India
India to host Dalai Lama in disputed territory, defying China
NEW DELHI Indian federal government representatives will meet the Dalai Lama when he visits a sensitive border region controlled by India but claimed by China, officials said, despite a warning from Beijing that it would damage ties.
Legal challenges may be needed to protect India's land law, says former minister
NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Indian states that are watering down provisions of a land acquisition law are hurting farmers and risk facing more conflicts and legal challenges, said a former minister who helped frame the landmark law.
Reform vital to cut litigation in India land deals: analysts
NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Reforms to the system, greater transparency and better practice are needed to check lengthy litigation as rising demand for land in India triggers greater conflict, analysts said on Thursday.
Freight and fridge sales: Indian economists seek GDP clues amid data doubts
NEW DELHI Surprised again by India's strong official growth statistics, economists are relying increasingly on high-frequency indicators like bank credit and rail freight to gauge the real health of Asia's third-largest economy.
India urged to build housing law on human rights
MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - India needs a housing law that is rooted in human rights as bulging cities and rising inequality make housing unaffordable for ever more people, according to a United Nations official.
Ruling party politician charged in Indian 'baby trafficking racket'
CHENNAI/KOLKATA, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A politician from India's ruling party - and a leader of its women's wing - was the mastermind behind a "baby trafficking racket" that sold two dozen children for tens of thousands of dollars, police said on Wednesday.
Letters of solidarity build bonds between Indian trafficking victims
CHENNAI, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When Regina Khatoon, a sex trafficking survivor from the Indian city of Kolkata, heard about women being exploited in a spinning mill more than 1,000 miles away, she decided to write them a letter urging them to stay strong.
Finance ministry official Tyagi takes helm at India's market regulator
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI Finance ministry official Ajay Tyagi takes over as Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman on Wednesday with two likely priorities - developing the country's commodity and corporate bond markets and shoring up corporate governance.
India's strong GDP data leaves economists scratching their heads
NEW DELHI India defied expectations on Tuesday to retain the title of the world's fastest growing major economy, despite the pain caused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shock crackdown on cash.
Rights over leaves, flowers give Indian tribal groups more reason to stay put
DHAMDITOLA, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In the pleasant climate of February, it is hard to imagine that day time temperatures in May in the arid Vidarbha region of India's Maharashtra state can climb to a sweltering 48 degrees Celsius.
Mosul victims treated for chemical agents as displacement accelerates
BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq The number of civilians escaping the fighting in Mosul has increased significantly as battles intensify between U.S.-backed Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants, and some have been exposed to chemical agents, the Red Cross said on Friday. | Video