India news: Kerala landslide kills 1, several feared trapped

Read below for a roundup of some of the top headlines from around India on Tuesday, July 7:

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India's transgender community facing disruption in medical care, says report

A recent change in Indian law is disrupting ​transgender healthcare arrangements, with clinics pausing services and delaying surgeries amid fear doctors could be prosecuted, a Reuters report said.

The Indian parliament passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 in March.

The bill proposes replacing self-identification of gender with mandatory certification by a medical board. The government said the changes aim to streamline the law and better protect vulnerable groups by strengthening penalties for exploitation, forced identity and trafficking.

Now many people from the transgender community are saying that they have to grapple with denial of medical care as the government hasn't yet specified the nature of the specialists ‌on the medical panels.

According to Reuters, transgender people are facing disruptions in their care arrangements, while doctors told the news agency that they are proceeding cautiously in light of the government order.

India curbs transgender rights with new law

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Why are landslides common in Kerala?

In 2024, more than 250 people lost their lives in landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains in Wayanad, Kerala.

The then Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, had called it "one of the worst natural calamities Kerala has ever witnessed."

Experts highlight natural disasters as examples of the environment being unable to withstand damaging activities such as deforestation and ill-considered construction.

In Kerala, the Western Ghats region where the landslides occurred, is also an ecologically sensitive region where — ignoring suggestions from environmentalists —quarrying and deforestation is carried out in unsuitable or dangerous locations.

According to the Geological Survey of India almost half of Kerala falls within landslide-prone areas.

Environmental scientist Madhav Gadgil attributed the landslide tragedy to the 2024 Kerala government's failure to implement crucial ecological recommendations, saying: "There is a direct link between hard-rock quarrying and slope failures in the form of landslides, especially in a place like Wayanad."

Court rules Cockroach Janta Party's X account be restored

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed the restoration of the Cockroach Janta Party's X account after the central government said it had no objection to lifting the ban following the conclusion of the NEET re-examination.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the government, told the court the account had been withheld to prevent turmoil.

"It was blocked at a time when NEET examination was to take place. Lakhs of students were to appear. Several posts which would have created chaos among student and parents. Now the examination is over," Mehta said.

Last month, the highly competitive National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG — needed to enroll in medical colleges across India — was reorganized after the previously conducted exam in May was canceled over question paper leaks.

The account was withheld in India on May 21 after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology directed X to block it citing national security concerns.

The CJP had challenged the blocking order in court after it launched protests demanding the resignation of India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged exam irregularities.

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the satirical political movement, started an indefinite sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20, demanding the minister step down.

The Delhi High Court had earlier declined to order an immediate restoration of the account, directing the petitioner to seek relief through the government's review committee.

India's Gen Z 'Cockroaches' protest national exams fraud

Landslide at tunnel site in Wayanad, Kerala turns deadly

At least two people were killed, and seven injured after a landslide in the southern state of Kerala's Wayanad district on Tuesday, media reports said.

According to Chief Minister VD Satheeshan, the landslide occurred near the Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi in Wayanad.

Satheeshan held an emergency meeting in the wake of the accident.

"Directions have been issued to coordinate rescue operations without delay," the chief minister posed on X. "Revenue Minister AP Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister T Siddique have been directed to proceed to Wayanad immediately."

Agriculture Minister T Siddique at the site said it was "not a natural landslide," calling the disaster "man-made ... due to an unscientific way of accumulating mud there."

Officials said more than 10 people may be trapped under the debris, news channel NDTV reported.

Media reports said there was work underway on a tunnel road project at the site of the landslide with the region seeing incessant rain over the past 24 hours.

Local residents rescued at least three people from the site, media reports said.

Two Indian soldiers killed in Manipur

Two Indian soldiers were killed on Monday in an ambush by militants in the restive northeastern state of Manipur, officials said.

Manipur has been grappling with ethnic clashes for nearly three years between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. The conflict has seen more than 250 people killed and over 60,000 displaced.

In recent months, the Naga group has also been drawn in as the violence casts a pall over efforts by New Delhi to stabilize the region.

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said in a statement that two soldiers from the paramilitary Assam Rifles force were killed in a "militant ambush" in Ukhrul district.

"Such acts of terror will not be tolerated," Singh wrote on X. "The Government of Manipur is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice and remains steadfast in upholding peace, security, and the rule of law."

Modi holds strategic talks with Indonesian president

India will supply its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system and Astra air-to-air missile to Indonesia, an Indian government official said on Tuesday. The announcement comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to deepen strategic ties.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono said ahead of Modi's visit that eight agreements and several memorandums of understanding are also expected to be announced.

On Tuesday, Modi will address members of Indonesia's Parliament and attend an evening event with the Indian community in Indonesia.

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Sandeep Chakravorty said "closer ties between two leaders of the Global South are very essential" to signal unity and support for each other's growth.

Last month, India had signed a BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam.

Modi, on his second visit to Indonesia as prime minister and his first since 2018, arrived in Jakarta on Monday on the first leg of a regional tour that will also take him to Australia and New Zealand.

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi studio bringing you the latest developments from across India.

The Indian government says it plans to supply Indonesia with India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system and Astra air-to-air missiles.

The announcement came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a two-day trip to Indonesia, his second tour of the country.

Meanwhile, two Indian soldiers were killed on Monday in an ambush by militants in the restive northeastern state of Manipur.

Plus, a recent change in Indian law is disrupting ​transgender health care arrangements, with clinics pausing services and delaying surgeries amid fear doctors could be prosecuted.

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