi'. 'The threat was issued due to Paswan's growing popularity. T...Read More
NEW DELHI - The preliminary report from investigators probing the Air India crash that killed 260 people showed that seconds after takeoff, the Boeing 787 plane's engine fuel control switches were switched off briefly, starving them of fuel. Here are a few facts about the switches, their functions in the aircraft and their movements on the Air India flight. They are switches that regulate fuel flow into a plane's engines. They are used by pilots to start or shut down engines on the ground, ...Read More
NEW DELHI - A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people in June showed the plane's engines fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff, starving the engines of fuel. Here is the sequence of events - by the seconds - on June 12, as detailed by Indian investigators in their preliminary report released on July 12. 05:47 GMT (1.47pm Singapore time) - Air India Dreamliner VT-ANB landed in Ahmedabad from New Delhi as AI423. 07:48:38 GMT - The air...Read More
NEW DELHI - A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people in June showed three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines' fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff, starving the engines of fuel. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on July 12 by Indian aviation accident investigators. One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off th...Read More
NEW DELHI - A month after the worst aviation accident in India in decades, the authorities are poised to release a preliminary report into the catastrophe, offering the first official clues to what caused the aircraft to plummet back to the ground just 30 seconds after taking off. Investigators have revealed very few details since the Air India accident, and the report also stands to be basic and factual - if previous initial findings are any guide. The authorities are unlikely to draw definit...Read More
MUMBAI - Tesla will open its first India showroom in Mumbai on July 15, having imported US$1 million (S$1.3 million) worth of cars and merchandise, marking its entry into the world's third-largest car market despite CEO Elon Musk's complaints about high import tariffs. Grappling with excess manufacturing capacity at its other factories and falling sales, Tesla has pivoted to selling imported cars in India on which it will need to pay about 70 per cent import duty and other levies. Indian Prime...Read More
NEW DELHI - At least nine people were killed and several others injured after a portion of the Gambhira bridge in Padra town, in Gujarat state in western India, collapsed on July 9. A truck and several cars plunged into the Mahisagar river. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi told reporters nine bodies had been recovered and six people rescued. He said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has ordered public works teams "to go there and take concrete measures". Cabinet Minister Rushikesh P...Read More
NEW DELHI - The United States has restored US$6.8 million (S$8.68 million) in funding for Tibetans in South Asia, the US State Department told Reuters on July 8, confirming comments by Tibet's government-in-exile. The aid had been cut by President Donald Trump's administration as part of its "America First" policy that hit a number of programmes , including those aimed at securing food and preventing the spread of HIV in some of the world's poorest regions. Last week, the leader of the Tibet...Read More
NEW DELHI - An Indian court rejected on Monday a plea by Turkey-based Celebi against a government order revoking the security clearance of the firm to provide aviation ground services in the South Asian nation, three lawyer sources said. Turkey came out in support of Pakistan during its military conflict with India in May, angering many Indians and prompting New Delhi to cancel Celebi's clearance in the "interest of national security". Celebi Airport Services India, in a May 16 filing seen by ...Read More
GUWAHATI, India - Thousands of refugees have crossed into India's northeastern state of Mizoram after clashes between two anti-junta armed groups in neighbouring Myanmar, Indian authorities said on Monday. Refugees have been crossing into Mizoram since July 2 when clashes between two rival Chin groups -- the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force-Hualngoram (CDF-H) -- erupted over control of strategic areas in Myanmar's northwestern Chin State, a senior security offic...Read More
Hyderabad: Thousands of people who gathered at ashoorkhana in Dabeerpura on the 10th day of Muharram (Youm-e-Ashura) took part in the Bibi-ka-Alam procession. The procession commenced from Dabeerpura on an elephant and concluded at Chaderghat. The Shia mourners took out the procession to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Prophet Mohammad's grandson, Imam Hussain, on the 10th day of Muharram. Members of the Shia sect performed matam and participated in processions. The 10th Muharram is the day o...Read More
NEW DELHI - The Reuters News account on X was restored in India on Sunday, a day after the social media platform suspended it, citing a legal demand. "At this time, we are no longer withholding access in INDIA to your account," X said in an email to the Reuters social media team, without elaborating. Representatives for X, Reuters and the Indian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the restoration of the account. Earlier on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Indian go...Read More
Patna, July 6 (UNI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said that Muharram symbolises sacrifice for justice and truth against injustice and arrogance. Kumar said here that on the occasion of Muharram tribute is paid to the martyrs of Karbala and the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain. He said that the sacrifices made by Hazrat Imam Hussain and his 72 companions in the Maidan-e-Karbala for justice and truth against injustice, oppression and arrogance was immortal. Kumar appealed to the peopl...Read More
NEW DELHI - The Reuters News account on X has been inaccessible to users in India since Saturday, when the social media platform suspended it in response to what it described as a "legal demand". A spokesperson for the Indian government's Press Information Bureau, however, told Reuters there was no requirement from any agency in the government of India to "withhold the Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem". Reuters could not immediately determine what speci...Read More
DHARAMSHALA, India - The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, turns 90 on Sunday after a week of celebrations by followers during which he riled China again and spoke about his hope to live beyond 130 and reincarnate after dying. The Nobel laureate is regarded as one of the world's most influential religious leaders, with a following that extends well beyond Buddhism, but not by Beijing which calls him a separatist and has sought to bring the faith under its control. Fleeing ...Read More
BENGALURU - Former Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won gold at his eponymous javelin competition on Saturday at Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium, registering a dominant victory with a throw of 86.18 metres in the first round. The Neeraj Chopra Classic, India's first world-class field event, featured an elite lineup, including Kenya's Julius Yego, Germany's Thomas Rohler and Chopra himself alongside domestic throwers. Chopra, who earned gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and silver at the 2024 Par...Read More
DHARAMSHALA, India - The Tibetan government-in-exile could hold more back-channel talks with China this year on greater autonomy for Tibet, although they are unlikely to yield results given Beijing's unyielding stance, the head of the government said on Friday. Central Tibetan Administration chief Penpa Tsering was speaking to Reuters ahead of the 90th birthday this weekend of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Tens of thousands of Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, live in northern Ind...Read More
NEW DELHI - India's aviation watchdog reprimanded Air India's budget carrier in March for not timely changing engine parts of an Airbus A320 as directed by European Union's aviation safety agency, and falsifying records to show compliance, a government memo showed. In a statement, Air India Express told Reuters it acknowledged the error to the Indian watchdog and undertook "remedial action and preventive measures". Air India has been under intense scrutiny since the June Boeing Dreamliner cras...Read More