Asian News International

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National capital Delhi to witness smog in coming week: MeT

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The Meteorological Department (MeT) has predicted a return of smog and related conditions in the national capital and National Capital Regions (NCR) in the coming week.

As per reports, a depression is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal in the next 48 hours, which is likely to be succeeded by another system of intensified low pressure.

As a result of the two systems, there are chances of further development of some smog in Delhi and surrounding regions.

–ANI

Irom Sharmila’s fast demanding repeal of AFSPA enters 15th year

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Sit-in-protests, hunger strike and demonstrations joined by students, civil society organisations and human rights activists were held in Manipur to express solidarity with social activist Irom Chanu Sharmila whose fast demanding repeal of the AFSPA, 1958 from the state entered its 15th year.

Irom Sharmila has been on fast demanding the repeal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSA) 1958 from Manipur since November 5, 2000, after ten civilians were killed in an ‘encounter’ by Assam Rifles personnel at Malom area near Imphal airport on November 2, 2000.

Tri Valley founder gets 16 years in jail for running sham university

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founder of California-based Tri Valley University, who destroyed the academic careers of several hundred Indian students in the US, has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for running a sham university that served as a front for an immigration scam.

Susan Xiao-Ping Su, 44, was sentenced after being convicted on 31 counts of wire and mail fraud, money laundering, alien harbouring and other charges related to running an immigration scam, the Department of Justice announced.

17 Indian firms join growth list

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Seventeen “fastest growing” Indian companies, including Avesthagen and Flipkart, have been invited to join the World Economic Forum Global Growth Companies (GGCs) community comprising 370 firms.

The selected companies are: 4G Identity Solutions, ANI Technologies, Avest-hagen, Bandhan Financial Services, Centum Electronics, Finolex, Flipkart, Forbes Marshall, InterGlobe Enterprises, Justdial, MakeMyTrip, Nash Industries, Persist-ent Systems, Radikal Foo-ds, RBL Bank, Sobha, and Transasia Bio-Medicals.

Pleasant Thursday morning in Delhi

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It was a pleasant Thursday morning here with the minimum temperature recorded a degree above the normal at 16.4 degrees Celsius.

“The sky will remain mainly clear with mist/fog in the morning,” said an India Meteorological Department official.

The day’s maximum temperature is likely to hover around 30 degrees Celsius.

Humidity at 8.30 a.m. was 70 percent.

Wednesday’s maximum temperature was 30 degrees Celsius, average for this time of the year, while the minimum was recorded two notches bove the season’s average at 17 degrees Celsius.

–IANS

Robert Downey Jr. welcomes baby girl with wife Susan

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Robert Downey Jr. has welcomed a baby daughter with wife Susan and has named her Avri, it has been revealed.

The ‘Iron Man’ star posted the good news on his official Facebook page saying that after 9 months of intensive development, Team Downey was pleased to announce their 2014 fall/winter project, the Mirror reported.

The 49-year-old actor also posted the details about their new member in the family joking stating that she was 7lbs even and spans 20 inches.

Downey Jr. has already has a two-year-old son, Exton and 21-year-old son Indio from a previous relationship. (ANI)

‘Plans to export Alto K10 to Africa,Latin America,Middle East’

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India’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki, plans to export its next generation small car Alto K10 to Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, a top official said here today.

“We intend to export the Alto K10 to Africa, Middle East and Latin America”, Amitava Roy, Vice President (Parts), told reporters soon after launching the model in Kerala.

Maruti sold 11 lakh cars in the country last year and was expecting a 10 percent growth this year, he said.

This is the first time in the country that at the entry level a car has been fitted with automatic gear shift.

Bengaluru school where 6-year-old was raped reopens

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A school here which was shut last week after the alleged rape of a 6-year-old girl inside the institution’s premises, reopened on Thursday.

The development came after a delegation of parents held a meeting with the school and police administration yesterday following which the authorities agreed to resume the classes with intensified security measures beginning today.

CCI gets complaint against Flipkart, other e-retailers

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Fair trade regulator CCI has received a complaint against online retailers including home-grown giant Flipkart for alleged unfair business practices and will soon take a call on probing the matter.

The complaint has been received against these online trading entities weeks after an uproar over Flipkart’s massive discount sale which had raised concerns of anti-competitive practices.

Gold prices decline to over 3-year low of Rs 25,900

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Gold prices plunged by Rs 450 to trade at over three-year low of Rs 25,900 per 10 grams in the national capital Wednesday as the dollar’s strength dampened demand for the precious metal.

Besides, low demand from jewellers and retailers who preferred to defer their buying activity on hopes of further dip in prices and diversion of funds towards soaring equity markets, weighed on prices.

Silver followed suit and recorded a steep fall of Rs 900 to Rs 35,050 per kg on poor offtake by industrial units and coin makers.

Anushka Shetty to get a special video from ‘Rudhramadevi’ director on birthday

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Southern actress Anushka Shetty, who will turn 33 Friday, will received a special video as her birthday gift from the makers of Telugu magnum opus “Rudhramadevi”. The film’s director Gunasekhar is keeping the details a secret.

“A birthday gift is being planned for Anushka. It could be a special birthday video or even the film’s teaser. Gunasekhar sir has kept everything a secret and wants to surprise Anushka on the special day,” a source from the film’s unit told IANS.

