Indian Sub-continent

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's Statue; a 597ft giant bronze monument has been condemned as a vanity project, and has outraged many in the United Kingdom.

Britain gave more than £1billion to India while it was building the world's tallest Statue of Unity - almost twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US.

NEW DELHI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Following Indian apex court's recent order banning the polluting fire-crackers, the Made-in-China electronic crackers, or e-crackers, have indeed created a buzz in the markets in Indian capital.

The Chinese e-crackers are as per the norms set by the court, as they do not emit smoke and also produce light and sound, thereby suitably dubbed as environment-friendly.

Bursting fire-crackers is an integral part of celebrations during the festival of lights or Diwali, one of the major festivals celebrated across India with much pump and show.

Patna, Nov 2 2018 : A major crisis broke out at Patna police lines here today after police personnel went on rampage breaking glasses of police vehicles, misbehaving with senior police officers and holding demonstration following the death of a woman constable allegedly due to dengue at a private hospital.

Muzaffarnagar, Nov 4 (PTI) A 15-year-old boy was allegedly sodomised by two men who also recorded the video of the act and circulated it on social media, police said Sunday.

The incident took place in Mathura village which comes under the jurisdiction of Charthawal police station.

A case was registered in the matter and one person was arrested, SHO Manoj Kumar said, adding that efforts were underway to nab the other accused.

Mathura/Agra Nov 4 (PTI): Environment activists and local authorities are alarmed as dead fish have been found floating in the Yamuna at Mathura, apparently due to the discharge of toxic waste into the river.

Thousands of dead fish have been seen since Thursday, they said.

People who had gone to the ghats for a bath were the first to spot them that day, an activist said.

Srinagar, Nov 4 (PTI) Apple crop worth crores of rupees have been damaged in Kashmir due to early snowfall, officials said Sunday.

Political leaders have extended support to the farmers and asked the state government to take up assessment of losses and compensation for the ryots.

A large number of fruit-laden apple trees in Kashmir have either been uprooted or their stems have broken due to heavy snowfall on Saturday, an horticulture department official said.

New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) With the Ram Mandir movement gathering momentum, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said no Hindu text condones the use of violence to get one's way and scriptures say people should build Ram in their hearts.

"In fact, if anything, there is a scripture that says build Ram in your heart. And if Ram is built in our heart it should little matter where else he is or he is not, because he is everywhere," Tharoor said in an exclusive interview to PTI.

New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) Delhi's air quality continued to improve on Sunday with the pollution level coming down to 'poor' category after oscillating between 'very poor' and 'severe' for nearly three weeks, authorities said.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 231 on Sunday which falls in 'poor' category.

On Friday, the AQI was recorded at 370, which came down to 336 on Saturday, according to data of the Central Pollution Control Board.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan; 4 Nov 2018; AA:China and Pakistan on Saturday signed 15 agreements and memorandum of understandings (MoUs) for cooperation in diverse fields, including poverty alleviation, agriculture and transfer of electronics, local media reported.

The agreements were signed in a delegation level talks between the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the people in Beijing, according state-run Radio Pakistan. 

Khan is currently on a four-day official visit to China.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — American military officials say a member of the Utah National Guard has been killed in an apparent “insider attack” in the capital of Afghanistan.

The officials say another U.S. service member is being treated for wounds sustained in the attack in Kabul on Saturday.

A statement from a spokeswoman for the NATO-led Operation Resolute Support says the attacker was a member of the Afghan security forces and that initial reports indicate the assailant was immediately killed by other Afghan forces.