By , NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to name Amit Shah, the chief of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the country’s new finance minister after taking his oath of office for the second time on Thursday, according to several Indian media reports.As Modi’s right-hand man and long-time strategist, Shah would be in a powerful position to direct financial policy in Asia’s third-largest economy in his first role as a federal lawmaker.Shah masterminded the BJP’s landslide victory in the April-May general election, but there are questions about...…By , NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to name Amit Shah, the chief of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the country’s new finance minister after taking his oath of office for the second time on Thursday, according to several Indian media reports.As Modi’s right-hand man and long-time strategist, Shah would be in a powerful position to direct financial policy in Asia’s third-largest economy in his first role as a federal lawmaker.Shah masterminded the BJP’s landslide victory in the April-May general election, but there are questions about...WW…

By , NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian farmers on Wednesday postponed a march to parliament on Feb. 1, the day of the government’s budget announcement, following violent clashes with police a day earlier that left one person dead and hundreds injured.Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of New Delhi for two months to protest against reforms of the agriculture sector, which they say benefit big private buyers at the expense of growers.On Tuesday, a protest parade of tractors around the fringes of the capital to coincide with Republic Day celebrations turned into chaos...…By , NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian farmers on Wednesday postponed a march to parliament on Feb. 1, the day of the government’s budget announcement, following violent clashes with police a day earlier that left one person dead and hundreds injured.Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of New Delhi for two months to protest against reforms of the agriculture sector, which they say benefit big private buyers at the expense of growers.On Tuesday, a protest parade of tractors around the fringes of the capital to coincide with Republic Day celebrations turned into chaos...WW…

By , Ankhi Das, Facebook’s top public-policy executive in India, in her complaint to Delhi police, as reported by Indian media, said the threats followed a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report that said she opposed applying Facebook’s hate-speech rules to a politician from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some other Hindu nationalist individuals and groups.Das said that after the WSJ report last week some individuals online had “intentionally vilified” her due to their political affiliations and were engaging in abuse.“I am extremely disturbed by the relentless harassment meted out to...…By , Ankhi Das, Facebook’s top public-policy executive in India, in her complaint to Delhi police, as reported by Indian media, said the threats followed a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report that said she opposed applying Facebook’s hate-speech rules to a politician from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some other Hindu nationalist individuals and groups.Das said that after the WSJ report last week some individuals online had “intentionally vilified” her due to their political affiliations and were engaging in abuse.“I am extremely disturbed by the relentless harassment meted out to...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comNEW DELHI, April 20 (Reuters) - Diagnostics firms testing for coronavirus are nearing breaking point in cities like New Delhi and Mumbai as India battles its biggest surge in COVID-19, which may worsen the crisis as many sick people can't get tested fast enough to isolate themselves."We can't cater to the demand," said Dr. Vidur Mahajan of Mahajan Imaging in the Indian capital, who has temporarily shut two of his three sample collection points due to a backlog of pre-booked tests, and to prioritise testing for government hospitals.India...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comNEW DELHI, April 20 (Reuters) - Diagnostics firms testing for coronavirus are nearing breaking point in cities like New Delhi and Mumbai as India battles its biggest surge in COVID-19, which may worsen the crisis as many sick people can't get tested fast enough to isolate themselves."We can't cater to the demand," said Dr. Vidur Mahajan of Mahajan Imaging in the Indian capital, who has temporarily shut two of his three sample collection points due to a backlog of pre-booked tests, and to prioritise testing for government hospitals.India...WW…

A Hindu priest performs evening prayer during Kumbh Mela, or the Pitcher Festival, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Haridwar, India, April 10, 2021. REUTERS/Danish SiddiquiRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comNEW DELHI, April 11 (Reuters) - India on Sunday banned the export of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and its active pharmaceutical ingredients as demand rocketed due to a record surge in COVID-19 infections, leading to a crippling shortages in many parts.Authorities have blamed the ferocious resurgence of the virus mainly on crowding and a...…A Hindu priest performs evening prayer during Kumbh Mela, or the Pitcher Festival, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Haridwar, India, April 10, 2021. REUTERS/Danish SiddiquiRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comNEW DELHI, April 11 (Reuters) - India on Sunday banned the export of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and its active pharmaceutical ingredients as demand rocketed due to a record surge in COVID-19 infections, leading to a crippling shortages in many parts.Authorities have blamed the ferocious resurgence of the virus mainly on crowding and a...WW…

