Latest India News

A tiny village in India where Kamala Harris has ancestral roots is praying for her victory

Nov. 05, 2024 03:12 AM EST

THULASENDRAPURAM, India (AP) — The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame before the god. As this tiny South Indian village gathered to pray for Kamala Harris, a gaggle of reporters jostled for space and camera angles. There's...

Australian foreign minister raises allegations with Indian counterpart of targeting Sikhs in Canada

Nov. 05, 2024 00:14 AM EST

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she discussed the Canadian allegations with Indian Foreign Minister S....

At least 36 dead after an overcrowded bus falls into a gorge in northern India

Nov. 04, 2024 09:17 AM EST

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A poorly maintained and overcrowded bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in northern India on Monday, killing at least 36 people and injuring several others, officials said. The accident occurred in Almora district in the mountainous state of...

Rohit Bal, one of India's best-known fashion designers, dies at 63

Nov. 02, 2024 13:55 PM EDT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Rohit Bal, one of India’s best-known fashion designers, died late Friday after a prolonged illness, the fashion designers association in the country announced. He was 63. The Fashion Design Council of India, or FDCI, said in a post on Instagram,...

India protests Ottawa's allegation its home minister ordered targeting of Sikh activists in Canada

Nov. 02, 2024 09:45 AM EDT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India officially protested on Saturday the Canadian government’s allegation that the country’s powerful home minister Amit Shah had ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada, calling it “absurd and baseless.” Relations between the two countries...

Toxic smog cloaks India's capital as Diwali firecrackers push air pollution to hazardous levels

Nov. 01, 2024 03:30 AM EDT

NEW DELHI (AP) — A thick layer of toxic smog cloaked India’s capital on Friday as smoke from firecrackers used to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, pushed air pollution to hazardous levels. New Delhi's air quality index plunged into the “severe” category,...

We are what we celebrate: America's holiday calendar is increasingly diverse

Nov. 01, 2024 01:18 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — John Albert's daughter isn't going to school on Friday. And he couldn't be happier about it. For the first time, the high school senior and all of New York City's public school students have the day off to mark the holiday of Diwali, celebrated in India and among...

What is Diwali, the Festival of Lights? How is it celebrated in India and the diaspora?

Oct. 31, 2024 07:00 AM EDT

Diwali is the most important festival of the year in India — and for Hindus in particular. It is celebrated across faiths by more than a billion people in the world’s most populous nation and the diaspora. Over five days, people take part in festive gatherings, fireworks...

India says frontier disengagement with China along their disputed border is 'almost complete'

Oct. 31, 2024 06:44 AM EDT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India and China have moved most of their frontline troops further from their disputed border in a remote region in the northern Himalayas, India’s defense minister said Thursday, some 10 days after the two countries reached a new pact on military patrols that aims to end a...

Indians celebrate Diwali by lighting a record number of clay lamps

Oct. 31, 2024 06:24 AM EDT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Millions of Indians began celebrating the annual Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, by symbolically lighting a record 2.51 million clay oil lamps at dusk on Wednesday on the banks of the river Saryu in a northern Indian city they believe to be the birthplace of the deity Lord...