Fall fashion trend: Over the knee boots

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Ankle boots have most certainly stuck around this season once again, but the over-the-knee ones are also making waves in the fashion world.

It’s been a while since one has seen these boots as a trend, but it’s most certainly made a comeback this season after being featured on runways, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Brands like Topshop Unique and Gucci showed them off with a flat and small heel that make them perfect for everyday wear. The snake print design is a very bold look, but keep the rest of your outfit pared back and you’ll nail this look perfectly.

Ditch ready-to-eat meals to avoid high calories: Survey

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Do you want to help trim yours and your family’s waistlines? One can save over a month’s worth of calories every year by ditching ‘ready meals’ and instead taking a Do it Yourself (DIY) approach to making common foods.

The research by etailer AppliancesDirect found that the average family stands to save 240,000 calories, the equivalent of 32 days’ recommended calorie intake for a family of four, by home-making meals, instead of relying on shop prepared versions, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Mentally-unstable woman kills her children

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A mentally-unstable woman here beat her two children with bricks to death for playing against her wishes, police said Thursday.

The incident took place in Pakkabagh area of the Uttar Pradesh capital late Wednesday.

Vimla dragged her children Ram Kishore, 5, and Kamal Kishore, 3, who were playing outside their house, to the roof and beat them up with bricks for over 10 minutes.

Police said the neighbours heard the children cry and rushed to their rescue. They found the children in a pool of blood. Ram Kishore died on the spot, while the younger one died at the hospital.

India to lose over $4.58 trillion to non-communicable diseases

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India stands to lose a whopping USD 4.58 trillion to non-communicable diseases and mental disorders between 2012 and 2030, an amount more than double India’s annual GDP, a report says.

According to a new report released today by the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancer are a major threat to human health, economic growth and national development.

RIL to sell 49.9% stake in US joint venture

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Reliance Industries is looking to sell its 49.9 percent stake in a US joint venture that owns a 460 miles pipeline network for transportation of shale oil and gas.

RIL, as well as its partner Pioneer Natural Resources Co, are seeking a buyer for their stakes in Eagle Ford Midstream venture as they focus on shale oil production.

“Pioneer Natural Resources today announced that the company is pursuing the divestment of its 50.1 percent share of the Eagle Ford Shale Midstream business.

SAT allows DLF to redeem Rs 1806 cr of mutual fund investments

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In a major interim relief to DLF, the Securities Appellate Tribunal on Wednesday allowed the realty giant to redeem mutual funds worth Rs 1,806 crore to meet working capital needs and service debt payments.

DLF had sought permission to redeem money locked in mutual funds after being slapped with market regulator Sebi’s ban last month that bars it from accessing the capital market for 3 years.

India tops Facebook content restriction list

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Facebook has restricted access to nearly 5,000 pieces of information on its website in India in the first six months of 2014, the highest for any country, following requests from government and other agencies to act against hate-content on social media platforms.

India is the largest userbase for Facebook outside the US with over 100 million users.

Similar steps were taken in Turkey (1,893) and Pakistan (1,773) during the said period, Facebook said in its Government Requests Report.

Cheating case of Rs 95 filed against ‘most prominent’ Gujarat politician

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A person filed a plea before a local court alleging that one of Gujarat’s “most prominent” politicians allegedly duped him of Rs 95.

The person, who filed the plea, had allegedly posted ‘objectionable’ comments about Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel’s granddaughter on social networking site Facebook in September, which the city crime branch is probing, after a complaint was lodged against him.

‘Kiss of Love’ supporters face case for obscenity in Hyderabad

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Cyberabad police here have registered cases against the organisers of ‘Kiss of Love’ campaign on the University of Hyderabad campus for ‘obscene act’.

A group of students had organised a demonstration in support of the Kiss of Love campaign in Kerala (which aimed to oppose the moral policing) on the campus on November 2; some of them allegedly kissed during the event.

Police have also registered a case for criminal trespass against the members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), BJP’s youth wing, who staged a protest against the event.

Mortar fire on Syria school kills 11 children

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Mortar shells struck a school east of Damascus today, killing at least 11 children, said activists, and the death toll was likely to rise.

It was the most serious violence against Syrian minors since a twin suicide bombing killed at least 25 children near a school in October.

The children of the Haya School in the town of Qaboun were struck by three mortars, said a local activist who uses the name Abu Akram al-Shami.

Assam govt pitches for Bharat Ratna on Bhupen Hazarika

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Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said his government would take up the matter with the Centre again to confer the Bharat Ratna award posthumously to cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika.

The state government has already written to the Centre on this matter and will pursue it again, the Chief Minister said while addressing a memorial service at the samadhi site of Hazarika on the occasion of his third death anniversary here on Wednesday.

The state government would do everything possible to perpetuate the legend’s memory and uphold the lofty ideals of humanism he stood for, he added.

Delhi elections: With Asaram Bapu’s nod, followers decide to contest polls

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Followers of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, lodged in jail on charges of sexual assault on a teenage girl, have decided to enter the electoral fray in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.

The Ojaswi Party, floated by Asaram’s son Narayan Sai, who too is in jail on rape charges, will be fighting the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, national president of the outfit Swami Omji told reporters here today.

The decicision to contest the assembly elections has been taken after a brief meeting of the party leaders with Asaram in jail, party’s National Political Advisor Mukesh Jain said.