Some of India’s top airlines have until 26 February to streamline baggage delivery to passengers at the airport. The civil aviation ministry has said that passengers should get their luggage within 30 minutes after landing. It has also said that the first bag should arrive on the baggage belt within 10 minutes of the plane’s…
Police in northern India have fired tear gas to prevent thousands of protesting farmers demanding minimum crop prices from marching on Delhi. The capitol is ringed by razor wire, cement blocks and fencing on three sides to keep protests at bay. The government fears a repeat of 2020 – dozens died in a year-long protest…
A Qatari court has released eight former Indian naval officers previously on death row for unspecified charges. Seven of the men have already returned to India, Delhi’s foreign ministry said on Monday. In January, authorities said their death sentences had been converted into prison sentences of “varying” lengths. Neither Qatar nor India revealed the charges…
Canada has long been a draw for people from India’s Punjab province seeking new opportunities elsewhere. But has the Canadian dream soured? It’s hard to miss the ardour of Punjab’s migrant ambitions when driving through its fertile rural plains. Billboards promising easy immigration to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK jut out through ample…
An 18-year-old Indian chess player has sparked a conversation on attitudes towards women in the sport with an Instagram post about her experiences. Divya Deshmukh, who is an International Master (the second-highest title in chess), said that her chess videos often received online comments that focused on her appearance rather than her games. “It’s a…
A social media post claiming that an Indian actress had died due to cervical cancer and a subsequent video announcing that she was alive has sparked a furious debate on the ethical conundrums surrounding online publicity campaigns. On Friday, Poonam Pandey’s official Instagram account released a statement saying that the 32-year-old actress had “bravely fought…
The expected arrival of a Chinese research ship in the Maldives this week has escalated tensions between Beijing, Delhi and Male. Officially, the vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 is there to “make a port call, for rotation of personnel and replenishment”. In short, an entirely innocuous stop. But that is not how it is being…
Millions of barrels of fuel made from Russian oil are still being imported to the UK despite sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, research claims. A so-called “loophole” means Russian crude is refined in countries such as India and the products sold to the UK. This is not illegal and does not breach the…
Who invented butter chicken? The velvety dish, made in a thick tomato-yoghurt gravy with rich notes of butter and mild spices, has inspired mystery novels, travelogues, and countless restaurant orders. But the comforting curry that people from around the world turn to as a familiar favourite has now become the subject of a messy court…
India’s PM Narendra Modi is due to inaugurate a grand temple to popular Hindu god Ram in the city of Ayodhya. It replaces a 16th-Century mosque, razed by Hindu mobs in 1992. The demolition had sparked nationwide riots in which nearly 2,000 people died. The temple fulfils a decades-long Hindu nationalist pledge to build a…