A Hindu priest performs evening prayer during Kumbh Mela, or the Pitcher Festival, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Haridwar, India, April 10, 2021. REUTERS/Danish SiddiquiRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comNEW DELHI, April 11 (Reuters) - India on Sunday banned the export of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and its active pharmaceutical ingredients as demand rocketed due to a record surge in COVID-19 infections, leading to a crippling shortages in many parts.Authorities have blamed the ferocious resurgence of the virus mainly on crowding and a...…A Hindu priest performs evening prayer during Kumbh Mela, or the Pitcher Festival, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Haridwar, India, April 10, 2021. REUTERS/Danish SiddiquiRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comNEW DELHI, April 11 (Reuters) - India on Sunday banned the export of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and its active pharmaceutical ingredients as demand rocketed due to a record surge in COVID-19 infections, leading to a crippling shortages in many parts.Authorities have blamed the ferocious resurgence of the virus mainly on crowding and a...WW…

By CHAMPHAI, India (Reuters) - When Tha Peng was ordered to shoot at protesters with his submachine gun to disperse them in the Myanmar town of Khampat on Feb. 27, the police lance corporal said he refused.“The next day, an officer called to ask me if I will shoot,” he said. The 27-year-old refused again, and then resigned from the force.On March 1, he said he left his home and family behind in Khampat and travelled for three days, mostly at night to avoid detection, before crossing into India’s northeastern Mizoram state.“I had no choice,” Tha Peng told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday,...…By CHAMPHAI, India (Reuters) - When Tha Peng was ordered to shoot at protesters with his submachine gun to disperse them in the Myanmar town of Khampat on Feb. 27, the police lance corporal said he refused.“The next day, an officer called to ask me if I will shoot,” he said. The 27-year-old refused again, and then resigned from the force.On March 1, he said he left his home and family behind in Khampat and travelled for three days, mostly at night to avoid detection, before crossing into India’s northeastern Mizoram state.“I had no choice,” Tha Peng told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday,...WW…

By AIZAWL, India (Reuters) - The chief minister of a small Indian state into which a stream of refugees from Myanmar have entered in recent days said on Monday that they should be given temporary shelter, as the federal government decides on whether some will be sent back.Several low-ranking Myanmar police and their families have crossed into northeastern Mizoram state, where they have sought refuge to avoid taking orders from a junta that imposed a coup in the Southeast Asian country last month.But authorities in Myanmar last week asked officials in Mizoram to detain and return eight...…By AIZAWL, India (Reuters) - The chief minister of a small Indian state into which a stream of refugees from Myanmar have entered in recent days said on Monday that they should be given temporary shelter, as the federal government decides on whether some will be sent back.Several low-ranking Myanmar police and their families have crossed into northeastern Mizoram state, where they have sought refuge to avoid taking orders from a junta that imposed a coup in the Southeast Asian country last month.But authorities in Myanmar last week asked officials in Mizoram to detain and return eight...WW…

By NEW DELHI (Reuters) - At least 19 Myanmar police have crossed into India to escape taking orders from a military junta that is trying to suppress protests against last month’s coup, an Indian police official said on Thursday, adding that more were expected.The men have crossed into Champhai and Serchhip, two districts in the northeastern state of Mizoram that share a porous border with Myanmar, the official said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.All the men, who are lower-ranking policemen, were unarmed, the official said. “We are expecting more to come,” he...…By NEW DELHI (Reuters) - At least 19 Myanmar police have crossed into India to escape taking orders from a military junta that is trying to suppress protests against last month’s coup, an Indian police official said on Thursday, adding that more were expected.The men have crossed into Champhai and Serchhip, two districts in the northeastern state of Mizoram that share a porous border with Myanmar, the official said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.All the men, who are lower-ranking policemen, were unarmed, the official said. “We are expecting more to come,” he...WW…

By NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is taking a cautious approach in its response to the military coup in neighbouring Myanmar, worried about the future of ambitious projects worth about $650 million and reluctant to openly denounce generals who could move closer to its rival China.Two sources aware of the Indian government’s position said it is in favour of restoration of democracy in Myanmar and is holding private discussions with the Tatmadaw, or military, which staged the coup on Feb. 1.Security forces have killed more than 30 people since the coup, which ousted the civilian government of...…By NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is taking a cautious approach in its response to the military coup in neighbouring Myanmar, worried about the future of ambitious projects worth about $650 million and reluctant to openly denounce generals who could move closer to its rival China.Two sources aware of the Indian government’s position said it is in favour of restoration of democracy in Myanmar and is holding private discussions with the Tatmadaw, or military, which staged the coup on Feb. 1.Security forces have killed more than 30 people since the coup, which ousted the civilian government of...WW…