More than 2m litres of water pumped from dam on orders of food inspector who said device held sensitive government data
A government official in central India has been suspended after he ordered a reservoir to be drained to retrieve his dropped phone.
Millions of litres of water were pumped over three days from the Kherkatta dam in the state of Chhattisgarh after Rajesh Vishwas, a food inspector, said his Samsung mobile held sensitive government data.
Continue reading...Former attorney general received confidential information while in office and has said he will not act for Clive Palmer, senators hear. Follow the day’s news live
Cricket builds friendship between Australia and India, says Albanese
Narendra Modi described the Australia-India relationship last night as the three Cs – commonwealth, cricket and curry, the three Ds – diaspora, democracy and dosti (Bollywood film series and friendship) and the 3Es – economy, energy and education.
There is always a discussion about cricket when Australians and Indians gather and I did get the experience of being day one of the fourth test for a brief time with Prime Minister Modi. It was quite an experience in the world’s biggest stadium there in March and Australians and Indians are very passionate about their cricket but it is part of the way that we build our friendship between our two nations.
Continue reading...Australian PM announces cricketer Adam Gilchrist as board member of new centre for Australia-India relations in Parramatta
Thousands of members of Australia’s Indian community have given a rapturous stadium welcome to Anthony Albanese and Narendra Modi as a new centre for Australia-India relations was announced for Sydney’s west.
The two prime ministers were constantly cheered at the Olympic Park rally on Tuesday evening ahead of more formal talks between the pair planned for Wednesday.
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Continue reading...Three of the 20 big cats brought from Africa have died as critics of the plan say their new habitat is unsuitable
A programme to reintroduce cheetahs in India after 75 years has been called into question after three of the animals died in recent weeks and concerns were raised that their new habitat was unsuitable.
Since October, 20 cheetahs – which became extinct in the country in 1952 – have been brought over from South Africa and Namibia as part of a much-lauded government programme to house them in Kuno national park, Madhya Pradesh state.
Continue reading...Indian presidency of group becomes mired in controversy as tourism session hosted in disputed territory
India’s presidency of the G20 group of leading nations has become mired in controversy after China and Saudi Arabia boycotted a meeting staged in Kashmir, the first such gathering since India unilaterally brought Kashmir under direct control in August 2019.
The meeting, a tourism working group attended by about 60 delegates from most G20 countries taking place from Monday to Wednesday, required a large show of security at Srinagar international airport.
Continue reading...Documentary questioned Indian prime minister’s leadership during 2002 Gujarat riots
The high court in Delhi has issued a summons to the BBC in a defamation case over a documentary on the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, that questioned his leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, according to reports in Indian media.
The defamation suit states that the documentary India: The Modi Question, which aired earlier this year, cast a slur on India’s reputation and that of its judiciary and the prime minister, the reports said.
Continue reading...Ukraine’s leader knows he needs to win over nonaligned countries such as Brazil and India to increase the pressure on Russia
Normally G7 summits are about battling for the free world comma by comma, as diplomats parse lengthy communiques of ephemeral significance long into the night. Words, after all, constitute much of a diplomat’s work.
At the Hiroshima G7 some of the communiques emerging from the summit do matter, notably the toolbox on de-risking trade with China, but the true significance of the summit lay in Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s scene-stealing visit courtesy of a ride in Emmanuel Macron’s French aircraft.
Continue reading...Concerns security deal could leave Papua New Guinea stuck between increasingly hostile US and China
The US has signed a security pact with Papua New Guinea despite concerns within the country about increasing militarisation as Washington competes with Beijing for influence in the Pacific.
The state department said the new agreement would provide $45m (£36m) to help improve security cooperation, including protective equipment for the Papua New Guinea defence force, plus help in mitigating the effects of the climate crisis, transnational crime and HIV/Aids.
Continue reading...Beijing clearly target of joint statement by Quad group calling for ‘stability in Indo-Pacific maritime domain’
The leaders of the Quad group – Australia, India, Japan and the United States – delivered a thinly veiled swipe at Beijing’s behaviour on Saturday at a summit in Hiroshima.
The US president, Joe Biden, and his three partners in the group did not mention China by name but the communist superpower was clearly the target of language in a joint statement calling for “peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain”.
Continue reading...Indian rice tycoon Karan Chanana, who gave the Conservatives more than £220,000, is under scrutiny by India’s finance ministry
A leading Tory donor who has given more than £220,000 to the party is being investigated over allegations of fraud and money laundering.
