India's opposition makes its election case, calling Modi an autocrat and promising aid to the poor
India’s main opposition party vowed to boost social spending and reverse what it views as a slide into autocracy as it laid out its campaign promises on Friday, two weeks before the start of a weeks-long, multi-phase general election.
Here's what you need to know about the world's largest democratic election kicking off in India
With a population of over 1.4 billion people and close to 970 million voters, India’s general election pits Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an avowed Hindu nationalist, against a broad alliance of opposition parties that are struggling to play catch up.
Thousands rally in India's capital as opposition bloc and Prime Minister Modi launch their campaigns
Thousands of people have attended a rally by an alliance of India’s opposition parties that criticized the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of stifling opponents and undermining democracy ahead of a national election next month.
Indian police detain dozens of protesters demanding release of top opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal
Indian police have detained dozens of opposition protesters to stop them from marching to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence to demand the release of their leader and top elected official of New Delhi arrested last week in a bribery case.
Protests against arrest of one of top rivals of Indian Prime Minister Modi continue for second day
Hundreds of protesters in India’s capital have taken to the streets for a second day, demanding the immediate release of one of the top rivals of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the country gears up for a national election next month.
The opposition alliance that aimed to oust Modi appears to be cracking just before India's elections
India’s beleaguered opposition parties, which are beset with ideological differences and personality clashes, joined hands last year to unseat popular Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defeat his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s electoral juggernaut.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opens stone-built Hindu temple in UAE ahead of India's elections
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the Middle East’s first traditional stone-built Hindu temple, internationalizing both his reelection campaign and his effort to push secular and multicultural India into a Hindu state.
India's government announces a short-term budget until national elections are held by May
India’s finance minister has unveiled a short-term budget to meet government expenditures until national elections are held by May, saying it will boost spending on infrastructure projects, build homes for poor villagers and cut the fiscal deficit by reducing subsidies.
Man fleeing police caused crash that injured Gayle Manchin, authorities say
Authorities say a man fleeing police caused the Alabama car crash that injured Gayle Manchin, head of an economic development partnership of the federal government and 13 state governments and the wife of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, along with a colleague of hers.
Modi's beach visit to a remote Indian archipelago rakes up a storm in the Maldives
The relationship between India and the Maldives is facing challenges after officials in the tiny island nation made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s posts that promoted the pristine beaches of India’s Lakshadweep archipelago.
India's opposition lawmakers protest their suspension from Parliament by the government
Dozens of opposition lawmakers suspended from Parliament by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for obstructing proceedings have held a protest accusing the government of throttling democracy in the country.
India's Supreme Court upholds government's decision to remove disputed Kashmir’s special status
India’s top court has upheld a 2019 decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to strip disputed Jammu and Kashmir’s special status as a semi-autonomous region with a separate constitution and inherited protections on land and jobs.
India restores e-visa services for Canadians. The move could ease diplomatic tensions
An Indian foreign ministry official says that India has restored electronic visa services for Canadian nationals two months after Canada alleged the South Asian nation was involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada.
Indian states vote in key test for opposition and PM Modi ahead of 2024 national election
Two Indian states are casting ballots in local elections in a test of strength for India’s opposition, which is pitted against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party ahead of a crucial national vote scheduled for next year.
India police search journalists' homes and offices in the country's latest raids on media
Indian police raided the offices of a news website that’s under investigation for allegedly receiving funds from China, as well as the homes of several of its journalists, the latest in a series of investigations into the finances of independent media in India.
India’s Parliament passes law that will reserve a third of legislature seats for women from 2029
India’s Parliament has approved landmark legislation that reserves one-third of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women to ensure more equal representation, ending a 27-year impasse over the bill amid a lack of consensus among political parties.
India moves toward reserving 33% of the seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women
India’s Parliament has taken a major step toward reserving 33% of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women to ensure more equal representation, an issue that languished for nearly three decades because of a lack of consensus among political parties.
India and Saudi Arabia agree to expand economic and security ties after the G20 summit
India and Saudi Arabia have agreed to expand trade and security ties, two days after their leaders and others attending a Group of 20 summit announced a new railways and port corridor deal that will link India, Middle East and Europe.
UK leader Sunak chides China after a report that a UK Parliament staffer is a suspected Beijing spy
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has chastised China’s premier for what he called unacceptable interference in British democracy after a newspaper reported that a researcher in Parliament was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of spying for Beijing.
Group of 20 countries agree to increase clean energy but reach no deal on phasing out fossil fuels
Group of 20 leaders have agreed to triple renewable energy and try to increase the funds for climate change-related disasters but maintained the status quo with regards to phasing out carbon spewing coal.
The African Union is joining the G20, a powerful acknowledgement of a continent of 1 billion people
The decision by the Group of 20 of the world’s leading economies to admit the African Union as a permanent member is a powerful acknowledgement of Africa as its more than 50 countries seek a more important role on the global stage.
India seeks a greater voice for the developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks
It’s never been easy for the leaders of the world’s largest economies to find common ground, but Russia’s war on Ukraine has made it even harder for the Group of 20 meeting to reach meaningful agreements this year.
India's government replaces 'India' with ancient name 'Bharat' in dinner invitation to G20 guests
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has replaced the name India with a Sanskrit word in dinner invitations sent to guests attending this week’s Group of 20 summit, in a move that reflects his Hindu nationalist party’s efforts to eliminate what it sees as colonial-era names.
India's opposition parties team up to challenge Modi's Hindu nationalist party in 2024 elections
India’s splintered opposition parties have decided to contest the 2024 national elections in their bid to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and prevent his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party from achieving a third straight win.
Report says close associates of India's Adani Group secretly purchased large numbers of shares
Two people closely linked to India’s Adani Group, one of the country’s largest conglomerates, secretly purchased of millions of dollars of stocks in the group’s companies, possibly violating Indian law, according to a report by a network of investigative journalists.
Modi says India as G20 host will be inclusive and invites African Union to become permanent members
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says his country’s role as the G20 host this year would focus on highlighting the concerns of the developing world, and has proposed the African Union to become permanent members of the forum.
Indian police end a conference of activists and academics discussing G20 issues ahead of summit
Indian police have intervened to stop a meeting of prominent activists, academics and politicians discussing global issues ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 industrialized and developing nations that will be hosted in New Delhi next month.
India passes data protection legislation in Parliament. Critics fear privacy violation
Indian lawmakers have approved a data protection legislation that “seeks to better regulate big tech firms and penalize companies for data breaches” as several groups expressed concern over citizens’ privacy rights.