Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian farmers burn legislation in show of defiance

Indian farmers burn legislation in show of defiance

INDIAN farmers burnt copies of the government's new agricultural laws on Wednesday(13), pressing on with their protest against the reforms despite a decision by the Supreme Court to postpone implementation while their grievances are heard.

Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of the capital, New Delhi, for almost two months, protesting against what they say are laws designed to benefit large private buyers at the expense of growers.


The government led by prime minister Narendra Modi denies this, saying the legislation is required to reform an agricultural sector beset by waste.

At several protest sites on Wednesday, farmers threw copies of the three new laws on bonfires lit for the Hindu Lohri mid-winter festival.

"These laws are not in farmers' interests," said Gursevak Singh, 32, one of the protesters involved in the burning at a protest site in Ghaziabad, a satellite city of New Delhi.

"We want the government to use their brains and repeal these laws."

Unrest among India's estimated 150 million farmers represents one of the biggest challenges to Modi's rule since his Bharatiya Janata Party won a second term in power in 2019.

One of the BJP's coalition partners resigned when the laws were first introduced in September, and the issue risks uniting India's often-fractioned opposition.

India's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a temporary suspension of the laws while a four-member committee looks into the protesters' grievances.

But farm leaders have refused to cooperate with the committee and say they will intensify their protests, including around Republic Day celebrations in the capital later this month.

"We expect to mobilise up to two million farmers across the country on January 26," Kulwant Singh Sandhu, general secretary of Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, one of the main farm unions, told Reuters.

Farmers have consistently called for the total repeal of the laws, though the government says there is "no question" of this happening.

Eight rounds of talks have failed to break the deadlock. The two sides are next due to meet on Friday(15).

More For You

Streeting: Health deal signals new era in UK-India ties

Foreign Office minister Catherine West, health secretary Wes Streeting and equalities minister Seema Malhotra during the Holi Reception in London.

Streeting: Health deal signals new era in UK-India ties

THE recent health and life sciences agreement between the UK and India will strengthen cooperation on healthcare innovation and security in both countries, health secretary Wes Streeting said.

Speaking at the Holi reception organised by the India All-Party Parliamentary Group and the 1928 Institute in London on Monday (24), he added that the contribution of British Indians has been pivotal in the growth of the NHS since its inception in 1948, and a robust partnership between the two nations will ensure we have a healthcare provider 'fit for the future'.

Keep ReadingShow less
british-steel-iStock

An aerial view of Steel Plant Industry in Scunthorpe. (Photo: iStock)

British Steel to shut blast furnaces, up to 2,700 jobs at risk

BRITISH STEEL, owned by Chinese group Jingye, confirmed on Thursday that it will shut down its blast furnaces and steelmaking operations in England, attributing the decision to market challenges, tariffs, and rising environmental costs.

The closures, first proposed in late 2023, could lead to the loss of up to 2,700 jobs at the company’s main UK site in Scunthorpe, northern England, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Keep ReadingShow less
Just Stop Oil

Just Stop Oil has garnered significant media attention with its direct action protests

Getty Images

Just Stop Oil ends direct action campaign after major policy success

The environmental activist group Just Stop Oil has announced an end to its disruptive direct action protests, declaring a significant victory in its campaign to halt new oil and gas developments. In a statement released by the organisation, the group confirmed it had successfully influenced government policy to abandon new fossil fuel exploration, marking a major turning point in the movement’s goals.

“Just Stop Oil's initial demand to end new oil and gas is now government policy, making us one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history,” the group’s statement read. It went on to claim responsibility for having kept over 4.4 billion barrels of oil in the ground, while legal victories in the courts have ruled new oil and gas licences unlawful.

Keep ReadingShow less
submarine-crash-reuters

People walk next to an ambulance in front of the hospital where the bodies of foreigners who were killed when a tourist submarine sank off Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Hurghada, and whose nationalities are still unknown, are kept. (Photo: Reuters)

Six foreign tourists die after submarine sinks off Egypt’s Red Sea coast

SIX tourists died on Thursday when a submarine carrying visitors sank near Hurghada, a resort city on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, state media reported.

According to the state-owned Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper, all the deceased were foreigners. The report also said 19 others were injured in the incident.

Keep ReadingShow less
EU Warns Citizens to Stockpile Essentials Amid War Concerns

Not all EU countries currently have the same level of preparedness

Getty Images

European Union urges citizens to stockpile food and supplies amid risk of war

The European Union (EU) has advised its 450 million citizens to stockpile essential items, including food and water, to prepare for potential emergencies. This call to action is part of a broader strategy to improve disaster preparedness across the 27-nation bloc, as it faces increasing risks from war, cyberattacks, climate change, and public health crises.

The EU’s recommendation comes in light of recent global developments that have raised concerns about security and stability. Citizens are encouraged to have enough food, water, medicine, and other essential supplies to last at least 72 hours during a crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less