Washington, Nov 5; PTI:  India, China and Japan are among eight countries temporarily allowed to continue buying Iranian oil as they showed significant reduction in oil purchase from the Persian Gulf country after the US reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday.

Pompeo vowed that the US will be "relentless" in pressuring Iran as he announced the list of the countries temporarily exempted from the US sanctions during a press conference broadcast live.

CORDOBA, Mexico (AP) — Tired, swollen and blistered feet are among the biggest challenges for the thousands of Central American migrants making their way through southern Mexico in hopes of starting new lives in the United States.

Three weeks of pounding the hot asphalt of highways every day takes a toll, especially for those plodding along in flimsy flip flops. Whenever possible, the migrants discard damaged footwear, replacing them with donated shoes found at stops along the way or with spare pairs they carry in backpacks.

LONDON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May rejected calls Sunday for a second referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union (EU) as a report suggested she has drawn up a secret Brexit plan with Brussels.

Downing Street's insisted a new poll would be a betrayal of trust following the 2016 referendum when 52 percent of the population backed ending EU membership.

The statement comes as a report in one of Britain's leading newspapers, the Sunday Times, suggests May has drawn up a secret Brexit plan with EU.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s outgoing domestic intelligence chief won’t be given a new government job after lashing out at one of the governing parties, the interior minister said Monday. It was a late twist to a saga that has contributed to the administration’s unpopularity.

The center-left Social Democrats, part of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition, demanded Hans-Georg Maassen’s removal from the BfV spy agency in September after he appeared to downplay far-right violence against migrants in the eastern city of Chemnitz.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the final days before pivotal midterm elections, President Donald Trump is painting a distorted picture of immigration while exaggerating his record of achieving economic gains for non-whites and improving health care for veterans.

He insists that Republicans will be able to attract the non-white vote in Tuesday’s elections because he’s achieved “the best median income numbers for all of these groups.” In fact, incomes for African-Americans and Asian-Americans reached their highest levels prior to his administration.

Beijing, Nov 5 (PTI) China's imported goods and services are set to exceed USD 40 trillion in the next 15 years, President Xi Jinping pledged Monday as he kicked off a major import fair in which India and 80 other countries are participating.

An Indian delegation led by Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan is taking part the first China International Import Expo inaugurated in the eastern metropolis of Shanghai.

Pudukottai (TN), Nov 5 (PTI) In what is suspected to be a macabre tantric ritual, the body of a three-year-old girl was found with her throat slit in a village in the district, the police said Monday.

A woman allegedly practising witchcraft has been arrested, police said.

Chinnappillai took the girl, who was playing in front of her house at Kurumpatti, into the forest and allegedly killed her believing that a child sacrifice would increase her tantric power, they said.

Jamshedpur, Nov 4 (PTI) An improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered by the security personnel from Thalkobad on the Thalkobad-Baliba road, over 100 kms from here, in the Naxalism-hit West Singhbhum district, a senior police officer said Sunday.

The recovery was made by the personnel attached to the 197 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the District Armed Police, who were on long-range patrolling in the Naxalism-affected areas, Superintendent of Police (SP) G Kranthi Kumar said.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government did not fulfil the promises it made five years ago and said it had achieved "nothing".

The former finance minister said the BJP-led government began its term with promises of development, jobs and depositing money into people's bank accounts, but now it is promising grand temples, statues and doles.

Malkangiri (Odisha), Nov 5 (PTI) At least five Maoists, including two women, were killed in an exchange of fire with security personnel in a forest in Odisha's Malkangiri district Monday, a senior police official said.

Though five ultras were eliminated, their leader 'Randev', managed to escape from the area which is considered to be a naxal hotbed, police said.

Bengaluru, Nov 5 (PTI): The Karnataka government Monday decided to celebrate "Tipu Jayanti" to mark the birth anniversary of controversial 18th-century ruler of erstwhile Mysore kingdom, Tipu Sultan, bringing the state under a thick security blanket, amid threats of protest by the BJP.

The state BJP, meanwhile, has urged the government to drop its decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti and not to stand on "prestige" or "ego".

Patna, Nov 4 (PTI) As many as 175 police constables, many of them women, were dismissed from service Sunday for indulging in large-scale vandalism and violence here Friday, following the death of a female colleague, a top police official said.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patna Zone, Naiyar Hasnain Khan said the dismissed constables included 167 trainees, while others were in service for some time.