Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday raised questions on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's France visit, alleging that work has begun to justify the prime minister's decision to buy Rafale fighter aircraft.

He took to Twitter to say while the Supreme Court has asked for the details of the Rafale decision-making process, the decision to buy the fighter aircraft was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi alleged that processes to justify Modi's decision are being invented.

Machilipatnam (AP), Oct 10 (PTI) A man allegedly sexually assaulted his four and a half-year-old daughter, police here Wednesday said. .

The girl's mother lodged a complaint after she complained about severe body pain and narrated her ordeal, DSP V Pothuraju said.

The incident occurred Saturday.

According to the complaint, the man, a school teacher, offered chocolate to the girl while she was on her way to school and later allegedly sexually assaulted her.

New Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) The government Wednesday cut excise duty on jet fuel or ATF to 11 per cent from current 14 per cent in a bid to give relief to the aviation industry that has been hit hard by high fuel prices.

A notification issued by the Revenue Department of the Finance Ministry said the duty change would "come into force with effect from the 11th day of October, 2018.

Jaipur, Oct 10 (PTI) BJP members Usha Punia and Pratibha Singh resigned from the saffron party on Wednesday, alleging party workers were being neglected.

"I had joined BJP's primary membership after being influenced by its policies and ideals, but in the last few years party workers were being neglected and there is no one to hear their issues," said Punia, a former minister in the Rajasthan government, after tendering her resignation to state BJP president Madan Lal Saini.

New Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) Gearing up for the upcoming election cycle, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday appointed media coordinators to steer the party's communication strategy, sources said.

Party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi has been handed the charge of media coordinator for Madhya Pradesh, Congress sources said.

Congress media panelist Jaiveer Shergill will take care of Chhattisgarh and party spokesperson Pawan Khera would be the media coordinator in Rajasthan, they said.

Gurgaon, Oct 10 (PTI) The Shiv Sena and another Hindu organisation claimed to have forcibly shut around 400 meat and chicken shops at different locations here on Wednesday, demanding that they remain closed during Navaratri.

Chief of Shiv Sena's Gurgaon unit Gautam Saini told PTI that around 300 members of different Hindu organisations assembled at the Lord Shiva temple located at the Old Railway road on Wednesday morning and headed to different places to close meat shops.

Muzaffarnagar, Oct 11 (PTI) A 25-year-old woman was allegedly raped by two men after being forced to drink liquor at Nasirpur village in the district, police said Thursday.

According to Station House Officer (SHO) Sube Singh, the woman was hired by two men to work as a labourer in a field.

She was forced to drink liquor on Wednesday following which she was allegedly raped by these men, he said.

The woman has been sent for a medical examination, police said.

DHAKA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- A Bangladesh court sentenced 19 people to death on Wednesday, including two former ministers, over a case of grenade attacks at now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's rally in 2004 that killed at least 24 people.

Another 19 people including former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, the current opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman, were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The sentence also included jail terms for 11 others.

New Delhi, Oct 9; PTI: The government is understood to be unhappy with CBI Director Alok Verma meeting former Union minister Arun Shourie and lawyer Prashant Bhushan who demanded a probe into the alleged corruption in the Rafale aircraft deal, with a senior government functionary saying it is "rare" for the agency chief to meet politicians.

Last week, Shourie and Bhushan had met the CBI Director, submitted documents and demanded a probe into alleged corruption in the Rafale aircraft deal and offset contract.

By Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Oct 9 (PTI) The Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, a key Madhesi party which has been demanding amendments to Nepal's Constitution, has threatened to withdraw its support to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli-led government.

The RJP-N leaders, who presented a memorandum to Prime Minister Oli on Monday, warned that if the government failed to address their demands, the party would withdraw its support to his government after Diwali.