Indian Sub-continent

NEW DELHI, April 15 (Xinhua) -- At least seven children have died due to an unknown disease during the past six days in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, officials said on Friday.

The deaths have taken place in Sirohi district, about 413 km southwest of Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan.

The mysterious deaths have triggered panic in the area, prompting authorities to rush medical teams to the affected villages in the district to ascertain the reasons.

New Delhi, Apr 15 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said Egypt, which is one of the largest importers of wheat from Ukraine and Russia, has approved India as a wheat supplier.

There is a sharp decline in availability of wheat in the global markets due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Both the nations are major producers and exporters of wheat.

Khargone (MP), Apr 15 (PTI) Curfew was relaxed on Friday for two hours in the riot-hit Khargone city of Madhya Pradesh to allow people to buy essential commodities, a senior official said.

The curfew, imposed on Sunday evening after riots broke out in the city during Ram Navami celebrations, was relaxed for all from 10 am to 12 pm, Khargone collector Anugraha P said.

However, people were not allowed to use vehicles during the period and they can make purchases from nearby shops, she said.

Mumbai, Apr 15 (PTI) The NCP on Friday termed BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis's latest accusations against its president Sharad Pawar on multiple issues as baseless and whimsical and ascribed the allegations to frustration stemming from the MVA constituent's growth in Maharashtra as the most preferred party .

Palakkad (Ker), Apr 15 (PTI) A 43-year old man was allegedly hacked to death in Kerala's Palakkad district on Friday.

Subair, a local leader of the Islamist outfit Popular Front of India, was hacked to death at Elappully in the district on Friday afternoon, police said.

He was allegedly hit by a car while on a bike and attacked using sharp-edged weapons.

The incident occurred when he was returning home after offering prayers in a nearby mosque.

Aligarh, Apr 15 (PTI) A 30-year-old woman was allegedly raped by the driver, his helper and a passenger of an auto-rickshaw that she hired at the bus stand here to reach her village, police said on Friday.

The incident took place late Thursday evening when the woman took an auto from the Aligarh bus stand for her native village, about 15 km away from the city, they said.

In her complaint, the victim has alleged that the driver picked up another passenger for the same destination.

Fatehpur, Apr 15 (PTI) A 42-year-old man allegedly axed his orphan niece to death in a village here after she spurned his sexual advances, police said on Friday.

Accused Ramgopal Singh attacked his niece late Thursday night after she objected to him when he molested her, Ghazipur police station's SHO Sangamlal Prajapati said.

The accused has been arrested, he said.

The 14-year-old girl's parents had died long ago and she had been living with her aunt in Rae Bareli and had come to her uncle's place a few days ago, the SHO said.

by Omar Ahmed

Kanpur: Jajmau is today wholly different from what it used to be about forty years ago. Quite strange it looks how the barren, desolate place has turned out to be an area with all the modern-day conveniences.

Talking to a few residents of the area, it was learnt that even salt was not available forty years ago in this tannery town.

Not only this factual point there was no shop, nor even a Gumti. It appears exclusively startling.

Kanpur: Local people waded through a dirty pond to garland the Dalit icon's statue in the city's Juhi Bamburahiya on the auspicious occasion of the 131st birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Dr Ambedkar's statue was reported to be erected in the middle of the pond for the past several years. There remained no attempt to remove to a better spot up to the day.

Every year on Ambedkar jayanti, the local councillor and his supporters have to brave the stench of the dirty water to lay wreaths and garland the statue of Dr Ambedkar.