Karan Chanana, head of the global rice brand Amira, is being investigated in India over claims that tens of millions of pounds of bank loans were unlawfully diverted into shell entities. Chanana has not responded to the claims.
Continue reading...Chair of Hinduja Group and his family had estimated collective fortune of more than £28bn
SP Hinduja, the billionaire patriarch of Britain’s richest family and chair of the globe-spanning Hinduja Group conglomerate, has died in London at the age of 87, his family have confirmed.
Srichand P Hinduja, who was known as SP or Sri, had dementia, according to reports.
Continue reading...Temperatures up to 45C recorded in April in parts of India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos
A searing heatwave in parts of southern Asia in April was made at least 30 times more likely by climate breakdown, according to a study by international scientists.
Unusually high temperatures of up to 45C (113F) were recorded last month in monitoring stations in parts of India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos.
Continue reading...Leaders of Japan, India, US and Australia will instead meet on sidelines of the G7 in Hiroshima this weekend
Anthony Albanese has confirmed the Sydney Quad meeting will not go ahead, after US president Joe Biden pulled out of his Australian visit to deal with domestic issues.
Early Wednesday morning Albanese was still hopeful the meeting with the leaders of India and Japan could proceed with a senior representative from the US, but hours later he confirmed the event was off.
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Continue reading...President had been due to address parliament next week, the first US leader in 10 years to do so, as part of Asia tour
President Joe Biden has cancelled a visit to Australia, the second leg of his upcoming Asia trip, due to the slow-motion crisis building in Washington over the US debt ceiling.
Biden is to attend a three-day summit of G7 leaders that starts on Friday in Hiroshima, Japan, and will return to the US on Sunday.
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Continue reading...Victory deals blow to prime minister, who will seek third term in power at next year’s general election
India’s opposition Congress party has swept the Karnataka state elections, dealing a blow to Narendra Modi’s ruling party, which had fought hard to retain power.
As votes were counted on Saturday, it became clear Congress had won an overwhelming majority in the state and the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) quickly conceded defeat. “People have rejected divisive politics,” said Pawan Khera, a Congress party spokesperson.
Continue reading...Invitation comes despite rising concerns about human rights and democratic backsliding under Modi’s leadership in India
Joe Biden will host India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, for an official state visit on 22 June, the White House has announced, as the US works to deepen ties with the world’s largest democracy.
The state visit, the highest level of diplomatic reception, will boost the US and India’s “shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific”, the White House said.
Continue reading...Party faces uphill task in southern state but is hoping PM’s popularity can galvanise votes with general election looming
A shower of marigold petals were flung over the crowds and cries of “Modi, Modi” filled the air. It could mean only one thing: election season has begun in India.
Voting opened on Wednesday in India’s southern state of Karnataka to decide who will form the next state government, and the significance of these polls is likely to stretch far beyond state borders. On Saturday, thousands had filled the streets of the state capital, Bengaluru, as the prime minister, Narendra Modi, drove 20 miles through the city waving from a car in an attempt to galvanise votes for his ruling Bharatiya Janata party, one of more than 9,000 rallies and roadshows held by the BJP across the state.
Continue reading...About 1,700 houses in Manipur have been destroyed in clashes between Meiteis, who are mostly Hindus, and mainly Christian Kuki tribe
The road to Heirokland is smooth and freshly laid, with a sign proclaiming it part of an Indian government development initiative. But ethnic violence has reduced the village itself to little more than smouldering ashes.
Sanatomba picked through the ruins of his sister’s home in the north-eastern state of Manipur, trying to salvage anything of value, but could only recover a traditional stool.
Continue reading...People fleeing unrest in Manipur tell of mobs attacking villages, setting fire to homes and looting
Mamang Vaiphei hid in the jungle for three nights after a mob attacked his village in Manipur, the remote Indian state where ethnic violence has reportedly killed at least 54 people.
About 23,000 people have fled the unrest that erupted last week in the hilly north-east state bordering Myanmar.
Continue reading...Vessel capsized because it was overcrowded, authorities say, with most of the victims children on school holidays
At least 22 people drowned after a double-decker tourist boat capsized in India’s southern state of Kerala, police have said.
The boat overturned off the coastal town of Tanur because it was overcrowded, said Abdul Nazar, Malappuram district’s junior superintendent of police.
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