Latest news with #KIRANSHARMA

Nikkei Asia
a day ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Isolated Sentinel tribe in focus as India readies census
A Sentinel tribesman aims his bow at an Indian Coast Guard helicopter as it flies over North Sentinel Island in December 2004. © Reuters KIRAN SHARMA NEW DELHI -- As India gears up for its next census after a delay of six years, the government faces a difficult task trying to account for the small Sentinelese tribal population on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The indigenous people, called the world's most isolated, fiercely resist all contact with outsiders. The nationwide, once-a-decade census was slated for 2021 but postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The count will start for most parts of India in March 2027, while for a few states and territories in the country's north, it will begin early in October next year. Besides recording population data, the exercise includes caste details on all Indians for the first time since the South Asian nation's independence from British rule in 1947.

Nikkei Asia
4 days ago
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
India chides 'double standards' of NATO's Russian oil threats
Russia accounted for 38% of India's total oil imports in 2024 and remains the South Asian nation's top supplier. © Reuters KIRAN SHARMA NEW DELHI -- Dismissing NATO chief Mark Rutte's warning that countries like India, China and Brazil could be hit by secondary sanctions for continuing to buy Russian oil, New Delhi has said that "securing energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us." "In this endeavor, we are guided by what is there on offer in the markets, as also by the prevailing global circumstances," Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson at India's Ministry of External Affairs, said during a weekly media briefing on Thursday evening.


Nikkei Asia
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
China protests Modi's birthday greetings to Dalai Lama
Just days before his 90th birthday on July 6, the Dalai Lama defied China by declaring that his office had "the sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation" -- or to name his successor after his death. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by AP) KIRAN SHARMA NEW DELHI -- Ties between neighboring Asian giants India and China seem to be under fresh strains over the Dalai Lama, with Beijing lodging a protest with New Delhi in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader on his 90th birthday and the presence of Indian officials at celebrations marking the occasion. Just days before his milestone birthday on Sunday, the Dalai Lama defied China by declaring that his office had "the sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation" -- or to name his successor after his death. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born to a farming family in a small hamlet in northeastern Tibet. At the age of 2, he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.

Nikkei Asia
04-07-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
India and US inch closer to interim trade deal ahead of Trump's deadline
A mobile crane carries a container at Deendayal Port in the western state of Gujarat on April 5. India and the U.S. plan to expand the value of bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, up from the current $200 billion. © Reuters KIRAN SHARMA NEW DELHI -- India and the U.S. appear on the verge of concluding an interim trade deal ahead of President Donald Trump's Wednesday deadline, when Indian goods would start facing 26% "reciprocal" tariffs, as the sides push toward a comprehensive agreement that could be finalized later this year. The development could help India avoid a steep tariff escalation. It follows a U.S.-Vietnam deal announced on Wednesday in which the U.S. will impose 20% tariffs on Vietnamese goods, lower than the previously threatened 46%.


Nikkei Asia
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Dalai Lama says his office has 'sole authority' to name successor
The Dalai Lama addresses via video the inaugural session at the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, on July 2. © Reuters KIRAN SHARMA DHARAMSHALA, India -- Ahead of his 90th birthday this weekend, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said in a statement that the institution he represents will continue and that only members of his private office are responsible for selecting his successor. In the statement, shared during the inaugural session of the three-day 15th Tibetan Religious Conference, the Dalai Lama stated that, based on various requests from Tibetans and other groups, "I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue."