After slums and monkeys, Delhi removes stray dogs from streets as G20 nears

Stray dogs are seen in the back of an animal ambulance after they were captured by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials near Indira Gandhi International Airport ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, on September 5, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)
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Updated 07 September 2023
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After slums and monkeys, Delhi removes stray dogs from streets as G20 nears

  • US President Joe Biden, Saudi crown prince among other world leaders expected to gather in Delhi this weekend
  • Delhi has over 60,000 stray dogs, according to government data, which are fed and doted upon by many of its residents

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of stray dogs that roam the streets of the Indian capital Delhi are being rounded up by authorities and moved to shelters in the run-up to the G20 summit this weekend, according to animal activists and Reuters witnesses.

Authorities have already cleared many slums in the city and put up cutouts of langurs to scare away monkeys from public spaces ahead of the meeting.

The G20 summit, the biggest ever gathering of world leaders in the Indian capital, will be attended by US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida among others.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) did not directly link the removal of stray dogs to the summit, stating that the canines are being picked up “only on an urgent need basis.”

Ambulances being used for the roundup of strays that were seen by Reuters, however, displayed “On Duty G-20” boards.




Nawab, a caretaker of an animal shelter managed by a local animal welfare NGO Friendicoes SECA, recaptures a stray dog after it escaped from the shelter at its facility at Bijwasan in New Delhi, India, on September 6, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)

The national capital territory of Delhi has over 60,000 stray dogs, according to government data, which are fed and doted upon by many of its 20 million residents, but instances of them attacking people are not uncommon.

The MCD, in August, had issued an order for removal of stray dogs “from the vicinity of prominent locations in view of the G-20 summit,” but withdrew the directions two days later following a backlash.

Animal activists say the civic body then started capturing stray dogs “in an inhumane manner” last week, without using methods like “net catching or hand catching” mandated by guidelines.

Almost 1,000 dogs have been rounded up so far from areas like the airport and the G20 venue, they said.

Reuters’ witnesses saw MCD teams capturing dogs using rods with a loop at one end. The animals were then dragged to ambulances.

“What India is doing is ironic given the theme of the G20 — one earth, one family, one future. It is hypocritical to talk of a shared future when we do not make room for our co-beings,” said Ambika Shukla, trustee of People for Animals, a non-governmental organization.

Sanjay Mohapatra, founder of the House of Stray Animals NGO, termed the action “needless.”

“If delegates see people feeding stray dogs, it will actually create a good impression of the country,” he said.

The MCD, in a statement, said the captured dogs were being tracked and would be released back from where they were taken, but did not give a timeframe.

“All the dogs are safe and comfortable with necessary medical help available to them,” it said.

Friendicoes, one of the groups working with the MCD to round up the canines, said it has picked up 234 dogs using nets and moved them to its three shelters in the city.

Reuters images showed the animals inside cages, with a white-board hanging at the entrance detailing the ‘token number’ assigned to each of them, and detailing their gender and fur color.

“We have stopped the work now since we have reached full capacity. The dogs will be released at the same locations from where they were picked up after the summit,” said co-founder Geeta Seshamani.


Ukraine’s Zelensky says Russian artillery fire has not subsided

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Ukraine’s Zelensky says Russian artillery fire has not subsided

“Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow,” Zelensky said

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that, according to his top commander, Russian artillery fire had not subsided despite the Kremlin’s proclamation of an Easter ceasefire.
“As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided,” Zelensky wrote on the social media platform X.
“Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow.”
He recalled that Russia had last month rejected a US-proposed full 30-day ceasefire and said that if Moscow agreed to “truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia’s actions.”
“If a complete ceasefire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20,” Zelensky wrote.

Russia says Ukraine struck its energy infrastructure 10 times in last 24 hours

Updated 19 April 2025
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Russia says Ukraine struck its energy infrastructure 10 times in last 24 hours

  • Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violating a US-brokered 30-day moratorium

MOSCOW: Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine on Saturday of attacking Russian energy facilities 10 times over the past 24 hours.
The US brokered a 30-day moratorium in March between Ukraine and Russia against strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure. Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violating it.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked if the energy moratorium was over, said it had already been a month but that no orders from the president had been received to change Russia’s position.


More than 100 inmates make deadly prison break in Chad

Updated 19 April 2025
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More than 100 inmates make deadly prison break in Chad

  • The break-out occurred late Friday when an uprising happened
  • A local Mongo official said prisoners broke into a manager’s office to steal guns

MONGO, Chad: More than 100 inmates escaped a Chad prison during a shoot-out that left three people dead, and wounded a state governor visiting the facility, officials told AFP on Saturday.
The break-out occurred late Friday when an uprising happened in the high-security penitentiary five kilometers (three miles) from the town of Mongo, in the center of the country.
“There are around 100 who escaped, three dead and three wounded,” Hassan Souleymane Adam, secretary general of the Guera province in which Mongo is located, said.
A local Mongo official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said prisoners broke into a manager’s office to steal guns.
“A shootout with guards ensued, at the same time the governor arrived. He was wounded,” he said.
The Mongo official confirmed there were three dead, and put the total number of escaped prisoners at 132.
He said the prisoners revolted after complaining about a lack of food.
Chad’s Justice Minister Youssouf Tom told AFP by telephone that he was about to fly to region and would be able to give “precise information once I am at Mongo in the coming hours.”


Russian President Vladimir Putin announces an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine

Updated 19 April 2025
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Russian President Vladimir Putin announces an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine

  • Ceasefire will last from 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday to midnight following Easter Sunday

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced an Easter truce in the conflict in Ukraine starting this evening and lasting till midnight on Sunday.
The short-term ceasefire proposal from Russia comes as President Donald Trump has been pressing both Moscow and Kyiv to agree a truce, but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin.
“Today from 1800 (1500 GMT) to midnight Sunday (2100 GMT Sunday), the Russian side announces an Easter truce,” Putin said in televised comments, while meeting Russian chief of staff Valery Gerasimov.
Easter, a major holiday for Christians, is celebrated on Sunday.
“I order for this period to stop all military action,” Putin said, calling the truce “based on humanitarian reasons.”
“We are going on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow our example, while our troops must be ready to resist possible breaches of the truce and provocations by the enemy, any aggressive actions,” Putin said.
He said that Gerasimov had told him Ukraine “more than 100 times... breached an agreement on not striking energy infrastructure.”
Russia on Friday abandoned a moratorium on striking Ukrainian energy targets after each side accused the other of breaking a supposed deal without any formal agreement put in place.
The latest truce proposal will show “how sincere is the Kyiv’s regime’s readiness, its desire and ability to observe agreements and participate in a process of peace talks,” Putin said.
Previous attempts at holding ceasefires for Easter in April 2022 and Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 were not implemented after both sides failed to agree on them.


Cambodia welcomes Japanese navy ships to naval base that US suspects is for China’s special use

Updated 19 April 2025
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Cambodia welcomes Japanese navy ships to naval base that US suspects is for China’s special use

  • Tokyo has developed increasingly close ties with Cambodia in recent years
  • China and Cambodia have close political, military, and economic ties

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Two Japanese naval ships docked Saturday at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, whose recently completed Chinese-funded upgrade has heightened US concerns that it will be used as a strategic outpost for China’s navy in the Gulf of Thailand.
The visit by the two minesweepers, the 141-meter (463-foot) -long Bungo and the 67-meter (219-foot) -long Etajima, part of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, marks the first foreign navy visit since the base’s expansion project was completed earlier this month.
Tokyo has developed increasingly close ties with Cambodia in recent years, seeking to offset China’s influence in the region, and Cambodia invited it to make the renovated port’s first port call, widely seen as an attempt to allay Washington’s concerns.
Both Japanese ships, making a four-day port call with a total of 170 sailors, docked at the base’s new pier, where Cambodian officials, including Rear Adm. Mean Savoeun, deputy commander of the base, held a welcome ceremony.
Concerns about China’s activities at the Ream base emerged in 2019 following a Wall Street Journal report alleging a draft agreement that would grant China 30-year use of the base for military personnel, weapon storage, and warship berthing. The US government has publicly and repeatedly aired its concerns.
China and Cambodia have close political, military, and economic ties. They commenced the port project in 2022, which included the demolition of previous naval structures built by the US at the base.
Cambodia has stated that warships from all friendly countries are welcome to dock at the new pier, provided they meet certain conditions. When Japanese Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani announced the planned visit on Tuesday, he said Japan’s port call symbolizes friendship with Cambodia and is key to regional stability and peace.
He stated that the visit would help ensure Cambodia has an open and transparent naval port, while noting the concerns over China’s growing efforts to secure overseas outposts for military expansion.
The port call came just one day after Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a two-day state visit to Cambodia aimed at further strengthening China’s strong ties with its closest ally in Southeast Asia.
A statement on Saturday from Japan’s embassy in Cambodia stated that the two vessels are on a mission that began in January to visit 11 countries across Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. The port call in Cambodia is considered a “historically significant event for Japan-Cambodia relations,” it said.
The embassy emphasized that the journey of the Japanese vessels “underlines the importance of freedom of navigation, free and open international order based on international law, and its development.”
In December last year, a US Navy warship called at the nearby civilian port of Sihanoukville on a five-day visit. The visit by the USS Savannah, carrying a crew of 103, was the first in eight years by a US military vessel to Cambodia.