bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Thousands mourned in southern India on Tuesday after the death of revered 94-year-old political leader Muthuvel Karunanidhi.
But tensions were high with local television showing footage of agitated mourners attacking police barricades and chanting loud slogans demanding a prime beachside burial site in Chennai for the late leader.
Karunanidhi, a charismatic self-styled champion of the poor, had been in intensive care since July 28 in the capital of Tamil Nadu state.

A big crowd had thronged the streets outside the hospital since his hospitalisation but it swelled to some 6,000 Tuesday, an Agence France-Presse photographer estimated, after doctors said he had suffered a “significant decline”.
How are millennials in India and China different?
Prakash Duria, a doctor at the Kauvery Hospital, later confirmed that he had died.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately tweeted condolences to Karunanidhi’s family, saying “India and particularly Tamil Nadu will miss him immensely”.

Deeply saddened by the passing away of Kalaignar Karunanidhi. He was one of the senior most leaders of India.
We have lost a deep-rooted mass leader, prolific thinker, accomplished writer and a stalwart whose life was devoted to the welfare of the poor and the marginalised. pic.twitter.com/jOZ3BOIZMj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2018

“Deeply saddened by the passing away of Kalaignar Karunanidhi,” Modi said.
“He was one of the senior most leaders of India. We have lost a deep-rooted mass leader, prolific thinker, accomplished writer and a stalwart whose life was devoted to the welfare of the poor and the marginalised,” he added.
Supporters beat their chests and chanted the leader’s name as hundreds of police struggled to contain the surging crowds.
A security alert had been sounded across the state, following past outbreaks of violence triggered by the deaths of previous high-profile figures.
India’s growing population draws elephants and humans into conflict
Karunanidhi was chief minister of Tamil Nadu five times and successfully contested 12 state elections, building legions of supporters on the way.
His popularity had not waned even though he handed over the reins of his Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party to his son M.K. Stalin.
Karunanidhi, a school dropout, became involved in politics at a young age, spearheading the DMK which was allied for many years to the Gandhi dynasty’s Congress party.

Affectionately called “Kalaignar” or scholar, he wrote reams of poems, lyrics and books and was a prolific screenwriter for the Tamil film industry.
His popularity rivalled that of J. Jayalalithaa, another powerful leader from Tamil Nadu whose death sparked a huge outpouring of grief.
An estimated one million people lined the streets for Jayalalithaa’s burial in 2016.
Race to contain destructive armyworm as pest spreads to India
Jayalalithaa was buried at the Marina beach and Karunanidhi’s supporters have demanded space for their leader in the same area, close to one of his late mentors.
The deaths of Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi leave a big political vacuum in the industrialised and prosperous southern state only months before key national election early next year.


Australia and Japan face jet fuel supply crunch as China cuts exports

Pakistan eyes Gulf investment, defence deals in return for playing peacemaker in Iran war

Why spike in fertiliser prices may boost China’s political clout amid Iran war shockwaves

Why India is quietly deepening its engagement with the Taliban

India

Muthuvel Karunanidhi mourned by thousands in India

Supporters beat their chests at the death of ‘a deep-rooted mass leader’ in Tamil Nadu

Supporters gather as an ambulance carrying the remains of Indian Tamil leader M. Karunanidhi leaves the hospital in Chennai, India August 7, 2018. REUTERS/P. Ravikumar

Supporters of former Tamil Nadu state chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party chief Muthuvel Karunanidhi break police barricades outside the Kauvery Hospital in Chennai, India, Tuesday, Aug.7, 2018. Karunanidhi, a scriptwriter-turned-politician in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has died after a prolonged illness. He was 94. (AP Photo/R.Parthibhan) R.Parthibhan,

Supporters of former Tamil Nadu state chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party chief Muthuvel Karunanidhi wail upon hearing the news of his death outside the Kauvery Hospital in Chennai, India, on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Why do Indians outperform Chinese in the US jobs market? Better people skills could have a lot to do with it

Chinese students at a graduation ceremony at Columbia University in New York. Photo: Xinhua

(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 4, 2017 Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Google Inc., speaks about Google's improvements in Artificial Intelligence and machine learning at a product launch event at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, California. Google announced on June 7, 2018 it would not use artificial intelligence for weapons or to "cause or directly facilitate injury to people," as it unveiled a set of principles for these technologies. Chief executive Sundar Pichai, in a blog post outlining the company's artificial intelligence policies, noted that even though Google won't use AI for weapons, "we will continue our work with governments and the military in many other areas" including cybersecurity, training, and search and rescue. / AFP PHOTO / Elijah Nouvelage

***ONE TIME USE ONLY*** A group of Chinese students at NYU celebrating their graduation in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. [14OCTOBER2017 CITY WEEKEND]

How are millennials in India and China different?

Jing Daily’s illustration of Indian millennials vs Chinese millennials. Photo: Zijun Shi

News

Asia

South Asia

Supporters beat their chests at the death of ‘a deep-rooted mass leader’ in Tamil Nadu


‘A deep-rooted mass leader’ in Tamil Nadu had been in intensive care since July 28


Muthuvel Karunanidhi mourned by thousands in India

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Supporters beat their chests at the death of ‘a deep-rooted mass leader’ in Tamil Nadu

Supporters beat their chests at the death of ‘a deep-rooted mass leader’ in Tamil Nadu