Delhi to get respite, heat wave persists in other parts

Storms are expected in the capital, but severe heat across multiple states would continue, India's weather department said.

DW has the latest.

Here is a roundup of the latest developments from across India on Monday, April 27:
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India appoints veteran politician as Bangladesh next high commissioner
India on Monday appointed veteran politician Dinesh Trivedi as its next high commissioner to Bangladesh, as New Delhi seeks to rebuild ties with its eastern neighbor.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated after former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in 2024 following a popular uprising, where she remains.

Ties have improved since February, when new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman came to power.

The 75-year-old Trivedi, a former railways and health minister, joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in 2021 from a regional party in West Bengal.

"He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement about Trivedi.

Earlier this month, Bangladesh's foreign minister was in ⁠Delhi seeking increased fuel and fertilizer supplies, closer energy cooperation and eased travel restrictions.

WATCH: India's quick-commerce boom comes with human cost
India's quick-commerce boom promises 10-minute deliveries.

But for delivery riders, it means long hours, low pay and constant risk.

A ground report from Delhi on the people powering this multibillion-dollar industry.

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Indian sailors face shortages, fear as Hormuz remains disrupted
Thousands of Indian seafarers remain stranded aboard vessels in the Persian Gulf as the Strait of Hormuz stays heavily disrupted after weeks of conflict involving Iran, according to maritime officials and labor representatives, the Associated Press reported.

India's shipping ministry said at least 2,680 Indian sailors had been evacuated since the Iran war began, but more than 20,000 nationals remain on foreign-flagged ships in the region.

India is one of the world's largest suppliers of maritime labor.

Indian Captain Rahul Dhar, stranded with his crew for about eight weeks, said sailors had witnessed drones and missile interceptions near their vessel, adding that uncertainty was taking a toll on morale.

"Day to day, we try to keep things normal," he told AP, adding that the strain on the crew's morale is starting to show.

Manoj Kumar Yadav of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India said thousands of Indian sailors were enduring fear, isolation and shortages of food and drinking water while anchored near Iranian ports.

"Many of them were on board a ship for the first time, and you can imagine what mental state they have gone through," Yadav said.

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas trade, remains only partially operational, sharply reducing ship traffic.

Shipping firms and the International Maritime Organization, UN's shipping agency, have called for a safe corridor for commercial vessels .

Iran seizes 2 container ships in Strait of Hormuz
India's Sun Pharma to acquire US drugmaker Organon in $11.75 billion deal
India's Sun Pharmaceutical said on Monday it had agreed to acquire US-based women's healthcare company Organon in an all-cash deal valuing the drugmaker at $11.75 billion (€10 billion).

"Organon's portfolio, capabilities and global reach are highly complementary to our own," Sun Pharma chairman Dilip Shanghvi said in a statement.

India exported drugs worth more than $31 billion last fiscal year.

BJP gains ground in Parliament with AAP defections
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strengthened its position in Parliament's upper house after seven opposition lawmakers from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joined the ruling party, according to a parliamentary list published on Monday.

The defections reduce the AAP, led by Modi critic Arvind Kejriwal, to three seats in the Rajya Sabha, while the BJP's tally rose to 113, still 10 short of a simple majority in the 245-member chamber.

Modi's National Democratic Alliance coalition holds about 140 seats.

The defections could make it easier for Modi's government to pass legislation in the upper house, where members are elected by state legislatures for six-year terms.

The defectors include senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha, who accused the party of being run by "corrupt and compromised" people.

In a video posted on Instagram on Monday, Chadha accused the AAP of harboring a "toxic work environment" where people are "stopped from working and speaking in Parliament."
The AAP dismissed Chadha's move as opportunistic.

Kejriwal refuses to appear before Delhi High Court
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday he would no longer participate, either personally or through legal counsel, in proceedings before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court in a pending case, citing a lack of faith in the fairness of the process.

In a letter to the judge, Kejriwal said the proceedings in the Delhi excise policy case did not "satisfy the fundamental principle that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done."
"My participation in these proceedings, either myself or through a counsel will not achieve anything meaningful," Kejriwal said.

Why did Kejriwal ask for Justice Sharma to recuse?

Kejriwal repeated allegations previously raised in an earlier recusal plea, referring to Justice Sharma's alleged public association with a group linked to the right-wing Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Bharatiya Janata Party's ideological parent.

The former Delhi chief minister also pointed to a perceived conflict of interest arising from the judge's family members serving on Indian government legal panels, while the central government and the CBI were opposing parties in his case.

He said the rejection of his earlier recusal request had deepened his concerns and left him unable to expect an impartial hearing.

"I must also state that the judgment rejecting recusal has itself become an additional and independent reason for my loss of confidence in the fairness of further proceedings before this Bench ," Kejriwal said.

Rains forecast in Delhi expected to ease heat wave
The severe heat wave affecting Delhi is expected to ease over the next few days, with temperatures forecast to fall and bring slight respite, India’s weather office said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted thunderstorms and rain in Delhi on April 28 and 29.

The capital remained hot on Monday, with a maximum temperature of about 42.1 degrees Celsius.

Last week, the IMD issued a yellow heat wave alert for New Delhi.

A heat wave is declared when the maximum temperature crosses 40 degrees.

The agency said no major change in Delhi’s maximum temperature was expected over the next 24 hours, followed by a decline of 4-6 degrees Celsius over the subsequent three days.

Temperatures exceeded 45 degrees Celsius in several places across northern India over the past week.

States including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha recorded above-normal temperatures, with several districts facing hot to extremely hot conditions.

On Sunday, temperatures in Akola, in western Maharashtra, reached a scorching 46.9 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.

"Scorching conditions to continue over parts of Northwest & Central India for the next 3 days," the IMD said on X on Sunday.

Hello!

This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi studio, bringing you the latest updates from across India.

A respite from the record-breaking heat wave, which pushed temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius , is expected in the coming days.

North India has borne the brunt of the extreme conditions.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has refused to appear in court, deepening his standoff with the judiciary after voicing distrust in the judge overseeing his case.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal's former party colleague Raghav Chadha has responded to the backlash over his decision to join the BJP.

For all this and more, follow our India live blog.