India: Hindutva organsations shut down 400 meat shops in Gurgaon

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.

India: 164 swine flu deaths in Raj, highest in country

Jaipur, Oct 10 (PTI) Rajasthan recorded 164 deaths due to swine flu till September this year, the highest in the country, according to official data.

According to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), a total of 1,652 cases of swine flu surfaced in Rajasthan till September 30.

A total of 4,484 positive swine flu cases were recorded in the country and 353 deaths occurred during the period, as per the data.

India: Usha Punia, Pratibha Singh resign from BJP

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.

India: Nine properties sealed: Amrapali group to SC

New Delhi, Oct 11 (PTI) The Amrapali group Thursday informed the Supreme Court that its nine properties in Noida, Greater Noida, Rajgir and Buxar in Bihar have been sealed in compliance with the court's order.

A bench of Justices U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud asked the Amrapali group to file an undertaking with regard to sealing of its properties by 2 PM today.

The bench also sought presence of two forensic auditors Ravi Bhatia and Pawan Kumar Aggarwal at 2 PM to ascertain their satisfaction with regard to the documents to be audited.

India: Rahul appoints media coordinators for poll-bound states

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.

India: Govt cuts excise duty on ATF to 11%

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.

India: Man sexually assaults minor daughter

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.

India: Woman gang-raped in Uttar Pradesh

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.

Iran slams U.S. unilateralism as root cause of global insecurity

TEHRAN, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Tuesday that the U.S. unilateralism is the root cause of growing insecurity in the world, Press TV reported.

Unilateral measures by the United States in dealing with the global issues have created great problems and challenges for the international community, Larijani noted.

The Iranian speaker made the remarks in an address to the third meeting of the speakers of the Eurasian countries' parliaments in Turkey's Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya.

Paul to push for halting arms sales to Saudis

9 Oct 2018; AP: Republican Sen. Rand Paul says he’ll try to force a vote in the Senate this week blocking U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Paul told local radio in Kentucky he wants to end the arms shipments if there’s “any indication” the Saudis are “implicated in killing this journalist that was critical of them.”

Khashoggi disappeared last week after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for routine paperwork ahead of his marriage.

Trump accepts Nikki Haley's resignation as U.S. ambassador to UN

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has accepted Nikki Haley's resignation as the country's ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning at the oval office that Haley will be leaving at the end of the year. He added that Haley told him six months ago about her intention to leave the post.

Haley, seen as one of Trump's most trusted advisers, had reportedly discussed her resignation with Trump last week during her visit to the White House.

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