Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, is looking at investing USD 100 billion in India in areas of petrochemicals, infrastructure and mining among others, considering the country's growth potential.

Saudi Ambassador Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati has said India is an an attractive investment destination for Saudi Arabia and it is eyeing long-term partnerships with New Delhi in key sectors such as oil, gas and mining.

New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) The government on Sunday banned the export of onion to increase availability of the commodity in the domestic market and contain rising prices.

"Export of all varieties of onions...is prohibited with immediate effect," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), an arm of the commerce ministry which deals with exports and import related issues, said in a notification.

The DGFT on September 13 had imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of USD 850 per tonne to curb its shipments and help bring down rising domestic prices.

Baghpat, Sep 29 (PTI) Two men have been booked in connection with the rape of a 35-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district, police said on Sunday.

In her complaint, the Ghaziabad-based woman alleged that on Friday, one of the accused, Sunil, called her to his house in Baghpat on the pretext of providing her a job, Kotwali police station incharge Arvind Kumar said.

When she reached there, Sunil and another man present at his house offered her a drink, the officer said, citing the complaint.

NEW DELHI, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people lost their lives in India's eastern state of Bihar following heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours, media reported on Sunday.

According to the reports, four people died near Patna after a tree fell on auto at Khagaul railway station. Two persons were also injured in the incident. While four people lost their lives in Barari and two killed in Khanjarpur, one died in Munger, two died after their house collapsed due to heavy rains in Kaimur district and one person died in Patna on Saturday due to electrocution.

Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Sep 28 (PTI) A complaint was filed in a court here on Saturday seeking that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan be tried for waging war against the country and other offences for his speech at the UN General Assembly.

Sudhir Kumar Ojha, a lawyer, who earlier filed petitions against Bollywood actors and top political leaders, moved his latest application in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Surya Kant Tiwari.

Islamabad, Sep 28 (PTI) Pakistan opened all major border crossing terminals on Saturday for the Afghan citizens to allow them to cast their vote in the key presidential election.

Voting is under way in Afghanistan's presidential election, amid heavy security and threats from insurgents.

About 9.6 million Afghans are registered to vote in key presidential poll which marks the culmination of a bloody election campaign.

New Delhi, Sept 29 (PTI) Several hundred prisoners, who have not been convicted for murder, rape and corruption, will be released from jails across India on October 2 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, officials said on Sunday.

The number of prisoners to be released on Gandhi Jayanti could be around 600 and the final list is being prepared by the Union Home Ministry in close coordination with state governments and the union territory administrations.

Kaushambi, Sep 28 (PTI) A 16-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a neighbour in Karari area here, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place on Friday night and the accused Mustaqueem has been arrested, Superintendent of Police Pradeep Gupta said.

Lucknow, Sep 28 (PTI) As many as 35 fresh rain-related deaths were reported from different parts of Uttar Pradesh, the state government said on Saturday.

While 25 people died on Saturday, 10 perished on Friday, the official statement said, adding that another 5 were injured in various rain-related incidents.

On Saturday, four persons died in a house collapse in Mirzapur and an equal number of people were killed when a wall fell on them in Azamgarh due to heavy rain.

Ghaziabad, Sep 28 (PTI) Building plans in Ghaziabad will now be approved online, officials said on Saturday.

Building plans on land measuring 300 metre or less will be approved within 24 hours without any manual interface, while those in bigger plots will be sanctioned within a month, they said.

The decision was taken to avoid delays in sanctioning building plans, on directions of the state government at the board meeting of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), its chairperson Anita Meshram told reporters.