Asian News International

Asian News International. Multi-media news agency, content for information platforms: TV, Internet, broadband, newspapers, mobiles.

Over 500 million people on Facebook Messenger now

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The new messaging service from Facebook has crossed 500 million users worldwide – a figure that has more than doubled from 200 million in April this year, the social networking site said in a statement.

“Messenger was the first of our standalone apps and unlike our core Facebook apps, it focused on one use case – messaging,” Peter Martinazzi, Facebook’s director of product management, wrote in a blog post.

“We have also continued to improve speed and reliability. Updates to Messenger ship every two weeks so it continues to evolve and improve,” he added.

UN expresses concern over Rajasthan incident

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A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban KiMoon said Tuesday the incident in which a woman was stripped and paraded on a donkey in a Rajasthan village was a matter of concern and hoped it would be investigated.

Replying to a question by a reporter about the Saturday indent, Moon’s deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said, “At this stage, we’re simply aware of the media reports. We would hope that they will be looked into.” He added, “It’s certainly a cause for concern, because women’s rights should be upheld around the world.”

Modi hopes for stronger India, Thailand ties

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha and expressed hope that ties between the two countries will become stronger.

“I congratulate you on becoming the PM of Thailand. Am sure our relations will become stronger,” said a PMO India tweet, citing Modi.

Earlier, Modi met the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and invited Malaysian companies to make in India.

Modi will be attending the 12th ASEAN-India Summit here Wednesday. He will also meet heads of state and government of several countries on the sidelines of multilateral events.

Gene test may identify kidney transplant rejection: Study

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US researchers have said they have developed a potential gene test for identifying acute rejection in kidney transplant patients, a finding that could eventually replace the need for biopsies.

Acute rejection after kidney transplantation occurs in about 15 percent to 20 percent of patients, even when they are treated with immunosuppressive medications, Xinhhua reported citing the researchers Tuesday.

Wagah attack suspects die in air strikes: Pakistan military

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The Pakistani military claimed to have killed 13 terrorists, including those involved in the Wagah border suicide attack, in aerial strikes, media reported.

The strikes were undertaken Tuesday in the Daras area of Khyber Agency, on the basis of “credible intelligence about the presence of terrorists involved in the Wagah attack”, Dawn reported citing an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement.

Khyber is part of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and is one of the eight tribal areas, which are known as “agencies” in Pakistan.

UN secretary-general reiterates supports for Malala Yousafzai

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has reiterated his support for Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani Nobel Laureate and girls’ education advocate, who has come under a renewed volley of attacks in her homeland.

Moon’s deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, told reporters Tuesday: “The Secretary-General has made clear his support for Malala, for her goals, for the cause of girls’ education and he continues to stand by that. So he is very clear that the work she’s doing is in line with the work of the United Nations, and we will support her in those efforts.”

Sensex surges 144 points; banking stocks gain

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A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Wednesday was trading 144.27 points or 0.52 percent up in the early session as the banking sector gained.

Good buying was observed in banking, auto and IT sectors, while marginal selling pressure was seen in metal sector.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 27,958.64 points, was trading at 28,054.33 points (at 09.30 a.m.) in the early session, up 144.27 points or 0.52 percent from the previous day’s close at 27,910.06 points.

Madras High Court flays police; orders CBI probe into ‘honour killing’ case

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Lambasting the police, Madras High Court today ordered a CBI probe into a case of suspected honour killing of a girl involved in inter-caste marriage.

Justice V.Ramasubramanian, who earlier directed Usilampatti Police not to proceed further in the case, today directed to hand over the case to CBI.

“In the light of the facts pleaded and disclosed from the files, it is clear at least prima facie that the death of Vimaladevi is a case of honour killing. But unfortunately the investigation team had not brought this out deliberately.”

Krishna Reddy brought out the actor in me: Diah Nicolas

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Actress Diah Nicolas, who hails from South Africa, says it was filmmaker S.V Krishna Reddy, who taught her the basics of acting while working on his upcoming Telugu fantasy drama “Yamaleela 2”.

“Acting happened by accident. I was literally picked up off the street by a casting agent during my trip to India. I was never interested in films. It was my director Krishna Reddy, who brought out the actor in me. He made me believe in myself that I can actually act,” Diah told IANS.

IT Department slaps Rs 57 crore penalty on Abhishek Manu Singhvi

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A penalty of over Rs 57 crore has been imposed on Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi by the Income Tax Settlement Commission (ITSC).

The Commission has added Rs 92 crore to the professional income of the Congress leader over a period of three years.

However, Singhvi claimed that he spent rupees 35.98 crore on purchase of Solar Panel for his company.

The I-T department found that the transaction was mainly intended at tax evasion by inflating the cost of the panels.

-_ANI

BJP accuses Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi of hoarding black money

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that many senior Congress Party leaders have stashed away black money not only abroad, but also at home.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi of evading taxes to generate black money.

He was reacting to the Income Tax Department’s Settlement Commission move to slap Singhvi with a penalty of Rs. 56.57 crore, and its decision to add over Rs. 91.95 crore to his declared professional income for a period of three years.

