THE Indian government and representatives of protesting farmers failed to reach an agreement on contentious new agriculture laws on Friday(8) and said they will meet again in a week's time.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi for over a month, calling for the repeal of laws introduced by the federal government, which says the legislation is aimed at modernising the country's antiquated agricultural sector.
Farm leaders say the laws are an attempt to erode a longstanding minimum support price for their produce and want a full repeal of the laws.
"The government has constantly said that if the unions give any other option besides repeal, then the government will consider them," agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters after the eighth round of talks between the two sides.
"But despite long discussions, no options were presented today, and that's why the discussions have ended here."
The two sides will meet again on Jan. 15, he said.
"There was a heated discussion. We said we don't want anything other than repeal of (the) laws," Hannan Mollah, one of the farm leaders who met with the government, told reporters. "We won't go to any court, this (repeal) will either be done or we'll continue to fight."
Mollah added that the protesters would proceed with a rally during India's Republic Day celebration on Jan. 26 if their demands have still not been met.
The majority of India's farmers sell their produce largely to small retailers at a much lower price than the government guaranteed price - offered to only a fraction of farmers.
They fear that with the introduction of the new laws, big retailers like Reliance Industries will enter the market to buy their produce at a lower price, while the government may slowly dismantle the current system of procurement at the guaranteed price.
Earlier this week, Reliance asked authorities to help stop attacks on its telecommunication masts by protesting farmers, who say the conglomerate has profited from the reforms at their expense.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)