New Delhi, India | AFP | India has drawn up a shopping list for tens of billions of dollars of foreign fighter jets, armoured vehicles, submarines and helicopters but it will only sign the cheques if they are made in India. The world’s largest defence importer has announced a new policy …
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New Delhi, India | AFP | India approved a $650 million purchase of six attack choppers Thursday from US aviation giant Boeing, officials said, as it boosts its military might amid border tensions with China and Pakistan. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which approves big-ticket purchases, gave the green light to …
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Saptari, Nepal | AFP | At least 221 people have died and more than 1.5 million been displaced by monsoon flooding across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, officials said Tuesday, as rescuers scoured submerged villages for the missing. In Nepal, severe flooding has left tens of thousands of homes totally underwater in …
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Mumbai, India | AFP | India’s film industry on Monday welcomed the departure of the country’s chief film censor, who had stoked controversy by axing James Bond’s kissing scenes and briefly blocking the release of a movie for being too “lady-oriented”. The government said late Friday it was replacing Pahlaj …
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New Delhi, India | AFP | India’s Congress party and its controlling Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has been synonymous with political power for most of the 70 years since independence, hit a new low with this weekend’s vice-presidential election. The Congress-backed candidate was crushed in Saturday’s parliamentary ballot by the nominee of …
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The force is female: India’s women cops take a stand Jaipur, India | AFP | All-female police units are shaking up the male-dominated force in conservative northwest India, hitting the streets to combat sex crimes and a pervasive culture of silence around rape. One such squad in Jaipur has …
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South Asia heritage Kenyans formally recognised Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya said Saturday it had granted formal recognition to citizens of Indo-Pakistani origin, with President Uhuru Kenyatta making them a 44th tribe. “I do hereby recognize, proclaim and order, 1.that Kenyans of Asian Heritage constitute a Community that is …
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Rome, Italy | AFP | The famous white sari with three blue borders worn by saint Mother Teresa has been copyrighted by nuns, and one of the Vatican’s top cardinals is not pleased. “Holy Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a universal symbol, beloved by believers (and) unbelievers,” said Cardinal Jose Saraiva …
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East Rutherford, United States | AFP |India’s biggest Bollywood stars led a triumphant celebration of dance, music and fashion at the International Indian Film Academy awards Saturday, cheered by thousands of ecstatic fans just outside New York. The five-hour show at an American football stadium in New Jersey, where the …
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New Delhi, India | AFP | India’s next president will emerge from the Dalit caste — a community so marginalised they were once known as “untouchables” — with the victory of the ruling party candidate set to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s grip on power. Ram Nath Kovind, 71, …
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