Shripad Naik takes charge as Minister for Yoga and Traditional Medicine

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Shripad Naik, who has taken charge as Minister for Yoga and Traditional Medicine, has said that he will be making efforts to give sufficient prominence to alternative therapies such as Yoga and Ayurveda.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a mission to raise awareness about home-grown health treatments, encouraging people to take up Yoga and calling for an International Yoga Day. “This is our system and it has not received enough prominence. We will take it to the masses,” said Naik.

AIIMS doctors to treat sterilization victims in Chhattisgarh

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A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will leave for Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, today to attend to patients who were left in a critical state after undergoing sterilization operations.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and expressed his concern over the Bilaspur incident, and asked him to ensure a thorough investigation.

Eight women reportedly lost their lives and 30 others were left critical after undergoing a sterilization operation at a government camp in Bilaspur district.

PM Narendra Modi to attend 12th ASEAN-India Summit in Myanmar today

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the 12th ASEAN-India Summit in Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Taw today.

The Prime Minister arrived in Myanmar on Tuesday, following which he met with that country’s President, Thein Sein.

During their meeting, Prime Minister Modi and President Sein discussed the strengthening of ties between New Delhi and Nay Pyi Taw in the fields of culture, commerce and connectivity.

Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to meet with leaders of the East Asia Summit (EAS) nations during his visit.

Sunanda Pushkar case: Laptop, 3 mobile phones sent for forensic probe

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Delhi Police has questioned some key witnesses besides sending three mobile phones and a laptop for advance forensic investigations in the mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar.

The bed sheet, carpet on which fluid marks were found and broken glass, which were recently recovered from suite number 345 of Leela Palace Hotel, where Pushkar, wife of former Union minister Shashi Tharoor, was found dead, has also been sent to forensic labs for examination.

Instagram introduces much requested ‘caption editing’ tool

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Instagram has introduced a new tool for iOS and Android operating systems wherein the users can easily edit the caption of their pictures after posting them.

According to PCWorld, the company said that caption editing has been Instagram’s most requested feature till now.

Now users can edit the picture caption by simply clicking the “…” in the bottom right of the post and selecting “edit”.

Car sales dip 2.55% in Oct as festive purchases remain subdued

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Car sales in India fell 2.55 per cent in October as purchases remained subdued during the festival season, marking the second consecutive month of decline.

According to the data released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), domestic car sales in October this year stood at 1,59,036 units as compared to 1,63,199 units in the same month of 2013.

Builders’ liquidity to improve after easing of FDI rules: Fitch

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Rating agency Fitch on Tuesday said the easing of FDI rules in the realty sector would improve the liquidity situation of developers and boost supply but could also result in increased price competition among the builders.

On October 29, the Cabinet had relaxed FDI rules in construction sector by reducing minimum built-up area as well as capital requirement and easing the exit norms.

‘Bullish’ UBS sees Nifty at 9,600 points by Dec 2015

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Swiss brokerage UBS on Tuesday said it is bullish on the Indian stock market and sees a massive upside to earnings, driven by better growth numbers, which will push the NSE benchmark index Nifty to 9,600 by next December.

“We remain bullish on the equities in 2015. The growth recovery underway will likely sustain current valuations, especially as it starts manifesting in both macro and micro data points.

NDMC Rs 1.25 crore for repair of roads near Jama Masjid

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Roads along the 17th century Jama Masjid would soon be refurbished as the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has approved Rs 1.25 crore for the purpose, officials said today.

The Standing Committee Chairman of NDMC, Mohan Prasad Bhardwaj yesterday directed the officials of the Engineering Department to improve roads along the historical site. The north corporation has approved Rs 1.25 crore for repair of roads, a senior NDMC official said.

Bhardwaj has asked them to complete the work by November 22.

Key IS leader spotted in Syrian city after US airstrike

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A key Islamic State (IS) leader, Abu Anas al-Shamy, was seen moving about publicly in the Syrian city of Al-Bukamal, on the border with Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Al-Shamy was seen in the city located in Deir al-Zour province along with many of his followers, who evidently were providing security for him, after news reports said he had been killed in an international coalition attack on Friday.

Sensex gains 61 points; healthcare stocks surge

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A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Tuesday was trading 61.02 points or 0.22 percent up in the early session as the healthcare sector gained.

Good buying was observed in healthcare and auto sectors, while marginal selling pressure was seen in IT sector.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 27,911.25 points, was trading at 27,935.75 points (at 09.17 a.m.) in the early session, up 61.02 points or 0.22 percent from the previous day’s close at 27,874.73 points.

SC disposes AAP plea on Delhi assembly dissolution

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The Supreme Court Tuesday disposed off an AAP petition seeking dissolution of assembly and holding early elections.

An apex court constitution bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu passed the brief order.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) counsel Prashant Bhushan urged the court to direct an early election.

“This is for Election Commission to decide,” the court said.

–IANS

PM Modi invites thoughts, ideas for his visit to Australia

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter on Tuesday to invite thoughts and ideas for his visit to Australia. He also shared a webpage for citizens to stay updated on his visit to Australia.

“Summits, important bilaterals, meeting over 40 world leaders. Leaving for Myanmar, Australia and Fiji,” tweeted Prime Minister Modi.

“Do keep sharing thoughts and ideas for the visit. Here is a great place to keep updated on the visit: http://international.narendramodi.in/australia_home/,” he said in a series of tweets.