India

Indian states seek last-ditch film ban

Mumbai - Muslimchronicle

Indian state governments made a last-ditch attempt Monday to ban a Bollywood film about a mythical Hindu queen which has sparked violent protests by radical groups. The Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh governments asked India's top court to retract a ruling ordering states to show the film "Padmaavat", which is due to hit screens on Thursday. The urgent petitions, which the Supreme CourtRead more

Man suspected of plotting serial Gujarat, Delhi blasts arrested in India

Delhi - Muslimchronicle

Delhi Police arrested Abdul Subhan Qureshi, the man suspected of being involved in the serial blasts in Delhi and Gujarat in 2008, following a tip-off and a gun battle on Saturday night. Qureshi, labeled as the Osama Bin Laden of India, is allegedly the top bomb maker of the Indian Mujahideen. According to the Hindustan Times, Qureshi was a quietRead more

India’s top court acquits Bollywood director of rape

New Delhi - Muslimchronicle

India’s top court on Friday upheld the acquittal of a Bollywood director accused of raping an American research scholar in a case that has sparked intense debate about consent in a country with high levels of sexual violence. Mahmood Farooqui was initially found guilty of rape in 2016, but the Delhi high court last year overturned the conviction on appeal,Read more

India ends decades-old subsidy for Hajj pilgrims

New Delhi - Muslimchronicle

India’s Hindu nationalist government is ending a decades-long policy of offering discounted airfares to Muslims embarking on the hajj pilgrimage, it announced Tuesday. The right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party has accused its opponents in the Congress party -- who introduced the hajj assistance scheme in the 1950s -- of trying to woo Muslim voters through handouts. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar AbbasRead more

At least four dead in Indian chopper crash

New Delhi - Muslimchronicle

India's navy said four bodies had been recovered on Saturday after search teams located the wreckage of a helicopter that went missing earlier in the day. The aircraft, carrying five employees of India's state-run oil exploration arm ONGC and two pilots, lost contact with air traffic control 15 minutes after taking off from the western city at around 10:30 am (0500 GMT)Read more

Senior judges open rift with India’s chief justice

New Delhi - Muslimchronicle

Four Indian Supreme Court judges took the unprecedented step of publicly criticising the chief justice on Friday, warning a lack of impartiality could imperil the world’s largest democracy. The judges said they were making their disagreement with Chief Justice Dipak Mishra public after private talks failed to address what they said were serious problems with the running of India’s highestRead more

Firm to receive up to $70 mn if MH370 found

Kuala Lumpur - Muslimchronicle

Malaysia signed a deal with an American firm on Wednesday to resume the search for MH370 almost four years after the plane disappeared, with the company to receive up to $70 million if successful. The new hunt, which will last 90 days, is expected to start in mid-January when a high-tech vessel leased by the seabed exploration firm, Ocean Infinity, reaches a newRead more

Indian airline fires pilots over mid-air row

Mumbai - Muslimchronicle

An Indian airline said Tuesday it had fired two pilots after reports they fought and both briefly left the cockpit unmanned during a New Year's Day flight from London to Mumbai. Jet Airways took the step after investigating allegations that a male pilot slapped his female colleague during a heated argument when the plane was mid-air carrying 324 passengers. The quarrel reportedlyRead more

And the Golden Globes goes to... press freedom

Los Angeles - Muslimchronicle

The organization behind the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday announced $2 million to a journalism consortium and a media rights group as it hoped to combat growing threats to press freedom. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which runs the first gala of the awards season, announced $1 million each to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the Committee to ProtectRead more