Indian Sub-continent

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan on Thursday hosted talks with special envoys from the United States, Russia and China on the path forward for Afghanistan, where a deepening humanitarian crisis has forced many Afghans to migrate to neighboring countries since the Taliban takeover in August.

Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, was in Islamabad but did not attend the meeting. The international community has not recognized the government appointed by the Taliban after they overran the country.

New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government over the issue of safety of women, alleging that women are unsafe in the state.

Her attack came after media reports claimed that an officer at Bapu Bhavan in Lucknow has been arrested for allegedly molesting a contractual worker after a video of the incident went viral.

"Be it secretariat, road or any other place: Women are unsafe in Uttar Pradesh. This is the reality of the government's claim on 'women's safety'," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

New Delhi, Nov 10 (PTI) A Delhi University assistant professor and his nephew have been arrested for criminal conspiracy in connection with his wife's murder at their West Sant Nagar residence in Burari, police said on Wednesday.

The accused have been identified as Virender Kumar (38) and Govind (29), they said. One accused person, identified as Rakesh, was arrested on Monday, police said.

Kumar is an assistant professor in Delhi University and posted in Ramjas College. Govind works in a factory in Samaypur Badli, police added.

Nagpur, Nov 10 (PTI) A 23-year-old jobless man committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his house in Kalamna area here in Maharashtra, police said on Wednesday.

According to police, the deceased, Bhushan Gawande, was depressed as he couldn't get a job in Chandrapur where he had stayed for three days.

On Tuesday evening, he hanged himself from a ceiling fan with a scarf in his house, police said.

Kolkata, Nov 11 (PTI) Bengali actor Srabanti Chatterjee, who had joined the BJP before this year's assembly elections and unsuccessfully contested against TMC heavyweight Partha Chatterjee, quit the saffron party on Thursday citing its "lack of initiative and sincerity to further the cause of West Bengal".

The 34-year-old actor had been maintaining a distance from the saffron party after it failed to unseat Mamata Banerjee's government from power in the eastern state despite a high-pitched campaign.

Kanpur: Rohit Sharma is supposed to be appointed the captain of India’s T20I team. The team think-tank ponders over his role in the Kanpur Test.

A major reason behind this is Rohit’s ever improving credentials as a leader with few even suggesting he should lead across format.

Rohit’s stature means he could very well be assigned the captaincy for the first Test set to be played from November 25 at the Green Park stadium of Kanpur.

KABUL, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The caretaker government of Afghanistan on Wednesday downplayed the security threat posed by the hardliner Islamic State (IS), or Daesh outfit, saying security forces had arrested 600 militants affiliated with the armed group over the past three months.

"The security forces of the Islamic Emirate have destroyed 21 bases of the Daesh group in different provinces including Kabul, Nangarhar and Herat and also captured about 600 militants over the past three months," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters at a press briefing here.

Kanpur: Assuring people there is no need to panic, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday, took stock of the Zika virus outbreak here.

There has been reported over 100 cases of Zika virus  here since the first case was detected in late October.

With 16 more cases of Zika virus on Wednesday, the total case load in the state has reached 106. 

One patient tested positive from the neighbouring Kannauj district on Saturday.

Kanpur: On Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the trial run of the Kanpur Metro. He said that people will soon have access to the best transport facility here.

In his address at the trial run of the Metro between IIT-Kanpur and Motijheel here, he said, "Within the next four to six weeks, we will be able to complete the process of metro trial and get it launched for Kanpurites by Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Kochi, Nov 9 (PTI) Liquor shops with long queues outside are a source of "extreme nuisance" and "great vexation" for people living or working close to such outlets, the Kerala High Court said on Tuesday and added that ordinary citizens who are not drinkers should be spared this "anti-social" scenario.

Justice Devan Ramachandran said the court was not looking to set up a five-star facility for drinkers, but it was concerned that "liquor shops still cause great vexation to people, especially women and children, in areas they are located".