Ajmer, India | AFP | A gas cylinder exploded late Friday at the hotel in the city of Beawar, in the western state of Rajasthan, reducing the venue to ruins and sparking a huge fire. By Saturday evening officials said nine bodies had been found. But the figure rose sharply …
Read More »In UAE, India’s Modi inaugurates a summit and a temple
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi capped a whirlwind visit to the UAE on Sunday, giving a keynote address as guest of honour at the World Government Summit in Dubai. Modi praised the United Arab Emirates, home to 3.3 million Indian nationals, for having …
Read More »Modi becomes first Indian PM to visit West Bank
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Narendra Modi on Saturday became the first Indian prime minister to visit the occupied West Bank where he held talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas as part of a Middle East tour. The visit, which came weeks after Modi hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin …
Read More »India to buy guns worth $553 mn for border troops
New Delhi, India | AFP | India will buy more than 160,000 guns worth $553 million for troops on its disputed, high-altitude borders, the defence ministry said Tuesday. The defence acquisition council cleared the purchase of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines for 35 billion rupees ($553 million) in a …
Read More »Netanyahu disappointed by ally Modi’s Jerusalem rejection
New Delhi, India | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he was “disappointed” by India’s refusal to back recognition of Jerusalem as his country’s capital but would not let it spoil his landmark visit to the Asian giant. Netanyahu also vowed that Israel would “catch up” with …
Read More »Netanyahu set to lead trade task force to India
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take 130 businessmen with him to India next week for trade talks which will also cover defence sales, a senior Israeli official said Wednesday. Foreign ministry deputy director general for Asia, Gilad Cohen, said the six-day trip starting Sunday was …
Read More »Five things to know about India’s Nehru-Gandhi dynasty
New Delhi, India | AFP | Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India’s Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, was Monday named as the new leader of the main opposition Congress party, which has ruled the country for much of its independent history. Here are five key things to know about India’s most famous political …
Read More »Indian cricketer Kohli, Bollywood’s Sharma marry in Italy
Mumbai, India | AFP | Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma got married in Italy Monday, they said in a statement, ending weeks of frenzied speculation that they were getting hitched. “Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever. We are truly blessed …
Read More »India’s PM Modi faces test as his home state votes
Ahmedabad, India | AFP | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat began voting on Saturday, in a key electoral test of his popularity after a series of controversial economic reforms. Voters, with their election cards in hand, started lining up at polling booths early in the morning …
Read More »Man arrested as smelly socks unleash chaos on Indian bus
New Delhi, India | AFP | Indian police arrested a man whose stinky socks caused a showdown on a bus as his fellow passengers protested the pungent odour, an officer said Saturday. The man removed his shoes and socks on a bus going from the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh …
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